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Itchy Peggy

  • Thread starter Thread starter Damonshumanslave
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Damonshumanslave

I noticed this evening that Peggy was scratching a lot. I got her out and checked her over. She has a small bald patch on her side. It doesnt look red, sore, dry or itchy. Just bald. I wonder if the itching was unrelated and she's just being barbered? It must have just happened today, as I had her snuggled up to me in front of the TV this morning, and she didnt have a bald patch then. Could Damon have been trying to mate her and been a bit too rough? I have ordered a coconeem melt for GG, just in case it is lice or a fungal infection or something. I will also make an appointment at the vets first thing in the morning. Any have any idea what could be wrong and what I can do in the meantime?

Thanx guys.
 
Oh, just thought I better add that my Mum suggested it may be hormonal as Peggy is getting on a bit and has had ovarian cysts and mammary growths.
 
Could be, is there a bald spot the other side? I don't know if it has to be both sides.
Maybe the mammary growth is pressing on something? Have the cysts been treated? Maybe she needs another course of Chorulon?

Is she Rexoid? They seem to lose hair in patches, usually under though, on their bellies :)

Liver probs sometimes cause hairloss but I don't know if there's anything you can do about them, I htink not.

Best go to the vet so he can have a feel :)

A Melt and bath is good to eliminate any nasties etc.
 
No, just one side, kind of behind her front leg, but further back than her armpit. I've been watching her all morning, and she hasn't scratched once, so I don't think it's anything itchy. Perhaps it is hormonal then. She has already had 2 courses of chorulon, and it didn't make much difference. She was still having a tiny amount of blood in her urine, and was still sensitive to touch around that area. She actually has been loads better in that department recently. No blood in urine, or soreness, and her mammary growths haven't got any bigger in a very long time. At one point a few months ago they were growing really fast! She had all these lumps and bumps when I rescued her, and the vet says she has so many of them (most of them really small) that it would be impossible to remove them all.

I'll pop her over to the vets anyway, just in case. It may be fungal I suppose. What will the vet prescribe for a fungal skin infection? My good cavy vet has left the practice now, and the other vet hasn't got a clue, so I may need to be armed with information so he doesn't treat her with the wrong stuff. I'll also use the coconeem melt when it arrives.

I gave her a bath last night in the GG 4 oil shampoo. She didnt seem to be irritated by it (she quite enjoys baths) so I don't think her skin is sore.

Thanx for your help Karen!
 
I doubt this is fungal,but if it is do not use anything prescribed by a vet because it will contain chemicals.

GGs shampoos and melts deal very affectively with fungal problems.

As she has been scratching a lot,I think there is a good chance this is mites,.Bare patches caused by mites are not always sore or scurvy,not initially anyway.

If it is mites oral or topical Ivermectin will be needed,plus a GG shampoo after 48 hours.

It could be hormonal but the hair loss with this is normally bilateral on the sides and or on the tummy,and can sometimes be from the middle of the back along the spine.
 
Thankyou Mary!

I'll ask for Ivermectin then. There are absolutley no signs of anything on the other pigs she lives with, which is why I guessed it wasnt mites. Is it normal for one pig to have them and not pass then to cagemates?

Just read on another thread that the bad hay this year can cause fungal problems when used as bedding. Is that true?
 
Bad hay causes problems any year. So, get good hay, it is around and not like the goldust people are saying it is. Duist Free Hay is excellent, our local hay is excellent too, I'm sure there's somewhere near you as well :)

I would be worried about mammary tumours pressing on other organs, I have no idea if they would/could, but I would ask my vet this. Personally I have mamary tumours removed, Molly had her little nipple removed too ::)

Guineas can get mites and be fungal without it spreading, just give the other pigs a normal bath if you're concerned, only the one's in the same cage :)

If she has blood in her urine and is tender I would ask about Septrin too and possibly feel for stones and get an xray if the septrin doesn't do any good :) I would definitely be increasing her fluid intake to about 30/40 ml a day and see what, if any difference that made.
 
I am going to start using dust free hay after I have moved. O0

I have asked baout removing her tumours, but she has so many that it would mean removing her whole underside! There would be no Peggy left. I didn't have her when the tumours first started (I got her from a rescue, she was a right state when they took her in). I would have taken her to the vets at the first sign of a tumour and had it removed. They dont seem to bother her much. She doesnt show any sign of being uncomfortable when you touch them.

All pigs have had baths! O0

The blood in her urine has been gone for some time. She has had Septrin on two occasions. Didnt seem to make much difference. The vet had a feel for bladder stones, and then took some urine straight from her bladder. He said the blood definitely isnt comong from there, so it must be from her ovaries. She drinks her water bottle dry in a few hours. If I gave her any more fluids she'd turn into a puddle!

Thankyou for the help and advice.

I have just read on another thread that a fungal infection looks like dandruff, and the hairs come out with skin attached to them. The hair around Peggy's bald patch does this. Could it then be fungal? Or a combination of both perhaps?
 
I'd treat for both then :) Sorry got confused about the blood, thought it was in her urine ::)
 
It is in her urine, but it is not coming from her bladder. Its coming from her ovaries, but getting into her urine, apparently. Well, thats what the vet said anyway, but it wasnt my vet. My clever vet was off that day so the other vet that I don't think knows much about anything apart from dogs saw her.

So, I need to ask for ivermectin? Wait 48 hours and then use a GG melt? Just clarifying! I have no experience of skin problems. I don't want to get it wrong!
 
Yes,Ivermectin on day one,then GG shampoo/melt on day 4. If you are still unsure email Chrissie,her emails are very helpful.
 
Thankyou. Peggy is seeing a vet this afternoon. You guys are very helpful!
 
I use a Melt on day one to relieve itching and Ivermectin on day 3 ::) but I'm sure its not important! Its just that most of the ones I get need relief from itching and a Melt etc does that.
 
Well, Peggy had a GG bath as soon as I discovered her bald patch, and that seems to have relieved it a lot. I havent seen her itching at all. The vet thinks it is mites, so has given her a spot-on treatment. I will use the GG melt in three days (assuming it has arrived by then). Thankyou for all your help!
 
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