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Ivermectin - Topical Treatment

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Celine298

Celine298

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Hey guys, I'm about to do a spot-on treatment on my piggies for mange mites/lice.

I have the Ivermectin, I've got my dosages all sorted out and ready to go, my only question is placement.

I've administered topical spot-on treatments to cats and dogs in the past, and it was always put on the back of the neck where they couldn't reach. guinealynx recommends applying it to the bare skin behind the ear. I'm just worried about them reaching it and licking it off their paws.

Does it matter with pigs if it's behind the ear or on the neck?
 
Have your guinea pigs got acute mange mites and lice?

If not, please be aware that most guinea pigs have mange mite eggs in their skin, which are kept perfectly well under control by a functioning immune system. They generally make only an appearance if this is compromised by illness or stress and are most effectively treated by a full 3 rounds course with a high dosed good quality product in that case.

By treating on spec, especially with a low dosed shop product, you are actually helping these eggs build up resistance to ivermectin as it is not going to kill any encapsulated eggs; you can only get at emerged mites. First cases have been reported a few years back. Before ivermectin (and selamectin, which is used for the same purpose), there was no way to kill mange mites. Mange could only be managed and often led to prolonged suffering and death. :(
 
There appears to be no lice but Sunny has extremely dry, flaky and itchy skin. I don't think it is a fungal infection as he was treated for one when I got him first a year ago. I know they can reoccur but Lola (his cage mate) has perfectly clear skin, and I know fungal infections are quite contagious.

The only solution I can come to is mange mites.

If they're are natural washes I could bathe him in to help that you know of, I will try them instead. My vet recommended diluting a little tea-tree oil and lavender oil in water and using that. It only helps for a day or two though.
 
Celine298 said:
There appears to be no lice but Sunny has extremely dry, flaky and itchy skin. I don't think it is a fungal infection as he was treated for one when I got him first a year ago. I know they can reoccur but Lola (his cage mate) has perfectly clear skin, and I know fungal infections are quite contagious.

The only solution I can come to is mange mites.

If they're are natural washes I could bathe him in to help that you know of, I will try them instead. My vet recommended diluting a little tea-tree oil and lavender oil in water and using that. It only helps for a day or two though.
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If your vet is OK with it, then please do a full course of xeno at the weight appropriate strength and interval. Are you seeing any bald spots or have you got any specific areas where the flakiness is occurring?

Please be aware that there are many forms of fungal, and that not all are as aggressive as ringworm - and even threre you won't necessarily have all guinea pigs in a group coming down with it.

You may also want to check whether your boy could have fur/hay mites. They seem to be turning up a lot over the last year as tiny specks on light fur around the bum (that is generally the egg cases), but virtually invisible in any darker fur. You may seem them on a brush, especially when you empty it on some white paper. They can also cause the symptoms you are reporting.

Please do not give any other treatments, especially not within 48 hours of each skin application, or you will reneder the previous treatment ineffective. If it is mange mites, you should see a noticeable improvement of the soreness and itching after 2-3 days and a disappearance of it once the second round has been applied. The third round is there to mop up any late stragglers and prevent a comeback.
 
He has no bald spots. He is shedding a good bit around his lower back area and this is where most of the scaly skin is. It's not his scent gland either, that just has the normal little bit of residue.

If the hay mites you're talking about are like those I saw as a child on our farm in bales of fresh hay, then they never did any harm to our farm animals and died out of the hay after about a month. I don't see any on him/on the fleece in the cage, and I have never seen them cause a skin reaction on any other animal like this.
 
Celine298 said:
He has no bald spots. He is shedding a good bit around his lower back area and this is where most of the scaly skin is. It's not his scent gland either, that just has the normal little bit of residue.

If the hay mites you're talking about are like those I saw as a child on our farm in bales of fresh hay, then they never did any harm to our farm animals and died out of the hay after about a month. I don't see any on him/on the fleece in the cage, and I have never seen them cause a skin reaction on any other animal like this.
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My little Nye arrived with a lot of them, and they did cause some scaliness; he's been treated with stronghold by my vet.
Hay mites are much less harmful than mange mites, as they don't burrow their eggs in the skin, but there seems to be a new strain around that is smaller than the untreated farmer's hay ones; they are smaller and not quite as easy to get rid of. This version is usually reported by people that use imported shop bought hay.
 
Oh my, I didn't know that about the new hay mites! I've been buying the same brand for a year now with no problems so I think I'll stick with it.

I currently have Sunny basted in a layer of coconut oil. It has natural antifungal properties so I'll see if it eases his skin dryness in the next 48 hours
 
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