Lice treatments, very worried.

[scpiggy]

I've just found what I think were lice on Rio, since it was out of vet hours the vet nurse said I could come in and pick up some spary that should get rid of lice and mites. She gave me frontline spray and told me how to administer it so when i got home I sprayed Rio and Sookie. Just after I sprayed sookie with it I noticed there was an information sheet attached to the bottle looked through it and it said it's not reccomended for animals other than dogs or cats and is toxic to rabbits and it lists a whole number of possible side effects including sickness, respiritory and neurological problems. As soon as I read this I looked up frontline spray online and everywhere is saying NOT SAFE FOR GUINEA PIGS
I rushed Rio and Sookie straight to the bath in an attempt to wasg it off them but so worried it will have already caused them harm My vet is usually so good I trusted them to give me the correct treatment now I'm so worried they've given me something that could harm my babies. I feel so awful for having used it and so worried that something bad will happen to Sookie or Rio because of it.
Any advice or information on frontline spray and the possible effects it could have would be very helpful or anything to put my mind at ease.

 

[Guinea pig slave]

That's not good for professionals but in all honesty, bathing them seems the right thing to do.
I would ring the vet back immediately and explain -
Please let us know and just as a reference for future, always read any instructions before using anything. I'm sooo wary of stuff and spend ages checking labels on bottles and the info on the internet.
Good luck x>>

 

[Abi_nurse]

As you have washed it off now, dont panic too much. Keep a close eye on them. The vet nurse was foolish to give you this, she should have given you some ivermectin to sort them out or told you to pop back on Monday. Give your vets a call back if your worried in any way. I'll have a quick look up to see about any side effects to pigs. What size bottle do you have and how many pumps did you put on each pig?

x.

 

[scpiggy]

I've just rung the vet back and she said that the side effects only occure if you use too much and that if I'd prefer a different treatment to come back in on monday and they'll give me something else. Feeling a little less panicy now but I'm still going to keep a close eye on them.
I'm usually so good about reading the information before using treatments but this was one of those lables you have to peel off the bottle to read and I didn't even see it until I'd already started spraying. mallethead

 

[Abi_nurse]

I cannot find anything about toxicity in guinea pigs with Fipronil (frontline), however i still wouldn't use it. It takes up to 24 hours to absorb into the skin so considering you washed it off straight away i wouldnt panic too much. Toxicity has been noted in rabbits, but at quite a high dose. And other toxicity has been noted in rats/mice but only when actually ingested by the looks of it. I would just keep an eye on them. Hope theyre ok, they should be. Lice can be killed with ivermectin effectively so ask for some of this when you pop to the vets.

x.

 

[scpiggy]

I cannot find anything about toxicity in guinea pigs with Fipronil (frontline), however i still wouldn't use it. It takes up to 24 hours to absorb into the skin so considering you washed it off straight away i wouldnt panic too much. Toxicity has been noted in rabbits, but at quite a high dose. And other toxicity has been noted in rats/mice but only when actually ingested by the looks of it. I would just keep an eye on them. Hope theyre ok, they should be. Lice can be killed with ivermectin effectively so ask for some of this when you pop to the vets.

x.

Thank you for your help. I saw on guinea lynx i think it's called that it should not be used on guinea pigs but it didn't mention the side effects of it being used. I'm still keeping an eye on them though, unfortunately Sookie has a nasty habit of playing dead guinea pig and giving me a heart attack everytime I look check on them. :{
I'll take them in on monday and ask for invermectin. Hopefully that'll do the trick. Thanks for all your help

 

[Pebble]

OK - we now have two issues:

a) how to combat the effects of Frontline and
b) how to then ensure the lice are "zapped".


At the moment your first priority is to ensure there are no toxic effects from the spray aready used.

Bathing is good.

Do not apply ANY more chemicals atm. Your first priority is to ensure this recent spray treatment leaves no lingering effects and is "dispersed"

Bathe again with an animal friendly NEUTRAL shampoo in 3 days time (i.e. without insecticide or anti-fungal chemicals) Best to try Beaphar chamomile shampoo or Johsons (human) baby shampoo


Please do not worry too much about the lice - that is easily sorted and it is not a life threatening condition.

Give it a couple of weeks for this latest chemical overload to die down and then wash in Johnsons insecticidal shampoo - it's a one-shot cure-all for lice in piggies.

And remember - lice (unlike mange mites) is not life threatening so a few weeks without treatment in this case won;t hurt.

HTH
x

 

[scpiggy]

OK - we now have two issues:

a) how to combat the effects of Frontline and
b) how to then ensure the lice are "zapped".


At the moment your first priority is to ensure there are no toxic effects from the spray aready used.

Bathing is good.

Do not apply ANY more chemicals atm. Your first priority is to ensure this recent spray treatment leaves no lingering effects and is "dispersed"

Bathe again with an animal friendly NEUTRAL shampoo in 3 days time (i.e. without insecticide or anti-fungal chemicals) Best to try Beaphar chamomile shampoo or Johsons (human) baby shampoo


Please do not worry too much about the lice - that is easily sorted and it is not a life threatening condition.

Give it a couple of weeks for this latest chemical overload to die down and then wash in Johnsons insecticidal shampoo - it's a one-shot cure-all for lice in piggies.

And remember - lice (unlike mange mites) is not life threatening so a few weeks without treatment in this case won;t hurt.

HTH
x

Thanks a lot. I'll give them another bath in a few days time and I'll certainly look into getting the shampoo.

 

[PAMELAKT]

Someone else on here said their vet used stronghold for mites, which is usually used on dogs/cats. I think these treatments must sometimes be used on pigs...

A vet surely knows the difference between a guinea pig & a dog, I should think it must have been used before ok. I'd like to think so anyway!

 

[Poppy'sMum]

Someone else on here said their vet used stronghold for mites, which is usually used on dogs/cats. I think these treatments must sometimes be used on pigs...

A vet surely knows the difference between a guinea pig & a dog, I should think it must have been used before ok. I'd like to think so anyway!

That was me! Is Frontline the same thing though ?

My vet used Stronghold to treat my piggies' mites in July, is was drops not a spray though.

 

[Pandora]

stronghold contains selamectin, which will be similar to ivermectin as it isn't recommended for use on collie dog breeds.
the frontline spray will likely be fipronil

two very different products.
i would say as well that if it's not suitable for rabbits, i wouldn't put it on a piggie either.

i saw a johnsons product mentioned above, i can vouch that their insecticidal spray extra (containing permetherine) does work well for lice as i've used it myself in the past, took three treatments a week apart to clear the problem so the shampoo will probably work just as well x