• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Miss Bramble has lice

Betsy

Betsy

Anniversary Herd
Joined
Mar 26, 2017
Messages
56,435
Reaction score
93,854
Points
3,425
Location
Broadstone, Dorset
At Bramble's morning groom on Saturday, I noticed small black dots on one of her white patches. I made an immediate appointment with the vet which was this morning. It was confirmed that she had lice rather that mites. Xeno mini on order and it should be here on Thursday. All 3 piggies will be treated. She was a good girl at the vets and got a piece of coriander afterwards.
 
Dear Miss Bramble,
We are very pleased that your Slave continues to give you regular salon treatments despite you having bitten her on the neck. If she had stopped doing it she wouldn't have found those nasty lice. We are glad you behaved nicely for the nasty vet man and got some yummy coriander. Next time try to act like you are in pain so you get some Metacam.
Rumble, rumble, rumble,
Yours with kisses,
Dignified Sir George and Mischievous Master Boris x
 
I’m glad she was a good girl at the vet.
I hope the treatment works quickly
 
Betsy said:
At Bramble's morning groom on Saturday, I noticed small black dots on one of her white patches. I made an immediate appointment with the vet which was this morning. It was confirmed that she had lice rather that mites. Xeno mini on order and it should be here on Thursday. All 3 piggies will be treated. She was a good girl at the vets and got a piece of coriander afterwards.
Click to expand...

Small black immobile dots are the egg cases of hay mites (chirodiscoides caviae); guinea pig lice are pale crawly things. Treatment is however the same, so it doesn't really matter that much. Static lice is the outdated and plainly wrong old name for hay mites. The mites themselves are so small that you cannot normally see them.

If you have hay mites indeed, please get rid of your current hay bag since that is where they usually come with.
 
I am thinking of buying some to have on hand in case. Our Golden Retriever had mange a few years back and it was horrible.
 
I should be getting some today for my boys. One of them is recovering from a URI. He seems more itchy at the moment and they can get mites/lice with a lowered immune system. I’ve also used them before.
 
Jelly/Jam said:
I am thinking of buying some to have on hand in case. Our Golden Retriever had mange a few years back and it was horrible.
Click to expand...
I wouldn’t get them “just in case” as they may go out of date before you ever need to use them.
 
Jelly/Jam said:
I am thinking of buying some to have on hand in case. Our Golden Retriever had mange a few years back and it was horrible.
Click to expand...

No, best not to.
If you suspect a case of mites then it is best to go to the vet at that point and have a treatment prescribed.

Certainly here in the UK, parasite products you can buy from pet shops are not strong enough to deal with an active case. They may temporarily suppress but using such products usually does
not cure and can lead to resistance and makes dealing with it much harder.
 
Jelly/Jam said:
Has anyone ever used the Ivermectin drops for mites etc.
Click to expand...

Yes, lots of us. They are the standard treatment.

Please do no use pet shop treatments; they are not dosed high enough.

Ivermectin and selamectin are the active ingredients against any guinea pig specific skin parasites but the concentration and weight specific dosage is important since overdosing can cause major damage. It does not pay to buy a cheap product because you will eventually end up at the vets with a far more advanced case that is harder and more expensive to clear than if had you gone directly.

Please don't buy it on spec and don't buy 'preventative' products. The first is wasted money since the chances of you having to deal with skin parasites are not that high in well kept guinea pigs that you are guaranteed to need the product before its use by date has elapsed and the second will only promote resistance but cannot prevent a serious outbreak. The best defence against any opportunistic skin parasites is actually a healthy immune system that can keep them under control. ;)

The best way is to hit them hard with vet strength products whenever you actually face an acute outbreak.
 
Dear Piggies in Forumland

I just thought I'd let you all know what I've had to put up with these last few days. Well I've been a bit scratchy but my stupid Slave never noticed. When I was out for my daily torture (groom) on Saturday, my Slave noticed some black spots on my lovely white patch a bit of which is on my bum on my left side and it goes onto my leg. She didn't think it was dirt (I should hope not! I'd be highly offended if she did as I keep myself lovely and clean thank you very much!). She thought it may be mites. She made an appointment with something called "The Vet". On Wednesday, my Mum Misty and I were put in our "Going On Holiday" carrier and we thought we were off to Aunty Lilli's for a nice little break with lots of other piggies to chat to. When I was taken out of the carrier, imagine my surprise when I wasn't at Aunty Lilli's but I was in a strange place that smelt funny and I discovered I was at "The Vet". Slave had to hold on to me tightly because I didn't want to be at "The Vet" I wanted to be at Aunty Lilli's. I was trying so hard to run back to my carrier that Slave had to lift me off the table and I was still trying to run back with my legs running like mad but I wasn't getting anywhere. "The Vet" managed to look at my lovely white patch and said that I had lice and not mites. My mum Misty meanwhile stayed nice and safe in the carrier. Eventually, I was put back in there too. I did get a nice piece of Coriander before I was put back for being a good girl though which is more than my mum Misty had.

Yesterday, when Slave got me out of the run, I thought it was cage time and veggie dindins time as usual, but no it wasn't. I was put on a blanket on the table in the Conservatory and this cold wet stuff was put on my back, I didn't like it as it felt funny and I let Slave know I wasn't happy. I didn't even get any Coriander afterward for being a good girl which is disgraceful. I always get some Coriander for being a good girl. My mum Misty also had strange wet stuff put on her back and s o did Thea and neither of them go Coriander either! Still at least I wasn't singled out and we all got treated the same. Then we all got out veggie dindins.

Slave has stopped calling us by our names now and we just get called "Greasy Bonce". Anyway I haven't had to endure my daily torture (groom) today as Slave says she doesn't want to handle any of us until the new gloves arrive.

Yours despairingly

Miss Bramble
Shop Steward
 
Dear Miss Bramble, I am sorry that you have lice and have to endure horrible wet stuff put on you.
Even if this to make you better there should definitely be coriander.
A protest is definitely called for.
Love from from Merab’s Slave
 
Merab's Slave said:
Dear Miss Bramble, I am sorry that you have lice and have to endure horrible wet stuff put on you.
Even if this to make you better there should definitely be coriander.
A protest is definitely called for.
Love from from Merab’s Slave
Click to expand...
Love this🤣🤣🤣Yes! I can picture a talking guinea pig🤣🤣🤣
 
Dear Miss Bramble,
You have given us good advice before about the nasty vet place and yucky stuff or syringes being needed sometimes. However, not giving you any coriander after putting yucky stuff on your beautiful fur! Then calling you names!
We are appalled, our Mummy Slave is very forthcoming with treats after anything that upsets us and she is on the naughty list FOREVER, on the wall of shame and is the current holder of the cup of disgrace!
I think Tessy might be contacting you soon with advice, maybe another nip to the neck is needed.
We still think you look beautiful.
Rumble, rumble, rumble,
Kisses for you,
Growls for your terrible Slave,
Dignified Sir George and Mischievous Master Boris x
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top