Mites?

[Storm1974]

We've had Bramble and Bracken a little over a month now and they both seem to scratch a lot, Bramble more so than Bracken. They're still quite skittish to pick up and hold, but I did check their fur today while they were contained in a box and Bramble does seem to have little bits (Which look a bit like eggs?) in his fur and he has a scab on his back.
We bought some beaphar Spot On today to treat them for mites, but before I used it, I checked out a few reviews on Amazon and a couple of people (It was mainly very good reviews) had said that their Guinea Pig or other small animal had died a couple of days after using the Spot On, which made me worried to use it incase something bad happened to one of the boys! I'd really like to find a product that 'just' contains Ivermectin, but can't seem to find anything online or in the shops.

Do you think we should take them to the vets to get treated instead?

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please do take them to the vet for diagnosis and the correct treatment. Xeno is prescribed according to weight for an active infestation. It needs to be given as part of a course of three separate treatments with two weeks between each treatment.

Hay mite eggs are fixed to the hair shaft and won’t come off.

The spot ons you can buy in pet shops do indeed contain ivermectin but it is too low dosed to be able to cure an active infestation. At best they might suppress it but you may find the mites then come back, costing you more in the long run. They can also lead to resistance forming and consequently making it harder to treat it.
Ivermectin can be overdosed so getting it right is important hence the need to see a vet.

 

[Storm1974]

Please do take them to the vet for diagnosis and the correct treatment. Xeno is prescribed according to weight for an active infestation. It needs to be given as part of a course of three separate treatments with two weeks between each treatment.

Hay mite eggs are fixed to the hair shaft and won’t come off.

The spot ons you can buy in pet shops do indeed contain ivermectin but it is too low dosed to be able to cure an active infestation. At best they might suppress it but you may find the mites then come back, costing you more in the long run. They can also lead to resistance forming and consequently making it harder to treat it.
Ivermectin can be overdosed so getting it right is important hence the need to see a vet.

Ok, thanks for the reply.

Any idea (Roughly) how much this will cost at the vets, are we talking a few hundred?

 

[Piggies&buns]

As each vet has their own charging structure it is going to depend on their consultation fees etc.
I would allow a couple of hundred but it might not come to that much. Perhaps around £30-40 ish per course of xeno roughly (so you’ll probably need two courses - one for each piggy), plus consultation fees. Just guessing though as I’ve not used xeno in a while and even when I did it was the 450 version and a course for a single rabbit who obviously weighs more so needed a couple of pipettes per dose.

 

[Storm1974]

As each vet has their own charging structure it is going to depend on their consultation fees etc.
I would allow a couple of hundred but it might not come to that much. Perhaps around £30-40 ish per course of xeno roughly (so you’ll probably need two courses - one for each piggy), plus consultation fees. Just guessing though as I’ve not used xeno in a while and even when I did it was the 450 version and a course for a single rabbit who obviously weighs more so needed a couple of pipettes per dose.

Thanks, am worried about how much it's going to cost but it has to be done!

In the future, if the mites come back, where could we buy this xeno from, please? Of course when the piggies need a vet they will go, but if there is something we could buy and treat them ourselves with for next time (If needed), then obviously we would prefer to do this, if possible.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thanks, am worried about how much it's going to cost but it has to be done!

In the future, if the mites come back, where could we buy this xeno from, please? Of course when the piggies need a vet they will go, but if there is something we could buy and treat them ourselves with for next time (If needed), then obviously we would prefer to do this, if possible.

Parasites needs to be diagnosed by a vet and treatment is dosed according to their weight (there is two different types of xeno according to their weights) so we would never recommend you treat it without seeing a vet.
Also parasite and fungal infections can look the same in early stages but require different treatment so you could never assume that is what it was

If you haven’t already, it is a good idea to save into a vet fund each month.

 

[weepweeps]

Ok, thanks for the reply.

Any idea (Roughly) how much this will cost at the vets, are we talking a few hundred?

My piggies have had mites. I can’t remember the exact cost but it wasn’t hundreds. Maybe £30 for the consultation and £30 for the meds. It’s easily sorted. I’m sure they will be feeling much better soon.

 

[Wheekallweek]

It might be worth starting to save in a piggy fund for the future. Guinea pigs aren't always cheap pets and as owners we have to be prepared for any future vet bills
As @Piggies&buns has said, treating on spec is never recommended, as using the wrong product, or an ineffective one, could make things worse. Xeno can only be prescribed by a vet as far as I aware