need help with my piggy

[storm_warrior2]

Hello,

I have my guinea pig buttons, a few days ago we noticed that some of her hair in one spot had fallen out (not all of it) we changed her bedding, washed the cage out etc. We havent noticed behavior change from her due to it, nor does it seem to be bothering her much. Outside of today when I pet her, I accidently touched the area (the back)and she started to scratch/jump a bit.

any idea what it could be?

 

[Merab]

If you have any concern about your piggy the best advice is to see a vet.
Fur loss can have a number of different causes.
Only a vet can give you a proper diagnosis and any treatment required.
Hope you can get Buttons seen quickly.
Please keep us posted.
Holding you in my thoughts.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please do have any hair loss checked by a vet in case it is a skin condition or parasites.
It may be that both her and her companion need to be treated but a vet can advise you once you have a diagnosis

 

[storm_warrior2]

going to take her wedsnday

 

[Free Ranger]

That's great

Common problems can be mites (too small to see!) or lice (still almost invisible) which are easily treated in most cases. They don't go on people (although you might feel itchy thinking about them!) Then there are types of fungal infection which are also treatable but need a bit more thinking about. We've had mites a few times and it's usually when a new piggy arrives. They only have a few so there are no symptoms but after a few weeks there is a lot of scratching and then all my piggies have to be treated at the same time! With both of these things it is easier for the owner and better for the piggy to treat in the early stages. Their skin is very sensitive anyway - they don't usually like being patted on the rump like a dog - perhaps try gentle stroking with the back of one finger on the cheek if she will let you. There are tips in the Guinea-pig guides above - try Settling In And Making Friends With Guinea Pigs - A Guide But if she has parasites her skin will be even more tender so it is observant of you to notice how she reacted - mention it to your vet.

Sometimes pet shops sell shampoos or other products which claim to treat mites or fungus - well we don't recommend you waste money on any of these as the active ingredient is usually too weak to be effective and piggies don't like to be bathed! But the prescribed vet-strength medication really does the job.
If you have not had Buttons very long she might have arrived with a few passengers - it's not unusual. If she has a piggy companion it is worth taking both along to the vet as something contagious will need both piggies to be treated at the same time to stop them just re-infesting each other. And if she doesn't have a piggy friend yet perhaps think about getting one for her...? They really come out of their shell when they have a friend to snuggle with and who speaks the same language (but double-triple-check the sexes of any new piggies or you'll be posting in the accidental pregnancy thread!)

Good luck Buttons and don't worry - your caring owner is on the case!

 

[Wiebke]

Hello,

I have my guinea pig buttons, a few days ago we noticed that some of her hair in one spot had fallen out (not all of it) we changed her bedding, washed the cage out etc. We havent noticed behavior change from her due to it, nor does it seem to be bothering her much. Outside of today when I pet her, I accidently touched the area (the back)and she started to scratch/jump a bit.

any idea what it could be?

Hi!

Could you please take clear and preferably well picture so we can have a better look; it would also help us a lot if you could see where exactly on the body the spot is located because there are quite a number of things that can cause bald spots.

Please book your piggy at a vets. If it is a newly bought piggy, you can reclaim any vet cost from the pet shop within a certain amount of time. Please do not treat on spec and do not use low dosed pet shop treatments (not even those that say vet strength - they are STILL exactly the same old low dosed 'prevention' products that won't sort an acute case).
You can find more helpful information in this link here: New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

 

[Deleted member 146752]

Hello,

I have my guinea pig buttons, a few days ago we noticed that some of her hair in one spot had fallen out (not all of it) we changed her bedding, washed the cage out etc. We havent noticed behavior change from her due to it, nor does it seem to be bothering her much. Outside of today when I pet her, I accidently touched the area (the back)and she started to scratch/jump a bit.

any idea what it could be?

I would 100% recommend taking your piggie to the vet, because it could be a number of different things! Best of luck!

 

[storm_warrior2]

Hello all, sorry its been a long week and a half, due to a few things finally giving an update with pictures.

we took her to two seperate vets the first one who clipped her nails had no answer for her, he wanted to send a lab for $90. We called a exotic vet who saw her this past thursday. She said it could be a cyst, or any number of things. She said she is sure its self inflicted from scratching/biting blood test came back okay. Does not think any issues with spine, but could be a cyst. She gave us a medicene that we feed her every am that is once a day, and a spray to help stop the itching. This is now day 3 she said that we should notice hair coming back pretty quickly but doesnt look to be working. She used to pur constantly (I nicnamed her my little pur box) but she has stopped, as well as nipping which isnt in her personality.

I have included a picture of her, its right above the white in her fur on right and barely on the left side.
hoping you guys may have a idea, shes my little one and I hate that I feel so helpless to help her.

 

[storm_warrior2]

the med that were given were Veterisyn and Meticam

 

[Claire W]

Has your vet considered mites at all? They can’t be seen by the naked eye but cause hair loss and scratching

If your vet thinks your piggy could have ovarian cysts, I’d recommend an ultrasound to confirm

I’m not familiar with Veterisyn but metacam is an anti inflammatory and pain killer

 

[Free Ranger]

@storm_warrior2 how old is lovely Buttons?

@Wiebke is it possible that this scratching is on the area where piggy's kidneys are? It's just that there seem to be two quite symmetrical patches. I'm wondering whether some sort of kidney problem..? The reason I ask is that one of my first pigs, Casper, quite suddenly developed a bald patch with clear scratch marks on one side in about the same place. He was likely between 4 and 5 but he was a rescue so we don't really know. It was so many years back - I didn't know much about parasites or fungal infection and I thought that his lively wife had leapt over him (not unusual!) and caught him with her nails. He seemed OK with his eating etc so I bathed the wound and then a few days later a mirror-image wound appeared on the other side. The bald spots never spread. I booked him in for the vet still thinking it was some sort of skin irritation but it was just our local general vet so sadly by the time we had eliminated the most likely candidates he had stopped eating and was eventually pts - RIP my lovely fluffy-trousered boy. We never got an answer but I'm not sure how we would have looked at the kidneys for abnormalities... perhaps conscious x-ray or ultrasound? I only offer this from my memory of the position of the wounds... I wondered after we'd lost him whether piggy kidneys were about there. Casper's bald patches were so sudden and localised, and he definitely had scratched there until a little blood was drawn...

@storm_warrior2 please bear in mind that I am only speculating here and I'm not a vet. It's quite possible little Buttons has something very treatable but we just haven't tracked it down yet. We hope and pray she's feeling more comfortable on her meds x

 

[storm_warrior2]

@Claire W she said she did not see any mites etc when she did the check, I am hoping its simple as we do not have money for a ultrasound which I'm sure is expensive.

@Free Ranger we got buttons from a store, where people dropped off pets. She was in a large open air cage where she had around 70-80 pigs with her at the time and one bunny among them. The next one over was males same thing maybe even more. She is a sweetheart, before we even got home purring and giving kisses day 1.

 

[Wiebke]

It could be self-barbering due to some discomfort in or underneath the skin. Especially if there is a fine stubble and your piggy doesn't instinctively wiggle or twich (like with mange mites) when you touch the bare patches.
The metacam should help with the pain.
Barbering ( Eating Hair)