Problems with fleece?

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RattyGirl11

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Yesterday I noticed that Serafina, my 7 year old piggie, was losing fur on her stomach and the bald patches are red, scabby and angry-looking. Her feet pads are also red and sore.

Took her to the vet today who says that since the change to fleece is recent that's the only thing he can put it down to. He's given her a steroid injection and advised me to swap back to shavings.

Fortunately her friend and cagemate Lola is fine. I just wondered if anyone else has suffered these problems with fleece?

Rachael
 
The only thing i can think of (RE fleece) Is that the wee possibly isnt being dragged down enough by the absorbant layer? Could you possibly give a little more detail RE your set up please?
 
They sound like urine scalds, maybe because of her age she is less active & lying in her wee or on wet patches on the fleece?

As Connie says maybe the fleece isn't working as it should, what are you using underneath it to wick the wee away?

I suggest you try some vet bed in her sleeping area, or make up some fleece squares which you can change daily & put them where she mainly sleeps/lies. :)
 
Never had problems with fleece.
Did you wash it without any conditioner at least 3 times before using it?
Not going to argue the point that your vet made about putting her back to woodshavings but I would have thought they would really be harsh and uncomfortable if her tummy is red raw. Maybe our experts could be more helpful with bedding suggestions. inbreeding
 
Yes, the fleece has been washed more than 3 times without conditioner. I used a layer of newspaper topped by a triple layer of towel, topped by fleece.

I would have thought precisely the same about woodshavings, but the fact remains that she has always been fine on them and this has only started since conversion to fleece!

Fortunately she is happy enough otherwise and still eating and drinking and enjoying being out in her run.

Rachael
 
Maybe put a puppy pad in the places she lays most as they absorb super quick?
 
Bekki2308 said:
Maybe put a puppy pad in the places she lays most as they absorb super quick?
Click to expand...

I'd be reluctant to do that, because of environmental principles-I've used cloth nappies for all four of my children, even when I had two or more in nappies at once, so I'd not be keen to compromise for pets either.

I'll keep you all posted on how she gets on. The vet did agree that he would expect fleece to be better for her but couldn't put it down to anything else, the bedding is the only thing I've changed.

Rachael
 
Aw, hope she recovers quickly xoxo
I used to use fleece and faux sheepskin blankets but it made the hair on the boys bellies a bit mucky and knotty - vet said it was the friction as they are so low to the ground :(
Vet bed soon sorted it and solved the problem :))
A tiny bit of Sudocrem may help if her skin is sore, my boy scratched himself and had a small dry patch of skin after a bath so tried it and it helped (once I'd checked for any skin disorders)
Gorgeous Guineas do a lovely range of lotions for piggies and the foot balm is nice for their feet, I use it as a treat after nail cutting etc. to keep their little paws nice :)
Chrissy will advise you on any worries you have and recommend something - I would never replace a vets advice though and always do a small patch test behind their ear before using anything.
http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/products.html
 
Just a thought - she might be allergic to the washing powder you used to wash the fleece.
 
RattyGirl11 said:
I'd be reluctant to do that, because of environmental principles-I've used cloth nappies for all four of my children, even when I had two or more in nappies at once, so I'd not be keen to compromise for pets either.

I'll keep you all posted on how she gets on. The vet did agree that he would expect fleece to be better for her but couldn't put it down to anything else, the bedding is the only thing I've changed.

Rachael
Click to expand...

I accept your wanting to be eco friendly but if you decided you want to try thme they can be bought in packs of 5 from poundland , one pad would probably last 2 days and it might be enough to give her skin a break.

Or a washable kylie mat meant for incontinent folks beds, or washable feminine hygiene products or left overs from babies nappies might be usefull underneath her fleeces to keep her dry in the areas she lays most! anything is worth a try :-)

Also do you use a non bio? I know that most eco friendly washing powder I have seen is not non bio this might be irritating her skin, I use aldi non bio and its great even at low temps .

I also think shavings might irritate her raw skin! but then shavings are less absorbent than fleece and towels so I dont see that fleece will have really caused any problems
 
I've just freecycled the last of my washable nappies but they were shaped rather than flat terries or prefolds so would have probably been uncomfortable, I'd have found it tricky to get them level.

The towelling I was using was highly absorbent so I'm not sure nappies could have better that, really.

I use non bio powder as I have lots of skin problems myself (eczema, dermatitis) so always use a gentle non bio powder.

I think she just must not get on with fleece! A shame as it suited my other piggie beautifully and I was fine with the washing etc.
 
Ive had no problems with fleece at all and I only use a thick layer of newspaper underneath but they do tend to wee in the same 2 corners which I dont cover with the fleece so maybe thats why they only wee there?
I change that area of paper 3 times a week.

The only problem I'm having at the moment is their burrowing-its driving me mad and making such a mess of the cage!
They tip their food bowl up burrowing underneath and when I want to give them their veg I have to pull them our from underneath because otherwise they cant find the opening and squabble trying to get out.:(
 
Hmmmm.

I'm now beginning to wonder if they fleece is purely coincidental to the whole thing. I've looked in my book of guinea pig care and realised that her symptoms are quite similar to mange :{

Also, this has just flared up within the last few days, I'd imagine if she was so severely allergic to fleece as to get a reaction like this it would have more than likely happened sooner.

She has always been an outdoor piggie, but I'm going to bring her inside now as she's lost so much fur I'm concerned she'll be too cold.

I'm considering trying a different fleece blanket (been washed according to specifications), and I have found an old pack of bed mats that I got as a free sample when the kids were smaller.

What are your thoughts? Do you think this would be better for her than the soft hay and shavings, or is going against veterinary advice a bad idea?

I'm using Sudocrem on her so hopefully that will help to form a protective barrier too?

I also have to say, i can't see the 24 hour improvement predicted by the vet :( and although she is eating small regular amounts of food, she does look ill and unhappy to me.

All help/opinions welcome, Rachael
 
Another thought-could the fact that she's a pink eyed white mean her skin is more sensitive and prone to unpredictable reactions?
 
If you are not seeing an improvement, i would recomend seeing another vet.

If it is indeed fleece she doesnt get along with, why dont you try megasorb or carefresh? Much much softer than shavings i would imagine. :)

Could you perhaps take a picture or the sore area/areas for us?

I'm so sorry, must be very stressfull not knowing what it is!
 
I'm not able to get out now and buy anything else, but tomorrow that might be an option. As might another vet trip-I'm likely to see another vet if I go tomorrow as they seem to change regularly.

I'll try to get some photos to put up. She doesn't seem in any distress when I apply the Sudocrem, but is clearly hunching when on the floor as though trying to get her stomach off the ground. She's out in the run at the mo with the others, as I've had to sort the cages, and is happily moving around and eating grass-it's a puzzle! :{
 
Bit of an update on my little old lady!

She has been indoors all week, bedded down on fleece, pampers bed mats (I compromised all my principles, at that point I would have done pretty much anything to ensure her comfort!) and is being slathered liberally in Sudocrem twice daily.

The hair on her belly doesn't seem to be growing back but she is far less sore and is eating happily and seems well enough in herself.

I haven't returned to the vet because she seems better in herself, but am unsure what to do long term. I know she is a very old lady (7), and although she's never had any health problems before, I am concerned that something bigger might be going on.

Something else that occurred to me-she was introduced to a companion within the last 6 weeks-could stress cause this? She did take a while to bond with her, could that be responsible?

Any thoughts welcome, and thanks for all the earlier help too! Rachael x
 
Hello,
a good idea to drain the pee is to build little mattresses.
With my piggy I used it and never he got wet.
I cut the fleece fabric into rectangles and then I filled there with a Polyester Wadding fabric.
There matresse have the advantage that filter pee first for the fleece and then through the Wadding fabric. You can be sure that your girl will be not more wet even if she spend much time lying.
I recommend you to buy a wadding not very thin, the thicker is this, better the result and she will be more comfortable and warm.
I bought this fabrik in this homepage:
http://www.fabricuk.com
but sure you can find more shops.
Regards
 
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