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Specialist Rescued guinea pig with severe mites, having seizures- help!

Abby Lambert

Abby Lambert

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Nov 23, 2019
Messages
9
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17
Points
85
Location
Northamptonshire
Hi everyone
I’m a brand new member and in need of some advice. I rescued a 1 year old guinea pig who has been neglected, he has horrific mite infestation and is having seizures due to itching so much 😢 he’s been to the vets and I’ve got Ivamectine drops, I’ve wrap him to stop the itching and seizures, I’ve been given him 0.5oz of liquid antihistamine to make him more comfy. Has anyone got any other advice to help him? It’s been a week and he is still in so much pain. I want to do all I can for him. Has anyone else had something similar did they pull through? He’s also inside, in a cage with soft towels for bedding and hay obvs! Thank you so much x08ACD101-D9F1-476C-B07D-938155F2148E.webp
 
Welcome to the forum
Good on you for rescuing this poor little guy x
I think you need an urgent appointment at the vets if he is having seizures, that can happen with really bad infestations, do let your current vet know he’s having them.
The Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton are “Gold Star Vets“ when it comes to guinea pigs and very reasonably priced too. I go there all the way from Cornwall with my dental piggies. Kim and Simon are fantastic with guinea pigs and very knowledgeable too
Do let us know how you get on

The Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic
 
Abby Lambert said:
Hi everyone
I’m a brand new member and in need of some advice. I rescued a 1 year old guinea pig who has been neglected, he has horrific mite infestation and is having seizures due to itching so much 😢 he’s been to the vets and I’ve got Ivamectine drops, I’ve wrap him to stop the itching and seizures, I’ve been given him 0.5oz of liquid antihistamine to make him more comfy. Has anyone got any other advice to help him? It’s been a week and he is still in so much pain. I want to do all I can for him. Has anyone else had something similar did they pull through? He’s also inside, in a cage with soft towels for bedding and hay obvs! Thank you so much xView attachment 127074
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Hi!

Are you using the Cat&Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton? They specialise in just cats, rabbits and guinea pigs and see more piggies in a week than many general vets in a month!
The Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic

Ideally you'd rather not use spot-on for a severe mange mites infestation but injections, which are not licensed and much harder to get by these days, but more effective.
You still have to observe the product specific interval between applications, which makes mange mite treatment so frustrating when all you can do is wait for the next application - ivermectin overdosing can be very damaging so it has to be fully worn off before you can apply it again.

Unfortunately severe mange mites is not a quick game; it takes several rounds of ivermectin to get on top of them and several weeks before you can get past them; at severity you may need 4 rather than 3 applications.

You and your vet are doing the right thing with wrapping to prevent skin biting and triggering even more fits. If the fitting is still very frequent, I would recommend to contact your vet again.

You may want to ask your vet for metacam; it is an anti-inflammatory (inflamed skin) as well as a painkiller.

I am linking in some more members with experience with badly affected piggies but please accept that they are busy people that give their experience in their rather scant free time.
@furryfriends (TEAS) @Abi_nurse @pig in the city
 
Bill & Ted said:
Welcome to the forum
Good on you for rescuing this poor little guy x
I think you need an urgent appointment at the vets if he is having seizures, that can happen with really bad infestations, do let your current vet know he’s having them.
The Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton are “Gold Star Vets“ when it comes to guinea pigs and very reasonably priced too. I go there all the way from Cornwall with my dental piggies. Kim and Simon are fantastic with guinea pigs and very knowledgeable too
Do let us know how you get on

The Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic
Click to expand...
Thank you so much, I will give them a call! He’s eating a drinking really well which is why I can’t give up on him x
 
Bill & Ted said:
Welcome to the forum
Good on you for rescuing this poor little guy x
I think you need an urgent appointment at the vets if he is having seizures, that can happen with really bad infestations, do let your current vet know he’s having them.
The Cat and Rabbit Clinic in Northampton are “Gold Star Vets“ when it comes to guinea pigs and very reasonably priced too. I go there all the way from Cornwall with my dental piggies. Kim and Simon are fantastic with guinea pigs and very knowledgeable too
Do let us know how you get on

The Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic
Click to expand...
Thank you very much for this advice! I will call them today ! He’s a little fighter that’s for sure! His “old owners” used to find him in his outside hutch soaking wet as it wasn’t waterproofed well and still did nothing! I’ll keep you updated thank you again x
 
Abby Lambert said:
Thank you so much, I will give them a call! He’s eating a drinking really well which is why I can’t give up on him x
Click to expand...

It is getting your pig through the tough first 2-3 weeks that is the hard bit as the ivermectin takes time to work and then you have to wait for it to run out before you can treat again with the next round - which means that it is getting worse in the days before you can treat again rather than better. But you should hopefully see an improvement within 2 days after the next application of ivermectin. :(
 
Wiebke said:
Hi!

Are you using the Cat&Rabbit Care Clinic in Northampton?
The Cat and Rabbit Care Clinic

Ideally you'd rather not use spot-on for a severe mange mites infestation but injections, which are not licensed and much harder to get by these days, but more effective.
You still have to observe the product specific interval between applications, which makes mange mite treatment so frustrating when all you can do is wait for the next application - ivermectin overdosing can be very damaging so it has to be fully worn off before you can apply it again.

Unfortunately severe mange mites is not a quick game; it takes several rounds of ivermectin to get on top of them and several weeks before you can get past them; at severity at least 4-5 applications

You and your vet are doing the right thing with wrapping to prevent skin biting and triggering even more fits. If the fitting is still very frequent, I would recommend to contact your vet again.

I am linking in some more members with experience with badly affected piggies but please accept that they are busy people that give their experience in their rather scant free time.
@furryfriends (TEAS) @Abi_nurse @pig in the city
Click to expand...
Thank you so much for all your help x
 
Wiebke said:
It is getting your pig through the tough first 2-3 weeks that is the hard bit as the ivermectin takes time to work and then you have to wait for it to run out before you can treat again with the next round - which means that it is getting worse in the days before you can treat again rather than better. But you should hopefully see an improvement within 2 days after the next application of ivermectin. :(
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Thank you x he really doesn’t like me at the moment, gives me all the abuse but you can’t help but smile at his sassyness even when he is in so much pain x3E7E1359-62E6-46DF-BE7E-75E8E4241332.webp
 
We had a similar case recently who is now almost fully recovered after 2 ivermectin injections. Our vet prescribed metacam to keep him comfortable as well, worth asking your vet about this too to help with pain & inflammation.
 
PS: Furryfriends from The Excellent Adventure Sanctuary for guinea pigs with special needs is having their Christmas event this afternoon in Northampton. I am going to be there as well selling homemade Christmas biscuits if you are interested and want a chat.

1574502047324.png
 
What a lovely looking boy! How can anybody not look after such a sweet looking piggy properly?
 
Wiebke said:
PS: Furryfriends from The Excellent Adventure Sanctuary for guinea pigs with special needs is having their Christmas event this afternoon in Northampton. I am going to be there as well selling homemade Christmas biscuits if you are interested and want a chat.

View attachment 127093
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Yes I will come ! Thank you my little boy will love it 😊
 
He is gorgeous. I adopted a beautiful boar many years ago. He had to have extensive treatment for similar issues..his story is below. He survived and then came to us to live a wonderful life. He was an absolute character and lived to 6 years old, sadly his heart giving out in the end. Good luck with your boy, you have some amazing people here who can help you and your boy will live a very happy life with you once he is through this.

http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/documents/Mr Melt.pdf
 
Abby Lambert said:
Yes I will come ! Thank you my little boy will love it 😊
Click to expand...

It was lovely to meet you in person! I hope that you can get an appointment at Kim and Simon Maddock's at the start of the week.

If he is eating and drinking, then he really has the will to live, and has enough quality of life to do so. Hang on in there!
 
Is it worth treating him for ringworm with an anti-fungal shampoo too? Saskia from la guinea pig rescue thinks piggies should be treated for both as sometimes it’s hard to tell which is the cause, or they might have both. Might be worth a try?
 
Betsy said:
What a lovely looking boy! How can anybody not look after such a sweet looking piggy properly?
Click to expand...
Tell me about it! He’s the sweetest little guy x
Wiebke said:
It was lovely to meet you in person! I hope that you can get an appointment at Kim and Simon Maddock's at the start of the week.

If he is eating and drinking, then he really has the will to live, and has enough quality of life to do so. Hang on in there!
Click to expand...
It was great to meet you to - the biscuits were awesome! 😊 yes he is eating and drinking fine and has the occasional conversation ♥️ He definitely wants to live. Fingers crossed I get an appointment soon x
 
Just caught up with this.
He is such a lovely boy and very lucky to have you now to love and care for him.
He will soon forgive you when he’s all better.

Keeping you in my thoughts
 
Abby Lambert said:
Tell me about it! He’s the sweetest little guy x

It was great to meet you to - the biscuits were awesome! 😊 yes he is eating and drinking fine and has the occasional conversation ♥ He definitely wants to live. Fingers crossed I get an appointment soon x
Click to expand...

Simon and Kim are both experienced enough to judge whether to add a fungal medication to the treatment or not, depending on his state; and if advisable in which form in order to not tax his poor little body any further (if they opt for it, it is likely going to be oral rather than topical).
Please do not home treat on spec and cause further avoidable seizures. I did consider mentioning the fungal angle if you had stuck with your other vet but it was one of the reasons for recommending the Cat&Rabbit Care Clinic as your poorly boy is a very sensitive case that surpasses what we normally deal with on this forum and what most members are familiar with.
He really belongs in the hands of a vet who can do a hands-on examination and carefully weigh up all angles and pros and cons of what to treat with/in which form to best treat.

All the best for tomorrow morning! Your little boy is lucky to have found you! He will soon understand that you are making him better and love you for it, and your good care forever. ;)
 
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