Skin Issues..

[Fred&HarryPigs]

Hi! I’ll try to keep it short.
Fred and Harry my 10 month old boars have recently undergone a 5 week course of Ivermectin injections (1 per week) at the vets for suspected mites.
After the 4th injection I was not convinced that they they were fully healed so contacted the vet again. This time it was advised that we do a skin scraping to rule out any mites, lice, parasites, inflammation markers, fungal or ringworm. The skin scrape came back 5 days later as clear for everything, no underlying issues.

The vet gave a 5th Ivermectin injection and all seemed well. She advised that I could bathe them to clear any access dry skin.

I decided not to bathe as they were looking good, but within the last few days the itching has started again, tugging at the hair and they do not like their backs being touched. Harry has also started making a grunting noise when scratching.

It’s quite hot here in the UK at the moment, could it be the heat? They are both long haired, so I’ve given them a short trim, kept all the blinds and curtains closed to keep the room cool and I have put an ice board wrapped in a tea towel in their enclosure.

Could this be the heat or are we missing something?

Ps. I have contacted the vet too for advice as I’m slightly concerned about Harry’s breathing as it’s occasionally sound congested when he’s eating and grooming. He does have a heart murmur too so it could be related to this.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

 

[Wiebke]

Hi! I’ll try to keep it short.
Fred and Harry my 10 month old boars have recently undergone a 5 week course of Ivermectin injections (1 per week) at the vets for suspected mites.
After the 4th injection I was not convinced that they they were fully healed so contacted the vet again. This time it was advised that we do a skin scraping to rule out any mites, lice, parasites, inflammation markers, fungal or ringworm. The skin scrape came back 5 days later as clear for everything, no underlying issues.

The vet gave a 5th Ivermectin injection and all seemed well. She advised that I could bathe them to clear any access dry skin.

I decided not to bathe as they were looking good, but within the last few days the itching has started again, tugging at the hair and they do not like their backs being touched. Harry has also started making a grunting noise when scratching.

It’s quite hot here in the UK at the moment, could it be the heat? They are both long haired, so I’ve given them a short trim, kept all the blinds and curtains closed to keep the room cool and I have put an ice board wrapped in a tea towel in their enclosure.

Could this be the heat or are we missing something?

Ps. I have contacted the vet too for advice as I’m slightly concerned about Harry’s breathing as it’s occasionally sound congested when he’s eating and grooming. He does have a heart murmur too so it could be related to this.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Hi

Have you checked for potential hay mites eggs fixed to the hairs (they are tiny but you can feel them like miniature beads on a string of a single hair, often in the underlayer), hair loss patterns or fungal exudate crusts on the back?
Skin scrapes are unfortunately often inconclusive.

Underlying health issues can lower the immune system so it is no longer able to keep all these opportunists under control.
Please give your long-haired piggies a summer haircut anyway. They will thank you in the coming hot days in the UK!

New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

 

[Fred&HarryPigs]

Hi

Have you checked for potential hay mites eggs fixed to the hairs (they are tiny but you can feel them like miniature beads on a string of a single hair, often in the underlayer), hair loss patterns or fungal exudate crusts on the back?
Skin scrapes are unfortunately often inconclusive.

Underlying health issues can lower the immune system so it is no longer able to keep all these opportunists under control.
Please give your long-haired piggies a summer haircut anyway. They will thank you in the coming hot days in the UK!

New piggy problems: URI - ringworm - skin parasites
Hot Weather Management, Heat Strokes and Fly Strike

Hi thank you for your reply.
I’ve checked the hair thoroughly and no signs of hay mites.

He hasn’t got any bald patches but he does have crusty bits on his back, it’s does not look like ringworm (and I would’ve thought this would have spread to Fred or myself by now) he does lose a lot of hair but this could just be normal malting.

Fred is completely back to normal following the Ivermectin treatment and he was the one who was suffering the most initially, which is why I think this is fungal related as Harry should be completely recovered by now if it was mites.

I’m going to call the vet this morning to see if I can get him checked over within the next few days.

Thank you!

 

[Wiebke]

Hi thank you for your reply.
I’ve checked the hair thoroughly and no signs of hay mites.

He hasn’t got any bald patches but he does have crusty bits on his back, it’s does not look like ringworm (and I would’ve thought this would have spread to Fred or myself by now) he does lose a lot of hair but this could just be normal malting.

Fred is completely back to normal following the Ivermectin treatment and he was the one who was suffering the most initially, which is why I think this is fungal related as Harry should be completely recovered by now if it was mites.

I’m going to call the vet this morning to see if I can get him checked over within the next few days.

Thank you!

There are milder forms of fungal skin infection that can affect especially longer haired piggies with bad air circulation. Lab tests only do ringworm. You may want to discuss with your vet whether a fungal dip or shampoo may be worth a try. Once you are passed all the usual culprits, you are very much down to trial and error with persistent skin problems, unfortunately.

In view of the hot weather in store you might want to consider a summer haircut anyway. Hot weather warning for the UK - plan now to keep your piggies safe!

 

[Fred&HarryPigs]

There are milder forms of fungal skin infection that can affect especially longer haired piggies with bad air circulation. Lab tests only do ringworm. You may want to discuss with your vet whether a fungal dip or shampoo may be worth a try. Once you are passed all the usual culprits, you are very much down to trial and error with persistent skin problems, unfortunately.

In view of the hot weather in store you might want to consider a summer haircut anyway. Hot weather warning for the UK - plan now to keep your piggies safe!

Thank you, I thought it might be a case of trial and error. I’ve got an appointment with the vet tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll be able to come up with a solution. They have got fresh haircuts ready for the summer, I’m sure they’ll thank me for it eventually!

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you, I thought it might be a case of trial and error. I’ve got an appointment with the vet tomorrow. Hopefully we’ll be able to come up with a solution. They have got fresh haircuts ready for the summer, I’m sure they’ll thank me for it eventually!

They usually will once they feel the benefit... All the best for tomorrow.