Skin Trouble Again

[RJade]

I can honestly not tell you how much trouble I've had with two of my guinea pigs and their skin. I'm. It exactly sure what it is this time because it's occurred in 2 guinea pigs that don't live together, but they have the same symptoms. Dry, irritated skin and thinning hair.
These two pigs must have had anti fungal medication at least 4 times, and creams on and off that I self treated since I've had them since last October. I did wonder if it as something to do with the weather change and them having rubbish immune systems as babies. They did come from the same litter but are useable to live together because of dominance problems.

I'm going to the vets tomorrow but any tips for soothing irritated skin would be appreciated! They had a bath about a month ago, but I'm not sure how many they can have?

 

[Wiebke]

I can honestly not tell you how much trouble I've had with two of my guinea pigs and their skin. I'm. It exactly sure what it is this time because it's occurred in 2 guinea pigs that don't live together, but they have the same symptoms. Dry, irritated skin and thinning hair.
These two pigs must have had anti fungal medication at least 4 times, and creams on and off that I self treated since I've had them since last October. I did wonder if it as something to do with the weather change and them having rubbish immune systems as babies. They did come from the same litter but are useable to live together because of dominance problems.

I'm going to the vets tomorrow but any tips for soothing irritated skin would be appreciated! They had a bath about a month ago, but I'm not sure how many they can have?

Hi! Please do not home treat on spec and see a vet first for a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. In the end, it means a lot less suffering for your guinea pigs and less cost overall for you.

Perhaps a skin scraping and a lab test may give you the answers that you need.

All the best for tomorrow!

 

[Lady Kelly]

Perhaps ask the vet to take a scraping for testing to check exactly what kind of issue you are dealing with especially as it's a recurrent problem. Best of luck

 

[Piggy mum]

I know how you feel! I went round in circles with one of mine for about 4 months and i was in despair!

Turned out in my case it was a combination of mites and fungal, which took a long time to clear.

Hope you get some answers!

 

[RJade]

Hi! Please do not home treat on spec and see a vet first for a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. In the end, it means a lot less suffering for your guinea pigs and less cost overall for you.

Perhaps a skin scraping and a lab test may give you the answers that you need.

All the best for tomorrow!

Thanks!

 

[RJade]

Went to the vets and thinking mites! So treatement ordered to start tomorrow and hopefully we'll see some improvement.
The vet seems to think that there's thing with mites that they might be laying dormant and strike up again when things occur, like weather changes or stress! Which is why two guinea pigs from the same litter but do not live together started with it! Pretty weird.

 

[Wiebke]

Went to the vets and thinking mites! So treatement ordered to start tomorrow and hopefully we'll see some improvement.
The vet seems to think that there's thing with mites that they might be laying dormant and strike up again when things occur, like weather changes or stress! Which is why two guinea pigs from the same litter but do not live together started with it! Pretty weird.

In my experience most guinea pigs have dormant mange mite eggs in their skin (especially when their mum had mites herself) which are usually kept under control by a fully working immune system, but which can make an appearance whenever the immune system is lowered by illness, stress or old age. Ivermectin can only kill mites, but not the eggs in the skin.

That is why you need to treat for a full three rounds (in advanced cases for more) when you are dealing with mange mites in order to catch all emerging mange mites. Mites treatment is never just a one off!

This is also the reason why mange mites may turn up again whenever there is something that lowers the immune system.
If that is the case, please speak to your vet and chart the best forward for your specific situation in dealing with it - constant treatment, especially with a low dosed shop product, may not necessarily prevent an acute outbreak and can lead to resistance.

Please do not self-diagnose and treat on spec. As you have learned the hard way, it has caused your piggies a lot of unnecessary suffering (mange mites are really painful in the skin) because they have been treated wrongly. And you have spent a lot of money on unnecessary fungal creams and shampoos etc. that could have gone towards the consultation fee and the mites treatment instead!

 

[RJade]

None of the creams and shampoos were shop bought, they were prescription and all used on vet advice! I don’t really proceed forward without any vet advice, up to this point, my pigs are one year old and I would say I’ve spend over £600 on fixing their issues from previous owners, all gone into a veterinary surgery.
And it was their advice to try the creams first before proceeding with mite treatment due to their history, and when no improvement was seen taken in, I think if any “suffering” was minimal due the limited time experienced. Either way, the spray I have been given is working, still another 4 weeks left to go but should be fine.

 

[gizzy]

Sorry you are having so much trouble with your pigs !
Perhaps if you wrote down as much of there medication history as you can remember and ask your vet to formulate a anti fungal care plan!

Anti fungal meds the same as antibiotic and antiviral have a nasty habit of building up a resistance and if you have been self medicating your pigs it makes it that much more difficult for your vet to perscibe the right med for the job

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