What do people think this could be?

[PIGGIES FOREVER]

Well you thought wrong. Seeing a piggy who needs appropriate vet treatment but isn't getting it, for whatever reason, is very upsetting to other piggy owners. As I'm sure it would be for you if you saw another member making this kind of post.

I don't think there is anything further anyone can add. Your vet may be an exotics vet but if they recommended beaphar then they are certainly not a cavy savvy vet, or maybe just not a good vet at all. When a piggy has irritated skin it's not a good idea to keep using various products without a vet taking a look because it's either going to make things worse or temporarily improve things so that vet diagnosis is harder (to quote Wiebke, it's like wiping down a crime scene - it's all still there just harder to see).

It's very frustrating, that I can't get to the root of the problem, I trust or you should be able to trust a vets word but everything we have tried so far hasn't worked very well, so I have got a bit fed up now with keep taking her back to receive treatment that doesn't work, so I have done research and found out about fungus shampoo and thought it maybe something that could work for us, what's the harm? It can only be a good thing and kill a fungus if by chance one does exist, and if it sorts things out all well and good. All I was wondering was if it was a particular shampoo that's best to use, how many baths would be needed how often etc.. and the biggest one how long to leave it on for each time. I just thought it wasn't such an issue, not like if a guinea pig really needed to see a vet because they need antibiotics or they are in very bad pain. Which she isn't, she isn't even scratching at it or biting at it. Believe me if I thought there was any chance she was in pain of any sort or discomfort I would seek a vets advice. I have been to the vets loads of times over many years, and different vets to seek the best care I can every time they need to see a vet. I have lost count but as I explained it can become frustrating when you start to feel that you are not getting anywhere anymore with the vets and it costs you every time for treatment that doesn't work, so if there is a chance fungus shampoo would work and you know what your doing then why not, as I said before and it wouldn't cost you as much as going to the vet which is a bonus, the piggy still gets the treatment they need but without the cost. If you can see what I am saying. I am not cutting corners or trying to avoid the vets or anything, I do always and always will, just want the best for my little ones that's it, I can't say anymore, hope this all makes sense. I am sorry if I upset anyone, but that's it as i have gone into already, I really can't say anymore than I have.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes you should be able to trust your vet but as soon as the vet said use Beaphar, I would have been out of there! That's clearly not a knowledgeable vet!
We have told you that Beaphar is more for prevention (which we don’t recommend doing anyway due to the risk of resistance forming) so isn’t effective at treating an active case, shampooing isnt effective and trying to use these products will not make this problem go away, therefore there is plenty of harm in trying them because your piggy is not receiving the treatment it needs. If you try to shampoo your piggy for a problem you dont even know they have, then all you will be doing is upsetting the skin's natural microbiome and causing even more problems on already irritated skin and further delaying getting the correct treatment. It may not cost as much and that is a bad thing, its not a bonus - using such methods to attempt to treat an illness will cost more in the long run as you will still need to go and get the correct treatment but by that point, you will have delayed getting the right treatment for so long, that you could end up needing even longer courses of the correct treatment to solve the problem, plus potentially risks secondary health issues.

The issue your piggy has with the skin is a huge problem and its just as important to get vet care for it just as much as a problem requiring antibiotics or pain meds.

Please do use the Recommended Guinea Pig Vets to try to find a better vet. All of the vets on here are member recommended for being cavy savvy.

 

[Free Ranger]

I've just caught this thread:

We've had mites quite a few times either from rescue adoptions or 'last piggy' leftovers from other people. We see itching and excessive shedding although we've never got to the 'balding' stage. We see the vet and always get prescribed the same thing xeno-450. The ivermectin is very effective. But my pigs are always adult size and don't have underlying issues (the vet can tell this) and are always carefully weighed to calculate the dose because you don't want to overdose (if I had little ones I would probably be offered the mini xeno-50). The solution is always spotted onto the bare skin - not rubbed into the fur - and always done 3 treatment each 2 weeks apart. This is to break the life cycle - ivermectin does not kill the eggs. It takes about 3 weeks for a mite to complete the life-cycle from newly laid egg to breeding adult. The treatments after 2 weeks aim to catch the hatched mite before it reaches breeding maturity. So the first dose kills all the live mites, 2 weeks later the second dose kills the next generation of hatched eggs, and 2 weeks after that the 3rd dose mops up any escapees. I TREAT ALL MY PIGS AT THE SAME TIME and yes it can be painfully expensive with 8 but if you get it right first time it ends up cheaper than repeated vet visits. I give the ivermectin a day or two on the piggy before I blitz out the cages (mine are plastic so I just clean in the shower using white vinegar and hot water). I wash the fleeces - I don't shampoo the pigs - there is no need. I don't have wooden houses but there are wooden bits and bobs - if you want to keep them you can either stick them in the freezer for a few days (-20 C) or bake gently in the oven - google for the temperature but it doesn't have to be red hot - certainly under 100 C - you just have to cook them!

If you apply the ivermectin and the pigs start to scratch MORE over the next few hours this is actually a good sign (although it can be distressing for pig and owner) because the mites spasm as they die so this indicates that it IS mites and they ARE dying! The scratching should calm down after a while.

If you are 'treating' for mites but the stuff isn't strong enough or you haven't treated all the pigs at the same time (and they can be passed from pig-to-pig by the owner) you essentially can't say that you've treated for mites. I mean this with love, I know it's a massive pain in the bum when these things drag on, but if you've not treated properly you haven't eliminated the possibility of mites and the are very common so I'd be tempted to start again. Sorry x

I had one lovely, fluffy old girl who got a fungal skin infection. She came to us for her retirement. The vet said it was because of her age and she was getting run down. It wasn't the highly infectious ringworm and none of the other pigs were treated (or ever developed symptoms). I said she wasn't scratching but the vet said they can still be very itchy but just too old and tired to scratch so we don't always notice. We got a special prescription strength shampoo and had to use it I think 3 times (it was a while ago). It worked, but the final time the poor girl snuffed up a drop of rinse water and promptly developed a pneumonia which killed her very quickly. I had rushed her in as soon as her breathing changed but we couldn't save her. The vet said, rather sadly, that her skin was looking great. It was a tragic end, but a warning - if a fungal infection develops in a piggy who is older or run down for other reasons they are very susceptible to things like this so even something like shampooing shouldn't be taken lightly. If you shampoo with 'anti-fungal' shampoo that isn't strong enough you risk encouraging a fungus that is resistant to the active ingredient and that will, eventually, cost more to get rid of with more vet visits and med charges.

Seriously (big deep breath) I would look around for a second opinion, explain what has happened to that vet, and start again. We know you can crack it!

 

[Siikibam]

I agree with the advice above. I think you need to find another vet if you feel that the one you’ve been seeing doesn’t seem to know much. It is always best to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan rather than using google to check for symptoms/treatment. You want to sort out whatever it is rather than drag it out. Hopefully you can get to one of the vets on the list linked above.

 

[PIGGIES FOREVER]

I agree with the advice above. I think you need to find another vet if you feel that the one you’ve been seeing doesn’t seem to know much. It is always best to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan rather than using google to check for symptoms/treatment. You want to sort out whatever it is rather than drag it out. Hopefully you can get to one of the vets on the list linked above.

O.k thankyou, I will have a look at the vet list that someone sent, hopefully I will get it sorted out really soon.

 

[PIGGIES FOREVER]

I've just caught this thread:

We've had mites quite a few times either from rescue adoptions or 'last piggy' leftovers from other people. We see itching and excessive shedding although we've never got to the 'balding' stage. We see the vet and always get prescribed the same thing xeno-450. The ivermectin is very effective. But my pigs are always adult size and don't have underlying issues (the vet can tell this) and are always carefully weighed to calculate the dose because you don't want to overdose (if I had little ones I would probably be offered the mini xeno-50). The solution is always spotted onto the bare skin - not rubbed into the fur - and always done 3 treatment each 2 weeks apart. This is to break the life cycle - ivermectin does not kill the eggs. It takes about 3 weeks for a mite to complete the life-cycle from newly laid egg to breeding adult. The treatments after 2 weeks aim to catch the hatched mite before it reaches breeding maturity. So the first dose kills all the live mites, 2 weeks later the second dose kills the next generation of hatched eggs, and 2 weeks after that the 3rd dose mops up any escapees. I TREAT ALL MY PIGS AT THE SAME TIME and yes it can be painfully expensive with 8 but if you get it right first time it ends up cheaper than repeated vet visits. I give the ivermectin a day or two on the piggy before I blitz out the cages (mine are plastic so I just clean in the shower using white vinegar and hot water). I wash the fleeces - I don't shampoo the pigs - there is no need. I don't have wooden houses but there are wooden bits and bobs - if you want to keep them you can either stick them in the freezer for a few days (-20 C) or bake gently in the oven - google for the temperature but it doesn't have to be red hot - certainly under 100 C - you just have to cook them!

If you apply the ivermectin and the pigs start to scratch MORE over the next few hours this is actually a good sign (although it can be distressing for pig and owner) because the mites spasm as they die so this indicates that it IS mites and they ARE dying! The scratching should calm down after a while.

If you are 'treating' for mites but the stuff isn't strong enough or you haven't treated all the pigs at the same time (and they can be passed from pig-to-pig by the owner) you essentially can't say that you've treated for mites. I mean this with love, I know it's a massive pain in the bum when these things drag on, but if you've not treated properly you haven't eliminated the possibility of mites and the are very common so I'd be tempted to start again. Sorry x

I had one lovely, fluffy old girl who got a fungal skin infection. She came to us for her retirement. The vet said it was because of her age and she was getting run down. It wasn't the highly infectious ringworm and none of the other pigs were treated (or ever developed symptoms). I said she wasn't scratching but the vet said they can still be very itchy but just too old and tired to scratch so we don't always notice. We got a special prescription strength shampoo and had to use it I think 3 times (it was a while ago). It worked, but the final time the poor girl snuffed up a drop of rinse water and promptly developed a pneumonia which killed her very quickly. I had rushed her in as soon as her breathing changed but we couldn't save her. The vet said, rather sadly, that her skin was looking great. It was a tragic end, but a warning - if a fungal infection develops in a piggy who is older or run down for other reasons they are very susceptible to things like this so even something like shampooing shouldn't be taken lightly. If you shampoo with 'anti-fungal' shampoo that isn't strong enough you risk encouraging a fungus that is resistant to the active ingredient and that will, eventually, cost more to get rid of with more vet visits and med charges.

Seriously (big deep breath) I would look around for a second opinion, explain what has happened to that vet, and start again. We know you can crack it!

Thank you very much for all your very helpful information and advice. I will have to read it again, there's a lot to digest. But thank you very very much.

 

[PIGGIES FOREVER]

Yes you should be able to trust your vet but as soon as the vet said use Beaphar, I would have been out of there! That's clearly not a knowledgeable vet!
We have told you that Beaphar is more for prevention (which we don’t recommend doing anyway due to the risk of resistance forming) so isn’t effective at treating an active case, shampooing isnt effective and trying to use these products will not make this problem go away, therefore there is plenty of harm in trying them because your piggy is not receiving the treatment it needs. If you try to shampoo your piggy for a problem you dont even know they have, then all you will be doing is upsetting the skin's natural microbiome and causing even more problems on already irritated skin and further delaying getting the correct treatment. It may not cost as much and that is a bad thing, its not a bonus - using such methods to attempt to treat an illness will cost more in the long run as you will still need to go and get the correct treatment but by that point, you will have delayed getting the right treatment for so long, that you could end up needing even longer courses of the correct treatment to solve the problem, plus potentially risks secondary health issues.

The issue your piggy has with the skin is a huge problem and its just as important to get vet care for it just as much as a problem requiring antibiotics or pain meds.

Please do use the Recommended Guinea Pig Vets to try to find a better vet. All of the vets on here are member recommended for being cavy savvy.

Thank you for the vets list I will have a look.

 

[Siikibam]

O.k thankyou, I will have a look at the vet list that someone sent, hopefully I will get it sorted out really soon.

You need to have a ring around tomorrow and get her seen soon as. Good luck.

 

[PIGGIES FOREVER]

You need to have a ring around tomorrow and get her seen soon as. Good luck.

Thank you.