What is this in her ear? (Urgent)

[retro]

New piggie. I’ve found some egg looking things in her ears and what looks like gunk on her bare skin on her other ear. I’m on my way home, but wanted to throw this post up quickly so I can get the supplies I need. Ivermectin’s been acquired.what is this?

 

[retro]

New piggie. I’ve found some egg looking things in her ears and what looks like gunk on her bare skin on her other ear, similar to the darkness around her fur in the further away pic…idk if that’s her skin tone or she’s dirty. I’m on my way home, but wanted to throw this post up quickly so I can get the supplies I need. Ivermectin’s been acquired.what is this?

 

[Siikibam]

I’m not sure about the egg looking things you say. I can’t really see anything to be honest.

Having said that, please don’t home treat without knowing what is wrong, you could actually make things worse. What you don’t want to do is to ‘wipe the crime scene’.

If you’re concerned please have her seen by the vet soon. I know it’s a bit more difficult in the US with getting appointments but please try b

 

[Piggies&buns]

I can’t see anything either.
Please see a vet if you have any health concerns.
Do not treat with ivermectin unless a vet has diagnosed a need to do so

 

[retro]

Ok, thanks! I’m going to give her a good ear cleaning, since when I got home her ears are a little dirty. I bought some supplies to clean her ears.

 

[Claire W]

Please don’t clean her ears yourself or go sticking anything like a cotton bud in them. Guinea pigs shouldn’t have dirty ears and I must admit, her ears don’t look particularly dirty to me. If you have any concerns, please see a vet who will be able to clean her ears properly if they are in fact dirty

 

[Siikibam]

Please see a vet if you’re concerned but don’t clean her ears. You don’t want to cause problems when they are okay as is.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Yes I also agree - please don’t clean her ears

 

[retro]

Please don’t clean her ears yourself or go sticking anything like a cotton bud in them. Guinea pigs shouldn’t have dirty ears and I must admit, her ears don’t look particularly dirty to me. If you have any concerns, please see a vet who will be able to clean her ears properly if they are in fact dirty

I mean this with the upmost respect so please don’t get me wrong, I really really really do, I am not trying to be mean or anything I want to make that very clear, as it might sound like I’m being offensive. But..I know how to take care of my Guinea pigs as I’m quite experienced in knowledge about Guinea pigs. In fact, I just helped a Guinea pig get to a vet and get checked out for everything she needed and she wasn’t even mine, because red flags went off in my head because I know such things, that they took her to the vet and got her checked out. Otherwise she wouldn’t have gone. She’s fine, luckily!

I’m far from new, I don’t know if it is something that appears to look like I’m some new piggie parents but I’m not, I’m actually quite experienced. I just haven’t seen this before on my own pig, some stuff throws me for a loop because my own pigs have always been clean and groomed, and taken care of. I studied for hundreds of hours. I figured this could be a case of fungus. But the difference between studying and hands on is it’s like “okay, this is a real situation, not a book so I’d like to confirm my concerns!” I just wanted others input here because I trust this forum. I stayed quiet about my assumptions because I wanted the forum members input. But I’ve had a few post go “take her to the vet for your concerns.” assuming that I wouldn’t and I’m just trying to learn about my piggies health and discuss it. I’m not asking for DIY instructions. I’ve seen a sebaceous cysts (vet took care of it, then I took care of it because little guy got bit right at that area. It was a bonding fail. But blessing in disguise because I was able to drain the cyst at home a second time and it never came back! Yay! I even got medicine from the vet and he was happy about it.), I’ve done every kind of cleaning there is. (I’ve owned 5 boys in the past, I now have 5 girls. I’ve never owned girls, so that I AM new to haha.)

None of my pigs have had dirty ears. Ever. Because they are clean. They are properly groomed. Cleaning ears is part of grooming (though I don’t do war cleanings super often and it can be bad for them) and I do health checks very often. Not over groomed or under groomed. Teeth taken care of. I am not just some random person sticking things in Guinea pig’s holes or a child that’s clueless. This small rant wasn’t really pointed at you, I’m kind of just a tad annoyed about it. I’m not clueless and I know what I’m doing, and I know when to contact a vet, I was just trying to get some opinions.

 

[Merab]

Hope you can find a solution to the ear problem

 

[retro]

Please see a vet if you’re concerned but don’t clean her ears. You don’t want to cause problems when they are okay as is.

What problems do you think could occur if I clean them myself? Genuinely curious.

 

[Piggies&buns]

If there is something wrong with the ear, cleaning it would not be a good thing to do - it can hide evidence a vet needs to make a diagnosis and therefore mean an incorrect diagnosis could be made. Therefore we would not advise to clean the ears.
If you wish to do it then you can make that choice.

We are not saying you wouldn’t take them to the vet, what we are saying is that we cannot tell you what is wrong, only the vet can - I just can’t see what eggs you might mean - we would not be able to tell you what supplies you might need, or to advise use ivermectin without diagnosis.
We absolutely can discuss your piggy’s health but without a vet diagnosis we don’t know what is wrong.

 

[retro]

If there is something wrong with the ear, cleaning it would not be a good thing to do - it can hide evidence a vet needs to make a diagnosis and therefore mean an incorrect diagnosis could be made. Therefore we would not advise to clean the ears.
If you wish to do it then you can make that choice.

We are not saying you wouldn’t take them to the vet, what we are saying is that we cannot tell you what is wrong, only the vet can - I just can’t see what eggs you might mean - we would not be able to tell you what supplies you might need, or to advise use ivermectin without diagnosis.
We absolutely can discuss your piggy’s health but without a vet diagnosis we don’t know what is wrong.

That’s understandable! Thanks for the response!

 

[Claire W]

I mean this with the upmost respect so please don’t get me wrong, I really really really do, I am not trying to be mean or anything I want to make that very clear, as it might sound like I’m being offensive. But..I know how to take care of my Guinea pigs as I’m quite experienced in knowledge about Guinea pigs. In fact, I just helped a Guinea pig get to a vet and get checked out for everything she needed and she wasn’t even mine, because red flags went off in my head because I know such things, that they took her to the vet and got her checked out. Otherwise she wouldn’t have gone. She’s fine, luckily!

I’m far from new, I don’t know if it is something that appears to look like I’m some new piggie parents but I’m not, I’m actually quite experienced. I just haven’t seen this before on my own pig, some stuff throws me for a loop because my own pigs have always been clean and groomed, and taken care of. I studied for hundreds of hours. I figured this could be a case of fungus. But the difference between studying and hands on is it’s like “okay, this is a real situation, not a book so I’d like to confirm my concerns!” I just wanted others input here because I trust this forum. I stayed quiet about my assumptions because I wanted the forum members input. But I’ve had a few post go “take her to the vet for your concerns.” assuming that I wouldn’t and I’m just trying to learn about my piggies health and discuss it. I’m not asking for DIY instructions. I’ve seen a sebaceous cysts (vet took care of it, then I took care of it because little guy got bit right at that area. It was a bonding fail. But blessing in disguise because I was able to drain the cyst at home a second time and it never came back! Yay! I even got medicine from the vet and he was happy about it.), I’ve done every kind of cleaning there is. (I’ve owned 5 boys in the past, I now have 5 girls. I’ve never owned girls, so that I AM new to haha.)

None of my pigs have had dirty ears. Ever. Because they are clean. They are properly groomed. Cleaning ears is part of grooming (though I don’t do war cleanings super often and it can be bad for them) and I do health checks very often. Not over groomed or under groomed. Teeth taken care of. I am not just some random person sticking things in Guinea pig’s holes or a child that’s clueless. This small rant wasn’t really pointed at you, I’m kind of just a tad annoyed about it. I’m not clueless and I know what I’m doing, and I know when to contact a vet, I was just trying to get some opinions.

I am very sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you and we know you wouldn’t hesitate to take your pigs to the vets. Personally I can’t see anything wrong with her ears I was just saying that if you do have concerns, a vet would be your best bet as nobody on the forum is trained or qualified to make a diagnosis

 

[Deleted member 151640]

You will find on this forum that people will give advice, but the standard procedure is take them to a vet as nothing can be diagnosed through a screen.

We aren’t aware of who and what you are so can only advise against things that can go easily wrong, people just want the best for you and your pigs.

Generally speaking ear cleaning isn’t something you need to do at all, especially if you can’t see anything physically wrong, so it will be advised against but it is clear you know what you are doing, so you can and will make your own choices.

Hope your girls doing fine x

 

[VickiA]

By UK law (where we are based) only a vet can diagnose and treat an animal and only after an examination. That’s why the correct advice from our forum is that we can’t diagnose from a screen and that the recommendation is to take any pig with any issue you’re concerned about to see a vet. It’s no reflection on you @retro. It’s just that our hands are tied.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m sorry you felt ‘attacked’. That was not our intention at all but nonetheless sorry you felt that way.

The worry with ‘diagnosing’ through a picture is that we can get it wrong. And we are not qualified to give advice on treatment so it’s always best to err on the side of caution.

No one wants to give you advice that could lead to problems and I’m sure you wouldn’t want that either. Hence the hesitancy to go off a picture or tell you to use this or that product.

Hopefully your girl is okay.

 

[retro]

Thanks for your kind words and concerns and understandings! My girl has been seen and it’s just her complexion and she is fine. I did not clean her ears or use ivermectin, as i do not want to do anything that is unnecessary.

 

[Sweet Potato]

I thought it might be. I've only had piggies with black ears which hides a lot of stuff like that so i haven't got much experience with pale eared piggies but I couldn't see anything in the photo.

I'm glad they're OK. A good piggie slave will always over analyse things that look a little odd. I think we've all had vet trips only to be told it's normal, for me it was an imaginary eye issue. It's better that than convincing yourself a health issue is normal or just a little quirk.

I hope you don't feel too attacked. The forum is a friendly place but we all panic a little and want to help when we hear there's a little one in trouble but there's not much helping you can do through a screen. It's surprising how many people don't think it's time to see a vet as soon as they notice something different. There's lots of dodgy information out there about piggies a lot of which brushes over the fact that any health issue can become a major health issue for an animal that small and it all needs a vet visit if possible.

 

[Siikibam]

I’m glad all was okay with your girl

 

[VickiA]

So good to hear everything is ok. Always a relief to get that reassurance from the vet.

 

[Claire W]

I’m glad that you’ve had her seen and that everything is ok x

 

[Merab]

Thanks for your kind words and concerns and understandings! My girl has been seen and it’s just her complexion and she is fine. I did not clean her ears or use ivermectin, as i do not want to do anything that is unnecessary.

That’s good news.
You must feel relieved it’s nothing to worry about