What is this on my 3yr old girl piggie?

[sleepingbunnies]

having cuddles tonight and on both her back legs her skin is raw and looks like she's been scratching. It definately wasn't there yesterday as I would have felt it.

The hair round the area is very short and looks like some has fallen out? In all their 3 yrs they have never had anything wrong with them! Does this mean her sister who shares a hutch with her will get it to? Whatever it is?!

Will obviously phone in morning and see if vets can squeeze us in but I'm really worried that something's wrong with her. Today she was lying on her side - something iv never seen her do before!

Please reassure me!!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

If it's on her rumpy area and the hair is snapping off and the skin is raw, it sounds like mites.

GPs can carry a non sympomatic mite population and if they are stressed at all (and lots of things can stress a GP) they flare up.
They can live in hay (have you noticed the hay is rubbish at the moment? The stuff I've had is sharp and doesn't smell hay-ish)

Your other GP may be barbering your guinea that is unwell.

In your shoes, I wouldn't muck about. Your vet can give Ivermectin for mites.
Hopefully they'll do a complete emilimination (not of your guinea-pig ) of the possible suspects like lice and ringworm because the treatments are different.

Take your 2 girls to check/treat.
Then get yourself some Ivermectin online so if it flares up again you've got some in your First Aid Box.
(I've bought Rearguard for flystrike then read it was Ivermectin. I was and I'd already treated my pigs so I couldn't double dose them. Thankfully we've had no fly trouble, but I've got it on standby if nothing else)


Poor little SockPig had nightmares with mites (post on here last April).

And if it is mites (and I'm not giving you my 100% guarentee, just an educated guess ) they can kill.

So soonest, bestest.

[sleepingbunnies]

Gosh! Thanks 70 - have just been online and will be taking them to a new vet in the morning specialising in GPs.

It's on her rump area and the hair is breaking off :-( I'm so worried now :-(

[BonkeyMollocks]

First thing that popped in my head was mites too.

Get it checked asap. Mites can be horrific if left.


Good luck with the vet. :)

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Keep Calm and Carry On

The fact you caught it early and are sorting it means your GP is getting the best possible care.

GP specialist vets are like rocking horse pooh aren't they?
I took my boys to the GP vet/Rodentologist that Silver73 recommended. (It was a bit of a schlep for me .I'm in Essex, this place was north of Chingford- I went M25 a couple of junctions . But I'm happy to take my hogs somewhere that they'll get good care without unneccesary treatment) I want a specialist who'll say "Yes that's XYZ. They need this treatment or test"
Not a load of trial and error or continuing with something that isn't helping.

There's one nearer to me but he specialises in surgery so would he be there if my boys need care?

Good Luck.

Poor piggies

[BonkeyMollocks]

Just a thought....did rescue pig have any symptoms your girl has?

I don't know.if they can carry like that or even if it is mites.

If it is it may be worth mentioning to your friend that yours have picked up something and as you have been in contact with hers then she should get him.checked out .
Another little ' you need to take care of him' hint.

Im sure your girls will be fine. You have caught it early whatever it is!

[sleepingbunnies]

I hope she'l be ok... I'm so worried now!

Would be bloody skint this month too :-( last month of maternity leave! Back to work 11th oct... Always the way... Bank of mum and dads me
Thinks!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

You'll need to do the girls cage.
Guinea-pig Lynx recommend vinegar to get rid of the white pee stains then a 1:20 bleach:water wash.

I use a steamer on mine to shift the pee stains and I've got a cage spray from Jolley's Pet Shop.
You might need to dispose of anything you can't thouroughly clean (but you can hot wash fleece).


BTW ask your vet the incubation period of whatever your girl has got.
Could it have been unwittingly transferred from the boy guinea-pig from last week?
In which case, they'd need to know. (He'd need to be thouroughly checked over by his owners) Just because you've seen something on your pig doesn't mean they would have spotted anything on him. Especially if he's matted and dirty, he could be harbouring goodness knows what.

But ask your vet ,you don't want to sounds blamey unless you have evidence.
(And if he has, you might find they mysteriously want to change their minds about you having him)

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Gawd Bonkey are you blinking psychic or something?

Our posts are just about identical

(I type slow. Hairy Trucker Hands Had to put my boys to bed. Lovely clean, scrubbed cage. Fresh everything from the new rubber mat, new cardboard, paper, hay and new box of naice hay.
GP1 of course goes into the haybox and wee-wees. He does it every time.

[sleepingbunnies]

I have to ring at 8am to see if they can fit me in.. I read about sockpig getting rejected by her sister?

[BonkeyMollocks]

Great minds 70 , great minds .

Sleeping you caught it early just chill and wait to hear what the vet says :)

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Sockpig was a nursery guinea-pig and the poster took her home to look after her.
She had a really bad infection and scratched herself to bleeding. (Hence the sock body protector)
She lost loads of weight and had to be kept in a small area to prevent her losing more weight and at the same time not overheat.

From the latest SockPig update she was away for a prolonged period of time and was a bit touchy touchy with her skin being sensitive.

Poor little girl.

[sleepingbunnies]

Right have put her back in hutch - iv just put blanket on a hot wash but everything else will have to wait til morning... God
Am shattered so off to bed for me - thanks you have put my mind at rest a little!

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

I didn't buy Rearguard

I bought Beaphar Flyguard which is for bunnies and guinea-pigs.

But I didn't have to use it this year.

[KRITIQ]

Oh best of luck. My first thought was mites as well. I've only had this happen once, with my 2nd DBoar 12 or 13 years ago.. A nasty raw spot came out literally within 24 hours and I felt like such a failure as a pigmum. Rushed him off to CCT and Vedra made me feel a bit better when she said mites can come on the hay and doesn't need direct exposure to another pig with mites.

On the positive side, he had to have daily baths with anti nit shampoo for I think a week or two. He'd always been quite a grumpy pig, but absolutely loved baths. He'd just sit in the warm water and sing to his heart's content. :)

The laying on the side may just be because it's too sore to sit how she normally would sit. Fingers crossed all will be fine.

[sleepingbunnies]

The really good highly recommended GP vet is closed til tomorrow so we are having to settle with the nearest vet which is at pets at home store :-( or do we wait til tomorrow?...

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Depends how bad she is.
If you take her to P@H, they are all qualified vets and specialise in the small animal (plus dogs) sector.
Then at least you can get something for your GP today.

If you wait for tomorrow (if you can get an appointment with the other vet) then maybe bathe her skin in a warm salt water soloution, wiped on with a flannel to soothe her skin and remove any dry blood and crusty areas.
Even if she licks her coat or her cagemate does, the salt won't harm them for the amount they'd ingest.

Peter Gurney site has home treatments involving carrier oil, TeaTree Oil, lemongrass ,lavender.
Not things I have in the house, I don't know about you!

My GP when I was a child used to scratch his excema till it bled, he shrieked he scratched again.
I sometimes used to put a layer of Vaseline over his vet prescribed ointment ,to stop his little claws getting a grip on his skin.

[sleepingbunnies]

I would feel awful leaving her another day now I know it's there so have to ring up in half hour and hope they have space in their 2 HR surgery slot for a Sunday!

This has made me more determined to get boy pig tho - knowing that if anything was wrong with his skin they would never know because he just isn't bloody handled enough!

[sleepingbunnies]

11 o clock appointment :-)

[sleepingbunnies]

It's mites... You clever people :-)

Vet gave me the spot on stuff but said NOT to bath her?...

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Once the treatment is on her, don't wash her, it needs to soak into her skin. (Did they recommend anything for your other GP? .Does she have any symptoms?)

I used a drop on treatment for my boys between their shoulder blades where they can't reach to groom.

One of my mates had cats who groomed each other and one of them ingested the other cats treatment (because he could reach the neck of his friend). He had a fit which puzzled the vet until they realised what was happening.

Give it time to dry thouroughly before you let them back together, just to be safe.

IIRC you can bathe them a few days later (some sites say 14 days, some say once it's in the skin, it can't be washed off )

My 2 boys (like most human sons) would use it as a very good excuse to give bathtime a bodtswerve for a while

Onwards and upwards bunnie pig (ooh that sounds weird)

[sleepingbunnies]

I suppose it could be the heat but iv put a parsley bell in with them yesterday which neither of them have touched... Slightly concerning...

Am about to disinfect the hutch now - she looks so subdued :-(

Bunnie pig - you are right, sounds so wrong!

[KRITIQ]

Glad you got the diagnosis and treatment. I'm thinking that the recommended treatment for mites in situ may have changed from when my pig had the problem way back when.