We took her to a vet and he did not see any mites on her, but thought that it was probably mites. He gave her a shot for mites, but it did not improve her symptoms.
She is a little over 3 years old. Even as a baby, she had some skin probems, but never this bad!
One day she will have no sores anywhere, but the next, she will have open, raw sores, I am afraid that she is getting worse.
Another thing that I am not as worried about is her hair loss. This does not seem to cause pain for her. She will loose some hair somewhere, then grow it back in, then loose some more somewhere else.
I hope someone can help. I will appreciate any advice!!
2007-05-29 03:34:17 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Rodents
I would seek the opinion of another vet that only sees small animals. They have much better knowledge of the different small animals and can treat them much better then a regular vet. We have no small animal vets where I live (1 vet office for the whole county) so I see a regular vet, but he's working with me and is very willing to seek outside help if needed. I have gone through several bouts of mange with my dwarf hamsters and the description you give is nearly identical. Is she digging and scratching a lot due to itching? This is generally a reaction to mange. Sometimes it can take repeat skin scrapings to get a better idea of what is being dealt with.
Never use cedar chips as one suggested, it's very dangerous to use and can harm her more. The natural chemicals in cedar become toxic to all small animals when their urine mixes with it and the same goes for treated pine. You may not smell it but where they are so close to the liter with their face, they can suffer respiratory infections and even death from it suddenly. Allergies to bedding is one of the leading causes of skin problems followed by poor diet. Have you made sure she gets a vitamin C enriched diet all the time? Have you been using any wood litter like pine? Pine and all other wood litters should not be used for litter due to the problems with allergies. We rescued an angora/lop eared rabbit kept in pine with severely matted hair and a bald belly, the baldness was from an allergy to the wood litter. We changed to a paper product litter and all the hair grew back in a few months. We use a non toxic cat litter for him that is also biodegradable in his litter pan only. We use Care Fresh for all our small animals for the litter/bedding. We have no problems with any allergies. Using a sensitive skin shampoo as one suggested is a great idea too.
Has the vet tested for other fungal diseases? These can cause the hair loss as well. I'm sure if she's itching from it she's digging up her own skin too. Stress is another cause of hair loss and so is barbering. Also some of the hair loss is common for sows, but I would hope not to the extent of what she's going through.
I have only had the pleasure of caring for a guinea pig for only 2 days before he was adopted quickly so my personal experience with them is extremely limited with them.
Don't stop pushing until you get an answer on what's going on. I've dealt with mange, ear infections, ear mites, cancer, Cushings's Disease, allergies, and more then your typical injuries on our small animals and larger ones and that was so far this year.
2007-05-29 21:41:23 · answer #1 · answered by wolfinator25840 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Did your vet only give her one shot for mites? It was probably some form of Ivermectin, which needs to be given AGAIN, usually three times total, spaced 7-14 days apart. If the vet didn't do all three treatments, the mites could have survived.
Did your vet do a "culture" to test for a fungal infection? That's another very common cause of skin problems in guinea pigs. Ask your vet if he thinks that's a possibility, and he should have a cream he can give you to apply to the affected areas.
When your piggie got the mite injection, did you completely clean out her cage & bedding? Mites are the most likely candidate, and your vet was right to know they won't neccessarily be seen. But especially with only one treatment, they could have survived in the bedding - they can live without a host for about three weeks.
As others have mentioned, make sure your vet specializes in exotic animals. If not you may want to take your piggie to another vet as a last resort. Good luck and I hope you figure it out! Keep on it until you do, skin problems can turn life-threatening in piggies I'm afraid.
2007-05-29 12:52:17 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Find another vet, one that specialises in Exotic animals and get a second opinion. The problem with most vets is that they seem to think that a Guinea Pig can be treated like a small dog and that is just not the case. You furry little pal may have an allergy to the bedding or hay you are using or could have a serious skin infection.
Your best bet is to find another vet, one that has actual knowlege of Guinea Pigs and go from there.
Good luck!
2007-05-29 03:51:48 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
This time of year, it is not uncommon to see animals with bald spots/ raw spots on them. Change of season.
Do you wash her? Switch to / use a sensitive skin shampoo MADE for your animal. Human products can cause allergies, as well as products not developed for you particular animals skin type.
Stress can cause as animal to excessively bite / nibble at itself, and when they get an area started, it becomes more aggressive in it's biting of that area. Blood - Skin - the taste...all that.
Try a "cone" around your pets neck for a week or two, and see if the sores go away or lesson.
Change the material that you are using in her cage - if you use newspaper, try cedar chips etc. your local pet store will have a couple of different choices for you - maybe she is having a reaction to the materials used and could be conditional to it's reaction to urine.
Try a different brand of the food you give her, that too can cause an allergic reaction which leads to biting and such.
This is the best that I can do for you, so I hope that something helps.
Best of Luck!
2007-05-29 03:56:07 · answer #4 · answered by ne_art1 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Look online or go to your local feed store and get some Ivermec horse paste. Put a little on a toothpick (just enough to cover the end of the toothpick) and put it behind the guinea pigs teeth, repeat in two weeks. One of mine had a problem like this, it sounds like the same thing, we gave him this and he has not had the problem anymore.
Good Luck!
2007-05-30 23:38:41 · answer #5 · answered by musiclovingirlee 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
She probably is just shedding her winter coat of fur.
Our guinea pigs do that every Spring.
If you have any sharp objects in her cage you might consider taking them out,due to the fact that the raw patches might be caused by her brushing against them and her fur getting snagged,or pulled out.
Watch her once to see if,at any random time,she suddenly jumps.If this happens,she probably has lice or fleas.
When the weather is warm giver her a bath with no-tear shampoo in luke warm water.
If that doesn't help she might have skin cancer,though I doubt it.
2007-05-29 07:45:27 · answer #6 · answered by Dragon Rider 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take her to the vet again and this time ask him about food allergies and diabetes. Make him do more tests on her. If this vet wont help find a new one. There is no reason to let this little friend of yours suffer. Make the vet listen to you and take the time to help you.
2007-05-29 04:00:02 · answer #7 · answered by upallniteowl 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a common problem either caused by a fungus or mites. Here's a web site for the treatment. I recommend you do all the treatments.
http://www.oginet.com/pgurney/skinp.htm
2007-05-30 01:24:32 · answer #8 · answered by yeoldguineapig 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Find a vet that treats guinea pigs and take her there right away!!
2007-05-30 07:58:39 · answer #9 · answered by Emily S 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A nice bath may be helpful for your guinea pig...ask a vet first as it may effect her but it shouldnt do ;)
x
2007-05-29 04:07:25 · answer #10 · answered by Nat 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋