Possibly sickly guinea pig

Question
We have a Guinea pig named Jack Jack that we've had for  almost a year. My son picked him out from a local pet place.  In the last 2 -3 months we've noticed a bulging lesion(walnut in size) under his chin/throat area that one day burst on its own. Then he started having seizure like activity with brief shaking & blank stares, it only lasts seconds , now he's losing hair & has this thick white firm almost dandruff like white stuff throughout his fur.  He squeals when we pet him, not sure if he's in pain. he is beige in color I'm worried one day I'm gonna find him dead in his cage. Any suggestions on what this condition might be??

Answer
Guinea pigs will sometimes get a subglottal cyst under the chin that does just as you've described and ruptures. However, the seizure activity is not likely related to that.

Any kind of seizure activity is a deep concern and would suggest perhaps a brain lesion of some sort. If he's losing hair he may have a severe case of mites. They could possibly be causing this dandruff and hair loss. That's easy to treat.

First give him a good bath. Soap him up well and wash thoroughly through the coat. Rinse him as good as you can. Wait one day, then give him a dip in some Adams dip for mites and flea.  It's a dog and cat product but is safe for guinea pigs. We've used it for years and every breeder is well familiar with it.

Mix it according to the instructions. You can use your bathroom sink. Use lukewarm water, mix the solution in the water, then put him into the sink and carefully pour the solution all over him, being careful to avoid the eyes and ears. He must be thoroughly soaked.

Don't use a towel for anything but holding him on until you get him back to his cage or have a plastic container/box to sit him in to drip dry. Put a towel on the bottom and sit him on it. It's very important that he just drip dry.

If the wound is still open don't get any solution inside the open area. Put a wash cloth over his wound to prevent it getting inside. You may have to have another person help you so someone can hold him upright with just his butt in the water while you pour the solution over him.

Let him stay on that towel until the coat is almost completely dry. If he's a longhaired pig it will take longer. You can repeat the dip in one week.  If he has either lice or mites this will take care of them.

Mites are something that all pigs get and we don't really know where they come from, especially if he's not been around other pigs. They are species specific and will NOT get on anything but a guinea pig. They will not get on your or your other pets, so don't be concerned about a possible outbreak in the house.

Good luck, please let me know how he does. And if possible please send me a picture of him.