mites on guinea pigs

Question
QUESTION: I adopted 2 guinea pigs from our animal shelter last week. I'm positive they have mange and I gave them a dose orally of ivermectin on the 10th. They are still scratching pretty bad. One has his whole back without hair and the other is scratching to the point of open sores. What can I do to stop them from scratching? What can i do to make the make the itch stop and how long does it take for the ivermectin to work????

ANSWER: What you're describing is a case of bad infestation of mites and you did the right thing using the Ivermectin.  When it's a bad case like this you need to repeat it in one week (the 17th) then again two weeks after the second dose (Dec 1st). This should get a handle on it.

Ivermectin doesn't work like an insecticide spray. With a spray you're making direct contact and killing the mites that are there. With the oral or injectable Ivermectin treatments you are breaking the breeding cycle of the mites. It acts in the same manner as the flea treatments for dogs and cats now. For years we sprayed them with dangerous insecticides and poisoned not only the fleas but the animal we're trying to protect as well.

I wouldn't have expected the Ivermectin to show much effect yet, but follow the triple treatment and they'll recover from it. Mites on guinea pigs are as common as mange mites on dogs. They always have them present, and if they're immunity systems are not compromised they aren't a problem.

Stress or illness can trigger a serious outbreak. Overcrowding causes stress. Animals who are immunocompromised because of genetic reasons should never be bred. Unfortunately many dog owners ignore that recommendation and reproduce more genetic issues out of greed rather than a real concern for quality animals. (Of course that's another 'book.')

Cavy mites are much less complicated to deal with. Be patient for a couple of weeks and you'll see results. If you need to repeat this three dose treatment, wait one month after the last dose to do it over again.  Usually the one series gets a handle on it and one treatment every six or eight weeks after that is sufficient to keep mites away.  

I also us Adam's Spray on my pigs as a preventative because it's faster and easier than dosing 65 pigs in one day with oral Ivermectin. Adams is sold in any pet store. One spray just over the body once a month or every other month and they stay completely free of mites and lice. Lice are rare unless they've been exposed to infected pigs. But again, Adams is great for treatment and it smells good too.

Hope this helps you out. Please let me know if there's anymore I can do.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: is there anything to ease the itch in the mean time??

Answer

adams dip   You might go ahead and try the Adams.  It comes in a dip as well. Mix according to the instructions in a basin with about two or three inches of water. Put the pig in the basin, pour the solution over them until they're soaked. Be careful to avoid the eyes and inside the ears. Then let them DRIP dry. Don't towel dry them, don't use a hair dryer. Let the solution drip dry. That will give them fast relief.