Mites in piggies

Question
Hello

My 3 and half year old male Texel piggy chewed and ate his fur off last week (it's now quite short and neat).  He then stopped eating and lay in a heap looking miserable.  

We went to the vet.  Because of the long Easter weekend I decided we couldn't wait for our usual and very knowledgeable vet and took him as an emergency.  The one we saw seemed to know what he was talking about.

Barney (the piggy) has mites.  I've had piggies with mites before so I was expecting a Barns to get a shot of something and a return visit.  We also got a week's supply of metacam.

Anyway, the injection was Panacur and from what I've been reading this is for worms and gastrointestinal problems??  Does it work for mites???

Barns is now eating again and enjoys metacam greatly...

I don't want him to get another shot of Panacur if it's not effective and he's only feeling better due to metacam!

Previous piggies had Ivermectin.

Just wondering

Thanks


Answer
Hi Cath,

You're right; Ivermectin is more commonly used to treat mites, but usually only if your piggy has developed mange. It could be that Barney has worms as well as mites, in which case Panacur would be a suitable treatment.

If he's eating again then he must be feeling better; as you say, hopefully because of the injection and not just the metacam! If he's back on his food, and presuming the vet knew what he was doing and Barney did have worms, then it is possible to treat the mites yourself.

Guinea pigs have thick skin and injections hurt them; so unless he has mange, it is best to treat mild skin complaints yourself. Have a close look at Barney; can you see any little creatures in his hair/on his skin? The best stuff to use to get rid of them is not Insecticidal Shampoo, but a remedy from www.gorgeousguineas.com called "Lice and Easy"; it's brilliant! It does a much better job of getting rid of mites than the stuff from pet shops, and will leave your guinea pig smelling lovely. They also deliver quite quickly; so order today and they will receive your order and dispatch it tomorrow or Wednesday.

Does Barney feel hot to the touch, and sometimes fit after scratching? If so, he could have mange, and will need to be taken to the vet for a course of injections (most likely Ivermectin). A guinea pig can cope with fitting for a long period of time, but mange is eventually fatal if left untreated so if you think he might have it, pop back to the vet.

Here's the instructions for bathing Barney in Lice n Easy:

Guinea pigs do not like being bathed and it is always a tricky process; you will need someone else to help you.  The best thing to do is to find a large, clean bowl (like the one for washing up) and line it with a flannel. Get someone to hold Barney in this bowl. Wet him with warm water (test it first) by either pouring it over him gently (not on his face!) or squeezing it over him them using another flannel. Rub in the required amount of shampoo being careful not to let your guinea pig lick himself (for this bit, you can take him out of the bowl and get your helper to hold them on a towel on their lap) and then wrap your guinea pig up in a towel (to keep him warm, and stop him licking) for five minutes. Then return him to the bowl and rinse away the shampoo; the mites should fall off too! Dry your guinea pig with a towel, and once he is just damp, you can finish off drying him with a hair dryer if you like (some piggies love this, some hate it). Give him a nice groom and pop him back in his cage (but only once he is clean and dry). You will need to clean out the cage (and spray it with a general safe animal cleaning spray) before returning Barney to it, as some of the mites will be living in there too. The mites should then be gone, but if it's a bad case, Barney may need a second bath.

Good luck & if you have any other questions ... just ask!

Jenny.

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You're very lucky that Barney loves having a bath! Everytime we do ours, I end up with a scratched neck and my boyfriend ends up soaking wet. Needles to say; my boys hate it. When I was younger I had some very tolerant piggies who'd put up with it, but none who actually enjoyed it. If Barney likes it that much; check out the full range at gorgeousguinea.com - they have all sorts of things like "romance shampoos" and a lovely "just for boars" and may even have something special for texels!