Intense Scratching

Question
My guinea pig has been itching/scratching/biting something terrible.  She has managed to make a complete mess of her body with cuts and open wounds.  This holiday has made "specialized" care for piggies impossible to find.  What can I do?

Answer
Hi Kim,

I suggest you treat for mites first.  You need to go to a feed store and pick up a tube of ivermectin horse wormer paste.  Give your piggie a pea size lump of the ivermectin behind its front teeth.  It will take several days for this to become effective.  You need to repeat it every two weeks for at least 3 doses.

In the meantime give her a warm water bath to relive the itching.  Use a mild shampoo to start with, like baby shampoo and rinse well.  Dry with a blow dryer on LOW and keep it moving constantly.  You need to be very careful not to over heat the piggie.  You can try putting a light coating of Aloe Vera on the skin to help the itching too.  Make sure it is rubbed in well so the piggie can't actually eat globs of it.

Both mites and fungus result in flaky skin, itching and hair loss.  Mites are extremely common and the more serious of the two conditions.  They also will not be cured by any external treatments because they burrow under the skin where external treatment don't penetrate.  

It is safe to treat for both at the same time; however the anti-fungal treatments can be painful to open wounds.  If the piggie is not beginning to show signs of relief and new hair growth in 2 to 3 weeks time you could be dealing with fungus instead of mites. I don't think this is likely, but it is not impossible either.  Fungal growths don't usually result in the kind of sores you are talking about. The bath will relieve the itching enough to start the healing process. After the sores have closed you can wash your piggie in an anti-fungal shampoo.  T-Gel works, but you need to give weekly baths until the skin shows no sign of flakiness.

I hope this helps.  Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

Annie