Pingley Dell Cavies
Ive got it !
Joined: 15 Dec 2006
Posts: 218
Location: Buckinghamshire
|
 Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 3:41 pm Post subject: Skin Complaints and How to Treat |
 |
|
This is an article I wrote under my other internet name, Vickyspigs, for the Cavies Galore website. This is my guide to skin problems in piggies and how to treat them.
THE 3 SKIN COMPLAINTS--MITES, LICE AND FUNGAL
***MITES***
WHAT ARE MITES?
Mites are microscopic invisible spider-like creatures which burrow beneath the skin, causing intense itching. There are also fur mites, which are far less irritating, also refferred to as static lice (see Lice section)
WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?
Nobody is exactly sure. Some people think they arrive on the hay or bedding, but mites need a living cavy host to be able to survive, they can't live in a bag of hay. Mites are dormant under the skin of every cavy from birth, and in healthy happy cavies they stay repressed by the immune system and therefore not a problem. Its when the immune system is compromised due to stress or illness that the mites become active and cause problems.
CAN PEOPLE OR OTHER PETS CATCH MITES?
No. Cavy mites, trixacarus caviae, is species specific, that means only cavies are affected by this mite.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?
The cavy will scratch with its hind legs and reach round to bite its back, the hair will thin and break off at the shaft, leaving short hair on the back in a 'V' shape over the shoulder blades, where the cavy can reach to scratch most easily. The pig will be jumpy and reluctant to be touched. It may even start to bite as a reaction to pain, and become grouchy towards its cagemates.
If left untreated the cavy will eventually tear sores in its skin, which are incredibly painful, and can become infected. There is no excuse for letting the mites get to this stage.
TREATING MITES
If you look in a petshop you will see all sorts of sprays and shampoos for mites. You can't wash mites off, they are under the skin, so these don't work. They are also very harsh on the skin, and contain pyrethrin, the same ingredient that is in fly spray!
The drug that gets rid of mites is called Ivermectin. This is found in horse wormer paste, and at the vets it is given either orally or as an injection. But a cavy's skin is thick and very sensitive, even when it's not itchy and sore from mites, so injections hurt! I (and my cavies!) prefer oral treatment. It is not neccassary to visit the vet for cases of mites, because the vet is expensive, (think of the bills for breeders or rescues with 40 cavies!) and you can treat for them very simply yourself at home.
It is safe to dose your pigs yourself because Ivermectin is a drug that has no dangerous side-effects besides having a drying effect on the skin, if you gave too much. The drug was originally designed for treating animals such as horses that cannot be accurately weighed, so it is a drug where the dose does not need to be precise for safety. Ivermectin has been proven safe in guinea pigs at up to 40 times the recommended dose... but as with ANY medication it's always a good idea to dose properly in case of an unexpected sensitivity.
But you won't overdose if you follow this simple oral dosing method:
Get Ivermectin Horse wormer 1.87% It has to be Ivermectin, no other type of wormer. Equimec, Zimecterin, and Ivercare are the ones you are looking for. Your horse feed/tack supplier should carry it. If you can't find any, this website is great: www.equine-mega-store.com
Open the tube, and squeeze the plunger a little to get a bead of paste. Take the end of teaspoon or a Q-tip with the cotton cut off, and scrape off a little blob the size of a match-stick's head.
Take your pig, and open the lips at the side of the mouth. Go behind the teeth with the spoon-handle, and scrape the paste onto the roof of the mouth, as far back in the mouth as you can reach that is comfy for the pig.
The pig will chew and make a face, so have some parsley handy!
Treat all cage mates. The dosing needs to be repeated every 7-10 days to make sure you get all the mites. 2 treatments are a minimum, but you may need up to 4 or 5. Just keep treating until the pig has recovered.
To keep mites from spreading to other pigs, I feed and handle affected pigs last, and wash hands and wear a seperate jumper just for those pigs when I do handle them. Clean the cage thoroughly at the time of each treatment.
WHICH PIGS CAN BE TREATED?
Adult pigs, pregnant pigs, nursing mothers, and youngsters who weigh 12 ounces and above.
ALTERNATIVE TO IVERMECTIN
A drug called Selamectin. This is found in Revolution dog and cat flea treatment. It is a liquid, which soaks into the skin in seconds, and stays in the system for a month. It kills mites and lice, and there is no repeating of the dose. I find it works faster than Ivermectin.
Dosage for Revolution (or Advantage for lice) is 2 drops, one on each ear (or the bare skin behind the ear) for adult pigs, and a single drop on an ear for youngsters. Ivermectin paste is prefered for pregnant pigs.
****LICE****
Are the least irritating of the 3 skin complaints cavies get, since they don't cause the terrible itching that mites do although in frail or baby animals the infestation in an advanced stage can cause anaemia from the amount of blood lost to lice. There are two types of lice. One is running lice, the other static.
RUNNING LICE
Are creamy, brown or grey, about a third the size of a grain of rice, and they wiggle around at the roots of hairs. The best way to check for these is to part the hair and hold very still to see if there is anything crawling.
STATIC LICE
Are smaller, and only noticable because of their egg cases which stick very firmly to the hair shafts around the cavy's back legs and bottom (they must lay them there because its warmest!) They look like a reddish brown pepper or dust on the coat, and don't come off when you try and rub them.
You can bath to be rid of these pests, but the running lice do tend to run to the cavy's head and it makes you wonder if you got them all afterward. And the shampoo that kills them is pyrethrin based, which is a harsh thing to put on a cavy's delicate skin. Use lots of conditioner afterwards if you do choose this option, to put back some condition in the coat.
WHERE DID LICE COME FROM?
Lice can be transmitted from cavy to cavy, which is why its important to make sure new cavies added to your herd are in perfect health. Lice can be carried on people, clothes, bedding, and surfaces where infested pigs have been. Cavies can catch lice at shows for this reason. Lice need a living host so they can't live in bags of hay. They can hitch a ride on one though, if the petshop have cavies that are infested and an employee has handled the pigs and then the bag of hay.
CAN PEOPLE OR OTHER PETS CATCH LICE?
Not cavy lice. These are species specific like mites. They can get on humans, but can not live for an extended period. In the meantime, they may cause slight irritation due to a very mild allergic reaction to their saliva... much like a mosquito bite but not near as bad.
TREATMENT
Revolution or Advantage (another flea treatment for cats) work well on lice of both types. Revolution has the added bonus that it kills mites too. These kill lice fast, they should be dead within 36 hours. You don't repeat the dosing, and the pigs are protected for a month from any lice that may be in the surrounding area. In a month the lice without a host will die.
The static lice egg cases will remain after the actual lice have died, and will only drop off when the hair they are attatched to has dropped off.
****FUNGAL INFECTIONS*****
These are the hardest to treat of the skin complaints. A fungal infection can range from a bit of dry flaky skin, to losing all the hair with severe scurfing, to ringworm. Cavies can also get fungal infections of the foot pad, called Bumblefoot.
PREVENTION
Fungal infections can set in when the cavy's skin is in bad condition through poor diet, or when it is dried out from dusty pine bedding. Keeping the cavies' surroundings not too dry, and not damp either can do a lot to prevent fungal infections from happenning. Certain breeds such as teddies are more prone because their hair is so dense it is hard for air to circulate next to the skin.
Regular bathing with good moisturising shampoos and conditioners will maintain healthy coats, but it is important not to do this too often, monthly is fine, or you will strip too much of the natural oils from the coat. When its cold, be absolutely certain the pig is properly dry before returning him to an outdoor cage.
CONTAGIOUS?
To other pigs, yes. Quarantine bad cases of fungal infection. People can get ringworm, which occurs in a circular pattern, but it is easily treated with a cream from the doctor.
SYMPTOMS
Flaky, dry skin, and several hairs coming away at once attatched to a bit of skin. Often if there is hairloss, and the pig has been treated for mites with no improvement, go on to treat for fungal.
Bumblefoot is a swelling of the foot pads. Daktarin athlete's foot cream or spray is good for treating this.
TREATMENT
This website sells brilliant products for treating fungal problems. Chrissie is a friend of mine, and she is a true legend! www.gorgeousguineas.com Only available in the UK.
Shampoos that treat fungal conditions are VetSect Repel, Mane and Tail, Nizoral, Selsun, as well as the gorgeousguineas shampoos and oil soaks.
For serious cases of fungal infection, Program cat wormer has proved useful. It works by breaking the chain that makes up the body of the fungus.
The Golden Rule with treating for anything, is WHEN IN DOUBT GO TO A CAVY KNOWLEDGABLE VET!
Vickyspigs 2005 |
|
for all Cavy / Guinea Pig fan's 
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
Good luck and hope this helps.
