Mites help needed!

pinta

Post   » Thu Apr 04, 2002 6:27 pm


I think the thing to do is deal with Piglet´s medical problems. Is the chronic colitis a definitive diagnosis?

I think she´s in pain and that´s why she bites - as a defense. The bar chewing can also related to pain. When my pigs are in pain they get frantically active as though trying to escape/outrun the pain. Bar chewing could be just another way of "escaping". (My pigs don´t have bars to chew on). Even the description of her behavior in your lap seems to indicate pain.

How was the colitis diagnosed? What is she taking for it? Is there a thread in here somewhere I missed or forgot about?

There are meds to relieve pain even if the problem isn´t curable.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Apr 04, 2002 7:20 pm


If she needs something to chew on, maybe you can get a fruit tree branch. I had been thinking of the possibility of lining the cage with let´s say coroplast so she couldn´t chew on it. But she´d need something else to chew on. I wondered about the size because if it was too small, there wouldn´t be enough air circulation but if it was large enough, it really could work. Another alternative might be to get some very tightly woven hardware cloth so she could not get a bite on it.

By the way, ear plugs work wonders if you are trying to sleep. Really.

It sounds like she has hay to chew on. Another possibility for the towel is to make a pocket you slide a tight fitting piece of corroplast or something in and then lay it down on the floor. As for ties, what I have done is sew a heavy nylon cord on opposite edges, let the ends hang out for tying.

I´ll give it some thought and see if I can think of anything else for the little dears.

-------------------------------------------

Have you tried the Nizoral yet? Please let me know how it works and if your pig gets any relief. It might help both of them.
Last edited by Lynx on Thu Apr 04, 2002 9:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Laura823

Post   » Thu Apr 04, 2002 9:20 pm


"Chronic colitis" was really a diagnosis of exclusion. (There is a post about it on page 4 called "Anyone have experience with chronic colitis in pigs?" where I asked if it was treatable, and no one said it was.) We had her stool tested for parasites, etc. and nothing showed up, she has had an x-ray and ultrasound of the abdominal/pelvic area and those were normal too. Actually at the time the ultrasounds and x-rays were really because we thought she was having bladder problems, but then we realized that it was actually pooping that was hurting her, not peeing. My vet said that she would have noticed any other abnormalities, though. She said that her sypmtoms sounded like colitis, and that while she had never seen it in a guinea pig, she has seen it in many other animals. She told us to observe Piglet and see what aggravated it. Sure enough, every time Piglet got stressed, her bowels acted up. She isn´t taking any medications for it. My vet said it wasn´t treatable. I would have a hard time getting her to think otherwise. I had better wait until Mitzi´s problems are fixed first before bringing this up again. She thinks I am absolutely nuts and she really doesn´t listen to me when I try to give her suggestions. I am going to try to get her to consult with an exotics vet. I can´t make her listen to me, though. I´m really not sure how to handle this.

Just so no one is confused about who has what problems - Piglet is in the 2x5 grid cage and she is the bar-chewer with chronic colitis. Mitzi is in the small cage (but she will be moving into a bigger one) and she is the towel-wrecker with skin problems (mites or allergies?).

Piglet does have other stuff to chew on (a wooden house, cactus chews, hay, bird links) but she only wants to chew on metal.

I´ll try and get some Nizoral tomorrow. Do you think we should bathe Piglet too (even though she doesn´t seem to be having and skin problems)?

I would try earplugs, but my parents really don´t want me to. I am the only one in my family who can hear well and they don´t think it would be safe for me not to be able to hear at night (for smoke alarms, break-ins, etc. or if one of them was trying to call for me.)
Last edited by Laura823 on Thu Apr 04, 2002 9:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Apr 04, 2002 9:30 pm


If it is fungal, I imagine it´s possible they could both have it. And if Pinta´s theory of Piglet being in pain is possible there is also an outside chance a fungus is bothering her.

If you don´t want to stress Piglet, see if it works on Mitzi first. If it does, then give them both at least a couple baths (wet thoroughly and work up a lather in the fur -- try to leave it for a couple minutes at least (I´m guessing) and rinse) and more if it seems to be working. I´ve heard people recommend Lymp-Dip too but it´s supposed to be messy and stinky.

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Dobby
I gave what I could!

Post   » Fri Apr 05, 2002 12:25 am


Laura, while the price for shots doesn´t sound too outrageous, would you really recommend your vet to me if she is so pig-headed about her diagnosis? There are vets at the St. John´s Veterinary Hospital on Freshwater Road that looks at guinea pigs that I was planning on visiting instead of your vet. I don´t want to get into a racket with some pig-headed vet over the treatment of my little guy.

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Dobby
I gave what I could!

Post   » Fri Apr 05, 2002 12:27 am


Oh, and my brother is 19. He´s just an ass sometimes.

Laura823

Post   » Fri Apr 05, 2002 11:30 am


Dobby, I´ve never personally talked to the vets at the animal hospital, but my mom has phoned there just to see if they did have any vets that treated pigs and asked a few basic questions. None of the vets there will even perform a neuter. I wouldn´t want to go to a vet that couldn´t even do a simple surgery - what if your pig ever needed surgery? My vet has done several neuters, all successful, and a number of other surgeries on pigs as well. She doesn´t have a whole lot of experience, but I do get some comfort out of the fact that she´s done it before and that if one of my pigs needed some sort of surgery, she´d be able to at least try.

As for the pig-headedness (LOL) well, you never know, but I would be surprised if the vets at the animal hospital were any better. None of them specialize in small animals or exotics. A lot of people have a hard time getting their pigs treated for mites without a scraping/tape test. Be prepared to be insistant. You don´t necessarily have to get in an argument, but you very well may end up having to tell the vet what to do (no matter which one you go to).

If I can´t get anywhere with mine on Piglet´s condition, (and/or Mitzi´s) I might go to the Animal Hospital for a second opinion.
Last edited by Laura823 on Fri Apr 05, 2002 11:32 am, edited 1 time in total.

Laura823

Post   » Fri Apr 05, 2002 3:20 pm


If you do end up going to the Animal Hospital, let me know what vet you saw and how it went. I´d certainly be interested in hearing about it. If you haven´t already read this page, https://www.guinealynx.info/guinealynx/findingavet.html has a list of questions you can ask a vet to help determine the extent of their knowledge on pigs.

In a situation like ours where the only vets available have very little knowledge or experience with pigs, I think it´s especially important to do a lot of research on your own. It isn´t possible to "rely" on the vets here where small animals are concerned, very often WE have to tell THEM what to do, not the other way around. Be sure to read the Guinealynx pages on mites (https://www.guinealynx.info/guinealynx/hairl ... #mangemite) and Ivermectin (https://www.guinealynx.info/guinealynx/ivermectin.html) before your appointment. It´s always best to know what you´re talking about. And make sure to ask what dose he will be getting, so you can ensure that it´s correct.

Good luck!
Last edited by Laura823 on Fri Apr 05, 2002 3:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Dobby
I gave what I could!

Post   » Mon Apr 08, 2002 8:57 am


Laura, I cancelled my appointment with the Animal Hospital and got one with your vet on Elizabeth Ave. It´s for the 18th, so I still have 10 days to research stuff on mites to read and possibly bring along. Thanks for your concern, and for informing me that the AH doesn´t do neuters. What kind of vet isn´t capable of a neuter?
Anyway, the receptionist seemed pretty familiar with mites in pigs and how they treat them and told me the exam would cost $37.50 and each shot was calculated by the weight of the animal and was usually approximately $15 a shot. So, apparently you have taught the entire crew at that vet´s office a few things since you´ve started going there. :)

Lucky for me, I don´t have two pigs so I shouldn´t have your woes of reinfestation. Once Buddy is cleared up, that should be that. Yay! Now all I have left to worry myself with is this foolish tape test. Perhaps I should comb a few loose clumps from his back and Ziploc them as evidence that I don´t need her to use tape. :) Ha!

Laura823

Post   » Mon Apr 08, 2002 4:05 pm


Both of the assistants/receptionists (Andrea and Bonita) are really nice. :) And I´m sure they are all mite experts by now!!! You don´t need to bring any info or anything, I mentioned that mainly in case you went to the other vet and they didn´t know much. The dose my vet does is 0.3 mg/kg which is right in the middle of the standard range. Depending on how bad Buddy´s symptoms are, she´ll probably do either 3 or 4 shots. They have a special small animal digital scale in the waiting area, with a so you can weigh them while you wait. And if Buddy is a good boy he just might get a carrot on the way out! :) (She keeps a supply of them now LOL) I went in for Piglet and Mitzi´s last shot this afternoon and told her she´d soon be seeing another pig patient. :)

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Dobby
I gave what I could!

Post   » Tue Apr 09, 2002 12:02 am


You told her I was coming? :) Thanks! If she didn´t check her appointment book, at least now she´ll be semi-prepared for my visit. That was pretty nice of you. :)

Buddy´s symptoms aren´t too severe. No painful fits or agonizing sounds when touched. He´s still just as happy and popcorny and squeaky and hungry as ever...he´s just got scabs and hair loss w/ excessive scratching. Classic symptoms. :P

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bats

Post   » Tue Apr 09, 2002 10:56 am


um, I have a dumb question.

I keep reading in the forums about mites and how to treat them... but not about where the pigs are picking up the infestations in the first place. My assumption has been the mites came from previous owner/petshop/breeders, who are manifestly negligent in the quality of care they provide. Is that correct? Or are the mites showing up in established colonies, where there is no new pig -- coming instead from a lawn or another kind of pet or a room where the piggers roam?

Just curious -- and wondering and assuming this is something I should continue to keep an eye out for. (My twosome are indoor pigs but I do occasionally bring in grass from the lawn, and the cats they interact with are indoor/outdoor brats).

Thanks!

Bob

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