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Original poster

Me again, another GP question about GirlPiggy who recently lost her friend

16 replies

MissStrawberry · 15/09/2013 13:36

She has appeared fine without him. She has been eating and drinking and coming out into the main bit of her cage. She has been inside since BoyPiggy had to be put to sleep last week. She is 6.

We just noticed a sore patch on her back. Fur is missing. (DH just googled - could be parasitic, fungal or mites). It looks sore.

We don't feel she needs to be rushed to the vet (I go on instinct and so far never been wrong about my animals) but also I don't know everything.

Any ideas please?

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Sawdust · 15/09/2013 14:33

Sorry to hear about your pig.

I am not a guinea pig expert. However, one of my pigs got ill shortly after the other - totally unrelated but the vet said that stress can lower their immune systems and so make them more susceptible to illness / parasites etc. They recommended a probiotic mix that you sprinkle on their food to give them a boost.

As for the sore - as you say, it could be a number of things. I would keep an eye on it and if it gets no better in a day or so, or gets worse I would take her to the vets. In my (limited) experience they can go down quickly Sad

I hope she's better very soon.

Original poster
MissStrawberry · 15/09/2013 14:36

Thank you. We are keeping a close eye on her and will check her as soon as she comes out again.

I agree they do go down hill quickly. BoyPiggy fell out of his hutch on Sunday, ate his favourite tea from my hand on Monday, died Tuesday Sad.

I was hoping she was going to be okay as she had lasted more than a day after his loss.

Can I get the probiotic mix from pets at home, do you know?

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 15/09/2013 16:42

Hi MissStrawberry - ooh, worrying to read about your girl.
As you say it could be a whole raft of things.
Stress Does affect guineas and many of them carry a mite population without any problems until their immune system takes a blow as Sawdust says.

She might be "barbering" as well (pulling or overgrooming her own fur)

Goodle on Gorgeous Guineas -they have some photos. Mites tends to be on the rump area.
Fungal infections can be on the face and ears .

You can treat with their shampoo if you want something gentle. If she's barbering then it's difficult to stop her , you can't watch her all the time.

(I use Xeno 450 as a regular preventitive but I know some vets/Rodentologists don't recommend. Some animals can have hypersensitivity. But you can get that with potentially anything )

Original poster
MissStrawberry · 15/09/2013 16:52

Where it is is on her back.

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 15/09/2013 17:08

Mites tends to be on the back and the hair appears snapped off .

Fungal looks scaley and scurfy and the hole hair can pull out.

But you can have more than one condition overlapping.
And your girl might be going for her own fur.
(One of my pigs - my first pig when I was 9yo- was bullied by his mate. She caused him to run into a wall . My mum heard the 'thump'. Sad He ended up with a stressy excema . )

The photo gallery in Gorgeous Guineas is good. You can do a compare/contrast.
If you phone/ email them they sell mini pots of their shampoo and melts .
Worth a try, and IIRC when we bought some they were £2-3 for the trial sizes

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 15/09/2013 17:09

WHOLE hair (spelling )

Sawdust · 15/09/2013 17:41

Yes, you can. It looks like this: www.petsathome.com/shop/proc-probiotic-100gm-by-vetark-15796

Good luck!

Original poster
MissStrawberry · 15/09/2013 18:16

I did have a look but I am squeamish and couldn't look much past the ear one. Nothing looked like hers. It looks like my cat looked when psycho cat bit a chunk out of him.

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Original poster
MissStrawberry · 15/09/2013 18:16

Thanks Sawdust. I will go and get some tomorrow.

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Original poster
MissStrawberry · 16/09/2013 10:16

I have had another look and think it might be mites.

I have taken a photo if anyone is willing to have a look for me.

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Original poster
MissStrawberry · 16/09/2013 11:25

Vet this afternoon. Wish us luck.

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FernieB · 16/09/2013 11:57

Good luck - the FernieB household will keep fingers and paws crossed for you and your girl.

Original poster
MissStrawberry · 16/09/2013 12:39

Thank you. I have put a pillow in the cat case and put her bed on top so it will be nice and cosy for her. It is cold today so don't want her out in an open cage. Have just cleaned her out as well and she is saw out in the play area. She just scratched. I am not having a good feeling about her well being tbh.

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Sawdust · 16/09/2013 14:06

Good luck!

Original poster
MissStrawberry · 16/09/2013 14:41

Oh flipping heck. One thing after another!

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Original poster
MissStrawberry · 16/09/2013 14:44

She has treatment for mites but the vet examined her and feels she has something ovaries. If she hasn't been spayed it will be that, if she has it is a mass of some other sort which is worse case out of the two. I just checked her paperwork and the RSPCA wrote unknown for if she had been spayed so we will have to hope for the best case scenario for the next 2-3 weeks before I take her back.

She will need an x-ray then surgery but if we want to save money we can do without the x-ray but I am thinking what if we do and it turns out to be something more serious and she has been opened up for nothing as there isn't anything that can be done for her?

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