Mite Discussion continued

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Mar 04, 2002 6:26 am


At KarasKavies´ suggestion, this is moved out here. It evolved from comments on the Sellnick Mite reference thread.

J-LPigcard

Hi. This vet probably successfully diagnosed a yeast/fungal infection, but failed to consider the possibility that a piggy can have more than one ailment at a time. Vets can be insistent on limiting the diagnosis on the basis of preconceived notions. How did he decide that there was only one answer to your piggy´s problem? I believe that diagnoses should be approached like a multiple-choice question, where there can be more than one answer choice that is correct. And as for speaking up to the vet--I just had a really bad experience with a vet that got my pig´s diagnosis right, but then prescribed a drug that does exactly opposite what my pig needed. My pig didn´t improve, and I took her to another vet 2 days later, and now she is fighting for her life. I can´t help but wonder how much better a time she might be having right now if I had stood up to the 1st vet and discussed my concerns. One thing that should tip one off that it´s time to switch vets is when the vet won´t hear you out, or won´t explain to you his justification for his diagnostic or treatment decisions. The vet should want you to be involved in your own piggy´s care, no?

03/03/2002, 05:01 PM
Dobby

Lately, I´ve found that Buddy is scratching alot. He´s not whiney at all, and still loves for me to take him out and play with him, and he´s popcorning all over the place, but he´s scratching and grooming a whole lot more than usual. No hair loss (aside from shedding as usual), no bald spots, but I found one tiny scab from his ridiculous amount of scratching, so I clipped his nails and, although his scratching continues, no more scabs have come up and the original is gone.
Any suggestions as to what his trouble may be? Can pigs get dandruff? His skin seems a little dry, but not irritated.

03/03/2002, 05:14 PM
Herbie

Keep a close eye on him. Sometimes the mite start out like that. What happened to Lynx happened to me with Herbie - only he ended up with seizures. I have a constant battle with him because he clears up - and the mites return. It´s so frustrating to see an innocent little baby seizing and miserable!

Today, 12:16 AM
KarasKavies

Dobby... if it were me, I would treat for mites. That is exactly how my 3 started. In fact, when I treated Penny, I gave her 5 treatments. Lilly and Tubbit seemed not as bad, so I gave them 3 treatments. Now, a month later, I am re-treating them ALL! Lilly sounds EXACTLY like your Buddy, except, she got to the point a week ago where she was real irritable. I gave them all baths today (they HATED it) and did their first treatment 6 days ago. Lilly seems better already. I would treat Buddy.

Kara

Laura823

Post   » Mon Mar 04, 2002 9:53 am


Hi Dobby. I would say better treat now before things get out of control, than later when you´ve got a seizing, miserable pig. I wish I had treated Mitzi before I introduced her to Piglet. She´d been quarantined for 3 weeks and no signs of mites, but it turned out she did (what can you expect from a pet store) so now they´re both being treated. And poor Piglet - this is her 3rd time! She doesn´t have as bad an infestation now as she did before, but Mitzi has it really bad. The poor thing. They go in for their 3rd shot this Wednesday and I´m hoping to see some improvement in her then. Of course in your case it could be something else, but from my experience with mites I would want to treat right away - if you wait and try to figure out if it is something else, when in fact it really is mites, your poor pig will suffering more every day. Good luck...hope Buddy is doing okay!

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Dobby
I gave what I could!

Post   » Mon Mar 04, 2002 7:47 pm


Laura, which vet do you go to? I haven´t had to take the little guy to one yet and I´m not sure which ones around the city deal with guinea pigs.
I´ve heard the St. John´s Vet Hospital has a couple of exotics vets, but that´s just hearsay, so I would like a little input. :)
Thanks!
BTW, I bought some Hartz Shower Bath for pigs and other small animals and sprayed and rubbed Buddy down and he´s perfect again. No scratching, no biting, just a normal, eating/drinking/sleeping/squeaking pig. Just the way I loves ´em!
But still, it would be nice to know a vet around here in case something should take the little guy by surprise one of these days.

Laura823

Post   » Mon Mar 04, 2002 8:16 pm


I go to Dr. Thompson-Kerr at the Terra Nova clinic. She´s only been in practice for about a year, (I´ve been going there since shortly after they opened) but I figure I´m giving her enough pigsperience so that by the time more pig-owners start going to her, (there are only a few right now) she´ll be an expert! Everyone at her clinic is really nice, and she´s quite good with pigs.

I don´t know of any exotics vets here, unless it´s a very recent thing. It is a good idea to know of a good vet, and if possible have an introductory visit, before you really "need" one. As you probably already know, a sick piggie can go downhill very fast.

I´ll have to look into getting some of that small animal bath - Piglet desperately needs one!
Last edited by Laura823 on Mon Mar 04, 2002 8:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Dobby
I gave what I could!

Post   » Tue Mar 05, 2002 12:56 pm


Laura, that Shower Bath was purchased at Pet City in the Avalon, of course. I got it there one day after work. I talk to Patsy, one of the full-timers, on a regular basis and she recommended it. It kills fleas, mites and is a light deodorizer as well, and I must say, it worked wonders. Buddy was scared of the hissing sound the spray makes coming out of the can, and he didn´t like being rubbed deeply into the fur by the foam, but it stopped his flaking and scratching with one treatment. I was quite impressed...even if it DID come from the pet store.

Laura823

Post   » Tue Mar 05, 2002 4:51 pm


Well Piglet needs more than a light deodorizer LOL!

What kind of mites are you referring to? I would be wary of a shampoo that claims to kill mange mites, because I´m pretty sure the only effective treatent for these is ivermectin. Pyrethrin kitten or small animal shampoo will kill fur mites, but I would think you´d need more than one application - I believe the usual is once a week for three weeks. (I´m not sure if it will actually erradicate them completely or if it just reduces them.)

I would also worry about using a medicated shampoo on an animal that didn´t really need it. With Piglet I am just looking for something to clean her up a bit and deodorize. I would use regular kitten shampoo, but I was hoping to find something that didn´t involve immersing her (or any part of her!) in water!

Another thing is that not all shampoos - even so-called "small animal" shampoos - are actually safe for them if they happen to ingest some of the residue while grooming. I don´t know about this particular product, but there are an awful lot of Hartz products out there that are quite dangrous to the pets they´re recommended for. Not that all Hartz products are unsafe, but I would want to be sure.

I do find that Patsy is one of the more knowledgeable and helpful employees at that store, but I wouldn´t assume a product is safe just becaue she or any other employee recommended it.

So, now that I´ve typed a few pages (I like to ramble when I´m bored...) Just some things to think about. I don´t mean to seem paranoid, but it´s always good to be safe!

Oh, and Happy Birthday, again! :)
Last edited by Laura823 on Tue Mar 05, 2002 4:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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