hi i recently bought a long haired female guinea pig ive just found out that she was pregnant when i bought her as the babies are moving around in the past couple of days shes started losing fur in patches on her side and back i know its not mites as my guinea pigs are all treated for this and it doesnt look like ringworm any suggestions what it could be? thanks
cathy crosby says:
January 30th, 2009 at 01:11 PM
What did you use to treat her for the mites? Some mites are getting resistant to the drugs now so it could still be mites. Some sows lose hair in patches due to hormones as well so it could be that as well. Cavies also sometimes get fungal skin infections which can cause hair loss. Can you dsecribe what it looks like a bit more or send a photo? Also let me know what you use for mites. Maybe I can suggest another drug or remedy to try. Also let me know the breed of cavy if you know it. Some of them are notorious for certain skin ailments. I'll check back as soon.
Emma says:
January 30th, 2009 at 01:41 PM
hi ive been using my little friend mite spray and ive also got some beaphar anti fungal spray just in case its ringworm but not sure if i can use that on pregnant guinea pigs im not sure of the breed i was told she was a langara which i looked up online to find out there was no such breed. here is a picture of her for you too look at. Thanks Emma
Emma says:
January 30th, 2009 at 01:48 PM
ive just noticed the bald patch on her back looks rather sore and it wasnt like that this morning heres a picture of her back
cathy crosby says:
February 01st, 2009 at 01:40 AM
Hi- Thanks for the photos! It isn't possible to diagnose what it is from a photo but it sure LOOKS like it could be mites to me. There are strains of mites that have developed resistance to certain drugs we use. I'm not sure what is in the one you are using. Are you in the US? If so I would strongly urge you to get hold of some ivermectin paste (for horses). It is sold over the counter here, is inexpensive, safe on pregnant cavies and easy to use. Put a tiny bit (about 1/4 of a pea) on a toothpick and wipe it inside her cheek. This must be done every 7 days for a month (or whatever the directions on the tube says). You could also use Revolution on cavies and it is also safe for pregnant ones. Put ONE drop behind each ear on an adult animal. It lasts for a month so should hold her through the pregnancy.
The problem will be if she has mites and has developed a secondary fungal or bacterial skin infection. I would try the ivermectin or Revolution first and then put a tiny bit of triple antibiotic ointment on the raw spots. The combination has a good chance of clearing her up completely. You should begin to see new hair growth at the end of a week- 10 days.
As far as her breed goes, she might be either an angora or Lunkarya since the name you thought she was looks like a combination of the two. Neither of them are recognized in the US, which is why I thought you might be from elsewhere. Let me know if the above advice helps and how it goes for the two of you.
Emma says:
February 01st, 2009 at 04:18 AM
hi thanks for your reply im from England so not sure if i will be able to buy these things here but maybe i could look online to buy them from the US. Thanks for working out what breed she may be i've been looking online to find out what she was without success. Thanks Emma
cathy crosby says:
February 01st, 2009 at 01:02 PM
You're very welcome. I hope you can get her fixed up. It looks pretty uncomfortable. I wish I was more familiar with those breeds so I could tell you for sure what she looks like. Mostly I wanted to know because some breeds just seem to get mites and other skin problems more easily. The Teddies I had were notorious. They seem to pick up anything that comes along because their coats were thick and like little sponges!
I would think that the ivermectin should be easy to get but I don't know how things work in the UK. I get Revolution from the vet for my dogs.
Emma says:
February 04th, 2009 at 06:34 AM
Hi just thought id give you an update she got worse last night so i took her to the emergency vet where they said the hair loss and shaking which she was doing was due to stress of the pregnancy she was removing the hair herself shes now had an ultrasound and her and babies are doing well and are due any time
cathy crosby says:
February 04th, 2009 at 10:21 AM
That's interesting! I have have had lots of them lose hair due to pregnancy but never had them with raw spots like that. I assume they scraped the skin and looked under the microscope to see if there was anything else. Hopefully that is that and she will get better once the pups are weaned. The hormones and stress can cause hair loss. Also the stress of pregnancy can give opportunity to parasites, bacteria and fungus to get a toe hold. If she doesn't get better within a couple weeks after delivery, you should keep in mind the treatments above or get her back to a vet. Good luck with your delivery!
Emma says:
February 04th, 2009 at 11:49 AM
to be honest i thought it was a bit strange she said shes done it herself as she has one on the back of her neck where she cant reach she didnt do a skin scraping due to her being pregnant but she did say she would do one after shes had the pups if it doesnt improve. i have managed to get hold of some ivermectin spot on for guinea pigs so i may try that if its safe during pregnancy. just hoping all goes well during birth as i cant be sure how old she was when i bought her i dont know if shes had litters before and was already approx 8 weeks pregnant when i got her i did ask the vet but she said its impossible to tell.
cathy crosby says:
February 05th, 2009 at 11:43 AM
Ivermectin is safe for pregnant pigs and topical is fine. I use it when necessary so feel free. Also be sure she is getting vitamin C and a little extra calcium in the form of alfalfa hay to help with delivery. If you look at her teats, you can tell if she has had any pups before. It is like in a dog or other mammal, if the teats are tiny then she hasn't nursed a litter before. If they are elongated then she likely has. They can be up to 1/4 inch long on moms who have nursed litters before. My own opinion (along with a bunch of other people I respect) is contrary to the info on the web about guinea pigs giving birth. The references on the web say not to breed for the first time after the sow turns one year old. Many of the people I know routinely breed after that because in long haired show cavies, they are shown with their long coats until they are well over 1 year old. Then when it is time to breed, they cut the coat off (and they can no longer be shown after that) and put them in breeding. I've never had a problem here and have bred sows over 1 year old before. Good luck on your delivery.
User suggests:
May 21st, 2009 at 08:51 PM
do either of you know how i can tell if my guinea pig is pregnant?? i've only had her 9 weeks and she eats and drinks a lot, gained tons of weight and has lost hair behind her ears and on her hind legs. Please help me!?
cathy crosby says:
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:53 AM
Hi- Do you have a male there or are you thinking she was pregnant when you got her? If you've had her 9 weeks and she was pregnant when you got her, then she should only have a week or less to go. If she is pear shaped now, you should be able to feel pups moving in there. If you think she got pregnant after you got her then she might have some more time to go and you might not be able to feel pups yet. As far as the hair loss goes, there is a bald patch behind each ear that is normal. The hair loss on the hind legs (I'm assuming you mean on top of the hind legs, not underneath on her belly where her teats are) is a concern. It is very common for pregnant guinea pigs to lose hair due to both the stress on their bodies of the hormones, and also the reduced immune system. Often they have mites which don't really cause much of a problem until the animal gets run down and then they take over and cause hair loss. If that is the case you can try the suggestions above. If it is just the stress of pregnancy they will often lose even more after the delivery, and then regain it once the pups are out and they get their strength back. Good luck and let meknow if you have more questions or need more help.
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