The Legend of Barry Jenkins

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Mar 03, 2020 6:57 am


"He's had 3 of his 4 Ivermectin doses, so if it was...mites, wouldn't the itching be done by now."

Not if the dose isn't correct (which I can't really tell from the info you gave). Sometimes even if the amount used is correct, a second round of Ivermectin is needed in tougher cases. I still think you'd be better off buying Ivermectin yourself and dosing it according to the information here. I'm not convinced that this isn't mites, even with a 'negative' finding. It could simply mean that the particular sample of hair taken didn't contain any of the parasites.

Are there any signs of ringworm or other fungal infection on his skin? -- you'd likely see scaling, crustiness, etc.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Mar 03, 2020 9:36 am


What kind of detergent do you use on the fleece? For experimentation purposes, you could try cotton towels or heavy cotton cloths, though I did find they got stinkier sooner. I wouldn't rule out the mites yet. With a really bad case you may need to do several retreatments.

I wonder if an anti-itch spray (carefully applied) might help for that spot. I believe there is one for humans.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Tue Mar 03, 2020 3:16 pm


I was looking at the shampoo options and couldn't decide on which one is the best. Would appreciate suggestions. I really can't see any scaling or crustiness. The fur on his affected area is getting thinner, but it's not because it's falling out, it's because he bites at it. It doesn't seem like it itches non-stop. If it did, wouldn't he have pulled it all out by now? It's not a very large area either. It's about half an inch wide and about 2-3 inches long.

It's puzzling for sure. His Ivermectin is confusing the way they have it on the paperwork. After looking it over carefully, it's 10 mg/ml and they gave me 5 ml of it from the 50ml bottle they have in their pharmacy. See what I mean? I'm supposed to give him .16ml every Friday for 4 weeks. He's gotten 3 of the 4 doses. Using the dose calculator, it looks like he's getting the right dose.

As far as his fleece bedding, I had been using Tide with Downy to wash the blankets. I was washing them twice; once with the detergent and the second time without it to get any residue out. I was also using the extra rinse both washes and drying the without fabric softener. None of the other pigs ever had any itching. When BJ came up itchy, I stopped using detergent. The last 2 times I changed his bedding, he got blankets washed without the soap. He's getting his third detergent free bedding change today.

The only thing I haven't addressed is the possibility that he's allergic to the mountain meadow/ timothy hay mixture I'm giving him. The humane society gives their hay eaters orchard hay they get from one of the feed stores. They also get hay donations from several sources, so it's virtually impossible to pin down exactly what types he's been exposed to. I'm inclined to think that hay isn't the issue since Benadryl doesn't help as much as it should. I'm not totally dismissing it either.

So I'm back to the topical treatment options. What product do you guys recommend? While I'm on the subject, I have got to get some coconut oil for his grease gland. Is there a certain one I should use? Can I treat the gland with that at the same time I'm treating with the topical Ivermectin or would they clash?

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Tue Mar 03, 2020 5:38 pm


Update: Spoke to the vet and she prescribed a topical Ivermectin shampoo. I'll be picking it up this afternoon along with the coconut oil. I can use the oil on his gland after shampooing him as long as I let him dry first.

User avatar
Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Tue Mar 03, 2020 7:23 pm


I wouldn't suggest using an Ivermectin shampoo. What are the ingredients? Even if it's just plain Ivermectin, I don't think I'd use it concurrently with topical Ivermectin.

Still not sure I understand the dose your vet recommended. For me, the math doesn't come up with a 0.16 dose for 10mg/ml of Ivermectin on a 1.56kg guinea pig.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:17 pm


I have actually never heard of a topical ivermectin shampoo. Do you have instructions to use gloves? I ask because generally this medication is absorbed by the skin. Ivermectin is actually used on humans for certain parasites but I think usually in developing countries (River blindness? don't precisely recall the issue).

When applied topically, ivermectin is usually put behind the ears, though it could be put anywhere. For farm animals, it is often poured down their spine, and therefore called a "pour-on". If you are giving more doses, you could actually put one of the drops on the itchy area (best if there are no open sores).

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Tue Mar 03, 2020 8:34 pm


So as it turns out, it's not Ivermectin shampoo. It's anti itch with Pramoxine as the active ingredient. It's fortified with oatmeal and Omega 6 fatty acids. It has a 1% W/W of the Pramoxine, whatever that means. I am supposed to wash him with it and rinse thoroughly twice a week for 4 weeks. They're also treating for bacterial infection with bactrim. I got the coconut oil to help with the grease gland. Between all of that, he should start feeling a lot better.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Mar 03, 2020 9:03 pm


I ran across this about Pramoxine. Looks like it has anti-itch properties.
Pramoxine topical Uses, Side Effects & Warnings - Drugs.com
Pramoxine is an anesthetic, or numbing medicine. Pramoxine topical (for the skin) is used to treat pain or itching caused by insect bites, minor burns or scrapes, hemorrhoids, vaginal irritation, and minor skin rash, dryness, or itching.Pramoxine topical is also used to treat chapped lips, and pain or skin irritation caused by coming into contact with poison ivy, poison oak, or poison sumac.

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daisymay
Supporter 2016-2021

Post   » Tue Mar 03, 2020 9:09 pm


I used on my girls Johnsons Veterinary Products Puppy and Kitten Shampoo for delicate skin https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Johnsons-Ve ... Swa2deJzeX

I did find this one on Ebay too. https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Dermacare-A ... ZAvjIgydhA

Dermacare Aloveen Oatmeal shampoo. With the Johnson one it worked well on my girls. Vet said puppy and kitten ones are especially made for delicate skin. Hope BJ starts to feel better really soon.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Tue Mar 03, 2020 10:33 pm


Pramoxine is a topical anesthetic. It relieves itching by numbing it. I just hope BJ gets some much needed and deserved relief from that infernal itching. I don't have to give him the Benadryl anymore since it did very little to stop the itch. BJ will be happy about that since he really hates that stuff. I'm giving him his bath here shortly and I'm changing his fleece while he dries off. We have a very thick towel for him. He'll most certainly burrow into it.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Wed Mar 04, 2020 3:56 pm


I gave BJ his bath with the Pramoxine shampoo and it gave him a few minutes of relief and then it was right back to itching. I think I might know why it didn't last long. I used a very small amount on him because I just don't know much about this stuff. I'm positive that I should have used quite a bit more than I did. What I put on him would be just enough to fill a bottle cap.

I can wash him with it twice a week, so I'll wait a day and bathe him again on Thursday. In the meantime, I started his baytril, probiotic and vitamin c. Standard drill here with twice a day doses followed by the probiotic and vitamin c about an hour after. Well, here we go again. Not my favorite part of guinea pig ownership, but I'm going in with the same resolve I had with Scruffy. If you want me to, I'll start a medical thread, but I'd rather just post everything here if that's ok. Just let me know.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Wed Mar 04, 2020 4:08 pm


Without reading back, has the vet ever prescribed steroids to help with the itching?

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