The Legend of Barry Jenkins

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Sef
I dissent.

Post   » Fri Feb 21, 2020 1:59 pm


To clarify, vitamin C does not need to be refrigerated. Kordon suggests refrigerating their product, and I always have. I think I recall a Kordon rep once telling me that the drops can actually be used for up to 3 years before they suggest discarding it (though it starts to lose potency after a year).

For the small amount that you want to supplement, though, I agree that it's probably okay and you could certainly contine to use it until the new stuff arrives.

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:15 pm


Today is dose number two for the Ivermectin. I looked at the paperwork and the prescription bottle again after Lynx pointed out that BJ may not be getting a big enough dose. I discovered that it is a compounded oral med. It has a mixture of 5 mgml ivermectin and the 10 mg/ml dosage. So without doing the math, it looks like he's getting the right amount for his weight. His itching is getting a little better but still has it.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:23 pm


5 mgml and 10mg/ml?

Is one of those mg/kg?

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Sat Feb 22, 2020 1:00 pm


It says 50 ml of 10 mg/ml Ivermectin and 5 mg/ml in cherry syrup.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Feb 22, 2020 4:55 pm


These are two different concentrations. Unless they are trying to make a concentration from another concentration (I have never seen it done that way), it makes no sense and is still very confusing.

What you want to know from your vet and the compounding pharmacy is the base line mg/ml (concentration in the suspension) of the liquid they provided to you and what dosage they want you to use (in mg/kg). Then you calculate the dose in ml (or they tell you the dose and you can then calculate what dosage they are using to determine if your guinea pigs are getting enough).

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Fri Feb 28, 2020 1:36 am


BJ will be getting his 3rd of 4 doses of Ivermectin tomorrow. He's still a little bit itchy, but it seems to be getting noticeably better. He's also getting his second bedding change with detergent free fleece. At the height of his condition, he would flip around scratching and biting at himself accompanied by teeth clicking, squeaking and that little hooting sound they make when they're uncomfortable.

I'm not as interested in finding out whether it's the medication or the detergent free bedding as I am making the itching stop. All I'm worried about is his health and comfort. He's a bit more sociable now too. Yesterday was a really nice, warm day so I had him and Mr Bubbles outside together to graze on the green grass patch. He was trying very hard to get Mr Bubbles to notice him and come over to the wire barrier. Unfortunately, Mr Bubbles was only interested in eating as much grass as he could in the short time they can be out there. He knows that outdoor grazing time is at a premium right now, so he tries to make the most of it. That means no time for socializing. Poor BJ LOL

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Feb 28, 2020 8:52 am


Great news! I hope he never gets itchy again!

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Renonvsparky

Post   » Tue Mar 03, 2020 5:24 am


Short lived good news. I had to give BJ a dose of Benadryl twice today. I picked him up to hold him and he went into a big itching fit. It was so bad that he got really stiff and started lunging and biting. He settled down when I wrapped him in his holding blanket. He's had 3 of his 4 Ivermectin doses, so if it was ringworm (no results from the culture yet) or mites, wouldn't the itching be done by now.

I can only find 3 possible causes for this type of itching. Parasites, allergies or dry skin. Parasites are under treatment even though the hair samples did rule them out. He's been on detergent free fleece for a week. Is that long enough? Could he be allergic to the fleece itself? I believe I can rule out hay or anything else he's eating. What about dry skin? I'm doubtful on that since it's only in one spot.

I feel terrible for the poor fellow. I'm going to check with the vet to see if the ringworm culture showed anything, but I'm thinking I might need to find a good, safe medicated shampoo for him. He can't go on like this. It's not fair to him to be miserable like this. I have to do something to help him. I just hate seeing him suffer anymore.

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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.

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