The first myth is that it’s always mites. Guinea pigs actually get three common skin problems.

Causes Of Hair Loss

• Mites
• Lice
• Ringworm

Of the three, lice are the least serious. They cause obvious flaking and dandruff, but less itch or hair loss. They can (just) be seen with the naked eye.

Ringworm is a fungal infection that causes extensive hair loss, but is also less itchy and a lot rarer. Of the three causes, only ringworm can cause serious infections in people. I’ve seen some terrible cases, so if you start getting sores too, it’s time to see a doctor!

Hair loss in older females can also be caused by a hormonal imbalance due to ovarian cysts. Then there’s the normal hairless patch behind their ears that often gets confused with mites. In both cases, the affected skin appears smooth and healthy.

What Mites Look Like

Guinea pig mites (Trixacarus caviae) are very similar to the human scabies mite. They are microscopic, and burrow in the skin. Signs of early mite problems include:

1. Itching & scratching
2. Biting the body
3. Hair loss
4. Scaly or crusty skin

Then, if the problem isn’t treated, the damaged skin begins to break open. This leads to bleeding sores, twitching, weight loss and seizures in severe cases. Death can even ensue if enough of the skin has been damaged.

Where Mites Come From

There’s a persistent myth that mites come from hay, straw or bedding. The idea came about to explain why mites seem to come out of nowhere. The truth is that mites are spread by healthy carriers.

Most of the cases I see start after a new guinea pig is introduced. Then one or another of the existing cavies starts scratching. It’s also possible for a hidden infestation to break out during times of illness or stress. A good example of this is pregnancy.

How To Treat Mites In Guinea Pigs

Sprays and lotions are a waste of time and money in my opinion. Unless the drug gets in the bloodstream it doesn’t seem to get all of the mites.

The mainstay of treatment is a systemic anti-parasite drug. Here in Australia we use ivermectin as an injection, which also works well for lice. Two doses are given 10 to 14 days apart; the first kills the adult mites, the second kills the hatched eggs before they lay eggs of their own.

It’s important to treat every guinea pig, whether affected or not. If you are taking one pig to the vet, it’s therefore best to take them all. Most vets will charge just one visit fee to do the lot.

What I never do is ask owners to clean, sterilise or throw away cages and bedding. I completely reject the idea that the mites can live far from guinea pigs. I have treated thousands of cavies without ever having a treatment failure. All I ask is a regular spring clean and change the litter.

So if you suspect mites, don’t despair. Since the development of ivermectin, parasitic diseases are the best sorts of skin problem to have: curable ones! So see your vet and it’ll be sorted in no time.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here. The information provided here is not intended to be used as a substitute for going to the vet. If your pet is unwell, please seek veterinary attention.

Walkerville Vet is open 8am to 7:00pm weekdays and 9am to 1pm Saturdays. Vets start consulting at 9am.

About The Map Of 24/7 Vets

Each of these vets advertise 24/7 service but there is no guarantee they will always be open, as occasionally vet staffing is low. Therefore, please call them either before leaving or while you are on your way. This will also make sure they are ready to help you if your problem is very urgent.

Now enlarge the map to check the quickest late night, Sunday or public holiday vet to your home!

* “Emergency Veterinary Hospitals” included if continuously staffed through the night and over weekends and public holidays.

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By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Whatever the procedure, there are several things you must do:

• Schedule The Day Of Surgery
• Prepare The House And Family
• Prepare Your Pet
• Know When To Stop Food And Water

Booking Your Pet’s Surgery

Most vet clinics operate on Monday to Friday. Unlike our consultations with a vet, we won’t always be able to do the surgery on the day you request. The more you book ahead the better chance you’ll get the day you want.

Even when you’ve done everything right, we may see another pet on the same day who needs immediate surgery. This means that on occasions the theatre will be tied up unexpectedly for an emergency procedure and we won’t be able to do your pet’s operation.

This only happens a few times a year, and annoying as it is, most owners understand that we’d do the same for their pet if he or she were the one in need. Your pet’s surgery is important, and we’ll never do it if it can only be done in a rush.

Desexing dogs and cats should be done before six months of age to avoid the first season in females, or unwanted male behaviours. Rabbits and ferrets should be done before four months of age. If your female goes into season, we will advise rescheduling their spey until after the end of the heat period. This avoids us performing an elective procedure at a time of greater risk.

The day before your pet’s surgery you should receive the nifty text message shown earlier. If you don’t, please check we have your up to date contact details.

Do You Need To Take Time Off?

Ask your vet! It’s always nice to be around the next day but for most routine procedures like dentistry or desexing, it’s not really necessary.

Preparing Your Pet

You won’t be able to bath or clip your pet for at least ten days after surgery and it’s not a good idea to apply flea control products. Therefore, it’s a great idea to give them a bath or book them in at the grooming salon before their operation, and then give them their monthly flea control. DO NOT bath your dog on the same day to avoid accidental body temperature loss.

Before coming in, I like a patient to have had some moderate exercise. Not only will it be their last decent outing for a few days, but it helps them toilet before their day in hospital.

Preparing The House & Family

Most pets will need to be well-rested after surgery.

Your vet will tell you how much activity is OK. Some orthopaedic procedures need 100% strict cage rest, others can tolerate some activity. After desexing, for example, pets are OK to walk around the house. For all surgeries you will need to plan how to stop your pet from running and jumping.

Dogs: There are many ways to keep a dog quiet, but the best is to use a crate. We’ve written about using crates for resting and training dogs before.

If your dog isn’t used to being in a crate, a great idea is to purchase one (they are around $100) and train your dog to settle there in advance. It’s best to take it slowly so they don’t get stressed, and then when they come home needing rest, they will tolerate being restricted so much better.

If crating is difficult, you should at least plan to prevent your dog from any access to furniture such as beds and couches by closing doors or overturning chairs. You should also plan to stop any activity with causes excitement, jumping or running. Sometimes you have to disconnect the doorbell!

Cats will need to be kept inside the house, and possibly in just one room if there is still too much activity. You may need to restrict access to benches and other high places.

Rabbits, ferrets and rodents can be easily rested by using their usual nighttime accommodation. Make sure the litter is freshly changed and their enclosure is cleaned for when they come home.

Many people take time off for their pet’s recovery. This is great, but not essential, especially for soft tissue surgery like desexing or lump removal. I made sure I had a day off after Loki’s surgery and it was well worth it.

When To Stop Food & Water

It is essential that your dog, cat or ferret has no food or water in their stomach at the time of their anaesthetic. If they do, under anaesthetic their oesophageal sphincter can relax and allow fluids to pass into the oesophagus, causing acid burns. In some cases these fluids can even reach the lungs, causing severe aspiration pneumonia.

Dogs and cats should have had no food for 12 hours before an anaesthetic, and no water for 8 hours. In our clinic, unless you are otherwise instructed, this means your dog or cat should have their last meal at 9pm the night before, and no water after 1am.

All dogs and cats go on intravenous fluids (the cost is included in desexing) and so you do not need to worry about your pet becoming dehydrated.

You must be utterly ruthless at eliminating all chances of your dog or cat having access to food. All family members need to be instructed to behave themselves! It’s also best all the animals in the house are not fed over the same time to avoid accidents. Water sources such as toilets need to be closed away or covered. Cats must be kept inside to prevent scavenging and food removed even from benchtops.

Food restriction is critical. If there is any chance that your pet may have eaten even one biscuit, please tell us. We will usually reschedule the surgery to avoid any risk.

Water restriction is less important. Please let us know if you haven’t taken the water away, or left it out until morning. We usually can still do the surgery, but we may just do it later in the day.

Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents should NOT be deprived of food and water. Ferrets have such a rapid gut transit time that the short wait in hospital will be enough. Rabbits and rodents are safe to have food in their stomachs, and in fact it is best if they do.

Please bring in your ferret’s, rabbit’s or rodent’s usual food so they can eat as soon as they are awake.

What To Expect On The Day

Surgery Admission

We ask our patients to be admitted between 8am and 8:45am on the morning of surgery. If this is a problem, please ask as it is possible to be flexible. If we haven’t seen your pet before, your pet will receive a free checkup with the vet as well.

The nurse on admission will ask you a series of questions. These include:

• Has your pet been unwell?
• Has there has been any access to food and water?
• Do you have any concerns or other requests such as nail clipping?
• Would you like pre-anaesthetic blood testing? (read why you might choose blood testing here)

Surgery and Anaesthetic

When the theatre and nurses are ready, we’ll start by placing an intravenous drip. Through this we will give a premedicant calming pain relief. Some patients will also have the pain relief patch shown earlier.

Next, we will administer the anaesthetic induction agent (usually propofol).

Once this takes effect, the vet will insert an endotracheal tube and the nurses will connect your pet to a anaesthetic machine delivering inhaled isoflurane gas in oxygen.

Monitoring equipment and thermal insulation wrapping will be placed, and the surgery site will be clipped of hair.

Then the patient is transferred to the theatre for sterile surgery. See our guide to vet anaesthetics to learn more about how we monitor your pet during their anaesthetic and recovery.

Recovery

Once the surgery is completed, your pet will be transferred to recovery. A nurse will monitor all animals continuously until they are able to sit up and maintain their airway. After this they will usually want to sleep off the rest of the anaesthetic. During this time we will monitor your pet’s pain levels and give extra relief as needed.

Once your pet is awake and ready to go one of our nurses will usually call you. If you have not heard from us by 3pm, please call to arrange a time for discharge from hospital.

Next week I’ll tell you how to look after your pet after surgery.

By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. These blogs are from a series regularly posted on email and Twitter. Subscribe via email here to never miss a story!
Have something to add? Comments are welcome below and will appear within 24 hours of lodging.

You want them to be happy but you know you shouldn’t give pets for Christmas. Maybe you even want a pet yourself. What do you do?

The answer to this moral choice is: “it’s complicated”. I’m not going to say it’s always a bad idea (later I’ll discuss how you can give pets ethically). First, though, there are some important issues with the giving of pets.

The Problems With Giving Pets For Xmas

Giving a pet on any special occasion creates practical and ethical concerns:

Stress and Danger

Puppies, kittens, rabbits, rats or guinea pigs form special bonds with their parents, litter mates and nest. Anyone who’s done it before knows how wrenching their first day away from that safe and secure environment can be.

Imagine now adding the noise, confusion and activity of any Christmas morning to that stress. The kids will inevitably all want to hold and cuddle their new pet, and may even fight. Adults will be distracted and unable to supervise closely enough.

There will be great risk of being dropped or trodden on, and the dangers from Christmas food are well-known. Ever tried to get a vet on Christmas day?

Surprise Pets

The biggest problem we used to see at Christmas was animals being given to unsuspecting adults. There was no preparation, not enough passion, and often no idea of the costs to come. This was the pet that often ended up dumped at a shelter or the vet.

We all know that no pet should be a surprise. You’ve got to be ready to commit your emotions and finances for the lifespan of that animal (15+ years for dogs, cats and rabbits).

Children are not capable of taking full responsibility for any pet and should not be expected to do so. Ask Justin Bieber. Getting kids shorter-lived animals like guinea pigs or rats only means animals cooped up in a hutch their whole lives. What have they just learnt?

Animal, Not Object

Pets are a great way to teach our children some of life’s responsibilities. Caring for another being is a big part of that.

If you give a pet as a gift, the child could view the pet in the same way as their other gifts. Possessions that you can get bored with. Impulse purchases that lose their appeal.

The road to pet ownership is a long one (see later), and going down that path together helps children and adults value their pets as independent beings. Imagine missing out on all this just for the sake of the gift experience.

Dodgy Sellers

No good breeder or shelter will agree to make one of their animals into a Christmas present. Even if they did, there’s very little chance that there will be a litter born exactly 8 weeks before the special day.

The sorts of places you will find last minute pets for sale are likely to be the dodgy ones. That means you may end up with a poorly bred pet from an environment full of suffering.

How to give pets as gifts

I think you can give a puppy or kitten for Christmas or a birthday, but possibly not how you think. If it’s done well, you will make that special day remembered forever as one of the best. Here’s how:

A chance to educate

The request for a pet as a gift will bring up many wonderful opportunities to raise children to be responsible adults. Kids just wanting a pet is not a good enough reason to own one. The path you take should include all the following steps:

• Discussing the advisability of pet ownership. Is the whole family ready to take responsibility for an animal in the house? There will be sacrifices like where you go on holidays, keeping floors tidy, committing to daily exercise, grooming, allergies etc.
• Considering the needs of other pets.
• Selecting a suitable species. Is your lifestyle suitable for the pet you want? Dogs especially are social animals who will need more time than some families can give.
• Choosing the right breed. Breeds aren’t 100% predictable, but you should try to select the characteristics that best suit your family.  Click here for 20 good dog breeds for kids.
• Do you buy a pet from a breeder, or adopt from a shelter? I’ve done both at different stages of my life.
• Finding a breeder or shelter. The RSPCA knowledgebase has resources to help.
• Setting up and pet-proofing the house and yard.
• Waiting for the birth or checking the shelter.
• Choosing the pet.
• Educating the children on how to behave around their new pet.

Phew! For puppies, many of these topics are covered in our Advice for new puppy owners and our Guide to kids and dogs living together.

You can’t hurry

The process of deciding on a pet is a long and happy one. If someone wants a pet, they either need to tell you a long time before Christmas, or be prepared to wait.

One thing is certain, a pet as a Christmas present should never be given on Christmas day. You may nominate the new puppy or kitten as a Christmas present, but they should get at least a week to settle in before the 25th of December.

If you have crate trained your puppy or have a rabbit or kitten house, they will have somewhere safe they can be on the day. They will also be over the stressful settling-in period, when they need gentle, patient care.

Be prepared to wait. If the decision is made only a few weeks before Christmas, it’s very unlikely the right pet will be available for you in time. That’s OK. How fun could Christmas be if the kids open presents only to find one is a puppy bed, or a rabbit lead, or a kitten toy, and finally they open a card with a letter and photos from the breeder, or even just a voucher from you. As a parent, I can picture the excitement as they realise what all these things mean; anticipation can be as much fun as getting.

Someone takes full responsibility

Pets who start out as gifts can end up in the gap between the giver and the receiver with neither assuming full responsibility. If you give a pet, that animal needs a guarantee from you that you will always be there for them. That’s why you should only give a pet to a close family member who lives in the same house.

With any luck the new owner will be a responsible owner, but until then, you are the one who manages:

• housing, bedding and toys
• nutrition
• vet visits and vaccinations
• bathing and parasite control
• training
• house rules

You may always need to do these things. That’s the risk you take.

So, can you give a pet for Christmas AND for life?

Yes you can.

You’ve just got to take it as seriously as you should any time you want a new pet.

Thanks to Moggles for her always photogenic self.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.

Why? Foxes! Some readers will be nodding in agreement, and others will be shaking their heads in disbelief. Believe it or not, we have a large and thriving urban fox population in Adelaide. During the day they are denned up somewhere, but at night they roam through our backyards easily climbing fences on the prowl for anything edible.

Cats are seemingly not at risk. Foxes and cats seem to regard each other as worthy adversaries and tend to ignore each other, but I would worry about a kitten out at night. But we need to remember that with cats, night also brings danger. Most cats hit by cars happen at night, probably misjudging the speed and distance of car headlights. Severe cat fights also tend to occur at night when the strays are on the move.

Small pets can live happily in yards for years without problems, then suddenly one nightmarish morning they are all found dead. Foxes will kill as many as they can catch, usually the whole group, and bury the bodies they cannot carry. A fox is a wily and cunning predator, and will attempt to break into animal enclosures if there are any weak points. The pets inside will sometimes die of neck fractures from their panic even if the attempt is unsuccessful.

Nature may be ‘red in tooth and claw’ but we like to imagine our pets don’t have to contend with such horrors. So here are our recommendations:

1. Keep small pets inside at night, at least in the laundry or an enclosed patio area. 
2. Chickens and ducks must be locked in a secure coop with an enclosed roof every night
3. House train your rabbit! It’s fun and easy for a patient person and then they can live with us at all times (if electical cords are protected and you don’t mind furniture legs being chewed)
4. Screen rabbits from biting insects to help prevent myxomatosis. 

But all of these animals will need time out of their enclosure to roam and explore. Rabbits particularly suffer from being kept permanently in hutches which do not protect them from extremes in temperature.

Now read an example of what can happen at Case Study: From The Jaws Of Death. We have lots of pages about caring for rabbits, guinea pigs and chickens at Pet Care Advice.

Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.