Diseases of guinea pigs scabies mite than to treat. Subcutaneous tick. The danger of water mites for humans

• with a decrease in immunity due to any disease,
• with beriberi,
• in poor conditions,
• in pregnant females
• in young and old individuals.

An accurate diagnosis can be made only in the laboratory conditions of a veterinary clinic. For this, scraping is done. In some cases, the analysis may turn out to be false - the indicators will be negative, but in fact the animal has a subcutaneous tick. Practice shows that larvae can be visualized only in 50% of cases.

• feeling of severe itching;
• soreness of the skin;
• the appearance on the body of scratching, which swell and suppurate.

What types of ticks can infect a rodent

Subcutaneous mites in guinea pigs start three types, each of which causes its own disease. The animal can get sick:

• sarcoptic mange;
• trixcarosis;
• demodicosis.

Another animal can be struck by an ear mite.

Guinea pigs should be treated by a veterinarian for any type of mites. Self-administration and use of insecticides can lead to intoxication in a pet and its death.

Sarcoptic mange

Visually, the disease is manifested by characteristic triangular growths on the skin, covered with a gray crust. In addition, the animal itches, hair falls out on the muzzle and paws.

Primarily, the disease is diagnosed by bald, wounded muzzle and paws. A skin scraping is taken for laboratory testing.

It is allowed to return the pig to its "house" a few hours after the disinfection treatment.

Trixacariasis

This disease is especially difficult for young and old individuals, animals depleted by other diseases, pregnant females and pigs, which are kept in inadequate conditions. Trixacariasis is suspected by the following signs:

• severe itching and soreness of the affected areas of the skin;
• the animal combs the skin with claws and teeth;
• hair loss and the appearance of significant foci of baldness;
• open sores and wounds on the skin;
• lethargy of the animal, refusal of food and drink;
• convulsions.

With advanced disease, the female may have a miscarriage. If animals are not treated at all, they die.

Trixacariasis is diagnosed by skin scraping in a veterinary clinic, the animal is treated there.

demodicosis

Infection occurs through contact with sick individuals. Quite often at a sick female also cubs get sick.

A sign of the disease is the appearance of characteristic nodules and suppurating spots of a rash in the places of bites on the scalp and paws. The areas affected by the tick go bald. Due to numerous bites, the paws of a guinea pig may swell - then the animal is slightly lame.

Demodicosis is diagnosed in the laboratory by examining skin scrapings.

Treatment is carried out strictly under the supervision of a veterinarian. The drug - ivermectin, is very toxic - its overdose threatens the animal with death.

Ear mites in guinea pigs

In the auricles of a guinea pig, an ear mite, Psoroptes cuniculi, can start. Most often, rabbits suffer from ear scabies, so it is also called rabbit. The disease is called psoroptosis.

These mites are visible to the naked eye. During illness, a red-brown wax accumulates in the ears of a guinea pig, in which dark-colored oval-shaped insects swarm. The course of the disease is accompanied by:

• redness of the skin of the auricles, yellow-red growths form on the ears;
• otitis, and in advanced cases, torticollis, the animal scratches the ears and shakes its head.

Psoroptosis is treated with ivermectin and antibiotics.

Which live in the forests and pose a considerable danger to humans. Their relatives, living in human dwellings, also cause a lot of trouble. There are mites that cause damage to the national economy: they destroy plants and parasitize animals.

A subclass of ticks has gained a truly formidable fame ... Some species are so deadly that a person takes all possible measures to destroy them. But on whose side the advantage in this centuries-old war is still a big question.

Against the background of relatives with a reputation for merciless killers and indestructible pests, water mites seem almost harmless. Many people have never heard of this group. Our article will help fill this gap and talk about the features of the life of these animals.

general information

The first thing to focus on is the species affiliation. Some mistakenly consider ticks to be insects, but this is not at all the case. They belong to the arachnids.

The family has the international name Hydrachnidae. The whole life of these ticks is associated with the aquatic environment, but in habits they are more similar to terrestrial arachnids than to other aquatic organisms.

Appearance

Consider what water mites look like. Photos will help to visualize this.

Like all arachnids, they have four pairs of legs. The rounded body consists of an abdomen and a relatively small head. Most representatives of the group are small, up to 2-3 mm.

As a rule, the body is bright in color, from bright yellow to red. Some types of water mites are decorated with ornaments.

The chelicerae (jaws) are developed, and the pedipalps (maxillary leg tentacles) are equipped with bristles or hooks. In adults, the legs are much longer than the body and are equipped with bristles necessary for movement in the water.

Ticks have two or four eyes. According to scientists, they have excellent eyesight, which helps them navigate even in muddy water.

Hunting and food

Among aquatic plants in the shallow waters of freshwater bodies there is a wide variety of water mites. Most often, these animals settle in lakes, ponds, swamps, river backwaters, less often in the flowing water of rivers and even in perennial forest puddles.

Representatives of this group are distributed almost everywhere. A very small number of species can survive in salt water.

Physiology

All types of water mites breathe by absorbing oxygen dissolved in water by the surface of the body. The threshold for the required concentration is extremely low. Even if there is only one part of oxygen per million parts of water, that is enough for mites. Due to this, survival in polluted waters is very high.

Ticks develop with metamorphosis, that is, the larvae are very different from adults in appearance.

Immature individuals spend most of their time in inert states, attached to the host animal or plant and exist at its expense. In free swimming, you can see only sexually mature water mites.

Who is this smoothie?

Another unusual creature is often mistakenly attributed to water mites. In fact, the smooth one is. Its lifestyle is similar to that of aquatic arachnids; the smooth bug also spends most of its life in water bodies. But these creatures are not even distantly related.

Recently, increased attention of active users of the Network has been riveted to this insect. On many resources, fake news is rapidly spreading about the mortal danger of a smoothie, allegedly capable of killing a healthy person in just two days. The reason was a peculiar feature of these creatures. A photo of a male with a brood of eggs on its back looks very unusual, and therefore many people believe in the frightening text accompanying the picture.

But this creature does not pose any danger to humans. True, at any opportunity it is not worth grabbing him in your hands - like many bedbug relatives, he can bite painfully if he feels that something threatens him or his babies.

The danger of water mites for humans

• the pet is very worried, often scratches the skin to the point of blood and gnaws out the hair due to the unbearable itching from insect bites;
• there is also hair loss on the limbs and head, there is a decrease in appetite and body weight;
• in advanced cases, large hairless areas and purulent wounds form on the skin.

With such symptoms, it is recommended to urgently seek help from specialists. Improper treatment of a guinea pig at home can provoke the development of anemia, malnutrition, blood poisoning, intoxication and death.

Ticks

Hypodermic mites in guinea pigs cause:

• severe itching;
• soreness;
• the formation of strong scratching on the body, accompanied by edema and purulent inflammation.

• trixcarosis;
• sarcoptic mange;
• demodicosis;
• guinea pigs are also affected by fur and ear mites.

Trixacariasis

With trixacarosis, there is severe baldness and scratching to wounds and ulcers.

Young, elderly, malnourished, sick, pregnant guinea pigs and animals kept in uncomfortable conditions or exposed to frequent stressful situations are most severely ill. When sick, a pet experiences:

• severe itching and soreness of the affected areas;
• strongly itches and gnaws itself;
• hair loss is observed;
• extensive foci of baldness;
• open wounds, ulcers and scratches on the skin;
• lethargy, refusal of food and water;
• convulsions, abortions.

In advanced cases, if left untreated, the guinea pig may die from dehydration. Diagnosis of the disease is carried out in a veterinary clinic, microscopic examination of a skin scraping is used to detect and establish the type of tick.

Treatment of a guinea pig affected by scabies is carried out by a specialist, most often a sick animal. The filler from the pet's home must be removed. The cell is first disinfected with alkaline solutions, then treated with insecticidal preparations.

Sarcoptic mange

• itching;
• the formation of alopecia on the muzzle and limbs.

The diagnosis is confirmed by the detection of pathogens in a skin scraping during microscopic examination in a veterinary clinic. For treatment, the treatment of the guinea pig with acaricidal sprays based on selamictin is prescribed, the animal's cell is subjected to thorough disinfection.

Sarcoptosis manifests itself in the form of growths on the face of a pet

demodicosis

With demodicosis, inflammation and wounds are visible in the places of tick bites.

fur mite

It is impossible to detect a microscopic pathogen with the naked eye.

• itching;
• hair loss;
• the formation of ulcers and erosions on the skin;
• refusal of the animal from food and water.

To clarify the diagnosis, a microscopic examination of the pet's hair is used, the treatment is based on the use of Otodectin or Ivermectin preparations.

With fur mite disease, severe itching is observed

ear mite

Ticks can be seen with the naked eye, and infected individuals show red-brown wax accumulations in the ears and dark insects with an oval body.

• redness of the skin of the auricle with the formation of a yellow-red growth;
• otitis and torticollis, the guinea pig often scratches the ear and shakes its head.

Treatment is based on the use of Ivermectin preparations and antibiotics.

Ear mite disease has a bright manifestation in the form of growths in the ear

ixodid tick

If a guinea pig is bitten by an ixodid tick while walking in the external environment, you must contact a veterinary clinic to extract and examine the insect and prescribe symptomatic treatment.

Ixodid tick needs to be removed by a veterinarian

Fleas

• itching, restlessness and anemia;
• the pet constantly itches and bites the fur;
• scratches and wounds appear on the skin.

Between the teeth, red-brown insects with a flattened body or their dark excrement are found, which, when wet, turn the water pink. Treatment of guinea pigs for fleas is based on the use of preparations for cats containing pyrethrin.

Fleas in pigs are easy to detect by dark excrement

Vlas-eaters

Withers in guinea pigs cause trichodecosis.

Vlas-eaters can be mistaken for dandruff

The owner can detect light dandruff on the pet's coat, which cannot be removed or shaken off the fur of a hairy pig. With trichodectosis, the animal:

• itches intensely;
• gnaws fur and skin;
• refuses food and feed;
• on the skin there are extensive numerous alopecia with wounds and ulcers.

Treatment of guinea pigs affected by withers should be carried out by a veterinarian. With trichodectosis, the animal is prescribed treatment with sprays for cats based on permethrin: Celandine, Bolfo, Acaromectin.

To reduce the toxic effect of therapeutic agents, it is preferable to use not sprays, but drops: Lawyer, Stronghold, Neostomazan.

Video: how to deal with guinea pigs with lice

Lice

Lice can be detected by the eggs they lay on the animal's coat, which are difficult to remove.

The small animal constantly itches, twitches, bites and scratches itself, hair loss, scratching and abrasions on the skin, refusal to feed, lethargy and apathy are observed.

• feed guinea pigs with a balanced diet using vitamin preparations to strengthen the immunity of animals;
• treat guinea pigs that walk in the external environment with insecticidal sprays, use special flea shampoos when bathing;
• purchase filler, feed and hay only in specialized stores;
• wash your hands and change street clothes before interacting with your beloved pet.

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Scabies mite (subcutaneous mite) -

Trixacarus caviae

These microscopic mites hide under the skin and cause severe pain. You may notice scratches on the skin, the mumps willmyselfbite with her teeth, her hair falls out. Serious infestations can be life-threatening. If you suspect that one of your pets has a subcutaneous tick, examine the rest as soon as possible. Ivermectin (Ivermectin), Otodectin, Novomek, Ivermek - a drug for quick relief. Several injections of the drug are needed because these drugs do not kill the eggs laid by the females under the skin.

Subcutaneous mites present in guinea pigs cannot reproduce or live on humans.

Death of a guinea pig can occur due to severe dehydration, from larger and larger wounds and from refusing to eat, due to extreme pain and discomfort. In a healthy animal, the tick can be dormant for many months or years, becoming a problem in a pregnant guinea pig, a debilitated animal during another illness, or after stress. The most serious infestations occur in babies or very old animals, in which the immune system is most weakened. The disease in animals of other ages is no less serious, perhaps due to poor care or weakened immunity.

scabies mite (Trixacarus caviae) is an arachnid insect. Infection occurs primarily through direct contact with infected animals, although eggs can be introduced through carelessness. Ticks rarely leave their host, usually as a result of overcrowding or the death of the host. Without a host, they usually die within 3 weeks. However, eggs that have been laid in burrows in the skin can live for a long time.

A photo - Kat .

Signs: microscopic mites cause unbearable itching in the animal and can lead to thinning and/or patchy hair loss, flaky skin (may resemble dandruff) and eventually open wounds resulting from heavy scratching that increases hair loss. Scratching an area of ​​skin infested with mites can cause so much pain and itching in your guinea pig that the animal falls on its back with a squeal and begins to convulse.

While skin scrapings can confirm mites, this is often not done. Because this procedure is very painful for the guinea pig and not at all reliable. Often, a veterinarian will use Ivermectin (and analogues) for severe itching and hair loss, in the treatment of another disease (such as a fungal infection), when treatment does not improve. It is important to note that your guinea pig may be suffering from several causes at the same time.

Diagnostics: Sometimes a veterinarian will completely misdiagnose a mite infestation based solely on the result of a skin scraping.

Example:

“A guinea pig was brought in for treatment with severe scratching. The veterinarian ruled out mite disease when he did not find them in a skin scraping. He prescribed treatment for a fungal and yeast infection, sent samples to the laboratory, did a skin biopsy, and felt that he had already explored every possibility "The guinea pig had already been anesthetized twice during sampling. During this time, the guinea pig (who had already lost most of her hair) was in unbearable pain, with wounds, and without improvement. After a few weeks, the condition only worsened. Vetrinar finally offered to prescribe injections with Ivermectin in case it was mites after all. The result was immediate."

If a subcutaneous mite disease is suspected, do everything to cure your animal.

Scabies mites can cause the death of an animal!

Treatment: when infested with ticks, an injection is madeIvermectin (Otodectin ) under the withers. Two or more injections are required 7 to 10 days apart. Ivermectin is best not used on guinea pigs weighing less than 340 grams. Otodectin is designed for use in small animals and is suitable for treating baby guinea pigs who have stopped suckling their mother. This medicine must be used in a strictly calculated dose. A good veterinarian should be familiar with the drug and know what doses are considered safe for guinea pigs. The supervision of a competent physician ensures that the use of this drug is necessary. The veterinarian may also treat open wounds and scratched skin and other complications associated with invasion. Trim nails to minimize further damage from scratches.

Calculate the dosageIvermectina (Otodectina) in milligrams per kilogram of weight, for different animal species. Therefore, it is necessary to know the weight of the animal. Your veterinarian needs to know how to calculate the correct dosage.

Once the mites have been properly diagnosed, all of your guinea pigs will need to be treated and their living quarters should be thoroughly cleaned. Avoid future infestations by carefully examining newly acquired new animals and isolating them if you suspect they came from a dysfunctional kennel. Breeders usually quarantine new gilts (since they can carry ticks without showing signs of disease). It is better to make the prevention of the subcutaneous mite a newcomer than to risk introducing it to a whole herd of guinea pigs.

Infection occurs on the street or during contact with other animals. An interesting fact is that a subcutaneous tick can wait months for a favorable time in the layers of the skin. Active reproduction begins during a noticeable weakening of the immune system.

Diagnostics

Guinea pig tick symptoms:

• severe itching;
• hair loss;
• peeling of the skin;
• combing;
• dandruff;
• dull coat;
• alopecia;
• touch causes pain.

If you have one or more symptoms, contact your veterinarian immediately. The sooner you start treatment for ticks, the easier it will be and will give a quick result.

Treatment

Only a qualified doctor can prescribe the correct treatment. Mostly prescribed injections of "Ivermectin". The dosage is determined based on the weight of the animal, an injection is given once a week. The following drugs are often prescribed:

Apply the required amount to the skin and hold the pet for 15 minutes in your hands so that he does not scratch the medicine.

Repeat the procedure after two weeks.

Don't expect instant improvement. It will be possible to cure a guinea pig from ticks only after 2-4 weeks, depending on the complexity of the situation. It is recommended to supplement the diet to strengthen immunity.

Do not self-medicate. The drug is prescribed only by a qualified veterinarian. A course of treatment can include only one drug. Two or more will cause severe intoxication of the body. A second procedure is mandatory, since parasite eggs cannot be destroyed due to strong protection. After 10-14 days, they come out of the egg and receive a new dose of antiparasitic agent.