[Gpdd] [HEALTH] Mites and stuff

[Robyn Ferguson]

Hi Piggiemom!

This sounds exactly like what my little Lucypig has at the moment. The flaky dandruff is characteristic of a fungal infection. This fungus is present on pigs a lot of the time but only really becomes a problem if the pig is weakened by something else such as mites or lice. 
When I took Lucy in to the vet on Monday he dimmed the lights and used a small black light to show me how the dandruff glowed under black light - apparently this is characteristic of fungus. He dosed her for mites and internal parasites in case this was the underlying problem (after having discussed issues of diet to ensure she was getting all her vitamins and minerals), and gave me a shampoo called Malaseb to take home to bathe Lucy and her buddy Lexie. Malaseb is formulated for dogs and cats so it is a bit strong for piggies so he gave me directions to dilute it with water to a gentler concentration and to be very careful that I washed it all off.
This morning I got up at six and gave the piggies a bath and despite the usual ructions everything went well. I am to bathe the pigs daile (or at the least, twice a week) for two weeks and then take Lucy back in for a checkup.

Hope this gives you some background for discussions with the Vet about your own pigs,

Robyn, 
Piglet mother to Lucy and Lexy and (as of yesterday) to Sparky the rescue mouse.