fly strike

[naughty nic]

i would like some advise on the best form of treatment to use on a guinea pig who has had fly strike. i check my pig daily and didn't notice anything different in the morning as she came out to greet me grunting and squealing for food. on return from work i checked her again and noticed she was very lathargic, i picked her up and she squealed in pain, i investigated closer and noticed that she had maggots across the bottom of her back and moving towards her shoulders. i immediately washed her in tepid water and dettol, and as i removed the maggots her fur fell off the infested area, my problem ( although she seems to be recovering at a very fast rate ) is what to use to keep her skin supple so it can heal without cracking and becoming infected. can anyone help with any suggestions, i have taken extra precautions so this doesn't happen again as i had no idea how quickly these horrid things take hold until i looked on the net. ONCE THE FLIES LAY THE EGGS AND THE EGGS ACTUALLY HATCH, IT IS ONLY 8 - 10 HOURS FROM HATCHING THAT MAGGOTS HAVE MULTIPLIED AND CAUSED ABSOULUTE DAMAGE AND GREAT DISTRESS TO THE ANIMAL, please let this be a warning my pig was caught early, a few more hours and i may have lost her, this is a fast and nasty illness that isn't always noticable until it attacks due to the speed of it's progression. ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED, I HOPE NO ONE ELSE SUFFERS AS WE HAVE DONE. many thanks.

[bensmum]

Sorry to hear your news but you were lucky to have caught it. I lost guinea pig to this a few years ago unfortuntely. I am now very careful - I take out soiled bedding in the morning and replace all the hay and any more soiled bedding in the evening. I also check my guinea pig daily and use special wipes to keep him clean. One other thing I do during summer is have a net curtain pulled across the hutch to stop flies getting in, almost like a screen door. As you say it takes a very short time for flies' eggs to hatch so any rabbit and guinea pig owner needs to be very vigilant.

[naughty nic]

many thanks bensmum, i have taken her indoors and intend to keep her there from now on. I don't want to risk the same thing happening again so as i never seem to get many flies indoors i'm hoping this will be the safer option, i just can't believe that in such a short space of time something like that can happen. Am looking for some advise on any ointment or powder etc that anyone may of used or heard of for such a wound, she has no open wounds but the bold area is going rubbery. i am puting vegetable oil on in the hope it will keep it supple and not tamper with the healing, ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS WELCOME, WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM ANYONE WHO HAS HAD THE SAME PROBLEM ( AS HORRID AS IT IS ) many thanks.

[kira000]

Guinea pig skin is very much like human skin- hence he term human guinea pig when testing.

Any way, if you are worried about delicate piggy skin cracking, then you could try using a small amount of sudocrem.

[bensmum]

I habe used tea tree oil wipes as well on wounds. My vet said this would be okay and it seems to help

[Jiggycat]

Well,I'm assuming you haven't taken your Guinea pig to a vet since you made no mention of taking her to a vet to have her treated and if you had you would not be seeking advice
on here.
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*******If she is lethargic and has maggots you must seek veterinary advice immediately.******

She will be in shock from the toxic effects the maggots have on the animal and can be life threatening for her if left untreated,she may need anti-biotics.

As you say maggots can hatch very quickly, flies lay the eggs and dependent on the heat depends on how fast the eggs develop.
Laying to hatching 1 day to 2 days dependent on temperature.

Contrary to belief maggots don't always live on dead tissue they can eat living flesh and when maggots are present on the rear end of an animal can enter the anus and eat an animal alive from the inside.
This does not just affect Guinea pigs but any animal with access to the outdoors.including dogs and cats.
It's imoprtant to be vigilant and check pets for the presence of eggs and remove them before they hatch.

Fly eggs are very tiny and shaped like tiny grains of rice,butter coloured and you may see a cluster of them stuck together or individually laid.
Fitting a fine mesh screen can help prevent flies getting into a cage but won't stop them.
Shaving the fur of your pet can make inspecting and finding eggs easier and quicker.
Vigilance and regular checks will prevent maggot infestation from happening.

[Kleiber]

How's your wee piggy now? I hope you've taken her to the vet - they can give you special stuff to bathe her in, which will kill the eggs & maggots. It's a terrible thing to happen - when I was little, I lost a very sweet pet rabbit to fly strike. They can kill an animal in no time at all. The shock which the animal suffers is just as big a killer. It's very difficult to catch early enough, so prevention is always better and good hygiene is paramount.
I've seen sheep killed in less than a day by fly strike, but it can be prevented. I won't tell you what I use on my sheep because it would probably kill a guinea pig & someone else might read this and think of using it as a preventative measure. I hope your pet is still alive - if she's made it this far since your original post, then she'll probably be OK.

[naughty nic]

thank you to all that have answered my post. my guinny is doing well, she seems to be almost back to her usual self except for a bold bottom. i only posted this as was hoping that people who have had experience with this may have used various creams that i could try. i have been used a cream recommended by the vet as well as aloe vera from my own plant, i just thought there may be something out there that i could try that would have better results. it's been 5 days now and she 's doing o.k. her greatest test is learning to become a house guinny which she is loving as she's into every nook and cranny, she is still being bathed twice a day and her bedding changed everyday as i am now paronoid. i have swapped her from shaving and hay to a newspaper floor and a bedding area of pets at homes safe bedding as it will be softer on her bold bits. thanks for all the help that everyone has given.

[Kleiber]

I'm so glad she's OK & is doing well now! Well done for catching the dreaded fly strike early & getting it sorted. And thanks for letting us know how she is - it's nice to get feedback!! K xxx