My name is Jeannette Jaquish. I've raised lots of guinea pigs and let them run wild in our fenced yard. Some would get patches of thick dandruff so itchy it caused sores from scratching, and if I couldn't catch them for a while, it would spread to cover their whole bodies. It is a horrible, painful condition causing skin so dry, thick and stiff that the pig will shriek in pain trying to scratch; it must itch something terrible. One pig would have a seizure, flipping rigidly onto his back screeching, mouth open in wrenching pain, everytime he scratched. At least he was easy to catch.
I tried putting medicated Bag Balm, available at feed stores, drugstores and groceries, rubbing it in all over them and it worked great, although they looked ridiculous. Little, greasy dirt balls with legs running around the yard.
And that's all you have to do!! Rubbing an egg-sized scoop of Bag Balm through the hair onto the pig's skin brings instant relief to the itching as well. Bag Balm is very soothing, contains lanolin and antiseptic, and absorbs into the skin well. The pig may scream when you are rubbing it in because you are pressing on his skin, but he will relax and be happier when you finish. Don't shampoo it out.
The mites and their eggs are smothered by the balm. In about a week the dandruffy mange patches fall off revealing healthy pink skin. In about two weeks my piggies would look fully healed. Your bald pig will regrow new beautiful hair. Once healed, if you see new dandruff patches or increased scratching, smear on more balm. In other words, just apply bag balm as you see it is needed.
"Mite Infestations (Mange):
A mite similar to the scabies mite of people causes serious infestations in pet guinea pigs. Mites are microscopic, spider-like organisms that live within the outer layers of the skin. They usually cause intense scratching and significant hair loss. Some cases without scratching have been reported. Some guinea pigs are so miserable because of the infestation that their constant scratching produces serious wounds. They may run wildly or in circles, and occasionally even have convulsions."
Even if your pig doesn't have mites, the bag balm won't hurt them, so give it a try.
BAG BALM MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SAVE SEVERE CASES.
If your guinea pig has gone untreated for too long, has been unable to eat or sleep well, and has sores allowing bacteria in, you can kill the mites but still lose the piggy. I suspect the malnutrition, dehydration, and immune system overload causes organ failure. Read the October 15, 2004 letter below from a guinea pig owner whose vet gave her piggy "Revolution" (selamectin) orally for an instant cure.
TAKE YOUR GUINEA PIG TO THE VET?
If you take your guinea pig to a veterinarian it will be expen$ive. I know a person whose vet gave up and performed euthanasia. Try bag balm before you allow this.
The July 31, 2003 letter below tells how their vet diagnosed a vitamin C deficit as the piggies got worse and one died. Bag Balm cured the survivors. However, the 10/15/2004 letter writer's vet cured her pig with "Revolution".
After a bag balm coating, if your piggies aren't frolicking and eating as normal within the day, and after a week you don't see real healing, take them to a vet to see what is wrong. If your pig has white granular hard dandruff, especially noticeable on underarms or where the skin stretches, it is probably mites, so ask for selamectin or "Revolution".
But let me remind you, I am not a veterinarian, just a person with guinea pig experience.
VASELINE INSTEAD OF BAG BALM?
Three people whose letters appear below couldn't get Bag Balm so used petroleum jelly (Vaseline), and it cured their guinea pigs. However, I myself have never put petroleum jelly on a guinea pig, so I can't give a personal testimony. However, Bag Balm absorbs better and is soothing and antiseptic, so make the effort to go out and get it.
Unfortunately Bag Balm is only sold in the U.S. and Canada, so petroleum jelly might be your only option. If you really want some Bag Balm, email me and I'll be glad to mail you some.
[And just for the record, I do not work for, sell, or am connected in anyway, to makers of Bag Balm.]
Please spread this information. TELL YOUR VETERINARIANS! TELL TEACHERS WITH GUINEA PIGS IN THE CLASSROOMS! Too many guinea pigs are being put to death or being let to suffer!
Let me know if this works on your guinea pigs:
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LETTERS
HAPPY HEALED PIGS SLIP 'N' SCOOT WITH GLEE
Nov. 5, 2002
Your website was great!
Thanks so much, I was worried that my guinea pigs were dying. I only used
your reccomendation 3 days ago but already they look a lot brighter, they
have stopped the itching and the fits which they both had about every hour
or so!
I can't catch them now as they just slip through my hands when I grab them.
Thank-you again! -------
Michael Robson,
from Hartlepool in the North of England,
UK Note: Bag Balm is not sold in England, so this fellow must have used petroleum jelly.
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PATCHED PIG PATCH PINK AND PLAYFUL! Nov. 10, 2002
G'day!
The family's guinea pig, Patch, has been looking worse and worse lately.
It's lost about 20% of its fur and has been scratching until it would
bleed. I told my 4 year old that we would have to 'give' Patch away, to someone
who could care for her a little better. (read "put down") The $50 vet bills
and drugs were not really an option for our poor little pig. My 4 year old was
devastated. I though maybe I should first consult the Internet, I tell
myself everything is on the Internet!
Well, I stumbled across your page, and boy I'm glad I did. My wife was a
little skeptical at first as we covered poor little Patch with Vaseline.
She looked shocking, but the effect was almost immediate. It's been a few
weeks now (and a few smotherings with Vaseline) and Patch is back to her
happy little self, and her hair has started growing back.
Thanks a heap for this very simple and effective cure for our little pig's
skin problem. We were at wits end seeing Patch suffer, and she really was
within an hour of being put down. Thanks Again,
-------Bill from Canberra, Australia
----------------------------------- 15 MINUTES TO HAPPY PIG AGAIN Dec. 1, 2002 Hi! Thanks so much for replying back. Well, I put it on and no more than 15 minutes later I saw an instant change in Abigail! She had been so miserable, she wouldn't move, she wouldn't eat, she wouldn't play. I used Vaseline, and within 15 min. she was running around in her cage and eating, and today when I came home she was tearing up her tp rolls I left for her. Thanks so much for posting your website. I wasn't sure what to do for her. I do have another question though, how many times should I apply it? I applied some last night and again tonight.......should I apply it again or just wait and see? Thanks once again, from Abigail and myself. RESPONSE: Just reapply the Bag Balm if the dandruff or itching returns. It's a simple observation that any loving owner can do.
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HARRY IS HAPPY HE'S HAIRY ONCE MORE Jan 31, 2003
I am SO grateful I found your site!! Our pig "Harry" (an Abyssinian) had lost at least half his hair and was itching so intensely he was having seizures (although I didn't realize it was seizures until I read your site). Despite a variety of attempted remedies, he was covered with grayish grainy stuff and scabs. After reading your website, I went out the next day a bought a can of Bag Balm. I put at least 1/3 of a cup on him. It wasn't an easy thing to do and he did look quite funny, but the results didn't take long to appear. I gave him a second application a week later. It's been about 6 weeks now and he has grown back almost all his hair and seems to be feeling great! My son (8 yrs old) is happy that his pet is better and so am I.
Thanks again for the tip. It saved Harry's life.
-----------Teri and Travis
On the beautiful Oregon coast
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SIMON’S WOUNDS ARE HEALING 6/24/03
Hi, thank you so much for listing a cure on your webpage. When I logged on, I said no way, this is all a hoax like everything else I have tried for my pig, but it wasn’t. After just one application (2 days later) my guinea pig Simon’s wounds had gotten smaller, and some little ones had started to peel. Oh, and he stopped itching. To the people reading this in the website, if your guinea pigs’ or domestic animals have any skin irritation, try Bag Balm. It’s soothing to your pet and relieves the continuous pain. Thanks, Simon got the relief he wanted.
With lots of Guinea love,
Susan
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ONE WEEK OF BAG BALM CURES ITCHY BLEEDING CHARLIE
6/24/03
Hello, I am SO glad I found your website. Before, my guinea pig Charlie was itching and scratching himself till’ he would bleed. I was so worried about him that I logged on and finally found your webpage. I did like you said. After a week of using Bag Balm my pig was just like when I bought him from the pet store. Bag Balm really DOES work miracles~!!! Tracey,
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VET DECLARES GUINEA PIGS CURED AFTER BAG BALM
7/2/03
Thank you so much for your understanding and for answering all my
questions! I used the bag balm and it worked great! I took my guinea pigs
for a check up at the vet and he said that there was nothing to be seen.
he even did a skin scrape to be sure! the check up did cost a few dollars
but was well worth it! Even the vet knew about bag balm and the effects of
it on guinea pigs! I highly recommend it because of this incident! thanks!
Kevin On
San Gabriel, California
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SASCHA’S DIARY
7/13/03 7:19 PM
I just rubbed Bag Balm all over Sascha, the Pre-school Guinea Pig. A few weeks back she started itching and not acting herself. I noticed thick, crusty, patches of skin and lesions on her neck and shoulders from scratching. She was rolling on her back and would go into "fits" itching..So I just bought Bag Balm and rubbed it all over her...the hair and skin crusts are rubbing off. It was painful for Sascha as she screamed the whole time.
I know it (the screaming) was worth it to get rid of this fungus!!!
8:31 PM
Sascha is resting with her front paws on her food bowl...
She's bright eyed and eating her food..
The minute I stopped applying the Balm she was quiet..
7/14/03
10:46 am
I wore gloves when I applied the Balm and made sure it got into the hard skin crusts. I'm going to look at her again today and re-apply in the extra thick skin crusts.
Before she wasn't eating the volume of food because she was just sitting there barely moving!!!!!!!!!!!!! She was quite the little athlete before this, running and jumping around her cage..
She definitely is better this morning!!!!!!!!!! The Bag Balm is working!!!!!!!!!
11am
Sascha and I sure appreciate this!!!!!!!!!!! (this Bag Balm project)
She is feeling so much better...she was just drinking from her bottle and eating broccoli!! and moving around her cage!!
Sincerely,
Sandy Riggs
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VOILA! GUINEA PIG CURED IN 4 DAYS!
7/24/03
I was soooo glad to find your website. My daughter's guinea pig had scabby
looking spots on his skin that were very sensitive (he DIDN'T want you to
touch them) that seemed to be spreading. Thankfully we caught it before it
got really bad. I went to the feed store, got the Bag Balm, slathered the
little guy up and in four days: Voila! Our favorite "pig" is back to his old self. Thanks so much!
Jennifer, Indianapolis, IN
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MITE INFESTATION GOES TOO LONG: ONE GUINEA PIG DIES, OTHER TWO TAKE 8 WEEKS TO HEAL
--VET DELAYED CURE BY INSISTING IT WAS A VITAMIN C DEFICIT--
7/31/03
my daughter in law took her 2 guinea pigs to the vet twice because of itchy, scabs and scratching the skin. the vet told her it was vitamin c deficiency. they are just getting worse. she is in england on vacation so i took it upon myself to check out articles on the internet and found yours. everything i have read points to mites. a vets visit with shots comes to $87 which they can't afford so i am trying your bag balm remedy on them. i feel so sorry for the little things, they act like they are in pain. i used about 1/4 cup of it on each pig. i put it on 2 days in a row and skipped third day. they seem to be a little more content as far as not scratching themselves. I do see them scratch around ears. i sure hope this works, poor little things.
8/2/03
thank you for mailing me back. I checked them again today and they had blood under the chin on the neck, so i put more balm on them. they also had sores on their feet that were bloody. the other sores seem to be looking better. every time i put more balm on them the thick patches of dandruff come out along with the hair. they are in pretty bad shape. they eat good, but other than that just sit and don't move much. i bought a can of balm that is about 4 x 4 x 4. there is about 1/3 of the can left. Are they supposed to become completely bald. it worries me to see all that hair falling out. they are going to be nothing but solid skin. looks terrible. thanks again, sharon kesler
8/4/03
thanks for your reply. i'm such an animal lover i worry about the poor little things. they do come running and squealing when i take them carrots and cabbage. i keep putting the bag balm on them every other day. maybe if i use hydrogen peroxide it will help heal their wounds faster. They were completely covered with sores and dandruff, i'm sure it is going to take at least 6 weeks for them to heal. Like i said, the vet told her to give them vitamin c (twice she took them in) and to no avail. the bag balm looks like it will work, they just look awful, can't get used to it. sharon
9/16/03 The guinea pigs are fine now. Covered in hair and looking great. My daughter in law had three guinea pigs and the one died before she left for england on vacation. when i looked at the other 2 they were just absolutely covered in dandruff and sores and just sat looking miserable. that's when i found you on the internet. it took about 8 weeks to get them back and now you can hardly catch them in their cages. they now seem to be happy and full of life. thank you so much. i gave the instructions to my daughter in law so she can take care of them herself. needless to say she is quite upset with the vet. cost her a $100 to have them tested for mites. he told her it was from lack of vitamin c. nothing worked except the bag balm. sharon
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FURBALL ESCAPES DEATH -- HAPPY RETURN TO FIRST GRADE!
8/30/03
Thank you so much for your website! I am a first grade teacher and have a wonderful guinea pig for our classroom pet. Furball spent the summer with a trusted family from my class but was unfortunately returned to me with horrible sores and scabs from scratching. Two visits to the vet and we were still contemplating having to put him down because he was suffering and having seizures after scratching. I just treated him with Bag Balm and he is finally calm for the first time in two weeks! He even made little happy noises as I rubbed it into his skin. I pray this along with the antibiotics the vet gave him for the secondary infections will do the trick. I have 22 first graders anxiously awaiting Furball's return to school. Thanks so much for the information you shared. I'll let you know how he's doing in a few days.
Sincerely,
Jill Kersh
10/02/03
Oh my gosh! He is almost completely recovered. He still gets a "hot spot" that he scratches every once in a while. I just put a little bag balm on it and in two days, it's gone. It's amazing! Thank you so much for your advice!
Jill Kersh
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BAG BALM NOT ENOUGH -- THIS PIGGY NEEDED ORAL "REVOLUTION" (SELAMECTIN) MEDICINE! 10/15/2004
Our guinea pig was showing symptoms like those reported in your website: so itchy that his scratching and squeaking would wake my daughter at night, then scratching so badly that he would have seizures or fits ("freezing" and twitching for a minute or so). He was in real distress. We tried the bag balm treatment, and after four consecutive days of being greased-up, he did seem to feel a bit better, and the scabs on his skin were healing. But we still hadn't gotten rid of the mites that caused the itching and scabs! He began to have occasional scratching fits again. We finally visited a vet, who treated our pet with Revolution (selamectin), which is similar to the Ivermectin (sp?) treatment I had read about on the web. The Revolution was a liquid that was dabbed behind the ears (on the bald patch). Our guinea pig felt SO much better! The next day, he was back to his sweet and loving self instead of the irritable guy he had become. We were given meds to bring home, so that we can rub it behind his ears after 30 days, and again after 30 more. (The old ivermectin treatment would have required repeated injections, which means repeat visits to the vet.) Now he is really WELL.
I believe that the scratching symptoms you describe can have a variety of causes. Perhaps some are cleared up with Bag Balm or vaseline alone. But if your animal is still in distress after the surface of the skin has been treated for a few days, GO TO A VET TO TREAT THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM, not just the scabs that are the most noticeable symptom.
Laurie in Virginia
****Please post this story, along with your success stories, to let people know that some guinea pigs need MORE than your recommended treatment!*****
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KASEY SCREAMS WHEN BAG BALM APPLIED, BUT HEALS RIGHT UP
--Vet has no cure
March 14, 2006
Thank you so much for your website. I really thought my daughter's guinea pig wouldn't make it another couple of days. I had "Kasey" to the vet, he did skin scrapings, etc. Basically, it was a waste of money.
I did my own on-line research and stumbled across your site. Thank God I did. I was skeptical, but thought I would try Bag Balm.I figured she was going to die anyways since she quit eating and drinking, so what did I have to lose?
I found it in a local feed store and immediately applied it all over Kasey. She didn't like it and tried to jump out of my hands. She cried and squealed and I felt just horrible. The next day, she started eating and drinking her water again. I re-applied it every 2 days for a total of 3 treatments. In a week's time, Kasey lost a bunch of hair, but acted like her old self. She now has new hair and is one happy piggy.
My kids are happy, I am ecstatic I was able to save her (yeah, I'm attached to her too!) and I can only give your website and Bag Balm the credit for another guinea pig saved.
God bless you!
Sincerely-
One Happy Mother in Baldwinsville, New York (Kammy & John)
My name is Jeannette Jaquish. I've raised lots of guinea pigs and let them run wild in our fenced yard. Some would get patches of thick dandruff so itchy it caused sores from scratching, and if I couldn't catch them for a while, it would spread to cover their whole bodies. It is a horrible, painful condition causing skin so dry, thick and stiff that the pig will shriek in pain trying to scratch; it must itch something terrible. One pig would have a seizure, flipping rigidly onto his back screeching, mouth open in wrenching pain, everytime he scratched. At least he was easy to catch.