In the first installment of this mini-series, I introduced you to Rolo and shared the story of how he found the rescue. I admit fearing that in my effort to make a needed point, I might have gone too far with the photos and the emotion. It was hard to be around Rolo on July 2 and not be emotional and angry; it's hard to remember that day and not feel all the same emotions again.
Reassurance came from one of the blog's email subscribers, Jennifer Wright from Texas, who emailed to say that Rolo's story helped her put the pieces together about what was troubling her new guinea pigs (who, it sounds like, came to her with mites). So, onward...
You'll remember that I said in Part 1 that Rolo got worse before he got better. Once Cindy started throwing the full course of medicine at him, the mites took their last stand on Rolo. A gently administered bath removed the dirt, mite debris, loose hair, and flaky skin; if nothing else, getting rid of all that old icky stuff raised his spirits and strengthened his will.
But the mites didn't go away quietly and Rolo was consumed by the itchiness. He itched and he itched and he scratched and he scratched. And he tore himself up in the process -- wherever his nails could reach. His back and his neck...
...his sides...
...and his face...
Nothing calmed down the itching. Rolo scratched and he cried, and he scratched and he cried. When the blood dried and the wounds would start to scab over, it was one more thing that pulled at his tender skin and made it itch. And so he'd scratch and he'd cry -- and cry louder. And when he cried, Cindy would flinch and run to him.
She was running out of ideas, and so was the vet. Then, a brainstorming exchange on the GuineaLynx forums yielded an idea.
The wearable piggy wrap, constructed of gauze and bandage, gave Rolo some peace. He couldn't scratch at himself, and the wrap seemed to help calm down the itching. As the healing started, Rolo had some free time on his paws. Time to rest, socialize with other pigs, and eat -- eat a lot. And so he stayed wrapped for the rest of the summer.
Stay tuned...the story gets better from here...
Yay, Rolo! Hope you are continuing to improve! Great idea for the wrap. When my first guinea pig, Swingley, was found to have mites, my mom sewed him a little cotton "vest" with a velcro closure along the length of his back. It stopped him from scratching, too!
Posted by: Aimee | November 05, 2012 at 10:13 AM