scabby nose and skin around mouth

[courtney11111]

Hello,
I read some of the other posts that sounded similar to my problem, but i didn't find any that exactly fit so I am hoping that you guys have some advise for me. My piggie has had some health problems since we adopted him. Now, he has crusty scabby sores around his mouth and the skin on his nose. What is the likely cause of this?
I started putting just a very small amount of Neosporin on the area. Is that ok to do? I have noticed that the vet seems to always prescribe Baytrill and I have some left over from his last visit that has not expired. Should I start him on that for the moment? Of course, I will be taking him to the vet asap, but I would like to keep him comfortable for tonight, if possible. Also, he is ALWAYS shedding his hair. Does anyone know why this could be happening? I asked the vet to check him for mites and he came back clean. What else could be causing excessive hair loss? Thank you so much for your help!

[nettymurr]

hey i can't really help with the scabby lips and nose.but i work in a vet and i wouldn't use neosporin just now till uve taking ur guinea to ur vet and i wouldnt use baytril.just in case its something else and needs treated another way.hope ur guine feels better.mines has a scabby mouth too which ive never seen befoe lol

[Niki]

It could be Chelitis which can be bacterial, fungal or both.

Have a look at this www.guinealynx.info/cheilitis.htm

[courtney11111]

yes, that is just what it looks like. it must be cheilitis. thank you so much! i have read that it can be caused from a lack of vitamin c (his food has plenty and treats do as well so im not quite sure how i messed this one up). so i want to get him started eating lots of vitamin c rich foods like oranges and strawberries. my concern with that is the acidity might hurt the already tender skin.

[Niki]

I agree I wouldn't feed any acidic foods.

You've not messed up it's one of those things & he did have health issues when you adopted him.

What veggies do you feed? Bell peppers are a good scource of Vit C (any colour).

If you want to give him additional Vit C I would do so via tablet (avail in supermarkets).
60mg tablets, pop it into his mouth towards the back teeth & he will crunch away, if you get it in the wrong place all he will do is spit it back at you, try again until he chews it

His hairloss is perfectly normal, some shed more than others as long as he has no bald patches & he's not scratching he's fine.