Cure Guinea Pig and Cavies Skin Disease caused by Mites!!
Treatment is safe and inexpensive!
Smear on Bag Balm or Vet Balm or Pet Balm
Symptoms: Dry Itchy Mange, Hair Falls Out, Thick Dandruff, Scratching & Convulsions.
Also Smothers Fleas, Lice and Head Lice in Humans and Animals..

Don't kill your guinea pig because it is covered with painful mangy skin!

• Get some Bag Balm Ointment at feed stores, drugstores or larger grocery stores.
• In the UK, get Vet Balm at Walmart (and maybe in other countries as well)
• Smear the guinea pig with a thick coat all over.
• In a week or so, the dry mangy skin will fall away and new hair will start growing on healthy skin.
• Your bald pigs will be so happy they will feel like flying!
• Soothes wrinkles and dry skin in people - smear it on your face at bedtime and a bit in the morning. Softens cracked dry hands, feet, arms, legs - Just rub it in!

Bag Balm in the square green can with the cow udder on the side.

Bag Balm Ointment website -- photo of the product, description for use on pets.
FunAntics Theater Scripts and Puppet Plays by Jeannette Jaquish
Lee Valley online from Canada sells it

My name is Jeannette Jaquish. I've raised lots of guinea pigs and let them run wild in our fenced yard in Tucson, Arizona, USA. 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, every time he scratched. At least he was easy to catch.

I rubbed medicated BAG BALM all over them and it worked great, although they looked ridiculous. Little, greasy dirt balls with legs running around the yard.

[Bag Balm contains only three ingredients:
petroleum jelly, lanolin, and 8-hydroxyquinoline sulfate (an antiseptic).]

BAG BALM is not sold in many countries outside the USA, but in 2010 I was told that in the UK, Walmart has VET BALM or PET BALM which I am told works as well and seems to have nearly the same ingredients. Walmart is everywhere so this is good news. Pet Balm contains Paraffin Wax, Petrolatum, Glycerin, Hydroxyquinoline, Water and Lanoilin.

And that's all you have to do!!
HOW TO PUT IT ON YOUR GUINEA PIG
Warm it up a little! Set the can in hot water or put it near a hot light bulb, until the balm is nearly runny, like pudding. You want it to be soupy to lessen the pain of rubbing it into your guinea pig's scabby skin.
Rub an egg-sized scoop of Bag Balm through the hair down to the pig's skin. This 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 will scream when you are rubbing it in because you are pressing on his dry cracked skin, but he will relax and be happier when you finish. Do NOT Shampoo It Out.

The mites and their eggs are smothered by the balm. In about a week the dandruffy mange patches of skin and hair fall off revealing healthy pink skin. In about two weeks my piggies would look fully healed, but bald. Your bald piggie 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.


CLINICAL DESCRIPTION OF MITES
"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."

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

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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)


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YOUR SITE SAVED MY GUINEA PIG'S LIFE!
Beloved pet is screaming and convulsing. "I gave him up for dead."
Desperate hubby of sick owner of sick guinea pig discovers Veterinary Balm at Walmart!
June 30, 2010
Hello! My name is Dana, and my guinea pigs name is Ted (short for Teddybear).

I just wanted to say thank you so much for the information on your website. It saved my piggies life. I got him 6 months ago from a petstore and he's had constant skin trouble ever since I first brought him home. I wasn't sure what was wrong with him, I gave him baths, but all I knew was that he was slowly and slowly getting worse.

I just got out of the hospital diagnosed with diverticulosis. I almost died of a serious infection. By the time I got out, piggie was thin and his bones all showed, and he kept having seizures. In great sadness, since I could not afford to take him to the vet, I gave him up for dead. I wouldn't look at him for a few days, I was even too sick too, then I went to him and he looked at me and started crying and trying to crawl at me. When I touched him he screamed and had convulsions.

I honestly thought of taking him out and shooting him to put him down, and I cried. I prayed for him thinking surely there is something I can do for him. I prayed to know WHAT was wrong, I didn't know how to treat what I didn't know.

I found your site and my Ted had EVERY sympton, I even called my husband and said, "He has mange! He has every symptom!"

When he came home from work, he went to Walmart looking for Bag Balm. I was too sick still to leave the house. He found the same darned thing called Veterinary Balm, and I got up, put Ted in the sink and lathered him up in it.

His skin was paperthin and he cried pitifully and had constant convulsions the whole time. I cried and thought to myself, its too late, I waited too long. His hair came out in clumps. His every bone showed through and he was so thin I could wrap my thumb and forefinger around his waist.

As the days progressed, like me, he held on. As I lay on the couch healing, so did he. He started eating and drinking and losing all his hair, in fact I laughed at him he looked so ridiculous.

The next stage of his healing filled me with joy. When I called his name again, he squeaked at me with happiness and stood up on his hind legs at me in the cage.

About a month later now, me and Ted are doing well. Ted is the healthiest I've ever seen him. His new hair now feels like velvet, he is sooooo soft. He's the healthiest he's ever been in his life, and he is now heavy and fat again. He is sitting on my chest now after eating a red bell pepper grooming himself and laying under my chin. I can't believe he pulled through, and how big he is. If I had waited even one more day to find your site, I think I would have lost him. He was in the final stages until death.

Me and Ted wish to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your site. I believe God guided it to me, and this house will now never be without bag balm/veterinary balm in it again.

Ted is soooooooo soft, I love him so, I'm glad my buddy made it. Thanks so much again.

Sincerely,

Dana and Ted the Guinea Pig




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"I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM ITCH SINCE!!"
Finds Bag Balm at a Tractor Supply Store
October 30, 2011

Hi! We have been struggling to figure out what was wrong with our pig Buddy for weeks now. I first thought that it was ring worm or some type of fungal infection. After doing treatments without results I decided the vet was going to be called. I cleaned his cage and gave him a bath in case the vet needed a skin scraping.( So he would get untreated samples.)
Buddy started convulsing as I was lathering up one of his thick flaky spot. It was horrible! I looked on the Internet after feeling completely helpless for our little guy and I found your site! I went to a tractor supply store and got bag balm right away and applied it all over him.
He was angry at first and struggled but did calm down near the end of applying it. Afterwards, I put him back in his clean cage. Other than the pine chips sticking to him, he seems to be doing okay. I haven't seen him itch since!! Fingers crossed that this heals him up.
Thank you so much for this page! I was at my wits end. I will keep you posted on how he is doing!
Thanks again!!!
Julia Hollis, PA



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3 VETS CALL SCRATCHING, DANDRUFF AND SORES "NORMAL"!
January 18, 2012

Thank you for your website!!
I noticed my little guy, Shelby, scratching a lot. As I've only had him for 3 weeks, the vets and I thought this might be normal for him. But I noticed dandruff as well and lately he's been starting to bite me when I pick him up, but again, the vets were all, "Oh this might just be normal for him. Just watch him."
Last night I noticed a little blood for the first time and panicked. I immediately jumped on the web, your site was the first up, and while I was relieved, I was fuming at my vets (all 3 I've seen!) for not finding this sooner. I called my local CVS who had ONE CAN LEFT! Went and applied just enough all over his little body to soothe him and after application, noticed at least 6 more sores! I can't believe this wasn't noticed when he was just at an "exotic" vet on Sunday! Let me tell you, 20 minutes after applying last night I had a whole new piggy. He was popcorning around his cage (which I've never seen him do!), he was playing with his wood chews which he hasn't touched since I bought them, it was a complete 180.

What I do find strange is the sores and scratching seem to only be geared at the skin under his white fur (he is white and roan). The skin under the roan fur looks normal but under the white it is very pink and irritated. I applied a little more this morning and to my delight found the "bad" tufts of hair already shedding away and still one very happy piggy. While he still scratches a little, this stuff really seems to work! I'm still taking him to the vet this evening just as a precaution since I don't understand why it's only the skin under the white fur that's affected, but as long as I have this guy I'll never be without a can of Bag Balm again!

Kourtney Hadley



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HARRY ON THE MEND - After Big Buck$$$ Wa$ted at Vet!
April 3, 2013

Our poor little guinea Harry’s skin got so crusty that he was dragging his back legs behind him. I’d taken him to the Vet twice and bought all sorts of things through them that Harry had just about become the 6 Million Dollar Guinea Pig!! I was fed up with getting no real help or advice from them and decided to check the internet, people tell me EVERYTHING is on the internet! Well, they were right. I came across this website, ordered some Bag Balm from the US and dear little Harry has just about lost all the crusty bits and can run and jump again normally. Once we get rid of the sores on his sides from early constant scratching, we’ll be laughing!!
Thank you sooooooooooooo much for having this information available and I will certainly be ‘spreading the news’!
Long live happy Guineas!

Cheers,

Sharon (McLaren Vale, South Australia)


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Miserable with Sores - After 3 Days Puck is Popcorning and Happy
November 2014

Hi! Thank you so much! Your site has helped tremendous amounts in curing my little cavy. My Guinea pig, Puck, was feeling miserable and I didn't know what to do; I didn't have the money either for a vet. Puck had been scratching and itching himself raw to the point where he had sores and wounds laid out along his back, stomach, and the area between his front arms. He wouldn't let me pick him up (much less touch him) and he would squeal if I tried; It wasn't just a little wheek, but a squeal in pain.

I tried looking up on the internet what to do and I couldn't find anything until I chanced by your site. I went to the store immediately and bought the bag balm because it was tearing me apart at how much my little guy was suffering. At first, he squealed and it broke my heart when I put it on, and I almost stopped. But, I knew that it would be worth it and I wanted him to feel better again. About three days later, Puck was popcorning and being a healthy and happy pig again. Again, thank you so much!

Sincerely,

Tia.

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If you are unsure about these testimonials, email me and I will forward your email to the letter writer you want to ask.

If you are still unsure, check out these links:

Bag Balm for cracked hands and mite infestation in guinea pigs.

funantics123(at)yahoo(dot)com