Bald patches

[MollyH]

Hello,
I noticed these two bald patches one is bigger than the other, on Norma Sunday night.

I phoned the vets this morning. I’ve booked her appointment at the vets for Wednesday afternoon as that’s the earliest they had.

What could this be? Is it likely to be contagious, will Olive have this to? I was going to take Olive along to the appointment as a carrier friend and incase the both need treatment do vets normally mind this?

 

[Wiebke]

Hello,
I noticed these two bald patches one is bigger than the other, on Norma Sunday night.

I phoned the vets this morning. I’ve booked her appointment at the vets for Wednesday afternoon as that’s the earliest they had.

What could this be? Is it likely to be contagious, will Olive have this to? I was going to take Olive along to the appointment as a carrier friend and incase the both need treatment do vets normally mind this?



View attachment 112067View attachment 112068

Hi!

It could be the beginnings of a fungal infection (potentially ringworm), mange or hay mites.
Please see a vet if the spot on the left continues to grow.

Information on all these problems is in this link here: What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)

 

[MollyH]

Hi!

It could be the beginnings of a fungal infection (potentially ringworm), mange or hay mites.
Please see a vet if the spot on the left continues to grow.

Information on all these problems is in this link here: What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)

Thank you. We are seeing the vet on Wednesday.

 

[MollyH]

Hello again.
We went to the vets and they gave us this mite treatment, they weren’t sure wether it was mites but thought it was best to treat it as if it was. The vet did a sellotape strip under the microscope. And couldn’t see anything untoward. The vet look for the walking dandruff mites aswell.

So far they have one of three of these treatments and have the next on the 15nth.

The bald pathes are no bigger but no smaller either. They do look quite dry flakey on and around the bald patches. The two bald patches are in the middle of her Abyssinian rossets. Her other rossets although have all the fur but do look quite flakey.

Could this be a skin condition. Like a guinea pig version of eczema or something just because of the fact it looks quite dry. So far the other pig Olive has no signs of anything similar on her fur.

Does anyone have experience of anything like this. Or experience of the treatment we have got.

 

[PigglePuggle]

We had a very similar thing with our floofy piggy who has rosettes on her bottom, the middle of the rosette going a bit bald and flaky and scabby. We also had ivermectin mite treatment for her and friends, and did all the proper cage hygiene for mites, then a ringworm test, a post-treatment mite test, and some antibiotics in case it was a bacterial infection where she'd been scratching. So our floofy girl just has dry skin/dermatitis a bit like eczema, she gets it on her back feet too. But its very important to discount all the infectious things first before you and the vet come to the default diagnosis of eczema or dermatitis!
If thats what it is it will come and go and probably be linked to weight and general health, a couple of times now in the last 6 months when Jezzy drops a bit of weight in a week and looks a bit sad her bottom rosettes go a bit bald and flaky and her feet go a bit red and flaky, a week later she's fine... she always goes to the vet (she really enjoys the vets, and they love her floofiness and character!) but nobody can find anything wrong except dry flaky skin...

 

[Wiebke]

Hi!

It could be the beginnings of a fungal infection (potentially ringworm), mange or hay mites.
Please see a vet if the spot on the left continues to grow.

Information on all these problems is in this link here: What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)

It takes at least two applications to kill any parasites (the third is there to mop up any stragglers) and about a month for any hair to grow back.

Has your vet considered a fungal infection? Especially if the bald patches start growing again after the end of any ivermectin treatment, which will temporarily suppress but not heal any fungal. Please be aware that the sellotape test is not necessarily conclusive as we have found on several occasions on here.
You can find pictures of mange mite and ringworm (fungal) patches in this guide here: What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)

 

[MollyH]

We had a very similar thing with our floofy piggy who has rosettes on her bottom, the middle of the rosette going a bit bald and flaky and scabby. We also had ivermectin mite treatment for her and friends, and did all the proper cage hygiene for mites, then a ringworm test, a post-treatment mite test, and some antibiotics in case it was a bacterial infection where she'd been scratching. So our floofy girl just has dry skin/dermatitis a bit like eczema, she gets it on her back feet too. But its very important to discount all the infectious things first before you and the vet come to the default diagnosis of eczema or dermatitis!
If thats what it is it will come and go and probably be linked to weight and general health, a couple of times now in the last 6 months when Jezzy drops a bit of weight in a week and looks a bit sad her bottom rosettes go a bit bald and flaky and her feet go a bit red and flaky, a week later she's fine... she always goes to the vet (she really enjoys the vets, and they love her floofiness and character!) but nobody can find anything wrong except dry flaky skin...

Thank you for your reply. I’ll keep an eye on her and see what happens when the treatments over. Is there anything the vets can do for eczema or dermitis? - did your piggy have any treatment.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your reply. I’ll keep an eye on her and see what happens when the treatments over. Is there anything the vets can do for eczema or dermitis? - did your piggy have any treatment.

Please finish first your mites treatment, then treat for fungal if that is not effective and only after you look for alternative and much rarer avenues.

 

[MollyH]

It takes at least two applications to kill any parasites (the third is there to mop up any stragglers) and about a month for any hair to grow back.

Has your vet considered a fungal infection? Especially if the bald patches start growing again after the end of any ivermectin treatment, which will temporarily suppress but not heal any fungal. Please be aware that the sellotape test is not necessarily conclusive as we have found on several occasions on here.
You can find pictures of mange mite and ringworm (fungal) patches in this guide here: What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)

Thank you for your reply. We did mention a fungal infection to the vets but she didn’t seem to think it was one at the time. We will continue with her treatment and keep an eye on her. If it doesn’t clear she’ll be back to the vets poor Norma.

 

[MollyH]

Please finish first your mites treatment, then treat for fungal if that is not effective and only after you look for alternative and much rarer avenues.

We will finish the treatment for both Norma and Olive. Their next dose is on Wednesday.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your reply. We did mention a fungal infection to the vets but she didn’t seem to think it was one at the time. We will continue with her treatment and keep an eye on her. If it doesn’t clear she’ll be back to the vets poor Norma.

Skin parasites and fungal are always the two biggies that you have to treat for first. Anything else is usually very difficult to diagnose and often accordingly difficult to treat.

 

[MollyH]

Skin parasites and fungal are always the two biggies that you have to treat for first. Anything else is usually very difficult to diagnose and often accordingly difficult to treat.

Thanks for your help. These are the first piggies I’ve owned and the first thing needing vet treatment so I am a little worried for Norma. Just hope it clears up soon. She seems fine in herself eating well and being her normal bubbly self.

 

[MollyH]

Hello again. Poor Norma does not look to have healed. Her skin seems to be flaking off and taking the fur with it. There are two pictures attached one of the fur that fell out and the other of the area of skin. I’m thinking back to the vets next week she seems to be eating and drinking fine and has no weight loss or gain so I assume it’s not a emergency but will try and get her in as soon as posible. I have the fur clumpes to show the vet, as gross as that sounds! I do hope it’s nothing serious.

 

[Wiebke]

Hello again. Poor Norma does not look to have healed. Her skin seems to be flaking off and taking the fur with it. There are two pictures attached one of the fur that fell out and the other of the area of skin. I’m thinking back to the vets next week she seems to be eating and drinking fine and has no weight loss or gain so I assume it’s not a emergency but will try and get her in as soon as posible. I have the fur clumpes to show the vet, as gross as that sounds! I do hope it’s nothing serious.

Hi! that looks like classic fungal skin flakes with hair at the start of a new outbreak to me.

Have you followed our ringworm advice in this link here? Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures

 

[VickiA]

Hi! that looks like classic fungal skin flakes with hair at the start of a new outbreak to me.

Have you followed our ringworm advice in this link here? Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures

That looks like a fungal infection to me, too.