Conzol Drops For Ringworm Effectiveness?

[alphadox]

Just got my first piggy and I am going through so much emotionally and financially. Wish I had visited here before my purchase from Petsmart.

My piggy has ringworm on her left ear and nose. The vet said it is ringworm (she is very healthy otherwise thank goodness). She gave me Conzol drop to put on daily. I wash cage daily and have the F10 cleaner on the way and have been hardcore with bleach--bleaching the house down and tossing out things and my hands are red as heck even with gloves.

My biggest concern is the drops started Saturday and I'm seeing no difference and she is scratching way more and stressed being secluded and with simple cage. I had fleece but now switched to toss away bedding for the ease of cleaning for now.

Should I go back to the vet for something else? I hate wasting time if this Conzol medicine isn't really good?

Appreciate guidance! Also of sad note is I went back to Petsmart for Oxbow Vit C tablets and saw ALL the piggies gone. I suspect they are in the back...getting 'treatment'?

 

[Wiebke]

Just got my first piggy and I am going through so much emotionally and financially. Wish I had visited here before my purchase from Petsmart.

My piggy has ringworm on her left ear and nose. The vet said it is ringworm (she is very healthy otherwise thank goodness). She gave me Conzol drop to put on daily. I wash cage daily and have the F10 cleaner on the way and have been hardcore with bleach--bleaching the house down and tossing out things and my hands are red as heck even with gloves.

My biggest concern is the drops started Saturday and I'm seeing no difference and she is scratching way more and stressed being secluded and with simple cage. I had fleece but now switched to toss away bedding for the ease of cleaning for now.

Should I go back to the vet for something else? I hate wasting time if this Conzol medicine isn't really good?

Appreciate guidance! Also of sad note is I went back to Petsmart for Oxbow Vit C tablets and saw ALL the piggies gone. I suspect they are in the back...getting 'treatment'?

Hi and welcome!

As you are mentioning petsmart, I suppose that you are from the US?

Conzol drops are 1% miconazole, i.e. they are antifungal, but on the milder side. Creams and drops just for treatment on the affected spots is not the most efficient way to treat as the invisible spores get everywhere and can easily cause an outbreak elsewhere on the body. Ringworm is the most transmittable problem between mammals; and that includes humans and other pets (or vice versa). Any acute outbreak of ringworm has to run its due course and is going to get worse before it is getting better.
Could you please post a picture as to whether you are really dealing with ringworm or not rather mange mites?

Please take the time to read these guides here. You will find them extremely helpful; they also contain tips for disinfection and treatment products as well as what your rights as a customer are.
Key to getting on top of ringworm and preventing spreading the infection or re-infection is extremely careful hygiene with a vet grade anti-fungal disinfectant and closing out all possible angles. it is well worth the extra effort and following our tips; in 12 years of existence we have just about found every possible way of how ringworm can be transmitted and how to best close off all angles to minimise the risk of a return.

PS: Did you get just a single guinea pig?

What to check and look out for in new guinea pigs (vet checks, sexing, parasites&illness)
Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures
Guinea Lynx :: Fungus

Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

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[alphadox]

Thank you! Yes, USA and I have read through many posts on the forum so I'm a lot more informed than before. I have been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning...washing, washing...etc. Going crazy. That's why I'm also getting that F10 mentioned in the posts.

I hope it doesn't get too worse to get better...the vet said I should see results in 2 days. It looks more.....dried out and flaking off? She is itching her nose more. I want to prevent spreading all on the body the poor thing. She is the only pig. There were three others in the Petsmart cage.

I'll place the photos..but these are same day as the vet. I am scared to get too close to take current pictures. It is basically the same, spread more on the ear, but more dried out and nose looks like missing more hair...

 

[Sophie B]

Could you please consider getting her a friend, and some general pigtures would be nice too!

 

[alphadox]

Could you please consider getting her a friend, and some general pigtures would be nice too!

Hi! I'll put in attachment here the pics before the appearance of the ringworm. I've had her only about 10 days. I started to look into the bonded pairs, but am glad I did NOT get one of the others. They are assumed to be all infected, and she was huddled in the corner away from everyone. She was so much tinier than the others too. She seemed really..scared in there. I can't consider a friend until she is better

 

[Sophie B]

Hoping for a smooth recovery for such a beautiful piggy!

 

[alphadox]

Hoping for a smooth recovery for such a beautiful piggy!

Thank you! She is a lovely, sweet piggy.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you! Yes, USA and I have read through many posts on the forum so I'm a lot more informed than before. I have been cleaning, cleaning, cleaning...washing, washing...etc. Going crazy. That's why I'm also getting that F10 mentioned in the posts.

I hope it doesn't get too worse to get better...the vet said I should see results in 2 days. It looks more.....dried out and flaking off? She is itching her nose more. I want to prevent spreading all on the body the poor thing. She is the only pig. There were three others in the Petsmart cage.

I'll place the photos..but these are same day as the vet. I am scared to get too close to take current pictures. It is basically the same, spread more on the ear, but more dried out and nose looks like missing more hair...

Thank you! It is definitely ringworm.
Can you get hold of some nizoral or any generic anti-dandruff shampoo from a pharmacy to give her (and yourself) an whole body shampoo? That should hopefully prevent any new outbreaks in any other areas of the body where nothing has started yet if you can catch it in the period between infection and actual outbreak. Be careful with the shampoo on the ears and face - only use the suds there but give the shampoo time to get to work before you dry it off. The crust should come off when you bathe. As long as new exudate crusts form, the ringworm is still active; you can see bloody areas where it has come off, but as it is just the outermost layer of the skin, they will heal over very quickly and are nothing to worry about.

When you bathe, please place a towel on the bottom of the shower or the bathtub; then the bowl you bathe in top. This means that your baby cannot hurt itself with a freak jump but cannot escape and you are doing the bath in an area that you can easily clean afterwards. Fill the bowl with baby warm water that should be no higher that touch the belly underside at the most, but have more warm water handy in a jug. Do the washing and handling with disposable gloves and old clothes you can wash at 140 F/60 C. Use a clean towel afterwards for drying. Ideally you go and clean/disinfect the cage while your piggy is drying off. Put it back in the cleaned cage.

Then you go and put all the soiled and used stuff in the washing machine. Have a top to bottom all body shower with the the nizoral shampoo for yourself to wash off any spores on yourself and hopefully prevent an infection of yourself. Take special care with the face and neck and your forearms; these are the areas you most often touch without thinking or co me into direct contact with your piggies. Add your towel to the fill (it may take two loads of washing.
Repeat this every three days if you want to treat with nizoral (which is rather harsh on piggy skin, though) or once again once the ear has cleared and there are no other spots that are infected together with a deep clean of the cage to make sure that there are no spores you carry across in any way.

There are unfortunately no recommended good standard guinea pig rescues for your state. I don't know how close you live to any others but I appreciate that the distances in the Midwest are massive compared to what we are dealing here in the UK! Guinea Lynx :: US Guinea Pig Rescue and Shelter Organizations

If you could please add your country and state to your account details (access via your username on the top bar), this means that they appear with any post you make and that we can tailor any advice to what is available and relevant where you are without having to ask; we are a lively forum with people from all over the world, so you can help us a lot with this simple job!

Please also keep any further questions and updates to this one thread here so we have all the information on one ongoing case together. You can set your own notifications by clicking on 'watch' at the start of your thread.

 

[alphadox]

Thank you! It is definitely ringworm.
Can you get hold of some nizoral or any generic anti-dandruff shampoo from a pharmacy to give her (and yourself) an whole body shampoo? That should hopefully prevent any new outbreaks in any other areas of the body where nothing has started yet if you can catch it in the period between infection and actual outbreak. Be careful with the shampoo on the ears and face - only use the suds there but give the shampoo time to get to work before you dry it off. The crust should come off when you bathe. As long as new exudate crusts form, the ringworm is still active; you can see bloody areas where it has come off, but as it is just the outermost layer of the skin, they will heal over very quickly and are nothing to worry about.

When you bathe, please place a towel on the bottom of the shower or the bathtub; then the bowl you bathe in top. This means that your baby cannot hurt itself with a freak jump but cannot escape and you are doing the bath in an area that you can easily clean afterwards. Fill the bowl with baby warm water that should be no higher that touch the belly underside at the most, but have more warm water handy in a jug. Do the washing and handling with disposable gloves and old clothes you can wash at 140 F/60 C. Use a clean towel afterwards for drying. Ideally you go and clean/disinfect the cage while your piggy is drying off. Put it back in the cleaned cage.

Then you go and put all the soiled and used stuff in the washing machine. Have a top to bottom all body shower with the the nizoral shampoo for yourself to wash off any spores on yourself and hopefully prevent an infection of yourself. Take special care with the face and neck and your Please also keep any further questions and updates to this one thread here so we have all the information on one ongoing case together. You can set your own notifications by clicking on 'watch' at the start of your thread.

Thank you! It is definitely ringworm.
Can you get hold of some nizoral or any generic anti-dandruff shampoo from a pharmacy to give her (and yourself) an whole body shampoo? That should hopefully prevent any new outbreaks in any other areas of the body where nothing has started yet if you can catch it in the period between infection and actual outbreak. Be careful with the shampoo on the ears and face - only use the suds there but give the shampoo time to get to work before you dry it off. The crust should come off when you bathe. As long as new exudate crusts form, the ringworm is still active; you can see bloody areas where it has come off, but as it is just the outermost layer of the skin, they will heal over very quickly and are nothing to worry about.

When you bathe, please place a towel on the bottom of the shower or the bathtub; then the bowl you bathe in top. This means that your baby cannot hurt itself with a freak jump but cannot escape and you are doing the bath in an area that you can easily clean afterwards. Fill the bowl with baby warm water that should be no higher that touch the belly underside at the most, but have more warm water handy in a jug. Do the washing and handling with disposable gloves and old clothes you can wash at 140 F/60 C. Use a clean towel afterwards for drying. Ideally you go and clean/disinfect the cage while your piggy is drying off. Put it back in the cleaned cage.

Then you go and put all the soiled and used stuff in the washing machine. Have a top to bottom all body shower with the the nizoral shampoo for yourself to wash off any spores on yourself and hopefully prevent an infection of yourself. Take special care with the face and neck and your forearms; these are the areas you most often touch without thinking or co me into direct contact with your piggies. Add your towel to the fill (it may take two loads of washing.
Repeat this every three days if you want to treat with nizoral (which is rather harsh on piggy skin, though) or once again once the ear has cleared and there are no other spots that are infected together with a deep clean of the cage to make sure that there are no spores you carry across in any way.

There are unfortunately no recommended good standard guinea pig rescues for your state. I don't know how close you live to any others but I appreciate that the distances in the Midwest are massive compared to what we are dealing here in the UK! Guinea Lynx :: US Guinea Pig Rescue and Shelter Organizations

If you could please add your country and state to your account details (access via your username on the top bar), this means that they appear with any post you make and that we can tailor any advice to what is available and relevant where you are without having to ask; we are a lively forum with people from all over the world, so you can help us a lot with this simple job!

Please also keep any further questions and updates to this one thread here so we have all the information on one ongoing case together. You can set your own notifications by clicking on 'watch' at the start of your thread.

Thank you so much for all of this info! You have helped me so much and my lil piggy. Can't thank you enough!

For anyone searching about this medication in topic title, I went to a different exotic vet and was given oral Terbinafine for 21 days. This vet said those other drops are not good at all.

I will also update here for piggy's progress. Might help someone else...

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much for all of this info! You have helped me so much and my lil piggy. Can't thank you enough!

For anyone searching about this medication in topic title, I went to a different exotic vet and was given oral Terbinafine for 21 days. This vet said those other drops are not good at all.

I will also update here for piggy's progress. Might help someone else...

Thank you for the update. Good that we have been able to help you getting on top of it. I've never heard using terbinafine in guinea pigs, so I hope that it works!