• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Crusty jawline

Guinea pigs13

Guinea pigs13

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
May 4, 2018
Messages
33
Reaction score
14
Points
75
Hello,my guinea pig has a crusty jawline can you help?(you might not see it very well in this picture.)

image.webp
 
Is it white crust? Is so it may be a fungal infection and you'll need to see a vet for treatment
 
Guinea pigs13 said:
Hello,my guinea pig has a crusty jawline can you help?(you might not see it very well in this picture.)

View attachment 87402
Click to expand...

Hi!

A white crust is usually a fungal skin infection, most likely ringworm. If your guinea pig has been bought in the last 2 weeks (US: 30 days) you can reclaim any vet cost from the shop as exposure and infection must have happened at the shop. You need to treat all guinea pigs in contact to prevent them from coming down with it too while the infection is running its due course and is seemingly getting worse before it gets better.

Please see a vet and do not treat on spec as you can easily make things worse. We are legally not allowed to diagnose without a hands-on consultation, nor are we qualified enough to replace a vet. What we can do is tell you when you see a vet and what likely avenues to pursue with a vet. If you can, please ask your vet for an oral course of medication (UK brand: itrafungol, US: ketoconazole); it is the easiest to give and the most effective way of getting to all infected areas. The period between infection and outbreak is 10-14 days with fungal infections.

Ringworm is the most transmittable of all issues that common pets can get; you can catch it from your piggy. It is absolutely important that you use very good hygiene and invest in a vet-strength disinfectant like F10 that is proven to kill ringworm spores in order to make sure that you won't have problems in the future.
Here is detailed information on what you can do to prevent ringworm from spreading or making a return. We have learned our tips the hard way; that is why they really work!
Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures

Make sure that you have full body wash with a dandruff shampoo like nizoral (but a generic brand from a pharmacy is also fine) and also give the companion one to prevent yourself and any other piggies in contact from coming down with ringworm. Nizoral is pretty harsh on human skin, not to mention guinea pig skin; I would not recommend it for a full course unless absolutely necessary. A one-off bath is OK.

Since we have got members from all over the world, we find it helpful if you please added your country, state/province or UK county to your details so we can always tailor any advice to the relevant brands, climate and vet/rescue access you have straight away. Please click on your username on the top bar, then go to account details and scroll down location. This makes it appear with every post you make and will save everybody time. Thank you!
 
Thanks for all of your quotes!

It is brown crust around the jawline. I have had my piggy for 5 months roughly and the people at pets at home warned us about ringworm. With my other guinea pig but he doesn’t have it.
 
Guinea pigs13 said:
Thanks for all of your quotes!

It is brown crust around the jawline. I have had my piggy for 5 months roughly and the people at pets at home warned us about ringworm. With my other guinea pig but he doesn’t have it.
Click to expand...

Please have it vet checked (as we can only guess from your description based on our experience) and be aware that there are 10-14 days between infection and showing signs of ringworm. The companion may not show any signs of ringworm, but that doesn't mean that he is not infected!

Please also be aware that ringworm spores can stay live for up to 18 months. I had twice carried an outbreak into my home by spores in a piggy's coat that had been in contact with infected piggies but was not ill in itself. As long as the invisible spores are not in contact with skin, they will do nothing.
 
This is on my other guinea pig. There is no signs of crust jawline or bald patches on this piggy but he has scaly skin only behind one ear
 
See what the vet is saying. Have you booked your piggy in yet?

I can only guess from your description, but you haven't yet got a diagnosis and do not yet know what you are dealing with.

PS: If it IS ringworm, then it will run its due course with all the hairs in the affected area (which is much wider than you can see) having to come out and the scaliness having to stop before the acute infection is over and the hair can grow back. Ringworm sits preferably at the hair roots.
 
All of my piggies have scaly skin behind the ear. Is this one of the symptoms of ringworm?
 
Guinea pigs13 said:
All of my piggies have scaly skin behind the ear. Is this one of the symptoms of ringworm?
Click to expand...

No, not necessarily; it can be just dry skin - however only a vet can decide what it is.
Guinea pigs have naturally no hair behind the ears. As long as the patches are symmetrical, there is no need to worry.

Have you booked your piggy in with the vet yet?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top