Eye, Sebaceous Cyst & Fungal issues all at once :(

[GPTV]

oh dear... I've hit a wall
... Orca has had eye problems since about December last year...
suspected eye poke, cloudy & slightly bloodshot right eye, clinagel given

next day left eye another hay poke, although worse than the right, quite red eye where its normally white, slightly cloudy & a slight mark where poke occurred.
vet visit, again told clinagel for both eyes,

two weeks later.... right eye back to normal.. left eye very cloudy still & slightly swollen, we're still doing 4x clinagel drops a day & told to reduce them slowly, possibility of a month for the eye to clear.

after the month still no joy, eye still cloudy
.. numerous vet visits later, we've tried 6x Days of Maxitrol & then for 7-10 days Acular eye drops & also Remend , i think isathal came in again at some point too, then back to Clinagel with the Remend-
currently just Remend 2x daily.

The cyst appeared as a pimple about 2yrs ago, then it grew to a pea sized lump, the vet measured it, tried to get a sample of contents of it although nothing really collected-sample came back inconclusive, said to keep an eye on it - few months later lump appeared to be growing, back to vet, measured & yes grown about 3mm, but still to keep monitoring it, they're not really keen to do anything to it because of the position of it (on her forehead between/above her eyes).

Forward wind to Thursday before last.... Tiggy had 2 tiny little scabs/marks on her back, i just thought she may have been walked over or landed on, as they always snuggle up together & sit on top of each other - then on the Saturday evening i noticed a dry scaly patch had developed there, so went to the vets on Tuesday.

vet confirmed fungal (although doesn't think its rinworm) & prescribed antifungal Malaseb shampoo 2x daily on affected areas, Orca has a fungal patch on her nose now i've been treating that too, Monday night she was having her Malaseb session & i noticed her eyelids & ears seemed to be pink & the hair thinning, so treated that too.
this is when i noticed the cyst lump had a white lump on it, i lightly scratched over the surface of it & a load of white toothpaste looking gunk came out, so i gently squeezed out as much as i could before she got annoyed with me!
vet is reluctant to give itrafungal as its harsh on the liver.

so now i have Orca with a fungal nose, eyelids & ear tips, a slightly emptied cyst & an eye that is still cloudy & generally she looks a bit of a sight (i still love her though ) I'm a bit worried about her shampoo session so close to her eye,
last night i spotted a fungal patch on Bumblebee & Tiggy's fungal patch has dried out a lot & now its cracking.. i have another vet visit booked for tomorrow afternoon to see if theres anything i can put on it to stop her squealing at me to soothe it. & generally any other suggestions for Orca. apparently her teeth are ok so i don't think that has any connection with the eye or cyst.

just wondering does anyone have any experience of a fungal eyeball? i've had guineas for over 20yrs & never had a fungal problem before, i'm thinking maybe the original haypoke gave orca a fungal infection in her eye, which has been passed on to the others when they groom each other & gone into the skin?
also does anyone have any experience of fungal eyedrops?

sorry to post such a lengthy start to a thread, everything just seems to have come at once

 

[Betsy]

Oh dear poor little Orca she is going through it atm and so are you! Hope you get the fungal sorted on the other two and manage to mend Orca. Let us know what the vet says tomorrow.

 

[Wiebke]

oh dear... I've hit a wall
... Orca has had eye problems since about December last year...
suspected eye poke, cloudy & slightly bloodshot right eye, clinagel given

next day left eye another hay poke, although worse than the right, quite red eye where its normally white, slightly cloudy & a slight mark where poke occurred.
vet visit, again told clinagel for both eyes,

two weeks later.... right eye back to normal.. left eye very cloudy still & slightly swollen, we're still doing 4x clinagel drops a day & told to reduce them slowly, possibility of a month for the eye to clear.

after the month still no joy, eye still cloudy
.. numerous vet visits later, we've tried 6x Days of Maxitrol & then for 7-10 days Acular eye drops & also Remend , i think isathal came in again at some point too, then back to Clinagel with the Remend-
currently just Remend 2x daily.

The cyst appeared as a pimple about 2yrs ago, then it grew to a pea sized lump, the vet measured it, tried to get a sample of contents of it although nothing really collected-sample came back inconclusive, said to keep an eye on it - few months later lump appeared to be growing, back to vet, measured & yes grown about 3mm, but still to keep monitoring it, they're not really keen to do anything to it because of the position of it (on her forehead between/above her eyes).

Forward wind to Thursday before last.... Tiggy had 2 tiny little scabs/marks on her back, i just thought she may have been walked over or landed on, as they always snuggle up together & sit on top of each other - then on the Saturday evening i noticed a dry scaly patch had developed there, so went to the vets on Tuesday.

vet confirmed fungal (although doesn't think its rinworm) & prescribed antifungal Malaseb shampoo 2x daily on affected areas, Orca has a fungal patch on her nose now i've been treating that too, Monday night she was having her Malaseb session & i noticed her eyelids & ears seemed to be pink & the hair thinning, so treated that too.
this is when i noticed the cyst lump had a white lump on it, i lightly scratched over the surface of it & a load of white toothpaste looking gunk came out, so i gently squeezed out as much as i could before she got annoyed with me!
vet is reluctant to give itrafungal as its harsh on the liver.

so now i have Orca with a fungal nose, eyelids & ear tips, a slightly emptied cyst & an eye that is still cloudy & generally she looks a bit of a sight (i still love her though ) I'm a bit worried about her shampoo session so close to her eye,
last night i spotted a fungal patch on Bumblebee & Tiggy's fungal patch has dried out a lot & now its cracking.. i have another vet visit booked for tomorrow afternoon to see if theres anything i can put on it to stop her squealing at me to soothe it. & generally any other suggestions for Orca. apparently her teeth are ok so i don't think that has any connection with the eye or cyst.

just wondering does anyone have any experience of a fungal eyeball? i've had guineas for over 20yrs & never had a fungal problem before, i'm thinking maybe the original haypoke gave orca a fungal infection in her eye, which has been passed on to the others when they groom each other & gone into the skin?
also does anyone have any experience of fungal eyedrops?

sorry to post such a lengthy start to a thread, everything just seems to have come at once

Hi!

Please ask your vet to prescribe itrafungol, as guinea pigs deal with it very well and it really does the trick. The problem with fungal spores is that they spread everywhere so if you just treat affected areas, it won't do anything for other areas where infection has already happened but there is no outbreak yet. Oral systemic fungal medication will get everywhere, even into otherwise hard to treat areas.
You will have to sign a form that states that your vet is not responsible for any problems arising from prescribing unlicensed medication on your behalf.
I have used itrafungol now for 8 years and two guinea pig generations. The only piggy dying from suspected liver failure back in 2013 was one that has never been treated with itrafungol. All the others have passed away from other problems, mostly after normal life span of 5-8 years of age irrespective of whether they have been given itrafungol or not. In fact my three remaining 7 year olds have all had it and there is no indication of liver damage although they are all getting rather creaky now.

While it may not be ringworm, please still follow the hygiene tips as fungal can still transmit between the piggies and can still be a pain to get on top of. Ringworm is just the form that crosses species and the most infective. Never underestimate a fungal skin infection, and also the fact that you can transmit spores between your piggies, too, especially when medicating!
Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures

PS: Has your vet considered using chloramphenicol and antibiotics for the eye that is not clearing? It has done the trick twice saving really badly affected eyes in guinea pigs not fit/too old for an eye removal operation.
PS2: The lump is sounding like a classic harmless sebaceous cyst with the typical cheesy filling. The only problem is that is going to refill again, but it is in an awkward area.

All the best for getting through it! Crises sadly tend to happen in multipacks in my own experience.

 

[Gem789]

You really are going through the mills, I don't have any advice but wanted to give my support xx

 

[piggieminder]

Sending you hugs. Hope you manage clear everything up quickly, it's really tiring when they all get problems at once. Xx

 

[Bill & Ted]

Oh poor Ocra, hope you can get her sorted soon and back to full health. Sending you big hugs, what a horrible time you are having at the moment x

 

[Claire W]

Aw poor girlie I hope that you can get on top of her issues x

 

[GPTV]

I'm thinking of ordering some F10 to clean & disinfect everything, but there's 2x types of F10 I think aren't there? Cleaner & nebulising uses are different or are they the same?
Also does anyone have any tips for cheapest place to buy & whether the concentrated versions are better/more economical or just buy the litre spray nozzle?

Also I'll mention to the vet about itrafungal, but if he's still not keen... Has anybody used Daktarin oral gel to treat fungal infections on here? I'm just thinking I'd like them to have an oral treatment as well as the topical/baths as wiebke also suggested.

Any help/advice appreciated
My appointment is 3.30 so I'll ask the vet any advice suggestions/questions then
Thanks peeps xx

 

[piggieminder]

You need the disinfectant not the antiseptic one. It usually works out cheaper if you buy the one you mix yourself but ready mixed is more convenient. I did by mix your own when I had all the cages to do every day for 10 days last year when the boys had parasites. I got mine on viovet last time, the price varies though and sometimes other sites have it on offer, it's worth a google to track down the best price. You need to take postage into consideration as well, I usually find hay and nuggets or something to get free postage.

Good luck today at the vet, really hope you can get on top of this quickly. At least I had the good weather to get things dried out when I had all my cleaning to do!

 

[Wiebke]

I'm thinking of ordering some F10 to clean & disinfect everything, but there's 2x types of F10 I think aren't there? Cleaner & nebulising uses are different or are they the same?
Also does anyone have any tips for cheapest place to buy & whether the concentrated versions are better/more economical or just buy the litre spray nozzle?

Also I'll mention to the vet about itrafungal, but if he's still not keen... Has anybody used Daktarin oral gel to treat fungal infections on here? I'm just thinking I'd like them to have an oral treatment as well as the topical/baths as wiebke also suggested.

Any help/advice appreciated
My appointment is 3.30 so I'll ask the vet any advice suggestions/questions then
Thanks peeps xx

Use the F10 disinfectant. I order the concentrate as a I have a roomful. I also use the F10 for my twice yearly deep clean when I dismantle the whole room in spring and autumn and give everything a good wash, including around 100 C&C grids and a basin full of connectors... Not to mention deep cleaning my hospital/quarantine/boarding cage after each use!
The concentrate allows you to control the concentration - high for acute fungal infection, low for a deep clean.

 

[alpacasqueak]

Hope you can get on top of everything, what a nightmare for you all x

 

[GPTV]

I thought there was different types of F10 but didn't know how
That's sorted that thankyou

You need the disinfectant not the antiseptic one. It usually works out cheaper if you buy the one you mix yourself but ready mixed is more convenient. I did by mix your own when I had all the cages to do every day for 10 days last year when the boys had parasites. I got mine on viovet last time, the price varies though and sometimes other sites have it on offer, it's worth a google to track down the best price. You need to take postage into consideration as well, I usually find hay and nuggets or something to get free postage.

Good luck today at the vet, really hope you can get on top of this quickly. At least I had the good weather to get things dried out when I had all my cleaning to do!

Ahh good thinking never thought about strength variations for different uses, that makes sense
Jeepers & I thought I was struggling with enough to do treating 4 of them.
Shame you can't stick the grids in a hot wash in the dishwasher, like the oven racks... Would save a lot of time! Lol!

Use the F10 disinfectant. I order the concentrate as a I have a roomful. I also use the F10 for my twice yearly deep clean when I dismantle the whole room in spring and autumn and give everything a good wash, including around 100 C&C grids and a basin full of connectors... Not to mention deep cleaning my hospital/quarantine/boarding cage after each use!
The concentrate allows you to control the concentration - high for acute fungal infection, low for a deep clean.

I've been watching your thread with gorgeous pirate Pedro & thinking my hassles are minor compared to yours!

Hope you can get on top of everything, what a nightmare for you all x

 

[alpacasqueak]

I've been watching your thread with gorgeous pirate Pedro & thinking my hassles are minor compared to yours!

Not at all! When you get problem after problem it can be so frustrating (and bank balance reducing!). Ped barely went to a vet for years, was neutered and that's about it! So went years without issues, just had a really unlucky, nasty one to make up for it! Hope all goes well x

 

[GPTV]

Not at all! When you get problem after problem it can be so frustrating (and bank balance reducing!). Ped barely went to a vet for years, was neutered and that's about it! So went years without issues, just had a really unlucky, nasty one to make up for it! Hope all goes well x

Definitely bank balance reducing.. This is my 7th vet visit for orca since December & I've done 13 visits for the dog since November..... I'm thinking of applying for residency & adding their address as mine for the electoral roll! Lol
If they're prescribed itrafungal later then that ain't cheap either!
But hey, they're worth it

Pedro felt he was missing out I guess? Silly boy! Lol! Xx

 

[alpacasqueak]

Poor you, really hope it all calms down! Definitely worth it but you're still ok to have a moan and get it off your chest! Coming from me who has a 12yr old cat with Flea Allergy Dermatitis, Rupert the bladder pig and Ped who's taken over Poppy the dental chin! And only have 5 mammals!

Yeah think Pedro missed Simon at Cat and Rabbit when he went with his sis, maybe the taxis or trains, not sure! x

 

[eileen]

Hi @GPTV ,I feel for you,it is very difficult.F10 antiseptic is for wounds,and nebulising,F10 discifectant is for cleaning! if you ask for a prescription of oral intrafugol medication,it is £50,on animed website,at the vets it retails for approx £100 !i really hope you can get on top of this.

 

[Merab's Slave]

What a time you are having of it @GPTV
Sorry to hear about all the issues you’re dealing with.
Can’t advise but wanted you to know that I am holding you in my thoughts.
If you feel the need to meet for a coffee and sound off just shout.
North Dorset isn’t far away

 

[VickiA]

Oh wow, what a time you’re having @GPTV.
Nothing much to add to all the other fab posts above except that the oral treatment is definitely much more effective and if your vets don’t have intrafungol they may have sporanox which we’ve had for fungal outbreaks here and works brilliantly, too.
I hope that things start to improve for you all soon x

 

[Wiebke]

I thought there was different types of F10 but didn't know how
That's sorted that thankyou



Ahh good thinking never thought about strength variations for different uses, that makes sense
Jeepers & I thought I was struggling with enough to do treating 4 of them.
Shame you can't stick the grids in a hot wash in the dishwasher, like the oven racks... Would save a lot of time! Lol!



I've been watching your thread with gorgeous pirate Pedro & thinking my hassles are minor compared to yours!

The different types are mostly in the concentration and whether they come in a spray bottle or not. However, it is cheaper to buy or re-use a spray bottle if you need it for that purpose. I just find the concentrate more versatile - I can fill a basin with it for soaking piggy cage grids, connectors and their wooden furnishings, wipe the floor of the piggy room etc. and use it in a cheap spray bottle for a more casual cage clean or when my dear husband is putting the brush for all the really yucky jobs on the worktop where we prepare food yet again...

I also use a concentrate (formula H) for my normal cage cleans. A big bottle lasts me around 2 years, so is well worth the expense seeing how many spray bottles I am filling up with the diluted solution!

Hand gel is really a gel and comes in handy whenever we have something infectious or transmittable in the house from human norovirus to cavy ringworm.

All the best!

 

[GPTV]

Well we've survived another vet visit,

Poor you, really hope it all calms down! Definitely worth it but you're still ok to have a moan and get it off your chest! Coming from me who has a 12yr old cat with Flea Allergy Dermatitis, Rupert the bladder pig and Ped who's taken over Poppy the dental chin! And only have 5 mammals!

Yeah think Pedro missed Simon at Cat and Rabbit when he went with his sis, maybe the taxis or trains, not sure! x

one of the neighbours has a 'chihuahua cross' that kept itching, scratching & nibbling his hair so he was almost bald in some places, vet said no mites, just dandruffy & sore, she tried "Skin & Itch homeopathic remedy" & his hair started to grow back really well.
i used this on my dog too when she had sore patches between her toes. you add it to food (i just put Khusi's drops on a biscuit & it would disappear very quickly!) have a look to see if cats can have it,i would imagine so as there's a picture on the box & see what the vet says, might be worth a go?
HomeoPet Skin & Itch Relief Homeopathic Remedy
i only have the 5 mammals too.. 4x guineas & the dog, that's plenty enough to keep up with for me! (i do however miss having a cat-but i have lots of birds in the garden now-so I'll make do with that )

Hi @GPTV ,I feel for you,it is very difficult.F10 antiseptic is for wounds,and nebulising,F10 discifectant is for cleaning! if you ask for a prescription of oral intrafugol medication,it is £50,on animed website,at the vets it retails for approx £100 !i really hope you can get on top of this.

i see on the petdrugsonline website it was £55, i don't know how much they charge for writing out a prescription though? but I'm pretty sure the online version would still be cheaper! Thanks for that
the Remend drops were £6 something on viovet oppsed to £12 something from the vets! still cheaper online even with postage added on!

What a time you are having of it @GPTV
Sorry to hear about all the issues you’re dealing with.
Can’t advise but wanted you to know that I am holding you in my thoughts.
If you feel the need to meet for a coffee and sound off just shout.
North Dorset isn’t far away

Aww bless your buttons, thank you so much Heather, that's appreciated always nice to know there's someone to chat guinea & sink a cuppa with if needed

Oh wow, what a time you’re having @GPTV.
Nothing much to add to all the other fab posts above except that the oral treatment is definitely much more effective and if your vets don’t have intrafungol they may have sporanox which we’ve had for fungal outbreaks here and works brilliantly, too.
I hope that things start to improve for you all soon x

Darn i never knew that, i would have researched/suggested the Sporanox if i had known before i think the vet is reluctant to use Itrafungal still, due to the harshness on the liver.
i am however using Daktarin oral gel now, to see if that helps, i have read that it can help prevent oral & systemic mycoses (internal fungal infection) & hopefully help them heal from the inside.
plus we're still bathing the affected areas with Malaseb twice daily & i'm giving them baths once a week in it. it all seems to be drying up, although Tiggy has a nasty bald patch on her back, which i'm adding a thin smearing of Sudocream after bathing, the vet said this should help her skin heal & regain elasticity quicker....fingers crossed!
she seems a bit more comfortable as her skin was all cracked & dry, i was worried this would encourage infection in the lesions

The different types are mostly in the concentration and whether they come in a spray bottle or not. However, it is cheaper to buy or re-use a spray bottle if you need it for that purpose. I just find the concentrate more versatile - I can fill a basin with it for soaking piggy cage grids, connectors and their wooden furnishings, wipe the floor of the piggy room etc. and use it in a cheap spray bottle for a more casual cage clean or when my dear husband is putting the brush for all the really yucky jobs on the worktop where we prepare food yet again...

I also use a concentrate (formula H) for my normal cage cleans. A big bottle lasts me around 2 years, so is well worth the expense seeing how many spray bottles I am filling up with the diluted solution!

Hand gel is really a gel and comes in handy whenever we have something infectious or transmittable in the house from human norovirus to cavy ringworm.

All the best!

fab thanks for all the info, i'm just about to order this afternoon, all helpful tips think i'll go for the concentrated version as it seems more versatile will probably treat myself to the hand gel too, i have been washing my hands in Malaseb shampoo after each treatment session up until now
...hubby sounds like he's not too fussed on the hygiene issues? ! lol!

i gave them their patch treatments etc this morning, i wasn't popular yesterday with the baths thats for sure! however they all seem to like being dried with the hairdryer
...probably not wise blowing all the spores around, but i can't get them dry & warm again otherwise. they seem to enjoy that bit of the paper session , so i class it as their treat at the end of the traumatic bathing bit!
Bumblebee took a big bite out of my finger yesterday at the vets, I'm sure she was testing how thick my nail was.. however it wasn't my nail... it was my finger tip, the vet even had to give me some paper towel as it was bleeding so much, i'd just told him she was such a good girl for her bath... thats it, go on prove me wrong & give me a very sore finger for my efforts! owch! i did tell her its only the 3rd time i've been bitten by a guinea in over 20 yrs of keeping them... she didn't seem bothered chewing away on her apple peel!
ah well, i should be glad she's eating i guess?!

Bumblebee after bathtime

a bit drier

having her fungal patch by her nipple bathed

patch of fungal under chin having a soak

poor Orca's fungal nose

Orca's fungal nose & the bit on top of her head is where the cyst broke out