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Fungul Infection?

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I'm really worried about my 4 year olg guinea pig, Honey.:...
Her back feet are cracked and scabby! I think it might be a fungul infection but don't know what to do! Does she need a special cream or to see a vet? I have no idea so help please! ?/
 
Let us know how it goes and try not to worry.
x
 
?/Ok. Thanks! Pictures to follow! Does anyone know of a possible cream i could use or do you need a specific guinea pig cream? xx
 
I used tea tree oil cream for guinea pigs before and mine wasn't happy at all - I wasn't either as it smells too strong and had some artificial ingredients, it's a bit worrying as they try to lick their feet when you apply the cream.

I used gorgeous guineas products and really like them, they are 100% natural: http://www.gorgeousguineas.co.uk/p/product/0702149382-Aloe+Melt%3A+50gms/
 
Thanks!

Thank-you so much! I've been really worried about her. I've just ordered the product!:)p8:)
 
You just posted on the intros that you were still worried about her, are they looking worse?
 
Hi love you really would be best to have a vet check them :)
Great idea having the GG products, they're highly recommended for many piggies!
Wishing your little one lots of wheeeeeeeeeky loves xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Hi there

It would really help if you could post a pic, there are a variety of conditions that piggy feet can develop - some minor some not. A brief history too could throw up some ideas - age, bedding, what is their run standing on, do they sleep where they wee, any other pigs showing same symptoms?

Suzy x
 
Well Honey's about 4, her hutch is newspaper then sawdust then hay in her bed and rack. I only have the one guinea pig but guinea pigs we've previously had havent had his. I'll try and post some pictures asap :)
 
Cream :)

I got two guinea pigs (Ruby and Trixie) of a woman who did NOT look after them properly, when i got the guinea pigs home i noticed one of them was completely bold under her chin and her skin was a green colour, i goggled it and it was some sort of fungi infection due to unclean conditions.

My mum had athletes foot and she used a cream called LAMISIL (price around about £5), i read the label and it explained that the cream fights fungal infections so i tried the cream on the effected area of my guinea pig, i did this once a day everyday for a week and by the end of the week it was completely gone and all the hair grew back days later.

I know your probable wondering if its dangerous to guinea pigs, well it got rid of the infection on ruby 4 years ago and she is still fighting fit.

hope this helps :)
 
For anyone who reads this thread in the future......please do NOT use lamisil on your gunea pigs for a suspected fungal infection. Even though it is a topical application, guinea pigs groom and therefore ingest a certain amount of the drug.

The drug it contains - terbinafine - works in a completely different way to other human overthe counter anti-fungals such as mycil, canestan and oral daktarin. Terbinafine has harsh side effects including liver failure, and is therefore is only used a last resort in cats to treat stubborn fungal infections....and the animals require constant monitoring for signs of liver problems.

If you suspect a fungal infection you should get it checked/diagnosed properly by your vet instead of self-medicating as other conditions such as mites and bacterial infections can look similar and require completely different drugs.

Moving on to the cracked feet - without a picture it is impossible to tell what the issue may be. Cracked feet can be a sign of fungal or bacterial infection...which in itself could be secondary to an underlying problem such as heart or urinary issues, lack of movement due to arthritis, or something as simple as cleaning the cage more frequently to prevent urine scald or changing from sawdust to a more absorbent bedding.

If there are open wounds/sores/swelling on the feet then a vet visit should be made before applying any type of cream....if it is just dryness/redness and the skin is intact then perhpas some sudocream applied twice daily may help but if there is no improvement then you really should see a vet.

HTH
x
 
For anyone who reads this thread in the future......please do NOT use lamisil on your gunea pigs for a suspected fungal infection. Even though it is a topical application, guinea pigs groom and therefore ingest a certain amount of the drug.

The drug it contains - terbinafine - works in a completely different way to other human overthe counter anti-fungals such as mycil, canestan and oral daktarin. Terbinafine has harsh side effects including liver failure, and is therefore is only used a last resort in cats to treat stubborn fungal infections....and the animals require constant monitoring for signs of liver problems.

If you suspect a fungal infection you should get it checked/diagnosed properly by your vet instead of self-medicating as other conditions such as mites and bacterial infections can look similar and require completely different drugs.

Moving on to the cracked feet - without a picture it is impossible to tell what the issue may be. Cracked feet can be a sign of fungal or bacterial infection...which in itself could be secondary to an underlying problem such as heart or urinary issues, lack of movement due to arthritis, or something as simple as cleaning the cage more frequently to prevent urine scald or changing from sawdust to a more absorbent bedding.

If there are open wounds/sores/swelling on the feet then a vet visit should be made before applying any type of cream....if it is just dryness/redness and the skin is intact then perhpas some sudocream applied twice daily may help but if there is no improvement then you really should see a vet.

HTH
x

yes well this is obviously aimed at me, this is a site for people to talk about guinea pigs, all i was doing was putting my experiences forward to help others, and if you have a problem with that then tell me first, you have made me look like i don't give a s**t about my guinea pig because i put cream on that isn't safe! Not everyone can afford to take there pet to the vets straight away to find out what it is! i read on the internet to use the cream that's how i came across it! Can i help that the internet isn't always right!
 
yes well this is obviously aimed at me, this is a site for people to talk about guinea pigs, all i was doing was putting my experiences forward to help others, and if you have a problem with that then tell me first, you have made me look like i don't give a s**t about my guinea pig because i put cream on that isn't safe! Not everyone can afford to take there pet to the vets straight away to find out what it is! i read on the internet to use the cream that's how i came across it! Can i help that the internet isn't always right!

No...it wasn;t aimed at you at all...you did what you thought was best at the time. That is why i firstly waited a few days to see if other people would respond and then didn;t "quote" your post when I put my post up Nor did I criticise you or your actions personally in my post as I realise you were just trying to be helpful.

My concern was clearly addressed to anyone reading this thread in the future who might misguidedly think that
a) lamisil is an appropriate anti-fungal treatment for guinea pigs.....it isn;t
b) that it is Ok for forum members to self-medicate with over the counter human products when they either haven;t got a firm diagnosis as to the problem or they haven;t got the approval/trust of their vet to diagnose/treat certain piggie problems

The forum asks us either to report or correct misinformation in posts...especially if it can have health consequences for other piggies or legal consequences for piggie owners or the forum itself in the future. That is what I have done.

I'm sorry you decided to take it personally
 
Update

Honey is doing great! Her feet really did seem to heal themselves :) Her feet are vertually better now and we're all so glad to see Honey fighting fit again. Thanks for all the help!xx>>>
 
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