Help! new piggy, ear problem, pic included

[BrownEyedGirl]

Hello, 2 weeks ago tomorrow i brought my little boy Dexter home. Last tuesday i noticed his one ear looked like it had something dry and crusty stuck to his ear. I wiped it with a wet rag and it looked like it went away so i didnt think much of it. later on i checked and it was back but on BOTH ears =[. I read where it could be ringworm (ringworm is honestly one of my personal biggest fears i hate ringworm!) and i freaked out. He was also itching them like crazy, so i got some ringworm cream and rubbed a little on his ears. I'm pretty sure it eased his pain because he let me rub it into his ears with out fidgeting so it calmed me down a little. the next day they looked better! today however i looked at them and something looked weird, like they would break apart if you touched them like wet tissue or toilet paper. I picked him up rubbed his ears with a little cream and black specs rubbed off of his ears! (his ears are black..) what could this be? please help I'm really nervous for him!

^)

this is his ear BEFORE i used cream on it, sorry its not the best picture but i hope it helps!

 

[AndreaJane]

You really should take him to a cavy savvy vet and get him checked out, can you get him an appt. for tomorrow morning if you ring first thing? x

 

[Trina.Hyde]

I would of said ringworm.. how long did you use the cream on his ears for? I think ringworm can take over three weeks to fully heal.
But taking him to the vets would be the best thing to do

 

[BrownEyedGirl]

i used it every day since tuesday night, i noticed it tuesday day. i also have NO idea where he would have gotten it from. i keep his cage spotless disinfect everything when i clean it =[ no one in my house hold has it. I'm going to make a vet appointment ASAP. though I'm sure it is ringworm are there any other possibilities to what it could be? any advice is very much appreciated!

 

[Trina.Hyde]

where abouts did you get him from? as he may have caught it from there.
Is it just on his ears? have a look/feel under his arms or sides? it may be mites/lice.
Dont blame you're self though, somethings take a while to show symptoms

 

[Wiebke]

There are quite a few varieties of fungal. Ringworm is only one form.
It is good that you are seeing a vet for a proper diagnosis.

I assume that his ears look like this? http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/photogallery.html

 

[BrownEyedGirl]

where abouts did you get him from? as he may have caught it from there.
Is it just on his ears? have a look/feel under his arms or sides? it may be mites/lice.
Dont blame you're self though, somethings take a while to show symptoms

I rescued him. I got him from a reptile show, they were sold as pets and as food =[ i did do a very thorough inspection even when i bought him to make sure he was clean, no scabs or . i took notice that all the other pigs looked healthy and clean as i was skeptical of buying a piggy from such a place. Maybe it was from another pig =/

I also checked his entire body to check for other markings, clumped up or missing fur or mites etc, i didnt see anything else, bite marks or bugs of anykind. I bathed him yesterday in an antibacterial animal shampoo that kills fungus and other skin irritations as he has been scratching a lot.

as for the pictures his ear doesnt really look like anything pictured in the link. if anything it slightly resembles fungal ear, but only very very slightly. right now it looks a little greasy but I'm sure thats from the cream. nothing on him looks like the ringworm or any other fungal issues there either.

it took three different vets to get an appt and the earliest is next thursday but i got the earliest appointment that day grrrr i hope he is ok until then! i dont want him to be in to much pain from scratching.

 

[BrownEyedGirl]

ok so today i noticed the skin under his ears is missing hair and is very red. he is scratching all over his body especially his ears/behind his ears. i also noticed i have very itchy small red dots all over my arms, not sure if this could be related, but could they possible be mites? do they cause hair loss and red patches? sorry I'm new with guinea pigs =[ i wish i could get an earlier vet appt!

 

[clairelove]

sounds like he has ear mites, when its very bad it can cause infections in the ears and they can also loose their ear flaps, its very important he goes the vets asap and gets some surolan cream, if its left he will become deaf AND end up with a middle ear infection that causes serious amount of pain AND he will not be able to walk well at all due to the fact he will not be able to hold his head straight in rare cases it can also cause brain problems if left. so i seriously mean he really does need to go the vets asap, if cost is an issue then ask us and a rescue will have himx

 

[BrownEyedGirl]

omg! cost isnt the issue at all, i called vets and the only one who treats guinea pigs didnt have an appointment until thursday, but i did get the earliest appt that day. is there anything i can do for him until then to keep him comfortable?

 

[Raven]

I would phone the vets back first thing tomorrow and tell them you need an urgent appointment because your piggie is distressed. They won't leave him in pain till Thursday.

 

[BrownEyedGirl]

thought id just post and say the vet took a look at him and said he thought it might be lice. he said it didnt look like ringworm and did a blacklight test on it and it didnt glow therefore said it was not ringworm. He did a tape test around his ears to look under a microscope but didnt find them but said he finds them 80% of the time and thinks thats what it is and gave him a shot. his ears are very powdery looking but he said since it they are "ear specific lice" that hang around the ears. does this sound right? i have to take him back in 2 weeks for a follow up shot and a check up.