• 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

Injury?

Status
Not open for further replies.
K

Kara!

Joined
Oct 10, 2009
Messages
61
Reaction score
0
Points
0
I've just been out to see my piggies and I noticed one, Daisy, seems to have an injury just the the right of her nose. There is no hair over it and I see no sign of blood on it, however, I'm not sure how long it has been there because my sister has been looking after them for the past couple of days.

What could have caused it and what can I do?
 
try putting a picture up of the wound we maybe able to help more
 
That looks like it. So what should I do? Take her to the vet and get something for it? And do I need to separate her from the others?
 
You could try the cream I have suggested first or take her straight to the vet. I was given some shampoo to bathe my girls in.

I wouldn't recommend separating as although there is a risk of it spreading, your pig may become stressed if you separate
 
Ok, just wanted to check she wasn't a youngster (under 6 months). Treatment would be similar, if not the same, but it's always worth checking.

Are you able to get a photo onto your computer? From there, you can upload it to an image hosting account (for example, www.photobucket.com) and paste the IMG tag of your uploaded photo into your post here.

Gorgeous Guineas - www.gorgeousguineas.com - also sell natural skincare products, worth looking at if you can, but in the meantime I have to say a miconazole-based cream like the Daktarin Gold that was mentioned to you has shown to be safe and effective on many pigs. Even if you only use this until you can see the vet on Monday, it could prevent it worsening.

However if you are unsure, better to not apply the anti-fungal creams until you've seen the vet for a diagnosis.
 
Here's my attempt:

IMG CODE:
DSC03930.jpg


Did that work?
 
The picture's not showing. Make sure you don't move the picture into another folder (on Photobucket or on your computer) after uploading it, that can lead to problems with displaying the picture.

I'm sure there is a thread somewhere explaining more about sharing photos on the forum, will see if I can find it.
 
Yep, I see the picture now, well done. :)

Obviously I couldn't say for sure, particularly with not seeing your lovely guinea in person, but I think I can see some dry/flaky skin along with the hair loss. From my experience and from photos and experiences detailed by others, I would say the location and general look of your piggie's problem points towards fungal infection.

This link may also help:
http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/photogallery.html
 
From what I've seen it seems like the fungal infection is likely. Do I need to worry about my other piggies that she lives with or should they not be affected?
 
In my experience it doesn't always spread, but there have been cases where fungal infections have spread between many pigs. There's no easy answer!

Personally I prefer not to separate a fungal piggie from their friends unless the pig is in a serious condition; for your guinea, I would say not to separate, instead to focus the initial treatment on her but be vigilant about your others, and when you do come to bathing with an anti-fungal shampoo, it is certainly worth bathing all of them as a "preventative" measure.
 
Yeah, I see what you mean :) So should I go to the vet first to get a proper diagnosis? I think I'd feel more comfortable that way.
 
Yes, please do, it is important you are confident with the diagnosis. Vets tend to prescribe anti-fungal shampoos although some will recommend products like the Daktarin mentioned.

If she doesn't seem fussed by the patch then you should be fine to leave her until Monday (which may be the earliest appointment available, although some vets do run Saturday clinics).
 
I was thinking that - I probably won't be able to get there until Monday evening. Her behaviour seems fairly normal I think but do you think I should see a vet earlier just in case it worsens?
 
It's up to you. If she seems fine it's unlikely she's bothered by it at the moment.

If you wanted to do something to soothe the area but not medicate per se between now and the vet appointment, Aloe Vera gel or ointment can be helpful. Aloe Vera has mild anti-fungal properties (I think), it certainly helped one of my girls with a fungal problem under her chin.
 
Ok, sounds good :) Thank you for all your help! I'll keep you updated over this thread on how she is doing xx
 
Sorry about the late update x


Went to the vet on Monday and they said that she doesn't seem to be irritated by it and it doesn't look like anything serious. Told to keep an eye on her and the area affected, as well as the other piggies, to see if anything changes. Seems to be ok :) x
 
No, she didn't. She just said it didn't look like anything serious or anything that needs treating, but keep an eye on it for changes x
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top