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Is It Fungus?

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The thing with ringworm is it gets worse before it gets better. Keep going as you are until the Imaverol arrives. Is Nystamycin like Nystatin in the UK? I just googled it but it was all in Greek. Is good that she is on oral medication now too. Glad she seems happy in herself. Are you ok with what you need to do regarding anti-fungal for the cage discinfectant too? Any sign of this on her friend?
 
helen105281 said:
The thing with ringworm is it gets worse before it gets better. Keep going as you are until the Imaverol arrives. Is Nystamycin like Nystatin in the UK? I just googled it but it was all in Greek. Is good that she is on oral medication now too. Glad she seems happy in herself. Are you ok with what you need to do regarding anti-fungal for the cage discinfectant too? Any sign of this on her friend?
Click to expand...

Yes Nystamycin is the Greek version of Nystamin with the same active ingredient. The breeder claims that she used it with great success so far and with zero side effects. The good thing is that she really likes the taste and she could drink the whole bottle! :)
For the cage disinfectant I am using water with vinegar and also this solution that I bought from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/..._o00_s01_i01?ie=UTF8&psc=1&tag=s6010000201-21
I liked that it is suitable for ringworm and also safe for my girls and that makes one less thing to worry me. First time that I used it was on Tuesday, after my little one was infected.
I have separated the girls and currently there are no signs on the other one. I was planning to bath her again when Imaverol arrives.
Should I continue using Daktarin? I have also Canesten available and I could use it if necessary.
Thank you!
 
That looks a good discinfectant, I tend to use F10 or Virkon but that one looks quite powerful too. You can also get F10 handwash and handgel which may be a good idea for you to use after handling to protect you and your family if it is Ringworm.

Glad there are no signs on the other one.

Keep up the Daktarin for now and then I think Imaverol applied topically aswell as the dips should help but it is up to you.
 
Almost a week after she got sick and I cannot see any improvement at all... Last night she was scratching the spot and she was crying loud. I took her and cleaned the blood with water and chamomile and gave her 0.2mg of Nurofen and after that she was looking more relaxed.
I continue the oral treatment with Nystamin and the also with Daktarin.
Here is a photo I took tonight.


It looks like the infection expands to the lower side of the eye too.
Despite the fact that she is in this condition she is quite active and she is eating really well.
Yesterday I gave her the second bath with Fungoral but she did not enjoy it at all. Me neither...
I believe that after all the medication, baths and of course the separation from her friend she must be very stressed and scared.
Anyway, let's see what happens next...
 
Poor little girl, so distressing for her and you. You are doing everything you can, well done. Hopefully the Imaverol when it turns up will help. Lots of healing vibes to your beautiful girl.
 
Poor thing, it does look sore. I know ringworm does get worse before it gets better. Am hoping the Imaverol will help when it finally arrives.
 
Sadly, ringworm gets a lot worse before it gets better. I hope that the imaverol will arrive soon! It will still take about a week after arrival and you will still see the hair fall out in an even wider area than now as the hair roots around it are already affected.

But you have been on top of it right from the beginning, so it will all be a lot less worse than it could have otherwise been. Take heart and persist!
 
Today, a week after I discovered the fungus and it looks like her condition has stabilised.
Here is a photo I took tonight

It is better than it looks in the photo and the only thing that worries me is that she is scratching the spot and it bleeds.
This is the treatment I follow daily:

Morning
- Clean the spot with chamomile
- Daktarin
- 0.2 mg Nurofen for kids

Evening
- Clean the spot with chamomile
- 0.2 mg Nurofen for kids
- 1 mg Nystamycin
- Daktarin

Every 3-4 days I give her a bath with Fungoral and also on Monday I will take her to the vet for her second Ivermektin injection. Hopefully on Tuesday Imaverol will arrive and I will adjust the treatment accordingly.

I always wear plastic gloves for extra protection and after I finish I wash my hands with Betadine Scrub solution.

Also, I clean her cage every three days and I also use the Beaphar Deep Clean Disinfectant. For bedding I am using Carefresh Color blended with wooden pellet.

The other thing I discovered was that she had the infection since I got her from the breeder because I was looking to some photos and videos I took back then and I can see clearly the first signs. Unfortunately, I did not have the experience back then to examine her but I learnt the hard way.
Also, today I discovered that she absolutely adores parsley and this is good because parsley is an excellent source of Vitamin C that is absolutely necessary in order to rebuild her immune system and help her recover faster.
 
Until the imaverol arrives, I would use the daktarin three times a day. It is good that things are starting to work and that the ringworm is running its due course. You got at it right from the start, so hopefully, it won't get any worse.
 
I agree with Wiebke. Great that she loves the parsley but don't feed it too often as it is very high in calcium and you don't want to add squeaky wees into the mix.

Glad she is looking better.
 
An update in my girl's condition.
I took her to the vet today for her second injection of Ivermectin and two different vets examined her.
Both of them insisted that mites are the post probable cause of her condition.
They checked her with the ultraviolet lamp and they said that they cannot see any fungal signs glowing in the rest of her body or at the bald spot.
When I asked them if the lamp is a reliable way to evaluate her condition both said that it is not and the next step will be to do some blood tests but not now.
To be honest with you I am really confused. I cannot see any improvement in 10 days, it appears that it expands, I give her daily 3 different drugs (Daktarin, Nystamysin, Nurofen), I clean with camomile and I apply aloe vera...
This is a today's photo. She scratched her face after the bath I gave her yesterday and she made it a complete mess...


The only encouraging thing is that I can see some new hair growing in the left side of the spot.
Anyway I am a little disappointed but we will keep going...
 
Are your vets aware just how difficult it is to get blood from a piggy? They sound just like your typical general vets who have had their one afternoon to cover all rodents in a whole 5 year course, like it sadly used to be. :(

You have no reason to be despondent; things look very par for a classic course of ringworm. It always is worst this far into it (look at the pictures of my piggies at the start of this thread) and be assured that it will get better from now on - but you can't hurry it on, it has to run its cause! It is certainly ringworm and not mites, by the way - the bloody ring around it was proof - only as the fungal has now been got rid of it is not easy to see what it is!

Just compare your latest picture with the second one of my piggies - you are now around the time between the biggest extent and just when the healing/regrowth is about starting. Well done on you! ;)
 
I agree with Wiebke. It does look like typical ringworm and it is following the correct pattern. Any sign of the Imaverol?
 
I remember reading in a book about the lamp used to diagnose ringworm and how it is not to relied on in guinea pig's, I can't remember the reasoning for it. I do know it can work in Cats and Dogs. To be honest given it's a ring I'm with Helen and Wiebke Imaverol is the way forward. My girl currently has Ringworm to seems to be going about.

Ringworm can be diagnosed with a fungal culture.
 
I would like to thank you all for your very comforting words! The girl is quite happy and active and the only thing that disturbs her is the "noise" of the plastic gloves when I wear them for her treatment.
Unfortunately Imaverol has not arrived yet and I continue following my current treatment plan. The only change a made is that I switched from Daktarin to Canesten because I read that Canesten does not dry the skin as much as Daktarin.
This is a today's photo



It looks that her condition is stable, the lower edge of her eye is cleaner now and fingers crossed her condition will improve from now on.
 
Poor girl; but glad that it is no longer affecting her badly! I've used both daktarin gold and canesten 2% and know that rescue people have been using either with good success.
 
Just a brief update on my girl's health. After almost 2 weeks, it appears that the healing process is in a good status and despite the fact that Imaverol never arrived and for that I am sure that I have to blame the Greek Mail (nothing new here), she is showing very good signs of recovery.
This is a photo I took tonight



I can see some hair growing back and the spot is much clearer now.
What I did was to switch from Daktarin to Canesten (twice a day) and also to split the dosage of Nystamin in 1mg in the morning and 1mg in the afternoon.
I haven't gave her a bath with Fungoral since Sunday but I planning to do so tomorrow afternoon.
I will keep the same treatment plan for two more weeks and fingers crossed everything will be back to normal again.
On Tuesday we will visit the vet for the third injection of Ivermectin.
The other good thing is that she has not lost any weight and she gained something like 25 grams the last 4 days (520gr).
I have a question though and any help from you will be much appreciated.
Should I decrease the nystatin dosage? I know that it is not a dangerous drug and that it can't cause any damage. The good thing is that it works and she really adores it! :)
 
I am ot overly familiar on the dosing of Nystatin, but I would keep up the same dose until the ringworm has completely disappeared. It is looking so much better though, well done. Gutting about the Imaverol though. You may find it still turns up. Could it be stuck at customs maybe?
 
Thank you Helen! It will turn up eventually but not when I need it... No customs between the UK and Greece since both countries are in the EU. Greek postal service and reliability have not met yet... :)
 
Ah ok. It's always good to have in your piggy first aid box anyway.
 
Hi again,
It is been a while since my last update and I believe that things are progressing good.
Here is a photo I took 10 minutes ago


Hair are growing back and the spot looks clearer now however it looks like it expands to the left close to the nose...
I continue with Canesten (twice a day) and Nystatin (1ml twice a day). Also, I bath her with Fungoral once per week. Imaverol never arrived, I contacted hyperdrug.co.uk and they said that it could take something like 20 days to arrive... I paid more than €40 for this and the 1/3 was for postage. No comments...
After I finish the treatment then I will reintroduce the girls and hopefully life will go back to normal...
Tomorrow she will have the third shot of Ivermectin and I am not sure for how long I should continue the treatment. On Saturday it will be three weeks since I discovered it and I was planning to continue for another week or so.
Any ideas?
Thank you,
Nikos
 
AWWW - it is looking very nice! You won't need any more ivermectin after that - 3 rounds are a full mites course. You can also stop your fungal treatment now. The fungal has run its course now and things are healing off very nicely indeed!

Well done for sticking it out and not giving up! Hpwever, you need to wait for a full two weeks after the end of the active phase of the fungal until you can re-introduce your girls. Remember that the incubation period is 10-14 days. You want to make sure that the fungal is really gone and that your little girl is not carrying any spores across. You may want to give both girls a bath before re-introduction for that reason (the same bath so they smell the same and can bond over shared misery!)

Here are tips on how to best conduct your re-introduction.
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-introducing-and-reintroducing-guinea-pigs.38562/
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/
 
Thanks Wiebke!
Do you mean to wait for full two weeks from Saturday?
The introduction was really smooth the first time and fingers crossed it will be the same this time. :)
 
Yes, I would think it would be another 10 or 11 days from today. You count from when you had the last active signs of fungal like bloody scabs and skinflakes etc.

Also make sure that you thoroughly disinfect anything in contact with your ringworm piggy afterwards. Spores can survive several months.
 
That is looking amazing well done, I feel so bad about the Imaverol though. Damn postal service. It really is a great product though so if it does arrive will be a good addition to your first aid box.
 
Hi all,
Seven days after my last update and Fina looks like that



She has fully recovered and hopefully on Saturday or Sunday she will be reintroduced to her friend.
I continue the Canesten ointment and I planning to do so until Saturday. Also, yesterday I gave both my girls a bath with Fungoral and I am planning to repeat it on Saturday before they meet for the first time after a month!
Imaverol never arrived and I will contact them (Hyperdrug) again after February 17th when is the last day of the 20 working days they asked, to ask for a full refund.
Anyway, I would like to thank you all for your support so far and fingers crossed I won't have to deal with it again but in any case I am more experienced now and everything will be easier next time! :)
Nikos
 
Wonderful news!

I wish you all the best for the introduction. Please conduct a proper formal introduction for best success; the girls will have to re-establish the hierarchy again after all that time, so you will see all the dominance behaviour.
Here are our information threads which will hopefully help you:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/faq-introducing-and-reintroducing-guinea-pigs.38562/
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/dominance-behaviours-in-guinea-pigs.28949/
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/sow-behaviour.38561/
 
Wonderful news, well done.

Annoyed about the Imaverol though.
 
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