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Is this anything to worry about? Eyes..

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Aww, bless him! Poor little lad.

I would suggest you get some canesten cream to put on it, but I'm not sure if that can be used near the eyes or whether it would irritate them. Hopefully someone more knowledgeable will pop on and be able to suggest something that will work.

I hope it clears up soon.
 
I'm putting the anti biotic gel on that the vet gave me, twice a day but obviously only started yesterday. To me he seems worse today and they are both shaking when they come in. They haven't settled properly yet as they've only been here 6 days but I haven't felt them shake until now. On the hunt for a loan of an indoor cage ...
 
PatchandSilky said:
Thanks Pandora. Yes it is Xeno that they've given, also Fucithalmic for the bald/sore area around the eye.

I've emailed the breeder who has said she treats her piggies with Johnsons insecticidal spray, so to get some of that.
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oh dear, Johnsons insecticidal spray will only treat for lice and fleas and possibly a few other crawling insects which can be combed out of the coat, but it won't cover mites or fungal problems. :(

i've used johnsons in the past and it worked for a lice problem (which was quite horrible, really strong smelling stuff too)
but for mites you really need to use ivermectin (xeno)
and for fungal, creams/dips/shampoos or in the worst cases, oral medications.
 
Ah the plot thickens!

I've been to the vets again today as Patch's eye isn't opening properly so it's getting worse. Saw a different vet (at the same place) who took one look and said it's most definitely ringworm not mites!

He advised me to get some Daktarin cream from the chemist and apply it 3 times a day and to go back next week - when he's sure we'll see an improvement.

I've bought them inside for a few days, but now I'm wondering whether I should keep them out as that's what they are used to?
 
Hi,

Sorry to hear you're having such problems with your new babies ;(

Personally, I would suggest keeping them inside so that you can keep a really close watch on them. Also, the nights have been pretty cold lately, so i would want them kept warm if they are unwell (and as they're only babies too).

My 5 are out in their hutch and for the last few nights the temperature has dropped into single figures, so they've had an extra cover, loads of hay, plus a heat pad. If one of them was unwell however, i'd bring him/her into the house.

Hope things improve for them,

Helen x
 
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4littlepiggies said:
Hi,

Sorry to hear you're having such problems with your new babies ;(

Personally, I would suggest keeping them inside so that you can keep a really close watch on them. Also, the nights have been pretty cold lately, so i would want them kept warm if they are unwell (and as they're only babies too).

My 5 are out in their hutch and for the last few nights the temperature has dropped into single figures, so they've had an extra cover, loads of hay, plus a heat pad. If one of them was unwell however, i'd bring him/her into the house.

Hope things improve for them,

Helen x
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Ah thanks. Do you know, I just don't know what to do for the best! The vet said how highly contagious ringworm is...my kids aren't allowed to touch them (although they have been up until now), I need to wear gloves...I should isolate them from other pets (I also have a cat).But equally I want to make them better. :0

They have been outside from birth so would coming in stress them out more? They did seem to have just settled in their hutch as I've caught them a few times sprawled out in the living area.

The breeder has offered to take them back but I can't do that...but what if this cream doesn't work? Only had them a week tomorrow and it all seems very stressful! :(
 
I know what it's like to worry about piggies. I've had pigs for 3 years and i still worry about them a lot ").

What do you have them housed in at the moment (in your house)? I think ring worm can only be caught by direct skin to skin contact.

Hopefully someone with experience of ring-worm will be able to advise you. I have only had to deal with mange mites with 2 of mine (who i got from a pet shop back in the days before i knew about this forum!).

I wouldn't advise giving them back to the breeder.

Helen x
 
4littlepiggies said:
I know what it's like to worry about piggies. I've had pigs for 3 years and i still worry about them a lot ").

What do you have them housed in at the moment (in your house)? I think ring worm can only be caught by direct skin to skin contact.

Hopefully someone with experience of ring-worm will be able to advise you. I have only had to deal with mange mites with 2 of mine (who i got from a pet shop back in the days before i knew about this forum!).

I wouldn't advise giving them back to the breeder.

Helen x
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They're in an indoor ginea pig cage but haven't come out of hiding yet bless them! Definitely don't want to give them back...just really want to get them sorted, seems silly having animals we can't touch without wearing gloves! xx
 
I caught ringworm off one of my pigs. When I spoke to the doctor about it they said it's not actually as contagious as everyone says and you have to be in contact with it for quite a while before it can spread. However saying that I did end up with 3 or 4 patches on me, so I don't really know. Just make sure you wash your hands, if you can get hold of an antifungal hand soap then get that. It would also be a good idea to disinfect the cage with an antifungal disinfectant as wood can harbour the spores.
I would say they would be fine inside for now. They will settle down. Hopefully with the cream it will clear pretty quickly.
 
I'll have a look for a disinfectant...I have sprayed their hutch with an anti bacterial one. Did it take long to get your pigs sorted with it?
 
Hi,

Have a look on the guinea lynx website, there is a section on prevention of ringworm, hopefully it has info on cleaning/hand washing etc.

If your pigs are in a proper guinea pig cage, your cat can't have any direct contact, so that sounds ok.

Hopefully they will get better soon, poor little darlings.

Helen x
 
PatchandSilky said:
I'll have a look for a disinfectant...I have sprayed their hutch with an anti bacterial one. Did it take long to get your pigs sorted with it?
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To be honest it did take quite a while, but she had quite a large patch on the inside of her back leg, so was spreading it while she was scratching etc.

You have to keep applying the cream until all the hair has fully regrown. Hopefully it shouldn't take long to clear as you've caught it quite early.

F10 disinfectants are commonly recommended as they will kill off fungal spores as well as bacteria and viruses.

Hope this helps
 
Ah great, well once I manage to locate some cream it'll be a bonus! Vet sent me to get Daktarin cream from the chemist with Miconazole in...they don't have anything with Miconazole in, so I'm now off on a hunt to find something. You wouldn't think it would be so difficult would you?! Poor little piggies...
 
PatchandSilky said:
Ah great, well once I manage to locate some cream it'll be a bonus! Vet sent me to get Daktarin cream from the chemist with Miconazole in...they don't have anything with Miconazole in, so I'm now off on a hunt to find something. You wouldn't think it would be so difficult would you?! Poor little piggies...
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You can use canesten thrush cream too. It's sometimes more effective then daktarin. They should have it in your local Boots. It should start to clear up pretty quickly once you start using that :)
 
Shellza said:
You can use canesten thrush cream too. It's sometimes more effective then daktarin. They should have it in your local Boots. It should start to clear up pretty quickly once you start using that :)
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Oh really? I did manage to get some Daktarin, but I do have some Canesten so might try that instead. Just put their first lot on and it's definitely got worse since yesterday, some red sore bits. Very difficult to get on around their eyes without getting it in!
 
I bet it is :... Especially if it's sore and they're squirming! Hopefully it will start to clear up now though. If you find they are scratching and making it sore you can syringe them some piriton, but I'd have to check dosage first.
 
Well I've been lucky so far, they're actually such lovely boys that once I start doing it they sit very still, but they clearly don't like it bless them, so not sure how long that will last!
 
As you are in Northamptonshire I would still urge you to get them seen by Simon Maddock at Cat and Rabbit Clinic. I was talking to someone the other day who has spent hundreds of pounds at another vets with guinea pigs with skin conditions. What really upset me was the fact the vet had said to her 'how much did you pay for them'? and then said 'it might be better to just put these two to sleep and you get some more'. Simon wouldn't have charged anything like the amount she had already paid out, and certainly would never have that attitude. People travel to Simon from all over the UK as he is so knowledgeable with guinea pigs.
 
furryfriends (Excellent Adventure Sanctuary) said:
As you are in Northamptonshire I would still urge you to get them seen by Simon Maddock at Cat and Rabbit Clinic. I was talking to someone the other day who has spent hundreds of pounds at another vets with guinea pigs with skin conditions. What really upset me was the fact the vet had said to her 'how much did you pay for them'? and then said 'it might be better to just put these two to sleep and you get some more'. Simon wouldn't have charged anything like the amount she had already paid out, and certainly would never have that attitude. People travel to Simon from all over the UK as he is so knowledgeable with guinea pigs.
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Oh really? I might see how they go with cream for a couple of days, if there's no improvement I will contact him. My vet actually said I'm sure you don't want to pay much to treat them...well no, within 1 week of having them I don't really but I do want to make them better so I will if I have to.

Thank you X
 
mine have ringworm at the moment and have done for about 8-10 weeks now in total. i've not caught it yet, which is amazing considering i was handling them, covered in scratches and wearing the same clothes for a couple of days!
but i bath every night religiously, so just wash thoroughly (including hair) every day and you will probably be fine.
it perhaps is true that it's harder to contract than people think, but it's better to be safe than sorry in my view.

disinfect the area around where they are housed indoors as well as the cage (F10 will be perfect for this as it doesn't seem to damage paintwork or fabrics) and try to keep your cat away from them, limit their handling so that it is only you who deals with them and only when you really have to. gloves and other PPE are a must as well (i have a couple of boiler suits i used to wear at college to handle mine in now, but it could just be something as simple as an old jumper you could wear. wash at as high a temperature as possible (our washer goes up to 80, so i use that)) and wash any exposed skin after handling the piggies as well.

if you're stuck for something antifungal to clean their housing with, you can use bleach (10% solution) or jeyes fluid (though there are mixed reviews on how effective jeyes is against fungal spores.) just be sure to leave it for a contact time of 15 minutes minimum, then rinse it out really well. and just for good measure, give it another rinse after that! neither chemical is exactly pleasant.
if you can, leave the cage to dry in direct sunlight too.

remember to keep disinfecting the cage thoroughly throughout treatment as well as they could well shed more spores into the environment.

the above is what i'm going to be doing with my hutches as soon as i can get someone to help me lift them out of the corales to be able to access them better and hose them down.
after this they'll have a good dousing with F10 at every clean out

i went to a less than helpful vet as well so i've had to figure out a lot of this on my own as he wasn't exactly forthcoming with advice.
(in fact, i've still not a clue how much risk my rabbits are facing from it)
 
Glad it's not just me Pandora...wow 8-10 weeks though? I was hoping to be over it well before then!

I have bleached their hutch (1-10) today and have disinfected what I can, and replaced what I can't (tubes etc) and they have gone back in the hutch. I figured while they are indoors it's more to disinfect and they have always been outside since birth, so I was worried that I'd also be stressing them out even more. Poor little things haven't even settled with us yet - I bet I'm ever so popular when all I do is still cream around their eyes!
 
Just a little update...just come back from the vets where the boys had a check up. I wasn't convinced the cream was working (Patch seems to have developed more patches of ringworm) but the vet thinks they are looking better...less crusty apparenty!

He is ordering me in some oral treatment as I just want to get it sorted now (wish I could remember the name he said) and is letting me have it for cost. So we're back again tomorrow so they can show me how to give them it, then I need to give them it once a day for a week - then back again to check them!

Wow...didn't realise we'd have quite so many vet visits....
 
I hope you don't mind me mentioning but be careful with bleach, my brother cleaned their pig's hutch out & used bleach many years ago & the next day both piggies passed away :...

If you can, get hold of some F10 disinfectant it is specifically for fungal issues :)
 
Poppy'sMum said:
I hope you don't mind me mentioning but be careful with bleach, my brother cleaned their pig's hutch out & used bleach many years ago & the next day both piggies passed away :...

If you can, get hold of some F10 disinfectant it is specifically for fungal issues :)
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Really? Where can I get hold of F10? Never heard of it, apart from on here. I did use bleach on a 1:10 ratio...left it for a while then washed down again with water. They have both been fine since thankfully.
 
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