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My piggie has a fungal skin problem

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karen354

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Hi, I've looked on the internet of skin conditions and it looks very much like Gordon has a fungal problem. I've ordered some shampoo with neem in, is there anything else I can do for him?
Or is it a vets trip?
 
Take him to the vets! It can quickly turn nasty and can infect their respiratory system (breathing, lungs), if this happens it can turn very nasty and will be expensive and possibly may get to the point of needing to be put down.
Did you buy your neem shampoo from Gorgeous Guineas?
Here:http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/index.html
She has lots of piggy products at good prices and they arrive very quickly. :)

Hope this helps!:)
 
4Pigs said:
Take him to the vets! It can quickly turn nasty and can infect their respiratory system (breathing, lungs), if this happens it can turn very nasty and will be expensive and possibly may get to the point of needing to be put down.
Did you buy your neem shampoo from Gorgeous Guineas?
Here:http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/index.html
She has lots of piggy products at good prices and they arrive very quickly. :)

Hope this helps!:)
Click to expand...

Thank you, Yes ordered from Gorgeous gunieas.
I'll get him to the vets tomorrow.
Karen x
 
4Pigs said:
Take him to the vets! It can quickly turn nasty and can infect their respiratory system (breathing, lungs), if this happens it can turn very nasty and will be expensive and possibly may get to the point of needing to be put down.
Did you buy your neem shampoo from Gorgeous Guineas?
Here:http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/index.html
She has lots of piggy products at good prices and they arrive very quickly. :)

Hope this helps!:)
Click to expand...

I don't think you need to worry about having your pig put down. If treated quickly and efficiently (which it sounds like you're doing) you don't need to worry :)
 
Fungal problems can, and do, turn nasty but only if the condition is ignored.
 
Tracyxx said:
I don't think you need to worry about having your pig put down. If treated quickly and efficiently (which it sounds like you're doing) you don't need to worry :)
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If left too long it is a problem. My Perky was 5yr old and had 'dandruff'. It then scabbed a little, I booked her in at the vets and their nearest apointment was a couple of days later. The appointment was mid-afternoon and on the morning of going to the vets she went very cold and weak, her sister (Pinky) kept wheeking and nudging her. I was so upset, I got her to the vets and she had to be put down.........

Tell us what it is like at the vets tommorrow!
 
Hi there!

What's the fungus like? i.e. is it on the nose in a line at all?
I took my Oyster to the vets cos she has what looks like warty things growing up her nose - skin coloured. The vet said it was probably nothing and sent me away, but one of my other pigs has it now and I don't know what to do as they have no idea either! Very worrying. They don't scratch it and they aren't unwell. It's skin coloured, so easy to miss.
Is yours the same by any chance?
 
I took my two to the vets for a check up and the vets said they were very healthy but may have a fungal infection and said 'possible yeast infection' he gave me hibiscrub which i have to bath them in every 2 days. I have another appointment next Friday to see if its cleared up, i didnt know they had a fungal infection but had noticed that they had become itchy recenlty and they have some dry flaky skin. I'm glad i went and had them checked now, as sometimes its good to know they are healthy apart from their dry skin and 'possible yeast infection.'

AP have you ever heard of a yeast infection in guinea pigs? The only symptom's i can see is the boys being itchy and having dry skin, i dont mean excessive dry skin. I also bathed them in the coco neem melt and mankum&neem shampoo on sunday and they did have some greasy fur where the melt hadn't shifted even though i washed it loads! I did tell the vet that i had used the melt and that was the cause of the greasiness's of the fur.

Sorry to hijack your thread Karen. :)
 
Hi Joey&Gizmo - (also sorry to hijack your thread karen :red )
Can I just ask if you had bathed them before you noticed the possibly fungal infection, or after? It's just that after Xmas, I washed all mine in the neem shampoo (had something else in it as well), but this fungal type thing occured after that.

Def be interested to know what it looks like tho Karen if you could describe it. The things on my piggy's noses don't show on any websites or in the books. It's really stumped me!
 
Tani said:
Hi Joey&Gizmo - (also sorry to hijack your thread karen :red )
Can I just ask if you had bathed them before you noticed the possibly fungal infection, or after? It's just that after Xmas, I washed all mine in the neem shampoo (had something else in it as well), but this fungal type thing occured after that.
Click to expand...

I have bathed them before and i did notice that in august 2009 they had some very light dry skin so i got in touch with gorgeous guineas who recommend the coco neem melt and the mankum&neem shampoo as it 'sounded' like fungal the description i had sent them. None of them have lost any fur but i did notice a very small hair loss on Gizmo's back leg under his long fur, i showed the vets this but its growing back and its not bald and i mentioned mites but he said definalty not as different symptoms and then he said about fungal.
He also said that even though the coco neem melt is supposed to heal it can do more harm than good and told me not to use it. I dont know what everyone's views are on this, as i know that gorgeous guineas have lots of photos about success stories using the melts etc. I am in no way saying that the products from gg have cause this, but i am baffled on how they got it as the vet said yeast infection is normally linked to gas heaters being on in the same room as the pigs and from sawdust, both i dont use.mallethead

So i can say that i dont think the products caused it as they are herbal after all and surly they cannot cause fungal infections if they are used to treat them.
 
Tani said:
Hi Joey&Gizmo - (also sorry to hijack your thread karen :red )
Can I just ask if you had bathed them before you noticed the possibly fungal infection, or after? It's just that after Xmas, I washed all mine in the neem shampoo (had something else in it as well), but this fungal type thing occured after that.

Def be interested to know what it looks like tho Karen if you could describe it. The things on my piggy's noses don't show on any websites or in the books. It's really stumped me!
Click to expand...


Hi, I went onto the Gorgeous gunieas website and they have picture up of skin problems. The picture of the piggie with a fungal infection is exactly the same that Gordon has... I've ordered the shampoo and booked him and his friend in the vets tomorrow, only problem is the vet isn't clued up on piggies or rabbits..
Do you think they'll give them an injection or cream?
 
Hi! thanks for your advice and the reference to the site.
Karen - I had a look at the site but couldn't see any pictures - even going through to the links on Fungal at Thistle Cavies.
Re the vet's, they sometimes give an injection if the piggy is suffering, as a painkiller. Most of the time it's a cream (did that for one of mine back in the summer).

Re: the shampoo.... I did use that when I bathed them at Xmas, but to be honest, their condition doesn't sound or look like a typical fungal infection. It's really weird. I tried taking pics but it's v hard as it's light and the 2 piggies who have it, are both white! lol.
But, they are housed in an area where I sometimes use sawdust, and an infra-red heater to keep them warm :... - is this a cause of fungal infections then?!?!? Arghhhhhhh
 
Obviously, saw dust and an infra red heater will not cause a fungal problem, but they could create the conditions where fungal problems coud thrive.
I would stop using saw dust as a bedding and also make sure the heater is not directly pointing at the pigs.
 
Tani - the stripe of fungus on the nose is something I have come across in a few of my pigs, and I know it has been discussed a few times on here before - I will dig up a thread for you.

This particular patch of fungal infection appears to be harmless and does not seem to spread, but you could try applying an anti-fungal cream to clear it. Gorgeous Guineas Lavender and Myrrh Lotion, or Galen's Garden Green Cream, are both fine to use close to eyes/nose/mouth. Personally I tend not to treat the pigs that have this unless there is evidence of it worsening. One of my sows had it for years after I adopted her and I currently have Bree, a dainty 22 month old little girl, who has had a mild case of it for the past few months. It spread in neither pig, and it has/had no ill-effects on either pig.

This advice relates to a very localised patch though. Other 'types' of fungal infection do need treatment as they can spread and worsen.
 
The "teddy bear nose" condition is very common. It is possible to treat it using an anti-fungal cream such as Daktarin Gold but, in my experience, it is not worth the bother. It seems to remain localised and does not spread. Traditionally, it has been called a fungal infection but I am beginning to question that diagnosis. Time to get out the microscope and have a look to see what it is.
 
alcesterpigs said:
Obviously, saw dust and an infra red heater will not cause a fungal problem, but they could create the conditions where fungal problems coud thrive.
I would stop using saw dust as a bedding and also make sure the heater is not directly pointing at the pigs.
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- Great to know this but I don't actually use sawdust as bedding - it's just occasionally there might be some dust escapes from my studio as I also work in there. Nothing else toxic though! Will def keep the heater at a distance, especially now I bought some of the heat pads for them. The eldest one used to curl up against the perspex front near the heater, so that probably didn't help!

Laura - brilliant that you have come across this! Thank god someone has! I will take your advice then and keep an eye on it. If any of them start scratching, I will get some of the anti-fungal cream. Maye get a bit anyway as the one boy has more of a flaky strip, although it doesnt seem to bother him. It would be good to nip it in the bud now before they get worse.

It's crazy that there are a lack of specialist vets out there who don't know the basics. Mine, when I asked about something for bloat, didn't know what it was! :{

Thanks guys.

Hope you all get your piggies sorted! x
 
alcesterpigs said:
The "teddy bear nose" condition is very common. It is possible to treat it using an anti-fungal cream such as Daktarin Gold but, in my experience, it is not worth the bother. It seems to remain localised and does not spread. Traditionally, it has been called a fungal infection but I am beginning to question that diagnosis. Time to get out the microscope and have a look to see what it is.
Click to expand...

Lol! What a funny name! almost too cute for a possible fungus! ha ha.
I'm so glad I'm not alone with this problem as I was getting really worried about it! I wonder why it's not registered on any medical sites i.e. Guinea Lynx etc as I posted some (bad) piccy's on there a while back, but noone knew what it was.

Are you a vet or work in biomedics then or just generally intersted in it?
 
Just interested as such but with a science oriented background which is adaptable to guinea pigs so minor surgery/medical matters are of particular interest.
I have always used the term "teddy bear nose", I think it is the one exception I permit myself to use that is not a scientific term!.
I have just remembered I saw a pig last year that came from your area, I must look up the name.
 
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Well any information you can find at all would be brilliant! I have spent so many hours searching to find out what it is, without luck.

many thanks!
 
I'm sorry I have nothing of any value to offer only that the wee mite is sorted in the end.
 
The nose problem does not look quite like the problem found on body skin.
The nose area looks like thin, spikey warts*, rather than being flat on the surface.
*I use that as a description not as a diagnosis of warts.
 
alcesterpigs said:
The nose problem does not look quite like the problem found on body skin.
The nose area looks like thin, spikey warts*, rather than being flat on the surface.
*I use that as a description not as a diagnosis of warts.
Click to expand...

Yes! That's exactly what it looks like and how I described it to the vet. Pale flesh coloured warty things.
Very weird! Will be very interesting to find out exactly what they are.
 
Very relieved guinea pig mummy!

Hi everyone I'm new here and very relieved to find this forum.

I have two teddy boars who I love very much but I've had an awful time since I got them from a breeder last July and they brought with them a fungal infection. We've had endless trips to the vets and several bottles of Imaverol, the hutch has been scrubbed and their toys replaced and I cannot get rid of the infection. My local vet doesn't seem to be very clued up on guineas and I always leave the vets feeling that they don't really know what they are dealing with so just send me away with more Imaverol. I've even had what my GP diagnosed as Ring Worm on my neck where Tobi likes to snuggle. That was back in August and was successfully treated.

Both piggies live separately in a two tier wooden hutch in my shed. The symptoms seem to be dry flakey skin under their fur but with no fur loss. Alfie goes through phases of not liking to be touched near his hip area, which breaks my heart. Although he usually gets so scared at the vets that he doesn't flinch whilst there! Tobi is a white teddy so I didn't realise until recently he too has dry flakey skin towards his back / hips. He also has the teddy bear nose described on this thread. It's like a cream vertical band and his fur sticks in spikey clumps around it.

Today I've decided enough is enough with the endless trips to the vets. I've had guinea pigs since I was 4 and my last pair lived 7 and 8 years with no vet trips apart from a check up and a nail trim! I've been to pets at home and replaced all their toys and hidey homes with plastic ones until we can erradicate this problem. I also bought some Beaphor Deep Clean spray which states on the bottle it gets rid of ringworm and other fungal infections. I also bought some Beaphor anti-fungal spray. I hadn't seen it before but I wondered if would be worth a try? Tomorrow I will scrub the hutch and switch their toys and try this spray on them. I also plan to order some products from Gorgeous Guineas. Suggestions as to the best ones would be helpful if anyone has any recommendations?!

I'm sorry if this is very long and if it's in the wrong place. I just love my boys very much and want to do my very best for them. I'm going to switch vets but as I have a disability and don't drive I need to find one relatively close to my house. Also I need to get on top of this problem as I take immunosuppressants for a health condition which makes me susceptible to catching fungal infections myself.

Sorry for the long post, I look forward to getting to know lots of other fellow guinea pig parents!

Lucy
 
Hi and welcome to the forum - you may be better off copying that into a new thread in the Health bit so that it gets seen.

Ringworm (if it IS ringworm!) is notoriously difficult to eradicate as the spores live in wood etc. for a long time and take some killing off. If it is ringworm, you should be wearing gloves and be careful of any other pets as it spreads through the air with the spores.

Are you able to post any pictures of the condition?

Chrissie at Gorgeous Guineas is very good and has often helped me with fungal rescue piggies in the past. Or you might need something stronger!

Sophie
x
 
Hi Lucy, welcome to the forum. I know you're quite sure it is a fungal problem, but have your boys been treated with Ivermectin at all? I second Sophie's suggestion of contacting Chrissie at Gorgeous Guineas - she's good with piggie skin stuff!
 
Hi Luce,

Welcome to the forum, good to see you over here. I know you love your boys to bits and it obvious that you are doing all you can to give them the best possible care. I think some one suggested Gorgeous Guineas Lavender and Mryhh lotion/shampoo but as others have said might be an idea to give them a ring.
 
A wooden hutch is so much more difficult to keep clean than a plastic cage, any chance that you can make the change to plastic?
 
Hello

Thank you for your replies, it's just so reassuring to be able to speak to other guinea pig parents who understand what I'm talking about, at work everyone thinks I'm a bit mad about my boys. Maybe that's because they haven't ever been greeted by their excited squeaks morning and night!

Sophiew - thank you, I'll copy the message into the main health section too so it gets seen a little more. Is it ok for there to be duplicate messages though? I know some forums don't like that kind of thing.

With regards to whether it is or isn't ringworm... I don't think even the vet is sure. I definitely had ringworm on my neck, it was the classic round circles and cleared up straight away with a weeks treatment with some cream on prescription. My GP was very definite with his diagnosis. It never has come back and I don't wear gloves to handle my boys except when they are treated with Imaverol from the vets. I wonder if maybe they have had ringworm and something else which is why it's so stubborn?

What Tobi and Alfie have is more just widespread white flakey skin without any hairloss or rings. I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow and if I get some good shots I'll post them here. It's mainly just dandruff like flakes. Although what has made me worry is the description on Gorgeous Guineas where it says "if you touch them around the hip area they will often turn round and try and bite you." Alfie goes through phases of this and it breaks my heart to see him like that. When he's in this kind of phase he likes nothing more than cuddling up on my lap in the warm and having his chin stroked. Poor baby. It was reading that on Gorgeous Guineas that made me decide enough is enough with the back and to from the vets all the time. I want my boys to be happy and I'm going to do my very best to clear the hutch of the infection.

Laura my boys haven't ever been treated with Ivermectin. Am I right that its one of the 'spot on' treatments for paracites etc? I have seen them and wondered whether it's something I should be doing for my boys but I've never needed to use it on my previous pairs of guineas and they all lived healthy long lives without it. I'm wondering if it would be worth a try but maybe I should try one thing at a time for now?

This is the spray I bought today http://www.beaphar.co.uk/productdetail/anti-fungal-spray-for-small-animals/1487/

I'm going to throw away / recycle their wooden toys and their Chubes. As much as they love them it might just help to get rid of this once and for all. Plus someone at work has been saving huge cardboard tubes for me so I have a ready made supply of toys waiting at the office. I bought some new plastic igloos and jingle balls today so their hutch isn't too empty.

I think I will call Chrissie from Gorgeous Guineas too. I'd do anything for my boys as Tommies Mam knows!

Thank you from a worried mummy!

P.S. I'd better get to bed, I have a lot of cleaning to do tomorrow!
 
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