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Mycophyte

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Laura-CCC4

Laura-CCC4

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I had to pop Willa and Saffron down to see Vedra today. I noticed Willa has a scab on her neck, thought it was a parasitic problem, so she wanted to see a couple of the pigs (since all would need treating) before she gave me some Fleaordie to bath them in.

Just as well as it is actually fungal. I knew Saffron was fungal, and I suspected it in Jasmine and Gwen also, so I was going to treat all pigs for both parasitic and fungal.
So we have got some Povidone Iodine shampoo to bath everybody in (all eight pigs...it is going to be a long night).

Tomorrow, and then weekly for two weeks, I have to dip them all in Mycophyte. I have never used antifungal dips before so please be patient with me! I have instructions for making it up and reheating it (though I don't have an old saucepan to reheat it in...any ideas on alternatives?)
Do I wear gloves on my hands?
Does the bowl/bucket need to be tall and skinny, so's to dip more thoroughly, or is it okay to spread some of the dip with my hands?
Do I wipe the excess off the pigs with a towel or with my hands?
Do I towel dry the pigs at all, or just lift them out, wipe off the excess and leave it at that?
Do I store the whole two litres of solution once it is made up?
How long does it take to dry on the pig?
How much of the pig does the solution have to cover? Just up to the neck?
The powder that makes up the solution is brown - does that mean the dip is brown? Will it stain my pretty ol' PEW girl?

I am dreading trying to dip Willa, she is a very scatty small pig. Any experience, advice, thoughts are appreciated.
 
Obvious question but I can't think of an obvious answer. Why don't you ask Vedra?
 
I can and will. But the experience and support of others who have been in the same position is just as valuable.
 
Can't help with advice i've not used this product, not sure we'd get it here in OZ :{
I would do research on the net for it's components, and perhaps use disposable gloves and then fold them inside out as you take them out and then put in the rubbish bin.
I'd also use paper towel to wipe off the excess so you can dispose of that too. I'd be concerned if you used towels or such that washing may not rid it of all the chemicals.........but then i'm a dam worry wort on those things sorry love :(
Over here we get what's called Material Safety Data Sheets for all things chemical so i'd be asking if Vedra or the company that supplies the drug to email you their info, it should have it's components and what to do ...e.g. in contact with skin etc.. 8:)8:)
Oh dear as for the other questions i do hope some other knowledgeable people come on soon to help love :red
Good luck xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 
Sorry cc4 i can't offer any advice, but i would wear gloves to be on the safe side!


sue 1974 said:
How can you tell the difference between fungel and mites?
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same too! One of my pigs hair has got thinner and her skin a little flaky could this be fungal? They have a bath every couple of months in gorgeous guineas shampoo to help their skin.
 
Nutmeg and Doughball had a parasite thing going on when I got them. They were treated with injections. The vet looked at some of their skin and crusty bits under a microscope to see if it was fungal or parasitic, but don't know how you would tell to look at them normally.:{
 
mites and fungal

Fleaordie is to kill ticks and fleas,neither of which attack gp`s so this product should not be used.
Iodine povidine should not be used on gp`s either.
The piggy most likely has mites as these are more common than fungal infections.The only product that will kill mites is is Ivermectin .This can be given by injection,a second dose 14 days later.There is a topical version now called Zeno 45o,which is as affective and saves the gp the pain of an injection.
The dip should not be used either.

If it is mites their will be sosme hair loss and the gp will have scabs/sores from scratching.The hair loss will be as in moult,it will be loose but firmly attached.

Fungal infestation causes clumps of hair to come out,a slight tug will do this and the hair shaft will be co9vered with white scurf.

If you think the pig does have a fungal problem,bath in a shampoo containing Neem oil,available from any health food store and some chemists.The best shampoo to use though is one called Vetsect,available froma vet or on the internet.WWW.millpledge.com.
This does not contain any chemicals.
 
With respect to Vedra this appears to be a hammer to crack a nut.

Unless the fungal is in an advanced state with excessive balding, fitting etc I would simply use an anti fungal shampoo such as Malaseb or as already said Vetsect. Even Vedras own book states "if the condition is severe" and "if all else fails" then use the dips and Povidine.

Have you tried any other treatment at all yet?

If you do go ahead make sure you wear gloves at every stage but I would start with a mild antifungal treatment first. :)
 
Have you thought about speaking to Chrissie at GG Laura, I'm sure she could recommend one of her many products which would do the job just as well, be less "toxic" for want of a better word, and be much more pleasant to use.:) Good luck with the gang.
 
Dipsa and povidine should not be used. If a fungal infestation is persistant and severe griseofulvin should be used.Fungal infections can cause fitting and can become systemic so they do need to be cleared up properly.
 
It is definitely fungal, though I won't rule out parasitic.

Saffron has had a fungal infection on her feet for the past year, it won't heal up, and she has had extremely sensitive/sore skin also for most of this time. Nizoral and GG did nothing to help ease this. I treated numerous times, and tried Ivermectin, but no change, so I assumed she was just ''one of those pigs''. Her hair comes out fairly easily though her skin is clear.

Jasmine has had clumps of hair with flaky skin attached coming off her for a few weeks now. Pulls out easily. No bald patches or sensitivity.

Willa has a medium-sized patch of hair on her neck missing, the skin was scurfy and scabbed. She also has hair thinning on the back of her neck. The rest of her body looks okay.

I wanted to treat all the pigs with Ivermectin, and still will. But for the fungal side of it - which is definitely present - I have to try something stronger, at least with Saffron. The antifungal GG products made no difference to her sensitive skin, and the cream would have to be applied daily for months to have any effect at all on the fungal on her feet. (I'm thinking along the lines of stubborn athlete's foot, if you can picture it like that)

I already bathed everyone in the Povidone Iodine, diluted very heavily with normal shampoo. I have used diluted P.I. for other medical problems also with no issue. I have not done the Mycophyte dip yet and, as I have not been comfortable with the thought of trying it, I don't intend to unless things get worse.

And, as an aside, I don't rely on Vedra's information solely. If I did, I wouldn't have joined any forums and asked for other peoples' advice, opinions, experience etc. I have gained as much from the various gpig forums as I have from her, and I value both sources. Simple as that.

Thank you for your support and replies, everyone. I'm still stuck but the main issue is no longer an issue. I will keep hold of the Mycophyte but will see if anything else will work first.
 
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Fungal is such a "pig" of a problem to get rid of I know. Some piggies just seem to be susceptible to it whilst hutch mates remain unaffected - it's a mystery. rolleyes

Hope your bathing all went well, I expect you have back ache now LOL

Wishing your piggies well x x x x
 
Have you tried Griseofulvin?,this will erradicate fungal spores even if they have become systemic.
 
Just as a matter of interest CCC4 are any of your piggies Rex or Teddy?

I have noticed that this type of fur seems to be more prone to stubborn fungal, though it may just be a coincidence of course. No doubt other people have the opposite problem - nothing is ever straight forward in Pig World :))
 
I hope your piggies are better soon. Just as an aside, one of mine is always a bit fungally (as if that's a word! :))), and I've found that running a dehumidifer is helping her skin quite a lot. The down side is the expense of running it, but I'm sure it is helping. :)
 
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