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Not Sure If The Vet Diagnosed Incorrectly

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Toasty

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I got Toasty about a week ago from a pet store. (after some research, I now know that's not a very good idea) She's still young considering how small she is compared to an adult sized guinea pig.

Just a couple days ago she got a very dry patch above her left eye and also got a bald spot on top of her head. I hadn't noticed it much until it progressed rather quickly. I looked back at a picture I had taken a day or two before that and could see the patch starting. Her eye has become a tad swollen and seems lower than the other one. After lots of research online it says that it could be the start of Ringworm. She has basically been living under my chin the past week so I assumed I would have had it by now if that was the case. She also has had crustys in her eyes since I got her but as a new guinea pig owner I figured this was just like any normal eye crusty and not a big deal.

I took her to the vet a couple days ago and had a skin scraping done to check for a bacterial infection. They didn't find mites and said it doesn't look like she has lice either. I wasn't able to pay for them to check if it was a fungal infection since it was $160 for them to grow the fungus in the lab and not have a complete answer for another two weeks. They prescribed her with Terramycin ointment that I have to put in BOTH her eyes twice a day for one week. She has been diagnosed with an eye infection.. As the patch was only above the left eye I only want to put the ointment in that one eye since the other has crustys but seems just fine.

I'm hoping someone has some type of answer or a possible prediction of what it could be or even experienced the same thing I am. I absolutely hate putting this ointment in her eye and I just want her to get better soon! Since the skin scraping, the area is completely bald and she is pretty much missing hair above her eye all the way to the top of her head. It also appears that she's irritated by it and is scratching since I noticed a couple spots where it looks like it was bleeding.
I've been told to give her an anti fungal shampoo bath by other guinea pig owners and to treat with Ivermectin. Any thoughts?
 
JadeMagpie-1.jpg

Before the vet visit

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After the visit
 
For a bad fungal infection she will probably need some oral antifungal treatment from the vet.

Did they listen to her chest to make sure she didnt have a URI, and it was definately just the eyes?

Id continue with the eye drops but if the skin becomes worse id take her back and ask them for some oral antifungal treatment.

Failing that you could seek a more piggy savvy vet if you dont have much confidence in this one. The "guinea lynx" website has recommended piggy vets in the US.

All the best x
 
Recommend looking on Guinea Lynx for US recoemnded vets they are very US centric and may be able to recommend one locally to you.
 
JadeMagpie-1.jpg

Before the vet visit

JadeMagpie-2.jpg

After the visit

Only just saw these, it does look fungal but you will need a vet to give you the treatment. I hope you can find a more piggy savvy vet on the guinea lynx site x
 
I only wanted to add that if you just got her and she already has problems, then the chances are that she had them when you bought her.
If you take the receipt from the vet back to the pet store, they should reimburse you for all of the treatment she has needed so far.
 
If both eyes are crusty, I would put eye drops in both eyes. Crusty eyes are not normal as a daily occurrence for guinea pigs, so if you are seeing crustiness or discharge in both eyes, treat it in both eyes. The skin infection does look largely fungal. Would the vet not give you treatment without a skin scraping? I would be very wary of putting anything that near her eye without it coming with a vet's recommendation. The vet should be willing to give you an antifungal cream for the area even without a confirmed diagnosis in a lab (which can sometimes be hard to make, as not every skin scraping yields a successful culture.)
 
The vet diagnosed her with an eye infection. That's why I have the Terramycin ointment to put in both of her eyes. She didn't think it was a fungal infection since I haven't gotten it myself - but after hearing so many people tell me they think it's likely fungal I'm beginning to question the vet's diagnosis.. Thanks for all your help! I will call the vet and hopefully get a hold of some anti fungal cream for the area.
 
Surolan Ear Drops for Dogs & Cats

The above will 9 times out of 10, clear that fungle infection within a few days , if you vet dosent stock it you could either ask if he will get som off his suppler, or you could ask him for a vet percription , and send it to the above , your self
 
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Hi, I just want to suggest to have it checked by other vets. It will be good if there is a second opinion. Only, if the latter prescriptions did not work to your guinea pig.
 
The vet diagnosed her with an eye infection. That's why I have the Terramycin ointment to put in both of her eyes. She didn't think it was a fungal infection since I haven't gotten it myself - but after hearing so many people tell me they think it's likely fungal I'm beginning to question the vet's diagnosis.. Thanks for all your help! I will call the vet and hopefully get a hold of some anti fungal cream for the area.

There are many types of fungal but only Ringworm can cross species. So if it is a different type you wouldn't catch it. Even with Ringworm is it not always passed onto humans.
 
The fact that you don't have it doesn't indicate it isn't fungal. Ringworm can pass to humans, but it's quite possible to have a ringworm infection and not have anyone else catch it, even in cases of human-to-human contact. One of my kids once had ringworm on the side of his face and didn't pass it to the other kids even though he was sharing pillows, etc. before we realized what the infection was. So it's still quite possible to be fungal, even without you (or other guinea pigs in the vicinity) catching it. Sometimes stress can make animals more likely to contract things like fungi which their immune systems would otherwise fight off- the fact that she has just come home and has been under stress may make her more susceptible right now.
 
Just a quick update - after I called the vet and explained there was no signs of improvement and that it looked to be getting worse, they are prescribing her with Revolution. The topical drops to put on her spot.. Any thoughts?
 
Just a quick update - after I called the vet and explained there was no signs of improvement and that it looked to be getting worse, they are prescribing her with Revolution. The topical drops to put on her spot.. Any thoughts?
Hmmm... isn't Revolution flea/heartworm/tick medication? I mean, ringworm has the word 'worm' in it, but it isn't a parasite. Hopefully someone else has more info for you.
 
Revolution isn't a fungal treatment, it is for mites and lice. Most fungal treatments end in "ol". Sporanox is an oral fungal medication that is available in the US. Is it possible to post an updated photo if it is getting worse?
 
They haven't diagnosed her with a fungal infection and the vet said she doesn't want to give her fungal medication since it's hard on the guinea pig. Unless the revolution doesn't work. At this point I really don't know what to do :( she's running around her cage and shaking her head, scratching. She's definitely not okay.
 
Has she checked her ears. Forgot to say Tia had a large bare patch on her back. She took
Xeno 450 a mite treatment & it worked. Ask the vet if your piggy can take that. It's drops you put on the back of the neck, then reapply a week after. Forgot to mention Tia patch was dry & flaky
 
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They haven't diagnosed her with a fungal infection and the vet said she doesn't want to give her fungal medication since it's hard on the guinea pig. Unless the revolution doesn't work. At this point I really don't know what to do :( she's running around her cage and shaking her head, scratching. She's definitely not okay.
So does the vet think it's mange? That's the only reason I can think of for Revolution. I don't have a whole lot of experience with mites, so hopefully someone else can help you there. I did see info online about using Revolution in guinea pigs for mange mites, so that sounds right.
 
They haven't diagnosed her with a fungal infection and the vet said she doesn't want to give her fungal medication since it's hard on the guinea pig. Unless the revolution doesn't work. At this point I really don't know what to do :( she's running around her cage and shaking her head, scratching. She's definitely not okay.
So does the vet think it's mange? That's the only reason I can think of for Revolution. I don't have a whole lot of experience with mites, so hopefully someone else can help you there. I did see info online about using Revolution in guinea pigs for mange mites, so that sounds right.
 
It is the correct treatment for mange mites. Could you post another photo please of how it is progressing?
 
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