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Oh noo.. Possible ringworm?

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Claire1973

Claire1973

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I noticed a small scab on our rescue pig Mario's nose when we first picked him up about 3 weeks ago, and the lady at the rescue said she didnt know what he had done, however I wasnt concerned it had scabbed over and he was in a huge enclosure with lots of others so thought he had been in a scuffle with one of them. Anyway - this morning I noticed another scab on his ear and lots of scaly white dry skin all around it! :(

Just got back from the vet with him, and she suspects a possible ringworm infection! I had a look at the Guinea Lynx page and the pictures do look very similar to Marios! Is it likely or could it be anything else? A UV light showed up no signs of it however he has had a scrape done and some sample hairs taken for analysis (poor Mario!) but it apparently takes 4 weeks for the results! In the meantime I have been given somthing called SUROLAN ? to apply twice a day to the affected areas.

He is living with Pompom, and she seems OK and skin is clear however I reeeeeeeally dont want to seperate them after all this time and effort to find her a mate that she has bonded with (he is neutered!) If it is ringworm she will almost certainly have it by now wont she? Has anyone else had this problem please and any advice on how easy it is to clear up? ( am £74 lighter after my visit to the vet already! whhaaaaa!)
 
When on of mine had it years ago I was advised to bathe both of them with Nizoral, an antidandruff shampoo sold in chemist (you need to ask for it). I checked and it is listed on Guinea Lynx. Gorgeous Guineas also do good stuff but it will take a few days to come and it might be better to start sooner. Little point splitting them now

Wash your hands well after being in contact with them pr their bedding and try to avoid scratching to avoid catching it if it is ringworm. I must admit I was using nizoral myself as a shampoo and shower gel until it cleared up :)
 
hello,I'm not an expert but have recently had a ringworm/fungal problem with one of my pigs. i have 2 boys who are still together,i have been advised to use surolan and it seems to be doing the job,i have also been told dont seperate them as it can cause more stress for the one with the infection. i have also been advised to shampoo with nizoral shampoo for humans once a week for four weeks on both pigs living together. and on top of all this I'm using xeno 50 mini incase its mites. good luck.
 
haha
ill piggys is stress for them and us.


ps ive been told mites and fungal infections sometimes come together.
 
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Thankyou! I had no idea humans were at risk that much? I will try and locate the shampoo you have advised. Luckily the piggies are kept in an outdoor shed and go into the pen during the daytime ( we have 5 piggies but only one shares with Mario) I hope I can contain it to just Mario, although I did handle them all at the same time without washing my hands until today :...

I have given the cage a good clean out with milton today and washed thier snuggle-oos again so fingers crossed!
 
Hi
One of my pigs suffers from fungal/ringworm, shes had it 3 times in less than a year, i took her to the vets and they prescribed mycozole which worked (cost £54) altogether with consultation, she has recently had another flare up and the mycozole was out of date. i ve been using canesten cream which is used for fungal infections in humans and seems to have done the job just as well.
 
i actually just took my Piglet to the vet on monday, i thought he had mites because he was so itchy and the vet said that he was pretty sure it was ringworm (he had scabs on his ear which i mistook for him just irritating the skin). he gave me an oral medicine called Fluconazole. today's thursday and his skin is almost 50 % cleared up. Granted ive had a hell of a time getting them to take their meds (have to give it to the other pig too for precautions) but it is working wonders!
 
Thankyou! I have canasten cream in the house already - I wonder why the vet didnt just treat for ringworm instead of me having to wait another 4 weeks for test results? Ah well.. I will continue with the current meds but update the thread on the outcome in case any future cases can be helped. I have 4 children a cat and a dog so am a little concerend that it can be passed onto humans and other animals... :(
 
good luck i hope you can treat it.

the best way to prevent you catching it is to wear gloves if you can when treating/touching mario and his cage mate. i know in humans it can take a few weeks to come out if she is still clear in 2 weeks my guess would be she is safe.

it is a pain be sure to wash your hands and if you can also wear a plastic throwaway apron to stop it transferring. or changing and washing clothes.

ringworm in humans is a pain to but is treatable quite easily if caught early enough.
 
Thats a good idea actually - I wonder where you can buy those disposable aprons and gloves? Might look on Ebay...! thankyou! xxx8)
 
I have never caught it off my Buttercup and its flared up 3 times now. The plastic gloves scare her so ive taken my chances and applied it without the gloves and like i said fingers crossed never caught it, i just give my hands a good wash with antibac soap when ive finished.
 
Can you apply daktarin to an open fungal wound? My poor Anua has scratched until she's started drawing blood on her little nose.
 
the vet i work for usually prescribes a course of griseofulvin tablets, it is a fast working treatment and all the piggies I have seen after treatment have had lovely shiny coats :)
 
It's back! :-(

Mario was looking gorgeous again - it seemed to have all cleared up but today I noticed he has scratched a raw patch behind one ear, round his eyes look a bit bald and scabby and he has a scab on his back :(:(

I have ordered some stuff from gorgeous guineas ( shampoo and melt) and a spray from vetmed which is specifically for guineapig fungal infections. Pompom still seems clear of it - is it possible she can be a carrier but not develop symptoms? Also - they are kept very clean but I do use wood shavings from Pets at Home - is this likely to contribute?
 
If you decide to purchase nizoral you can buy something called Ketoconazole or keptopine, it has the exact same ingredients but a lot cheaper to purchase.
I'm lucky as my daughter get's it free on prescription for her psoriasis so I always keep a bottle spare for my piggies and it works on fungal as I had a piggy who gets a flare up when stressed and I bathe her in this every few days and within weeks she's fine.
 
Update!

I just had a phonecall from the lady who owns Gorgeous Guineas! 8) She was very concerned about Mario as I have posted on her Facebook page about him. Anyway - she was horrified that he was prescribed the Surolan! :( Said steroid based products are not at all suitable for guineapigs. I have probably made him worse by using it as it thins their skin so badly. :( Anyway she reccomended Mycrozol based treatment on its own and also pure Aloe gel to soothe his sore bits. I am taking him to the vets this afternoon , his skin is actually bleeding behind one ear and he crys like a puppy when I touch him anywhere round his back legs. :... She has recommended I ask for Itrafungal oral solution in a 0.5ml dose - it is used for cats but has proved safe for piggies. She did say never to use ANY human product on a guineapig - such as germaline, savlon or steroids. I will keep you all updated in case this is useful in future.
 
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This is my little girl piggy Totoro. I was told she had a fungal infection/ringworm on Monday when she had a patch of thinning hair and dry flaky skin and was given miconazole. Today (Thursday) I noticed a scab had formed and by this afternoon it was gone and looks like this. Is this healing or getting worse? I'm worried! :(
 
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