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Only One Of My Trio Has Skin Problem?

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Liane

Liane

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Over Christmas we noticed that Ace was going bald on her upper body, and the skin is very pink. I immediately gave her a bath and applied Baepher Anti-Parasite spot on to her as well as River & Amy. We've also ordered Xeno 450.

I'm a bit concerned that it may not be mites though - we haven't noticed her scratching anymore than what we'd consider 'normal' and she has no sores - the skin is just pink. Neither Amy or River show any signs of a skin complaint. But I don't know what else it could be.

This may be unrelated, but we have also noticed a change in the trio's dynamic; Ace has always been a bit stroppy and River a tad over dramatic, but recently there's been a lot of squabbling and squealing (but no fights or biting) and Ace has been mounting the others constantly for about two weeks! We keep having to take her out to give the others a break and they've started avoiding her where possible. They are all three and a half.
 
Please could you post a picture, it sounds like the skin may be fluoresced which is a sign of fungal.
 
helen105281 said:
Please could you post a picture, it sounds like the skin may be fluoresced which is a sign of fungal.
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I didn't see this message before - not sure why!

I tried uploading a photo on my phone but it failed. Will get a clearer picture tomorrow anyways.

The hair loss is on her white patch and is pink all over and then fades to normal colour near where she changes from white to blond.

I remember in summer that she had a small bald patch on her head, which we assumed was pulled out by Elphie, whom she doesn't get on too well with. I thought it looked a bit pink, but my Dad said I was probably imagining it. I put some anti fungal stuff on it anyway and it cleared up. Now that you've mentioned fungal, I'm wondering if perhaps that IS it. Can fungal present in different ways? All my girls had a fungal outbreak about a year or two ago, and it appeared as a white scaly rash that caused itching and subsequently scabbing, but I've seen so sign of that on Ace?

I'll try and get a photo tomorrow. I've been pestering my Dad to take her to the vets, but he wants to try the mite treatment first and I can't really argue because I can't drive.
 
I would try again with your dad for a vet visit to an experienced guinea vet, you could end up spending a lot more on trying different treatments at home than a vet visit & proper diagnosis might cost. It will definitely be more costly if you end up with whatever your guinea has spreading to the others. Whereabouts is the baldness on Ace?
 
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You can see that the hair is growing back/been barbered. Pretty much the whole white patch the skin is bright pink
 
Thank you for the photos, to me it looks like fungal, not ringworm though, but there could also be a mite problem going on aswell, does the hair look broken half way down the shaft? I would advise getting a vet appointment and asking for a round of Ivermectin injections as it tends to be more effective than spot on and in my opinion is kinder as I have seen pigs who have had a reaction to some spot on products. I would ask your vet about fungal, please note though that any test they do would not show up most fungal conditions, i.e. candida overload, as only ringworm tends to have a positive result when a culture is done. Ringworm tends to looks more scabby too. I would also ask the vet for pain relief as it looks sore.

I would also recommend a round of baths in either Nizoral, Alphosyl or Polytar, all are human shampoos and you would need to patch test for 48 hours behind the ear before using, and leave at least 24 hours between any Ivermectin dose and bathing. Also Imaverol dips would help, you can get this from the vets but can also be bought online.

Hope that helps.
 
In answer to your earlier question, yes fungal can present in different ways as there are lots of different types. In my experience early signs are fluoresced skin, greasy hair (stands upright when brushed backwards), hair coming out easily and with debris on the ends. Some pigs have a white bloom to their skin when they have fungal and can also have white scaly bits on their skin too.
 
I'd rather Ace didnt have injections if they can be avoided. All the pigs have had ivermectin spot-on before without any problems, and she hasn't been itching and shows no signs of discomfort when you examine her skin, so I don't think painkillers are necessary. The xeno450 arrived this morning so hopefully that will clear it up, we already have a bottle of the fungal treatment if it is required.

Dad explained that his reluctance for taking her to the vet was that he didn't want her to go through the stress of the journey (she's not a great traveller) when she'll most likely just be given the stuff we've just bought. But he has promised that if there is no improvement after applying this stuff, or if she gets worse, we'll go to the vets for further investigation of alternative causes (namely hormonal).


Thanks for all the advice :)
 
Ok, I would go for the injections myself as they are more effective but it is your decision. What is the fungal treatment you already have?
 
helen105281 said:
Ok, I would go for the injections myself as they are more effective but it is your decision. What is the fungal treatment you already have?
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I had a piggy who required an injection before and he was extremely distressed by the experience (as was I!) so I'd rather they avoided them where possible.

We have a miconazole ointment and another oil/shampoo that begins with N but I can't recall what it is.
 
My pigs shout when they have an injection but soon get over it.

The shampoo could be Nizoral, or if it is an M then it could be Malaseb but that would have come from the vets.
 
It was Manuka & Neem Shampoo, I think :)
 
To me it looks fungal... one of my pigs (who is the same colour, weirdly enough!) sometimes gets fungal patches like that, but for her they are on the underside of her body. I'm in Canada and there aren't as many specialty guinea pig products here, but my vet suggested bathing her with Nizoral shampoo (anti-fungal shampoo for people with dandruff) and suggested using Monistat cream (for yeast infections) as a local treatment. It has worked really well for her, though it does take time for the fur to grow back.
 
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