Persistant Ringworm

[catcrunchies]

We've had a niggling case of ringworm with a couple of our piggies that doesn't seem to be going away! It keeps hitting the same two pigs - both in separate pairs. Their buddies are both fine and our other pair seem alright too (they're in the top of a double hutch with an infected pair). We've been treating with clotrimazole as per the vet, but they just don't seem to be shaking it.

I've got F10 disinfectant coming in the post, but it's not due to get here until the 2nd. Should I risk using hospital grade peroxide to clean out their hutches or wait until the F10 comes? They're living in the garage (no cars!) at the moment because of the weather and I'm just a bit worried about how they'd cope with fumes if I chanced it.

Any other advice would be awesome and if anyone can tell me how to stop the little beggars biting when we have to put the cream on, that would be super

 

[Wiebke]

We've had a niggling case of ringworm with a couple of our piggies that doesn't seem to be going away! It keeps hitting the same two pigs - both in separate pairs. Their buddies are both fine and our other pair seem alright too (they're in the top of a double hutch with an infected pair). We've been treating with clotrimazole as per the vet, but they just don't seem to be shaking it.

I've got F10 disinfectant coming in the post, but it's not due to get here until the 2nd. Should I risk using hospital grade peroxide to clean out their hutches or wait until the F10 comes? They're living in the garage (no cars!) at the moment because of the weather and I'm just a bit worried about how they'd cope with fumes if I chanced it.

Any other advice would be awesome and if anyone can tell me how to stop the little beggars biting when we have to put the cream on, that would be super

Hi and welcome

Please ask your vet for itrafungol, which is prescription only. This not quite cheap, but it is currently the most effective ringworm treatment as it is given by mouth and is therefore getting to ALL areas. It is also helpful in those cases where guinea pigs have a somewhat impaired immune system, as I know from my own experiences.
If your vet is not willing to prescribe itrafungol (which most vets with access to exotics vets now do), then a series of dips with a good antifungal shampoo is the next best bet, but it is a lot more stressful for the piggies and for you as you need to bathe every 3 days for at least 3 times.

At the end of the acute phase when the crusts are completely gone, you still need give a bath to all piggies to make sure that none of your piggies haven't got any spores stuck in their coats that can cause the ringworm to come back. I have had ringworm carried in once in the coat of a piggy that itself was not affected by ringworm. Ringworm is not necessarily affecting all piggies, but they can still be spore carriers.

You also need to extend your hygiene to yourself and any fabrics in contact with your piggies; you can easily re-infect your piggies and yourself that way.
Peroxide doesn't work on ringworm or ringworm spores. Best give the hutch and any hard belongings a proper deep clean/dunk once you have got the F10 and then again once the ringworm is over to remove any remaining spores. If you can, either throw away any wooden bits or keep them totally dunked in the solution and then dried in the air for a quarter of an hour.

Please take your time to read our guide carefully. It is very detailed. All tips in there have been learned the hard way; that is why they work! Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures

 

[VickiA]

I agree with Wiebke, oral intrafungol or sporanox are the best way to tackle ringworm. You may find that your vet will sell you some F10. I wouldn’t risk anything else.
Good luck.

 

[Lady Kelly]

I'm going through similar at the moment. My vet was a bit reluctant for intrafungol and prescribed a spray, the ringworm has since spread slightly and I am now treating with left over imaverol from the last outbreak. I'm hoping by the weekend its on its way out but if not I will be back at the vets for oral meds. Trying to keep it at bay until the weather is a bit warmer when all of them can have an imaverol dip to get rid of all spores as mine are outdoors and can't risk them being wet or damp and being outside.

 

[Wiebke]

If necessary, you may have to bring your piggies indoors for 2-3 days over the weekend to do a full deep clean and keep them indoors after any bath until they are fully dry again.

I got ringworm carried in again by a piggy that had been surrendered to a sanctuary via the treating vet with an advanced case of wrongly applied home treatment. The new round several months after his adoption was likely triggered by a spore sitting in the coat as he hadn't got a final bath at the end of oral treatment, but the itrafungol cleared him up again well, and he remained the only infected piggy in a room of 30. You can imagine how happy I was over the outbreak!