Possible fungus and vet not open til Tuesday-please advice

[njschmitz]

Hello,

I noticed today my Ian has a white little patch under his ear which looks white and crusty. He is happy as ever and eats normally but it does seem like fungus or maybe the start of it. I am in Manchester and our vet is not open before Tuesday :... Typical! Now I am wondering if there is anything else I can do before hands, I may not even get an appointment before Wednesday:...

I have rummaged the forum if there was anything already on here, teh most likely I found was a post from 2010, recommending canastan cream. Is this still valid or does someone have a better idea? I looked at pictures for ringworm, it does not look like that but fungus would fit as Ian is my fussy with food and every few days he decides he does not want certain things anymore so I am constant having to find new fruit and veg to keep his diet balanced and I read that fungus can appear when they change diet or the immune system is low.

If anyone has some ideas help would be much appreciated, although he still looks happy I know piggies like to suffer in silence and I also hate the fact that I have to sit around for at least two days before it gets checked out and am fearing it may get worse if I don't do anything. Also, will Henry be affected by this sharing his cage?

Thanks a lot in advance,
a worried Jenny hating the fact it's Jubilee now!

 

[Katie Krafter]

Suzy at GGPR recommends aloe vera. You could try contacting her for advice. Hopefully others will be along soon with other ideas.

 

[fluff]

a visit to your local tescos etc (which are open over the bank holiday) and pick up a tube of athletes footcream, lots of different makes but any will do, apply twice a day for 2 weeks, any chance of a good clear close up picture please? so we can see whats going on

 

[Suzygpr]

Unless you are experienced enough to know the difference between a fungal/parasite or bacterial skin condition you may be making it worse by self diagnosing/medicating. I recommend going to a vet and getting proper diagnosis before applying a medication that may inflame a different condition.

Aloe vera can soothe irritated skin and will not make a fungal/bacterial skin infection worse. It is ineffective against parasites. It can help ease the symptoms for a short time but it will not treat them.

Suzy x

 

[njschmitz]

Thanks a lot, already.

One of my former guinea pigs was suffering from bacterial problems and it does not look anything like that but obviously will the vet be able to diagnose that properly.

hm, if aloe vera is not doing any harm I may try this tomorrow, in case it's something else. I ll try and put up a picture!

 

[njschmitz]

Here are some shots, they re not fabulous but should give you a better idea...

 

[njschmitz]

Hm,
the vet was indecisive whether it's fungus or mites so I had to come back this morning and leave him there for some tests.
They rang now and said it's defo not mites but they are usnure whether it is fungus and think it could be something else ?/ It even started looking very different now, more like a blister (it's diffiuclt as his skin is black and it now just looks puffed up) but they said the test results will take weeks? ?/


Has anyone encountered this before?

And does everyone feel bad leaving their piggies at the vets? I know it's teh right thing but I hate the fact I cannot properly explain to them that I will come back and why they are there. I told my babies (they wanted to see Henry as well and test him, just in case) it's like being in a hotel but Henry's scared expression make sme think they do not buy into this

Thanks in advance!

 

[Piggie Life]

In the mean time you can use Canesten that is available in Boots or Superdrug which contains an active ingredient called Clotrimazole 1% which combats Fungal Infections. I used on my two Guinea Pigs and it got rid of their infection within a week. Make sure you buy the external cream which you should be able to buy for around £4.

 

[Guinea pig slave]

How long do you have to wait before the vet makes a diagnosis ? Most good vets will diagnose on the spot and prescribe the correct treatment - NEVER administer anything yourself, it can make things much worse.
Aloe Vera Soothe Gel is the only thing I use or a dab of Sudocrem for any skin issues without a vets prompting - my long haired piggies occasionally get a tiny patch of dry skin if they get a bit too warm but only use the Gorgeous Guineas range of products.

http://gorgeousguineas.com/products.html

 

[Sage&Onion]

In the mean time you can use Canesten that is available in Boots or Superdrug which contains an active ingredient called Clotrimazole 1% which combats Fungal Infections. I used on my two Guinea Pigs and it got rid of their infection within a week. Make sure you buy the external cream which you should be able to buy for around £4.

I treated our first rescue guinea pigs with this too with great success, I applied it once a day.

 

[Piggie Life]

It's really effective. At first I was wary as Canesten obviously is designed for humans with pets not being in mind so I was a bit wary it might irritate my Guinea Pig's skin but it really worked.

 

[piggie-power]

I'm currently using Canesten on my newest member and it is working amazingly! In just 3 days its clearing up - i just make sure its rubbed in really well and keep her on my lap for 30 mins after to make sure she doesn't try to clean it off.

 

[njschmitz]

Thanks a lot guys, for some reason I could not post threads over the weekend? The vet rang on Friday and said it's neither fungus nor ringworm and she does not know what he has and therefore does not want to treat him?/

I mean I can understand that giving the wrong thing may make things worse but I feel a bit helpless. Ian is fine and it just looks like dry skin now but then he had the same thing on his ear and I rang up again and she said to put aloe vera on unless it looks worse as there aren't any more tests at the moment they can do. It looks fine now but this is all very strange. It may just be dry skin but there must be a reason for it. I mean if it gets worse I obviously go back immediately but I am a bit puzzled.