Ringworm - How long to continue precautions?

[TheWillowPigs]

Hey guys!

A few weeks ago I posted about how one of my guineas had developed a singular patch of fungal infection on her bum. I was given a cream to apply until the scaliness vanished and Malaseb shampoo to wash the guinea pigs in.

The scaliness on the patch vanished almost 2 weeks ago now but I have continued to give my pigs a Malaseb bath to ensure that they're all clean. There is no sign of scaliness on any of the other pigs and Harley's patch has now got a complete covering of fuzz. How long do I need to keep being careful for?

I have F10 disinfectant and antifungal handgel which I have been using but I don't want to have to continue using it forever. I am a very paranoid person so am struggling to convince myself that it's okay to stop, even though the vet said to treat until all of the scales had gone from Harley's patch (which they definitely have!)

Should I do one more Malaseb bath and then return them to their usual (fully disinfected) cage? (They're currently in a temporary set up to allow me to give their proper cage a full and proper wash!)

 

[Wiebke]

Hey guys!

A few weeks ago I posted about how one of my guineas had developed a singular patch of fungal infection on her bum. I was given a cream to apply until the scaliness vanished and Malaseb shampoo to wash the guinea pigs in.

The scaliness on the patch vanished almost 2 weeks ago now but I have continued to give my pigs a Malaseb bath to ensure that they're all clean. There is no sign of scaliness on any of the other pigs and Harley's patch has now got a complete covering of fuzz. How long do I need to keep being careful for?

I have F10 disinfectant and antifungal handgel which I have been using but I don't want to have to continue using it forever. I am a very paranoid person so am struggling to convince myself that it's okay to stop, even though the vet said to treat until all of the scales had gone from Harley's patch (which they definitely have!)

Should I do one more Malaseb bath and then return them to their usual (fully disinfected) cage? (They're currently in a temporary set up to allow me to give their proper cage a full and proper wash!)

Hi!

The incubation period for ringworm (i.e. the time between infection and actual outbreak) is 10-14 days. That means that if you have separated an infected piggy or two from a group, you should wait 2 weeks after the end of treatment before you put them back with the group. Depending on the piggies, you may want to stage a short intro on neutral ground until they welcomed each other back, especially ifone of the affected piggies was the leader and their position has been filled by another piggy in the interim.
In this case, I would recommend to give them a last bath before they join the group, simply to make sure that they are not accidentally carrying any spores across into the group area, which should have been deep cleaned after the outbreak and where all companions in potential contact with spores should have received at least one bath to prevent an infection/outbreak.

If you have just two piggies, they can stay together in their cage as long as you also bathe or orally treat the companion during the treatment period to prevent infection/outbreak and give both a bath and the cage another thorough deep clean at the end of treatment to get rid of all remaining spores at the end of treating the acute spore shedding patch. The following two weeks are more like an observation period instead of a quarantine, as there is no spacial or social separation involved.

I hope that that helps you?

 

[TheWillowPigs]

I kept the four together due to Harley's nervous nature. I was worried that seperating her would stress her out too much as she is very close to her cagemates.

It was 2 weeks on Saturday since the end of the treatment. So I'll give the group one last bath and return them to their deep-cleaned cage. Thank you Wiebke!