Ringworm (i'm New!)

[Elly]

Hello

I'm new to owning guinea pigs and keen to do everything right. One of our pigs has got ringworm (we suspect she brought it with her from the pet shop where we have just brought her from!). We've taken her to the vets and got Itrafungol to give orally (which we haven't done yet - is it easy to give a pig oral medicine?!). The vet didn't say anything about keeping our 2 pigs separate until our poorly pig is a bit better but we are thinking this may be a good idea and have also read this on some sites. BUT then we are worried about them being separated.

Any advice please?

Thank you!

Elly

 

[Wiebke]

Hello

I'm new to owning guinea pigs and keen to do everything right. One of our pigs has got ringworm (we suspect she brought it with her from the pet shop where we have just brought her from!). We've taken her to the vets and got Itrafungol to give orally (which we haven't done yet - is it easy to give a pig oral medicine?!). The vet didn't say anything about keeping our 2 pigs separate until our poorly pig is a bit better but we are thinking this may be a good idea and have also read this on some sites. BUT then we are worried about them being separated.

Any advice please?

Thank you!

Elly

Hi and welcome!

Itrafungol is the best way to treat her, so your vet is good. Please leave your two together. The separation is only going to stress them out, and the companion is likely already infected. You want to either medicate both or give your companion a fungal dip (imaverol/enilconazole is suitable for young guinea pigs) in order to prevent her from coming down with it. I would also recommend to give your acute piggy a bath at the end of the treatment to prevent any spores being carried forward and potentially causing a re-infection.

Medicating is mainly a matter of practice. Be firm; if a piggy realises that she cannot get away with it, they are usually more accepting of it. Make sure that you reinforce your dominance beforehand; that will ensure greater acceptance. You can praise and fuss her with a treat afterwards.

Please take ringworm hygiene seriously. It is a nuisance, but well worth it, as ringworm is the most transmittable thing that guinea pigs can catch!

You can ask for a refund for your vet costs from the pet shop if you present the vet bill together with your purchase receipt.

You will find these links here helpful:
Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures (with information on suitable medication etc. too)
How To Understand Guinea Pig Instincts And Speak Piggy Body Language
Administering Medications
How To Bathe Guinea Pigs - Including Ears & Grease Glands

 

[Elly]

Thank you so much for all this info! We've been so worried about our little friends!

I'm so glad I've found this forum!

Thanks again.

Elly

 

[Mother Hubbard]

I too suffered ringworm and the advice and experience from the links from Wiebke were invaluable, from getting latex gloves when handling, I was fastidious about it and it paid off in the end.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much for all this info! We've been so worried about our little friends!

I'm so glad I've found this forum!

Thanks again.

Elly

I have been through it with 16 piggies; mine was carried in as a spore or two in the coat of a rescue piggy that was not affected during quarantine at the rescue although others in the same group were (hence my tip about bathing at the end of the acute phase). It is a lot of extra work, but by being very careful, you can get past it well, once and for all. I learned the hard way just how important proper hygiene is, but there were no guides around that told you what best to do, so I wrote my own in the end to help others, as we are sadly regularly confronted with mainly this from newly bought shop guinea pigs.

Unfortunately, ringworm is the one thing that can really transmit between all mammals; otherwise there is very little that crosses the species barrier between humans and guinea pigs.