Rupert - 0ngoing Skin Problems

[worried val of york]

Rupert my 5 year old had been treated with two injections of ivermectin as he had been scratching. A culture was taken which came back clear. He had begun to show signs of improvement but then started to scratch again. I took him back to vets on Wednesday. He was given an injection of panomec. He also has metacam to be given daily. And Imaverol which has to be diluted 1 ml of imaverol to 50 mls of water which I have to use to bathe Ruperts affected areas once every 3 days. The vet said he is treating Rupert for mites and fungal infection as it's not clear what he's got.
When I first took Rupert to the vet I thought it was fungal as he had small dry pieces of skin which came off easily and had hair attached. But the vet said he did not think it was fungal and it was just dry skin.
Rupert's fur has thinned off on his back. (Sorry I cannot post photos).
Has anyone got any advice about this problem. I am taking Rupert back to the vet for follow up check next Friday.

 

[Wiebke]

Skin problems can be difficult to diagnose and treat.

What your vet has done is sensible, and the treatments for both mange mites and fungal that Rupert has been put on are the ones that we would also recommend as the most effective for either condition, so if it is one or the other, it should clear up. If it isn't, then your vet will have to investigate further. Please make sure that you finish both courses properly; hopefully that will do the trick!

 

[helen105281]

I agree that your vet has everything covered at the moment. There is a fungal condition called broken back which is mostly Candida related and can be mistaken for mange mites as it causes thinning hair on the back which looks like the v that is seen with mange mites. My girls with this were treated with Imaverol so you are on the right treatment if it did turn out to be that.

 

[worried val of york]

Thanks @Wiebke and @helen105281. The vet had initially though it was ring worm but the lab test came back negative. So he did a skin scrape on Wednesday. I am cleaning their cage out frequently and washing the fleece and vet bed regularly. Rupert is drinking lot and tends to stay in one spot a lot. So I am trying to keep him as dry as possible.

 

[Goth Mummy]

How frustrating. It really sounds like you and the vet have everything covered though. I was also thinking "broken back" which I have seen and understood to be fungal. Take care x

 

[Pebble]

Your vet has covered everything.
Any offending bugs will be being knocked out by the treatments.

However - sometimes bugs (especially mange mites) can leave a neurological legacy so the scratching will not stop immediately after treatment starts (which doesn't mean to say the treatment isn;t working).

Patience is necessary - pleased read this thread all the way though.........8 weeks on and we still have scratching =-even though we know for sure there are no bugs present.

https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/2-more-dying-piggies.122408/page-10#post-1699942