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Separating Multiple Guinea Igs With Suspected Ring Worm?

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RebeccaMay12

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I have four guinea pigs, all who have somehow contracted (I suspect) Ring Worm within the past week or so. One seemed to be the worst, but slowly the others have developed the hair loss and white, crusty skin too. On Florence, the worst one, there's sometimes blood on the patches too.
As bad as I feel, I literally can't afford to take them to the vet until I get paid in a few days, but have already separated them into four separate cages. The trouble is they've been in the same room with one another - I hadn't wanted to split them because Florence and Ginger have only been with me a few months and are still quite skittish but like the company of my older piggies, Gertrude and Doris. Now I've read that Ring Worm can be in the air so separating them may be completely useless either way!

Is there any way I can help/ relieve some of the irritation or pain myself until I can get to a vet? I hate seeing my piggies so quiet and alone!
Any advice is welcome!
 
Hi!

The sooner you can get all your piggies treated the better so you can prevent any others from developing symptoms. The incubation period for ringworm is 10-14 days. Not all piggies will develop ringworm even though they can carry the spores.

Once they are on treatment, you can keep all infected piggies together as well as all the uninfected ones, but ideally in separate rooms to prevent the spores from reinfecting. It is important that you disinfect everything scrupulously with an antifungal disinfectant like F10 (for the UK), which is also know to kill ringworm spores and be careful when handling any piggies yourself.
You may have to do this more than once, especially before you return the acute piggies after their 2 weeks safety quarantine at the end (and ideally another bath to make sure that they are not . it is quite a nightmare when dealing with an outbreak in a group, as I have been through it myself, so I have that particular t-shirt! You are looking at about 3-4 weeks from the beginning of the treatment (including post treatment quarantine).

The most effective treatment at the moment is imaverol (or eniconazole) dip, which for the UK you can order online from Hyperdrug without prescription; it may take a few days to arrive. Additionally, an oral course may also help with strongly affected piggies. Itrafungol is the one that we recommend; this is a prescription only medication and not very cheap, but very effective.

With members from all over the world, we find it very helpful if you added your country, state (or for the UK) your county/city to your details. The mentioned brand names are different for the US or other countries. PLease click on your username on the top bar, then go to personal details and scroll down to location. That way, we will always be able to give you the appropriate advice straight away. ;)
Here are our tips on how to best cope with a ringworm outbreak: http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/ringworm-hygiene-and-pictures.115402/
 
I'm in England, North Lincolnshire :)
I've literally just moved out with my partner, and believe me, my guinea pigs come first but every penny has gone on the house already! With four guinea pigs I'm expecting crippling bill from the vets, but obviously it will be worth it! I was just wondering whether anything was available now; like a certain bath solution or creams that I could use until the 28th (when I get paid). I've looked all over the internet, but everything says something different and I don't want to risk my piggies health!
 
RebeccaMay12 said:
I'm in England, North Lincolnshire :)
I've literally just moved out with my partner, and believe me, my guinea pigs come first but every penny has gone on the house already! With four guinea pigs I'm expecting crippling bill from the vets, but obviously it will be worth it! I was just wondering whether anything was available now; like a certain bath solution or creams that I could use until the 28th (when I get paid). I've looked all over the internet, but everything says something different and I don't want to risk my piggies health!
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If you can order the imaverol/eniconazole now, you should have it by the end of the week. 3-4 rounds of dips with an interval of 3 days should do the trick unless a piggy is very badly affected. Imaverol is one of the few things that can be used right next to sensitive areas like eyes, nose, mouth and ears.
 
You can try nizoral shampoo from the pharmacy for immediate treatment, but you have to be careful around the face, which is usually the crucial area. I also have found that it was not quite as effective as imaverol dip.
 
I've had a look at it, and the dosage is a little confusing for me :S
A bottle is 100ml but is says use 100ml to 50 parts water... is that one dosage? Because I need four doses for one piggie, and I have four of them! That surely can't be right?
 
RebeccaMay12 said:
I've had a look at it, and the dosage is a little confusing for me :S
A bottle is 100ml but is says use 100ml to 50 parts water... is that one dosage? Because I need four doses for one piggie, and I have four of them! That surely can't be right?
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One dosage 1ml imaverol to 50ml of water. You need about 2-4ml of imaverol for one round of dips for 4 guinea pigs. ;)
 
However, please have them seen by a vet, as we do not encourage home treating on spec. Are you sure that your vet will not agree to a payment plan?
 
Thanks!
On Florence, it's mostly on the face; around the nose and eyes with some whiteness on the ears and the crown of her head. I've noticed it mainly on the face of the others and top of the head, with only a few small patches near the front legs.
I have noticed one of my piggies, Doris, is acting strangely. Every hour I have to go and check on her to make sure she's still breathing - though I can't decide if she's so relaxed and subdued because she likes being on her own (she tends to get annoyed with the others) or because of the Ring Worm.
 
RebeccaMay12 said:
Thanks!
On Florence, it's mostly on the face; around the nose and eyes with some whiteness on the ears and the crown of her head. I've noticed it mainly on the face of the others and top of the head, with only a few small patches near the front legs.
I have noticed one of my piggies, Doris, is acting strangely. Every hour I have to go and check on her to make sure she's still breathing - though I can't decide if she's so relaxed and subdued because she likes being on her own (she tends to get annoyed with the others) or because of the Ring Worm.
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Please keep a very close eye on her and also weigh her daily to make sure that her sudden lethargy is not related to gut stasis or a heart problem. Piggies can really give you the collywobbles, can;t they?
 
I don't know what I'd do if I lost any of them! If I hear any noise, I'm there checking what's going on and usually just stand watching them for a while :) It's difficult to see them separated - it's the first time Gertrude and Doris (three and a half years old) have ever been ill or apart! I don't know if they're in pain, or just irritated but I hate it all.
Does anyone know what causes this? Internet says humidity, stress, build up of poop etc... but this literally appeared from nowhere!
 
Thankfully, ringworm is usually not fatal when treated promptly and correctly - but it is definitely a major nuisance to have around!

The spores are present naturally in the environment or can have been carried in to the house smehow on the wnd, by shoes or clothing. Ringworm is one of the few things that can cross species boundaries and it is highly infective; please read our guide with practical tips on how to best get on top of it and prevent it from spreading/returning.
High humidity, a lowered immune system through stress (like a house move or shop babies) or illness etc. can the allow this opportunist to come to the fore, but they are only facilitators, not the causes of ringworm.

I had an outbreak out of the blue at the beginning of this year, just nearly two years after the last one. Thankfully, with prompt isolation and treatment (having imaverol at home from the last time), it went no further than the affected piggy this time. But with two dozen piggies, just the sheer logistics of bathing them all and getting all the towel and bedding washed as the whole piggy area, especially the share roaming area, disinfected thoroughly was nightmare enough! :(
 
Unfortunately, it does sound like fungal, as opposed to mites.

However, I would imagine that your guinea pigs have developed fungal infections as a result of stress/ in response to you moving.

I would second Imaverol (Enilconazole) treatment.

However, you should seek veterinary advice/ have your guinea pigs examined by your veterinarian before you proceed with treatment.

I'm sorry to hear that your veterinarian will not accept payment plans.

However, would it be possible to just take Florence for a consultation - If your veterinarian agrees that Florence is presenting fungal, you would have to treat you other guinea pigs anyhow?!
 
I'm hoping to get them all in on one appointment - it's roughly £25 per consultation so just stepping into the room with them will cost me £100, never mind further treatment they may need and medicines. I have found that since I split them, it has seemed to slow down in Florence.
We did have a dog in the house for a few days and he was barking and frightened them - by that time Florence had only one patch on her nose, but I think that only made it more aggressive :/ Thankfully the dog is now gone!
 
RebeccaMay12 said:
I'm hoping to get them all in on one appointment - it's roughly £25 per consultation so just stepping into the room with them will cost me £100, never mind further treatment they may need and medicines. I have found that since I split them, it has seemed to slow down in Florence.
We did have a dog in the house for a few days and he was barking and frightened them - by that time Florence had only one patch on her nose, but I think that only made it more aggressive :/ Thankfully the dog is now gone!
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Please warn the dog owner, as ringworm can spread to all mammals (including humans). You vet should only ask for one, max. two consulting fees (depending on the time, as he is only treating one problem).
 
Let's hope so! I took in Gertrude and Doris with my parents dog last year and they didn't charge extra, so fingers crossed!
The dog went to a kennels, we only had him temporarily thankfully!
 
RebeccaMay12 said:
Let's hope so! I took in Gertrude and Doris with my parents dog last year and they didn't charge extra, so fingers crossed!
The dog went to a kennels, we only had him temporarily thankfully!
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You then will need to warn the kennel. Ringworm is highly infective and can spread especially in kennel conditions!
 
Just come back from the vets!
Its mites! They squealed so much i almost cried! Thankfully they can go back together once I wash their fleeces in 90 degree water and disinfect the cage!
Thankfully, four injections, four nail clippings, a consultation and a cyst drain came to £55!
I'm still in shock! I was expecting £200 plus!
Thank you to everyone who helped me! Was frantic before you!
 
Glad you have a diagnosis and they are being given injections, as it really is the most effective treatment for mange mites. They should start to feel a lot more comfortable now.

That's a good price, especially with the cyst draining too.
 
Glad that you have got a diagnosis. That is not a bad fee considering!

Injections are the most effective way of treating mites, but not all vets will do them. They will have to go back for at least two more rounds of injections. The next few days may worse as the ivermectin is going to work, but ideally the itching should go down after that and disappear completely after the second round.
 
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