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skin condition, fungal or something else?

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kittyla

kittyla

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does this look familiar to anyone? Truffles ear & round his eye are thickened, scaly, grey coloured - sort of like scaly cement
The vet thinks maybe ringworm & he's been on intrafungal 5 days so far but I don't really see any improvement.
I wondered about earmites, I've seen pictures of rabbits with them & the same thickened skin, can guinea pigs get these?

 
Definitely looks fungal to me. It's good that he is on Itrafungol already. What dose is he on and what is the duration of the course. The vet and guinea pig health adviser I have been working with recently came to the conclusion that the course of Itrafungol should be the same as for a cat. This is:

7 days on at 0.5ml twice a day
7 days off
7 days on at 0.5ml twice a day
7 days off
7 days on at 0.5ml twice a day

Basically the Itrafungol keeps working on the week off and so the pig is still getting the benefits.

Are you applying anything to the patches such as Imaverol? Is he on any pain relief as the eye looks very sore?
 
I hope that the full interval course of itrafungol (such as Helen describes) will do the trick for your poorly boy! It has worked beautifully for one of my girls who struggled to fight off her ringworm due to an erratic heart rhythm problem. It looks fungal to me, as the eye is also affected.

I also second the use of imaverol dips (doesn't sting in the eye) and metacam for pain relief.
 
You could also try malaseb shampoo which we had good results with when one of our lads spread ringworm round all of us (myself included). It worked well to get all the skin sorted, even the bots we couldn't spot under fur etc.

I
 
that could explain why the intrafungal isn't having much effect, he's only on .55 ml once a day, & it wasn't suggested I use
anything else on it because its by his eye. I'll take your info back to the vets with me on Saturday.
Truffle seems quite happy in himself & showing no sign of pain, I have metacam I can use if I feel he is upset by it.
Thanks for the advice.
 
Hi Debbie, perhaps there are different strengths? or maybe it'll just take a while. I was told the common ringworm that guineas get isn't as
contagious as the dog/cat one, Truffle's cage mate Moo certainly has no sign of it.
 
Not all piggies in a group will necessarily come down with ringworm. The incubation period is 10-14 days (which is why you need to wait two weeks until the end of the acute symptoms until an infected piggy can rejoin their friends).

However, ringworm in piggies transmits as easily to humans and other mammals and can be very unpleasant!

I hope that your vet has warned you that you will need to use excellent hygiene when dealing with a ringworm pet. Please use an antifungal disinfectant like F10 instead of the usual (only antibacterial) products. Also get an antifungal hand gel and/or disposable gloves and use it before. Wash your hands thoroughly.
Be aware that you can also transmit ringworm to other piggies or pets via your clothes; use a special apron or pullover when treating ringworm piggies. Always feed, groom and clean them last if you have other piggies or pets. Wash any fabrics that have come into contact with fungal piggies at least at 60 C. At the end of the treatment, please thoroughly disinfect the cage and all hard furnishings (or even replace any huts etc. that cannot be soaked easily).
 
Thanks for the info. I've been cleaning down the cage base with vinegar at cleanout time, as I know this destroys fungus & mildew, there are some
pieces of vet bed too but they go into the wash m/c, I presume that'll kill off anything. I cant separate my 2 piggies but maybe it would help too
bath Moo is some antifungal shampoo, I have g/g manuka & neem, might that prevent her catching it/nip it in the bud if she does?
 
furryfriends Excellent Adventure Sanctuary said:
Is Simon still your vet? Not too sure where you are living now. I had a temporary sanctuary resident with very severe ringworm that was treated quickly and successfully with itranfungal at a once a day dose. xx
Click to expand...
I'm still here & yes I still take the piggies to Simon. How long did it take for your pig to recover? did you need to use anything else?
 
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