Sooty, the bothersome pig, may have ringworm

[hallie2985]

I feel like I have Munchausen's by proxy with Sooty: I thought she had dental issues (nope) and now we're going to the vet tomorrow because I think she may have ringworm!

She has a few small lesions on her back - you have to hunt for them as her fur covers them up. They are circular and look red and sore. She does not like my looking for them, so I assume they are uncomfortable. That said, she still loves a good stroke, so if it IS ringworm, it's a very mild case.

The problem is, I have 3 other pigs and no spare cage! Clearly the sensible thing is to quarantine Sooty: does it matter if her temporary quarters are on the small side? She's not one to lap the cage anymore, but I don't want to be unreasonable! Realistically, her temporary home is likely to be 1 x 2 C&C as that's all I have space for!

Can she stay in the pig-room? Helpfully, we're getting a 10 week old puppy tomorrow; the pig-room will be barricaded so he can't get in, so she'd be safer there.

Thanks,
Hayley

 

[Wiebke]

It could be mites, so please have her seen by your vet to decide whether you are dealing with a fungal or a parasitic problem; they can sometimes look rather similar. Sorry that you are having a rough start to piggy slavedom!

 

[Kringeldec]

The smaller cage will be fine short term. It is better than risking your other piggies getting poorly.

Good luck and I hope Sooty is feeling better soon x

 

[hallie2985]

Soots is absolutely going to the cavy-savvy vet (as opposed to the local vet). We have an appointment tomorrow afternoon. In the interim, she is in her quarantine cage hiding in a chube (which I will throw away following our vet trip). So far, the other pigs all seem fine, which is good news.

Thanks for the reassurance and advice; it's nice to know I'm not a mean and evil piggy mummy!

 

[hallie2985]

Just been to see the vet; there are definitely suspicious lesions, but they did not fluoresce under ultraviolet, so the ringworm diagnosis is not confirmed. Bumble also has lesions, so they can go in together according to the vet, but obviously Rose and Basil must not mix with them.

I've paid to have cultures as I need a diagnosis one way or the other, what with young children and a puppy! I've steam cleaned the house, so now it's just a waiting game.

I've seen that some people recommend bathing the piggies in Nizoral; I asked the vet about prophylaxis, and he seemed to think that there was nothing much to be gained by this.

So, more questions than answers, but he did assure me that I don't have Munchausen's by proxy, so that's a relief!

 

[Carolinemm]

Hello, did he give them ivermectin injections anyway? (I have only had my piggies less than a year so no expert but I have had ringworm once and mites twice!) Even if it looks likely fungal most good vets would treat for mites anyway, and all the gps in the group not just the one with the problem...the ultraviolet test is apparently very unreliable for ringworm.
Have you been given anything in the meantime whilst you wait for cultures? ie antifungal cream to apply to the legions twice a day, canestan worked a dream with mine, I had one with one patch and it cleared up within a week although I continued the careful husbandry ie cleaning them completely out each day and applying the cream until the hair grew back as suggested on the forum, and despite about 3 culture tests since (due to having mites but checking to be sure) theyve never had it again. hope this helps if there are large patches I believe bathing all the group with anitfungal shampoo is the only way to go and possibly oral antifingal treatment. This is what I have picked up from being on here anyway

 

[hallie2985]

I think he was loath to medicate on a hunch in this instance, as they are not excessively itchy and you have to hunt for the lesions. The ultraviolet test is only 50% accurate, according to him, hence the cultures.

I know some people are very cautious and would treat them anyway, but I trust the vet; the centre is a regional referral centre, which is why I travel so far to see them. I did ask about prophylaxis (i.e treating them anyway), but he did not seem to think this was warranted.

At the moment I am in the process of steaming my whole house as a precaution, and obviously I will be taking infection control measures with the pigs to ensure that nothing is transmitted, although in all honesty it would nor surprise me if all 4 of them are infected.

I may get some Nizoral, which is an anti fungal shampoo for humans, and bath them all using it, although I'm not sure if this will achieve anything. I think they're supposed to be bathed very regularly on this kind of regime, which has the potential to become a nightmare! The vet said that anti-fungal shampoo was the only prophylaxis we could try. It can't hurt, at any rate.

 

[Carolinemm]

Hi, well the vet sounds very experienced but personally I can see no logic not treating them before they get worse. Ivermectin nor topical fungal treatments will do them any harm, if he thinks its ringworm I cant understand why he wouldnt suggest treatment whilst you wait. The cultures take 14 days which is a long time to watch them get worse? If it mites they will get worse quite quickly and are frustratingly difficult to shift so having gone through both I would give them anything I could to prevent it getting worse unless he thinks its something entirely different of course...

 

[hallie2985]

Good news and bad news...

The good news is that Sooty and Bumble's cultures did not grow anything. Vet says it's definitely not ringworm, and may be a chronic condition.

The bad news? The lesions are still there. To look at they appear fungal, but fungal has been ruled out. The vet advised monitoring the girls and if they get worse they may need antibiotics.

I'm not entirely happy leaving them. I'm going to try using Nizoral, which is an antifungal shampoo. It won't hurt them, I don't think. I'm also looking to give them a moisturising bath - Gorgeous Guineas, here I come!

 

[hallie2985]

Sooty's skin is no better. I think it's worse tbh, but I'm still stumped by it. She's not itching all the time, and only really seems to be bothered by the lesions when I check them. Bumble has a similar problem, but nowhere near to the same extent.

I don't think it's mites, as surely Rose and Basil would be infested by now, and they are both absolutely fine. It's nit fungal, because we grew cultures. Could it be an allergic reaction? A stress issue? Old age? I doubt the latter, because Bumble is only 1.

So: do I treat with Ivermectin (and can I do so without going to the vet)? Should I shampoo the girls with manuka and neem gorgeous guineas frequently? Should I change their bedding (megazorb on newspaper)? Should I leave them be?

If they were human, I'd say it was psoriasis; Sooty is all scurvy and loses lots of dry skin during cuddle time. I tried to get photos, but she is black, so you can't really see anything!

Any suggestions?