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Tip Of Caramel's Ear Has Gone Slightly White And Crusty! Ringworm?

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Ruby Inferno

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His ear is normally completely black, but today when I went to put him out on the lawn I noticed the tip's gone a bit white. I stroked it and the white bit feels a little rough and crusty. Is this a fungal infection of some sort? Apologies for blurred picture, he was too busy munching on grass to sit still. Other than his ear, he seems to be acting normal. Full of energy as always, eating plenty, no signs of anything else wrong.

Does this look like it might be an emergency or can it wait till Monday for a vet appointment? My small animal specialist does not work on fridays or weekends, so it would have to be monday. Also not to mention a weekend vet's appointment would be really expensive and I might not even get to see a good enough vet. :(

I have been washing my hands and arms thoroughly after handling, also changed my top.
 
I would not panic! Fungal complaints are thriving in this current and warm summer weather; it is likely that it is not ringworm. Fungal ears are not rare; they usually respond well to milder fungal treatment.

Because of the current weather, I would rather recommend a mild fungal shampoo or dip rather than a fungal cream. You carefully apply any shampoo with a bit of cotton wool to prevent it running down into the ear.
 
Thanks! Phew that's a relief... Hmm where do I get a mild fungal shampoo from? :)
 
PS: Both of these can also be used against ringworm, especially the dip, so you are still covering that angle.
 
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Turns out I did have a small animal anti fungal shampoo lying around! I have been using a cotton bud to carefully apply it to the white crusty bit of both his ears (it seems to be on the other too), the whiteness is definitely fading. There was never much of it anyway though.

Also, do you happen to know if these types of fungal complaints are contagious to piggies/me? Or is ringworm the only fungal thing humans can catch? I have been making sure I touch his things last and have been wearing disposable gloves when handling him, just in case it is, even though it looks quite mild.
 
What is the name of the shampoo you are using?

Only Ringworm is contagious to other species. I have had fungal issues with my herd which weren't Ringworm and have never caught it. I would recommend using F10 as a cage cleaner too as it kills fungal spores.
 
Gorgeous guineas do some amazing lotions and potions.
Herbie had the same thing when we got him. The quench lotion sorted it in no time.. Just got a test pot and I still have 95% left almost a year on, great value. The shampoos are amazing too.. Herbie uses just for boars! That makes me chuckle..

Hope the little fella isn't to fazed
 
It's called Vetsect. It seems to be doing the trick, the white crust is fading away, and to be honest I don't think he's even noticed anything different. :))

Can this spread to other piggies?

I might start using F10, but now that I've looked this up it doesn't look like ringworm to me, so hopefully it won't be necessary to use it right away.

He has a wooden arch and a cardboard box pigloo, do these need to be thrown away now? :hmm:
 
I have heard of Vetsect, I thought it was more for parasites but I could be wrong on that. Glad it seems to be helping though. Even if it is not Ringworm I would still get the F10 cleaner. I always recommend throwing away anything wooden or cardboard with any type of fungal, but if it is not possible the woods needs to be soaked in F10 and allowed to dry. It can spread to other pigs sadly, which is why the hygiene measures and appropriate treatment are so important. My Fuzzy had fungal on her ear a few weeks ago and we treated with a round of 4 Imaverol dips.
 
It says it's antifungal on the bottle. :)

Aw poor Caramel, he loves his cardboard box. I will throw away his cardboard box, and keep his arch in a bag or something until I can soak it. Quick question, how long does the 200ml concentrated bottle of F10 last? I have a double hutch and a cage to clean out every week.

Oh and will his hutch be okay as long as I give it a scrub?
 
I must be getting it confused with something else. You could get him a new box when the fungal has cleared up. I think it lasts quite a while. I use Virkon on my general cleans and use the F10 for when they have fungal though will be switching when the Virkon runs out.

The hutch will need scrubbing with F10 and it left on for however long it says on the bottle and then rinsed and left to dry.
 
Okey dokes!

The thing is, I don't think he actually has ringworm. I've looked up pictures of ringworm and it's definitely not it. Would vinegar be sufficient? Or perhaps Formula H?
 
There are so many different types of fungal not just Ringworm so I would use F10 if you can as it is effective on all of them.
 
Okey dokes. :)

Since I don't have F10 yet, can disinfecting the whole hutch wait a few days?
 
I haven't seen that for a long time ,

My way of dealing with it , anti fungal cream on to your finger and thumb, and lightly squeeze the ear, doing that a couple of time is usually all that is ever needed , :tu:
 
Good you havent got F 10 in may be a bit harsh , a piggy frend of mine told me of vetsect many years ago , and I find it by far the safest and effective
 
F10 was recommended as a cage cleaner not as a treatment for fungal though I believe some vets use a version of it for fungal treatment.
 
Using the shampoo seems to have dried out his ears, they've gone all crusty. :( Was I supposed to rinse the shampoo off afterwards?! My mum said I shouldn't but now I'm wondering if I should have only left the shampoo on for a few minutes.

I'm pretty sure any fungal hasn't spread, because the crustiness only appeared where I applied the shampoo, and his right ear was only crusty for one day. They're not red or irritated-looking, just flaky and dry.

... Actually, looking back on old pictures it seems his ear has always been slightly white on that spot. Oh dear what have I done? How have I not noticed this before? I've dried out his ears for nothing and now I'm really stressed. :mal: :no:

Can I use some coconut oil to help moisturise his ears? I feel like a terrible owner! Poor Caramel! :(
 
I haven't actually got any old close-ups of his left ear, but you can sort of see the whiteness on the tip of his ear here, this picture is a few months old:




And I think here?





I don't even know what to do!
 
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