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Treacle Has A Strange Skin Condition

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BonBon2010

BonBon2010

Adult Guinea Pig
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Last Thursday a dry blemish appeared on her upper eye lid. Friday it got bigger, and so did the eye lid. So I booked her in to see the vet Saturday morning. It was worse still, but the eye itself is fine. The vet prescribed tiacil, she hates it, and squacks her head off.
I have some metacam, so to help with the inflammation, i've been giving her a small amount of that (0.15ml).
The dry patch is now a lot larger, and as it grows, it's taking the fur off :( Tonight, she has very soft droppings, i'm not over concerned, as she's bright in herself, begging for food, and still passing droppings ok. Looks like she'll be going back to the vets tomorrow for a change of medication as I'm convinced the tiacil is only causing her discomfort and not treating the problem. I'm also going to ask for baytril and some more metacam as i'm now out of it and for her to have a thorough check up :(
 
I give her powder probiotics on her nuggets and have syringed some tonight to settle what ever has irritated her.
 
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That's what i'm thinking. She's comfortable tonight with the metacam, and i'm stopping the tiacil as I think we're treating the wrong condition. I she didn't have a good side, i'd think she was depressed. I'm dabbing tree tree cream on the dry ski. As I type, her droppings are now back to normal, she's residing in the pigloo watching as her cage mates bounce off the walls (they're out playing) in ecstasy. One very confused owner.
 
I am going to take a bit of a punt here - whilst it may be that a fungal infection started this from looking at the flaky patch towards the ear, the way the eyelid area has swelled plus the possible scab in the centre of the eyelid could mean that scratching the area has caused a nail puncture and a bacterial infection/abcess to boot. I have never seen anything like this before that is purely fungal localised in such a manner around an eye. In fact it reminds me more of the scabby lips often caused by staphylococcus.

It "could" possibly be an allergic reaction to the tiacil as I have come across some dispute between vets about this medication in the past.... however I have not seen this personally when used for my pigs. My vet now routinely prescribes tiacil rather than fucithalmic for eyes because it contains gentamycin which should knock out even the most multidrug resistant bugs - one of which is only sensitive to gentamycin and is quite common in infecting piggie ears and eyes... I have had 6 separate instances of this bug in various piggies eyes or ears over the last few years.

Please do not stop the tiacil until you have been back to the vets tomorrow.

I think that this is too serious to try a "suck it and see" approach with different meds - you really need to know what you're dealing with here.
I think if it were my pig I would be asking for a skin scraping from a patch towards the ear to check for fungal, but also looking at possibly trying to get a swab/culture for both bacterial and fungal from that area towards the centre....this may mean a whiff of gas is needed to ensure the scab can be removed and a swab taken safely. I would also ask the vet to check the ears for mites or possible abcess. Wit this in mind - please do not put any more tea tree cream on - it could interfere with any culture results/swabs tomorrow and can also cause inflammation and worsen the problem as it is very harsh.

Given the closeness to the eye I am also wondering if it is worth discussing with the vet about whether to try another type of eyedrop, maxitrol, whilst you are awaiting any culture results. Maxitrol contains a steroid, neomycin antifungal and polymyxin b antibacterial so might be worth a shot - not just in the eye but on the affected tissue? You would need to be careful about whether it was still safe to give metacam given the possibility of the steroid being ingested during grooming so an alternative painkiller might be required such as tramadol...the steroid in the eye drops would have the anti-inflammatory action to replace the metacam.

Hope this helps - good luck tomorrow (later today) at the vets.
x
 
Hi Pebbles, thankyou for replying. Those two dark area's in the scabs, just easily peel away from the skin, just like the scabs on the cotton wool and don't cause her any discomfort (and she's usually very dramatic). The camera flash also makes the skin look redder than it actually is too. On saturday, her eye was fully open and checked by the vet, it's started pulling back as the inflammation increased. On that day, there were no scabs, just small dry patches.
She was a little poorly just a couple of weeks ago, sneezing, and runny poo, a course of baytril, metacam and probiotics and she recovered well. I think her immune system has been a bit battered due to that, she's an oldie at 6 and a half too, weighing in at 900g. She had the vet thinking she was a lot younger, he commented looking at her, you would think she was a youngster.
I'm taking the evidence on the cotton wool with me. I'll make the suggestions you have made, thanks xx
 
If it is just fungal I would be reticent about using antifungal creams such as canestan or daktarin so close to the eye. My piggie, currently being treated for a combined/connected ear infection/abcess near the eye, has been given eye ointment to put on the open wound created by the abcess instead of a topical cream. Maxitrol or other eye treatment on the inflamed area may very well be the better option.....and maybe also an imaverol dip rather than antifungal shampoo as that is not harsh on the eyes and is left on the coat.

Please do get the ear checked too - often the first indications of an ear infection are trauma between the ear and eye where it hurts.....and given she has recently had a respiratory infection which is all part of the ear/nose/throat pathway, there may be something still in the ear.
x
 
That's the first place the vet checked after the eye, the ear is really clean. She's slightly better tonight after another dose of soft stools this morning. What I have noticed, is she seems very interested in greens despite not being allowed them for a few days.
She's had a skin scraping done, and has been put on fibreplex (1 ml 3 times a day). Her eye looks a little better tonight, the eye lid's swelling looks to have gone down a bit more, and fur loss, has lessened.
She got a mite injection this morning, just in case it was irritation. The Vet seems to think she's been under the weather, hence immune system a bit weak. She's currently sat cleaning herself in front of the radiator. She's very glued to me tonight, attention seeking all the time.
 
I am pleased to hear the progression is slowing down and that the ear is clean. If she is interested in greens you could try fresh grass or readigrass or dried dandelion herbage, all of which shouldn;t give soft poops. If you PM me your address i can send you up some readigrass as I buy it by the bale!
Are you keeping on with the tiacil?
Has the vet suggested any anti-fungal or are they waiting for the results?
x
 
Pebble said:
I am pleased to hear the progression is slowing down and that the ear is clean. If she is interested in greens you could try fresh grass or readigrass or dried dandelion herbage, all of which shouldn;t give soft poops. If you PM me your address i can send you up some readigrass as I buy it by the bale!
Are you keeping on with the tiacil?
Has the vet suggested any anti-fungal or are they waiting for the results?
x
Click to expand...

The vet suggested carrying on with the tiacil, she refrained from giving any antibiotics at this time, as with Treacle having a grumbly tummy, it would cause more harm than good at this stage. I've weaned her down to a minimum dose of metacam, to see how she's feeling in herself.
She's bright, enthusiastic about any thing green (made harder by the fact her cage mates are getting it and she's getting measly portions). She tried to run off with the fibreplex tube, and thought my finger tasted nice too...
I think she may have turned a corner tonight with her eye lid, as it looked even better, still not there yet, but it's the first day it's not looked buried in eyelid. I built a series of tunnels and fleece for them to play with tonight, she was in the middle of all the chaos, and ended up serenading the village hunk (Biscuit) - she might be an oldie, but she still thinks she's the bee's knees.
 
Well, what can I say? :( I have a bit of a battle on my hands at the moment. Treacle has lost a little bit more weight, despite veterinary intervention, although the metacam and eye drops have helped. She's been bunny hopping a bit, and sleeping a lot more too. Not good signs :(
She's now on recovery (Ox bow), fibreplex (she's not enjoying that as much), baytril and metacam.
The silly moo has injured herself jumping off her bed, and is now limping as well.. not seriously, as she can still weight bare on that leg, but enough to worry me. She's bright in herself, and trying to eat everything but what she should be. We're giving her 48 hours to pick up, or she's going in for a GA to have a proper look at her teeth, she refused to let the vet look tonight, she was being cantankerous.
I said to the vet, I think she's really masking something nasty, I don't believe her teeth are involved in this, as she is still entertaining hay/timothy hay, but just not enough, and i'm finding it frustrating :(

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:( I know she's an oldie, and to make 6 and a half is fab to start with, but i secretly hoped she'd get over 7 before her health started to fail :'(
 
Recovery food - check!
Metacam - check!
Baytril - check!
Fibreplex - check!
Treacle? Too busy eating her honey stick...
Big difference tonight, she's eating her droppings, and has a lot more energy about her.

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Just 24 hours after starting baytril and recovery, Treacle seems to have turned a positive corner :) I've just found her having a good drink of water, and thinking about eating the nuggets too (peering in the bowl and sniffing). This really leans towards maybe an infection?
 
Update: Since Tuesday night, treacle has improved immensely. Her droppings are properly formed, she's eating fairly well, and is having 22-25 mls spread between 4-5 sittings in the evening (she spits it out otherwise), and one 10 ml in the morning, before work, of CC. I have continued the tiacil, but it seems to have had little effect on the bare skin, and there's no ringworm or mite problem.
The vet, is more concerned at this time about her weight. Dropping wise, they're near normal size, and she is eating them. She's able to eat her greens again, with no ill effect, and I have re-introduced readi-grass (she's been having issues digesting it) and that too is digesting well, no soft poos. She's to finish her baytril tomorrow, and continue metacam over the weekend along with the fibreplex. She's to be re-weighed on Tuesday.
I have a question though, how long after a digestive upset and being really poorly, do they start to gain weight again? She's had another drop of 30g, but the vet did say that might be to do with the fact she's pooing properly again, and is only just starting to get back to her usual self.
She's bright and happy, eating everything on sight, and i've witnessed her enjoying her hay, timothy hay, and herbal hay (trying everything at the moment). I'm going to encourage her to eat broccoli and spinach to the vets advise.
 
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