Treatment for Ringworm and Mites

[CamiSpice]

I have a 3 1/2 month old guinea pig that I recently purchased from a local pet store. About a week and a half after purchasing I noticed she had she had a scab on her lower back. The picture I posted is how it began and when i noticed it. As a concerned owner, I began googling. I Saw that it was possibly ring worm or mites or both. I read that they are normally treated together to cover both. I wanted to treat her at home so I could save a little money on a vet bill as I did so much research before treatment. So I bathed her in Nizoral (anti dandruff shampoo), gave her oral ivermectin (pea size), and monistat 7 (anti fungal) topical. This all was to treat the ring worm and Mites as a combination. When I applied the anti fungal cream she would go crazy and start biting and itching the area. I don't think that Spice's little body could handle the pea sized amount of oral Ivermectin that was given either due to her size. She's a baby. After a few hours she began to act drunk. Walking with a stagger and swaying in place. Not her normal happy self. No vets were open we just had to ride the night out. Not to mention, I couldn't even sleep at night I was so worried about our little piggie Spice, as this was all new to me.

I woke up the next morning and Spice was happy. I kept applying the anti fungal medication. As 48 hours went by I noticed that the scab had become worse and she had begun pulling out her hair, even bleeding a little. It had also traveled to around the right side of her nose from even under her belly. As a new pig owner I began to freak out. Calling all the vets and FINALLY finding someone that would treat an exotic pet. I took Spice in and my vet reassured me that poor Spice had Ring worm and we would treat for Mites as well. I explained everything that I had given her to the vet and he said I was moving in the right direction and I was exactly right. Ivermectin is not the best for her due to how tiny she is so. She weighs 268 grams. Anti fungal cream was his first suggestion to treat the ring worm. I explained to him that she goes crazy and bites it off and asked if there was another option. Here are the treatments for my 268 gram piggie.
*Ringworm Treatment: Terbinafine 1 ML oral, once a day for 21 days. This takes about a month to clear up. It's very contagious as as well.
*Mite Treatment: Revolution topical- dosed for her size, once a month. This will treat the mites and I will also give this to her monthly to be preventative.

We come home clean Spice's cage very well and give her new bedding. Washed her little cloth bed and anything she has touched or played with.
She super happy to be home and be back in her home.
As I knew ring worm was very contagious I checked my daughter for them as well and she has one starting to develop on her arm. So now she is being treated with anti fungal cream. Hers is a very mild case and we are thankful that we caught it sooner than later. My dog who loves Spice dearly, does not have any suspicious marks on him.

I also called the pet store and let them know that they have a ringworm and mite breakout and should treat all their animals.

I tell you my experience as a new piggie owner to let you know it may be a hectic time figuring out what may be wrong but piggies need special and specific treatment to keep them happy and healthy. This was my experience and I hope it can help someone.

 

[Wiebke]

I have a 3 1/2 month old guinea pig that I recently purchased from a local pet store. About a week and a half after purchasing I noticed she had she had a scab on her lower back. The picture I posted is how it began and when i noticed it. As a concerned owner, I began googling. I Saw that it was possibly ring worm or mites or both. I read that they are normally treated together to cover both. I wanted to treat her at home so I could save a little money on a vet bill as I did so much research before treatment. So I bathed her in Nizoral (anti dandruff shampoo), gave her oral ivermectin (pea size), and monistat 7 (anti fungal) topical. This all was to treat the ring worm and Mites as a combination. When I applied the anti fungal cream she would go crazy and start biting and itching the area. I don't think that Spice's little body could handle the pea sized amount of oral Ivermectin that was given either due to her size. She's a baby. After a few hours she began to act drunk. Walking with a stagger and swaying in place. Not her normal happy self. No vets were open we just had to ride the night out. Not to mention, I couldn't even sleep at night I was so worried about our little piggie Spice, as this was all new to me.

I woke up the next morning and Spice was happy. I kept applying the anti fungal medication. As 48 hours went by I noticed that the scab had become worse and she had begun pulling out her hair, even bleeding a little. It had also traveled to around the right side of her nose from even under her belly. As a new pig owner I began to freak out. Calling all the vets and FINALLY finding someone that would treat an exotic pet. I took Spice in and my vet reassured me that poor Spice had Ring worm and we would treat for Mites as well. I explained everything that I had given her to the vet and he said I was moving in the right direction and I was exactly right. Ivermectin is not the best for her due to how tiny she is so. She weighs 268 grams. Anti fungal cream was his first suggestion to treat the ring worm. I explained to him that she goes crazy and bites it off and asked if there was another option. Here are the treatments for my 268 gram piggie.
*Ringworm Treatment: Terbinafine 1 ML oral, once a day for 21 days. This takes about a month to clear up. It's very contagious as as well.
*Mite Treatment: Revolution topical- dosed for her size, once a month. This will treat the mites and I will also give this to her monthly to be preventative.

We come home clean Spice's cage very well and give her new bedding. Washed her little cloth bed and anything she has touched or played with.
She super happy to be home and be back in her home.
As I knew ring worm was very contagious I checked my daughter for them as well and she has one starting to develop on her arm. So now she is being treated with anti fungal cream. Hers is a very mild case and we are thankful that we caught it sooner than later. My dog who loves Spice dearly, does not have any suspicious marks on him.

I also called the pet store and let them know that they have a ringworm and mite breakout and should treat all their animals.

I tell you my experience as a new piggie owner to let you know it may be a hectic time figuring out what may be wrong but piggies need special and specific treatment to keep them happy and healthy. This was my experience and I hope it can help someone.

Hi!

I am very sorry that you are you are another victim of bad pet shop hygiene.

Here is our advice on your customer rights and for the most common pitfalls that can come with pet shop or breeder piggies. If you want to avoid them, a good welfare standard rescue with mandatory quarantine, vet care and pregnancy watch for any incoming sows over 4 weeks is by far the safest place to adopt from. Please be aware that anybody can call themselves a rescue or a breeder without licensing and control, so we can only quarantee for the carefully vetted rescues in our locator on the top bar.
New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites
Recommended Guinea Pig Rescues

You can reclaim any vet cost arising from the pet shop as part of your customer rights, as you have been in effect been sold damaged ware, and you can also complain to your local council over trading standard for the shops knowingly selling infectious animals specifically to families with younger children, which are often much worse affected by ringworm because - like the young small pets they sell - their immune system is not yet fully developed. Ringworm has been a persistent problem in pet shops for years now, which they seem to be unable to get on top of.

Please take the time to carefully read our ringworm hygiene guide. the invisible spores can survive for up to 18 months or in some cases even over 2 years and cause reinfection. Utmost hygiene is paramount. We have in over 12 years found just about every possible angle of transmission the hard way and worked out how to address it. It is well worth the hassle to minimise the risk of a return massively or in many cases, completely; we know from our won experiences that following the advice can really make all difference in order to avoid a long running exasperating saga; especially in the current situation.
Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures

You can find lots more helpful information for new owners in our comprehensive practical and detailed 'how to' guides collection, which specifically addresses all the areas we get the most questions, concerns and problems from new owners. Unlike books, the guides allow us to update and adapt our information constantly. We are also aiming to help learn what is normal and what not, how to understand and interact safely with your guinea pigs, how to care for them to a welfare compatible standard and to spot early signs of illness as well as what to do in case of an emergency: Getting Started - New Owners' Most Helpful Guides

All the best for getting on top of your ringworm and sorry for the bad start.