Bald dry spot below ear

[Charlottibiscot]

This is Mabel, she is 4 months old and lives with her sister, Hoggy.

Today I noticed this bald spot below her ear with a spot of dried blood.
It's a very rough texture and has a silvery sheen as opposed to the rest of her pinkish skin.

I haven't seen her itching, and when I press and touch the area she doesn't react or seem to be in pain (but she is a very tolerant and docile lady). I've only noticed this abnormality today, and I hold her every day so it can't have been around for more than a few days or I would've noticed it.

What should I do and what could it be?

Thanks!

(just to say- in the first picture I wasn't pulling her head at all, just pushing up the skin around the top of her head slightly!)

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please have your piggy seen by a vet for diagnosis and the correct prescribed treatment.

there is a possibility that this is a ringworm fungal infection, so please exercise stringent hygiene as it can be passed to humans.

this guide below explains what you need to do in terms of hygiene.

Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures

if you could please add your location to your profile as it will then appear on every post you make. this helps us to tailor our advice accordingly

 

[Wiebke]

You can reclaim any vet cost from the pet shop you bought your piggies from if it comes up within 2-3 weeks of purchase in the UK or 1 month in the USA or Canada as part of your customer rights for having been sold faulty ware as exposure and infect must have happened at the shop. More details in this link here: New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites

Please be aware that ringworm is highly contagious and is the single most common problem to jump species. the invisible spores can stay viable up to 2 years and they are shed in their thousands in an acute outbreak. A vet grade disinfectant, utmost hygiene and the proper treatment are absolutely crucial in not turning this into a long running saga. Ringworm is not the problem you can get away with skimping.
Please follow the advice in our very practical step-by-step hygiene guide. I nearly 15 years of existence we have had time to find all the various ways of how ringworm can be passed on and passed back - and also how to address every possible angle. It is much easier, cheaper and less frustrating to do this properly and get past it in two weeks once and for all.
Here is the link again: Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures

PS: It would help us to help if you please added your country to location in your account details (accessed via clicking on your username). We have members and enquiries from literally all over the world with very different climates, backgrounds, vet access and medical brands, all of which we can take into account when personalising an answer. otherwise you'll get our basic standard response. Thank you.

 

[Charlottibiscot]

You can reclaim any vet cost from the pet shop you bought your piggies from if it comes up within 2-3 weeks of purchase in the UK or 1 month in the USA or Canada as part of your customer rights for having been sold faulty ware as exposure and infect must have happened at the shop. More details in this link here: New guinea pigs: Sexing, vet checks&customer rights, URI, ringworm and parasites

Please be aware that ringworm is highly contagious and is the single most common problem to jump species. the invisible spores can stay viable up to 2 years and they are shed in their thousands in an acute outbreak. A vet grade disinfectant, utmost hygiene and the proper treatment are absolutely crucial in not turning this into a long running saga. Ringworm is not the problem you can get away with skimping.
Please follow the advice in our very practical step-by-step hygiene guide. I nearly 15 years of existence we have had time to find all the various ways of how ringworm can be passed on and passed back - and also how to address every possible angle. It is much easier, cheaper and less frustrating to do this properly and get past it in two weeks once and for all.
Here is the link again: Ringworm: Hygiene And Pictures

PS: It would help us to help if you please added your country to location in your account details (accessed via clicking on your username). We have members and enquiries from literally all over the world with very different climates, backgrounds, vet access and medical brands, all of which we can take into account when personalising an answer. otherwise you'll get our basic standard response. Thank you.

thank you for your replies, very helpful! Whilst I hope it's not ringworm, looking at pictures online, it looks incredibly similar We have some hydrocortizone and myconosol mix treatment which is for general ringoworm use in humans and can allegedly be used in guinea pigs, would this be okay to use?

and I live in the UK, I will add that to my profile.

 

[Siikibam]

Please don’t home treat. You need to get your girl to the vet for diagnosis and treatment.

 

[Charlottibiscot]

thank you for your replies, very helpful! Whilst I hope it's not ringworm, looking at pictures online, it looks incredibly similar We have some hydrocortizone and myconosol mix treatment which is for general ringoworm use in humans and can allegedly be used in guinea pigs, would this be okay to use?

and I live in the UK, I will add that to my profile.

Please don’t home treat. You need to get your girl to the vet for diagnosis and treatment.

Going to the vet is hard due to covid atm, but I have a friend who is a vet and is always eager to help out with piggy concerns. I'll talk to her

 

[Siikibam]

They’re still open to see animals and it’s classed as essential travel. Is your friend experienced enough in treating guinea pigs?

 

[Charlottibiscot]

They’re still open to see animals and it’s classed as essential travel. Is your friend experienced enough in treating guinea pigs?

Yes it's one of her specialities. She was even kind enough to put our guinea pigs to sleep who needed it in our garden so she will absolutely know what to do and what is safe

 

[Piggies&buns]

Vets absolutely are still open and doing things pretty much as normal. Please do not put anything on it yourself as you can mask the signs and make diagnosis harder.
Oral treatment is much better than topical creams.
Invest in some F10 disinfectant and start giving the cage and items a thorough clean/throw away things which can’t be cleaned to start killing the spores. They can live in the environment for a long time.

 

[mrcadillac]

I also see some blood. Are you sure that your pet is not injured?

 

[Charlottibiscot]

I also see some blood. Are you sure that your pet is not injured?

She could be, but it doesn't look much like a typical injury does it? Mabel would also be far more likely to injure hoggy because she doesn't let hoggy groom her. The two get along incredibly well so an injury would be strange.

 

[Wiebke]

I also see some blood. Are you sure that your pet is not injured?

Ringworm is itchy, so there can be bloody scabs from scratching or when the exudate crust comes off.

Please have a look at our ringworm guide which contains pictures of how an acute ringworm outbreak runs as it will get worse before it gets better.

Please never home treat any skin problems on spec; for a vet it is like wiping a crime scene. Always have them seen, properly diagnosed and do not fudge around yourself.

Vets in the UK are still following the social distancing protocol and continue to be open. You won't be able to enter the clinic and have to wait in the parking area during examination. The vet will either speak to by phone or come outside for questions and to give you the diagnosis. But any necessary diagnostic services and non-elective treatment/operations are still seen as usual.
Accessing veterinary care during coronavirus/Covid-19 lockdown

 

[VickiA]

Going to the vet is hard due to covid atm, but I have a friend who is a vet and is always eager to help out with piggy concerns. I'll talk to her

Vets are still open despite Covid 19. Many of us have been during this latest lockdown.

 

[Charlottibiscot]

I ended up purchasing a pet safe ringworm cream on the basis of, if it works, it works, if it doesn't, it doesn't. The vet situation is more to do with money. Although we have some money allocated, now isn't the time to be spending, and vets near me are extortionately priced. I applied the cream this morning and it's been 6 hours and it's already going down

Thank you for the help and apologies for not following your advice - every personal situation is different and in this case I think buying a safe cream was the cheapest safe option. Thanks again

 

[Piggies&buns]

As long as you are aware that it’s not the best way to treat it and by not treating with an effective treatment from the beginning (and non prescription creams only target the area you put the cream on rather than killing the spores which can be anywhere on the body) can make it more costly going forward as it will take much longer and be much harder to cure the problem. An oral systemic prescribed treatment will kill all the spores And not just the area in which you put a cream. You really have to hit ringworm hard to get on top of it.

 

[Charlottibiscot]

As long as you are aware that it’s not the best way to treat it and by not treating with an effective treatment from the beginning (and non prescription creams only target the area you put the cream on rather than killing the spores which can be anywhere on the body) can make it more costly going forward as it will take much longer and be much harder to cure the problem. An oral systemic prescribed treatment will kill all the spores And not just the area in which you put a cream. You really have to hit ringworm hard to get on top of it.

Yes, if it keeps coming back we'll go to the vet for an oral solution but I'll try the cream first.

 

[Wiebke]

Yes, if it keeps coming back we'll go to the vet for an oral solution but I'll try the cream first.

Please be aware that it is the shed spores that are the problem, as they will cause the reinfection. You will still need to splash out on a vet grade disinfectant like F10 if you want to be in with a change and washing at higher temperatures. You also have to factor in the fact that it takes 10-14 days between infection and acute outbreak. It is that cycle that you want to break. Cream won't do this - you are just treating the acute area, and not even all of it.

But the choice it yours. You have got the link to our ringworm hygiene guide which has come out of our own experiences with battling ringworm with about any possible treatment and on any level of hygiene.