Fungal... oh my so many treatments out there

[Curlycritter]

Hi

ok So i took 2 of my piggies to the vets and my piggy has possible ringworm..

now the vets at the time didnt have anything in to treat her.. ive been scouring the forum and seen so many remedies for preventing and curing it.

At the moment I'm treating my piggy (and her cage mate) with Beaphar anti fungal spray that treats ringworm.. and spraying/cleaning their cage with Iodine dilutted in water (the vet recommended iodine as apparently that kills the ringworm)

tbh i found more people on here know far more than a vets! she knew nothing much about ringworm and didnt know what to suggest to clean the cage with (except iodine). then i came across on here.. "Virkon tablets" which i shall buy! although i have seen they do sachets so i shall buy them and use it in a spray bottle i think now for all my disenfectants.

then I came across all these other remedies on here:

* Caneston 1% cream for atheletes foot
* Gorgeous guinea remedies i.e shampoo
* Nizoral
* sporal-D shampoo
* Loads more..

is this just peoples own methods that work.. I'm just so confused with all the remedies out there :{ Shall I just stick with what iam doing..

Iam applying the spray on my rubber gloves then rubbing it straight onto the bald patch.. or would a cream be better..

is it best to bathe all my other piggies in Nizoral as a prevention?

Sorry all the questions..:x

Esther x

 

[mellyb]

Caneston 1% cream is used to treat fungal infections. Got some here and just read the leaflet, ringworm is listed as one of the infections it's used for

 

[Curlycritter]

Caneston 1% cream is used to treat fungal infections. Got some here and just read the leaflet, ringworm is listed as one of the infections it's used for

oh brilliant many thanx xx>>> I shall..

Do i just apply it to the effected area... I also realised i have some Manuka and Neem Shampoo allready here so iam going to bathe my piggies in this... then when dried apply the cream.. so once, twice daily? on applying the cream?

Esther x

 

[mellyb]

Yes only apply it to affected areas. Not sure about how many times a day though. For humans they say 2-3 times each day. I'm sure one of the other forum members on here will be able to help you with that

 

[Curlycritter]

I had a quick browse through here and it says twice daily.

Thankyou i shall get some 2moro xx>>>


Esther x

 

[Pebble]

Epic fungal post

Hi there

I am a microbiologist who has had piggies for years and had her own share of fungal infections/ringworm.....

OK ..so your piggie may have ringworm...what to do?

Firstly...have you had a culture done and confirmed it is ringworm by the vet? That is VERY important in order to decide treatment. There are other fungal conditions that affect a piggies skin (not common) but they do exist and therefore it is important to identify the fungus causing the problem.

Secondly your treatment/approach will depend upon the severity of the infection and whether your piggie in in contact with other pigs.


In young (adolescent)pigs..ringworm often first shows as a patch on the nose and the skin then sloughs off....this can be spot treated .

In older pigs it can spread and cause larger bald patches anywhere on the body...this needs a more systmec treatment

The most important thing to look for is a white "fluff" on the skin surface before it sloughs/is scratched away..that is a good indication of ringworm

What to do?
If it is not bad..(ie a patch) .and doesn;t seem to be spreading within 48 hours...then
an antifungal bath in Sporal D or Nizoral shampoo together followed by application of canestan (without steroids) or surolan to the open wound area should suffice (canestan twice daily; baths every week......continue for 3 weeks minimum)


If it is more severe you need to talk to your vet about a an oral systemic antifungal medicine (itrafungol, griseofulvin) daily for 2-3 weeks. This is not for pregnant sows..or babies under 3 months.

As far as hygiene is concerned...think that every time you go near and touch infected guinea they have a dye on them that automatically transfers onto your fingers/skin/clothing.(we call this secondary spread)

It is important you don;t then touch another guinea or yourself as ringworm is contagious between piggies but also to humans/cats/dogs....etc. Aprons/gloves are all good barrier measures to prevent spread.


Now lets talk about the fungus - it exists in two forms....the vegetative (hyphae) which can be knocked out by disinfectants etc .....and the spores (the reproductive bits that spread) that are VERY difficult to knock out as they are very resistant.

Most disinfectants eg Virkon etc...will knockout the vegetative form (providing they say "fungicidal" on their labels). Very very few will knock out the spores...which are the MAIN problem....(look for "sporicidal" on the label)

If you have plastic cages....you can disinfect and get rid of the spores with bleach...contact time with 2% bleach must be 10minutes or more then rinse thoroughly.

With wooden cages it is more difficult. First of all you need to vaccum the cages free of all dust. The you need to wash with fairy liquid or other detergent to lift off the dirt........then you need to bleach them with 2% bleach and really scrub it in and leave for 10 mins minimum. Then rinse several times with water.

(I have also found Jeyes fluid to be pretty good with fungal decontamination)

As far as other piggies are concerned...bathe them at the same time in anti-fungal Sporal D or Nizoral.Clean all cages rigorously according to the above.

Prevent secondary spread by using gloves/prons etc and being careful about washing your hands etc between each piggie

Gorgoues guineas is more a preventative measure (or used for pigs with low level infection)......so might be suitable for the rest of your herd that are not in direct contact..But with full blown infection you will probably need something a bit more substantial for those infected/in direct contact......such as the disinfectants/shampoos etc mentioned above

HTH

Any problems/questions then please Pm me for my phone number

x