Fungal oral medication itraconazole - sporonox/itrafungol dose

[ceciliaxdee]

Hi there
I am dealing with a bad fungal outbreak in the herd. 5/7 piggies have it.
Have tried all the topical treatments for 2 months on my piggie that originally got it and it hasn’t resolved. We think it’s ringworm. Vet has taking skin scraping off three in the herd and confirmed fungal spores.

Today I asked for oral medications as I had seen success on the forum. In Australia where I am, oral treatments are not prescribed as commonly for piggies with ringworm. I just wanted to check the dose with anyone who has used sporanox/itrafungol before. I’ve been prescribed 1ml per kg in weight daily for 2 weeks. The concentration is 10mg/ml. Is that the usual dose?
One of my Guinea pigs is 1.25kg so will be doing 1.2mls daily. Not used to going over a 1ml syringe for meds!

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

That’s a huge dose. Let me have a look at what I was recently prescribed. I’m pretty sure it was 0.5ml per kilo body weight

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

The piggy that this was prescribed for is around the same weight as your guinea pig, so we were giving half the amount you have been prescribed. We were giving once per day, but I think that it can be given twice a day for very severe cases, but it's given with caution.

 

[ceciliaxdee]

Thanks

The piggy that this was prescribed for is around the same weight as your guinea pig, so we were giving half the amount you have been prescribed. We were giving once per day, but I think that it can be given twice a day for very severe cases, but it's given with caution.View attachment 225192

Thanks so much for sharing! I’m calling them to ask now and check. How long did it take to clear for your pig on your dose?

 

[ceciliaxdee]

Another photo of my bottle

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

She only had a small amount of fungal, near her mouth and it cleared within a fortnight. I have dealt with much bigger amounts of fungal, such as this case of ringworm. This took about a month to clear, using Itrafungol once daily.

 

[ceciliaxdee]

She only had a small amount of fungal, near her mouth and it cleared within a fortnight. I have dealt with much bigger amounts of fungal, such as this case of ringworm. This took about a month to clear, using Itrafungol once daily.View attachment 225196

I spoke to the vet and they said there’s a range and they went to the higher end of it. But they said they’re ok with me doing the 0.5ml per kg as per your dose. Giving it to my five infected piggies now! Mine has been managed with topical treatments and some of them only have on ears or a patch but it’s just not going!

 

[ceciliaxdee]

This is my piggie who has copped it the worst, started off on her ears and now has spread all down her head and top half back. She’s looking very ratty from the attempts of treating it for the last 3 weeks with topical creams/liquids and her skin is irritated so I’m really hoping the oral kicks it!

 

[ceciliaxdee]

This was my patient zero piggie! Started off with this patch and 2 months later of topical treatment it still hasn’t gone.

 

[ceciliaxdee]

And the rest have these flakey red patches behind their ears and flakey ears.

 

[weepweeps]

I hope the oral medication finally solves this issue. Good luck.

 

[ceciliaxdee]

I hope the oral medication finally solves this issue. Good luck.

Thank you! Me too

 

[ceciliaxdee]

5 out of the 7 piggies have fungal currently. Should I isolate the 2 that haven’t got it? Or at this stage too late and not worth stressing them out further?

They all live together in a very large custom built cage in their own room. It’s been 2 months and those two haven’t caught it yet but my last one to come down with it was about 3 weeks ago.

 

[Wiebke]

That’s a huge dose. Let me have a look at what I was recently prescribed. I’m pretty sure it was 0.5ml per kilo body weight

I have been prescribed for my own ringworm piggies: 0.05 ml per every 100g of body weight. That makes 0.5 ml for 1 kilo once a day.
The concentration on the leaflet with the itrafungol says that it is a concentration of 10mg of itraconazole (the actve ingredient) for each ml of the solution. Please check that. If necessary, call the clinic and ask them to look up the concentration of their product for you. Perhaps your vet has upped the dosage because of the severity of the ringworm in some places?

Not all piggies in a group will necessarily develop acute ringworm but they can act as carriers of spores and can cause a new break out; I had ringworm carried in once by a new piggy that was not affected but had gone through quarantine with their affected family.
The itrafungol will make sure that all ringworm spores directly on the body (acute or latent) are killed off; please use it on all piggies living together.
Additionally you will have to bathe them all at the same time as you conduct a thorough deep clean with F10 disinfectant on the cage and any hard furnishing and a 60 C/140 F wash on any fabrics in contact with ringworm. This is to ensure that no spores sitting loosely in the coat can be carried across and cause a new outbreak.

Be aware that you and your own clothing can act as the transmissor of shed spores so you need to wash any fabric in direct contact at a higher temperature and wash/disinfect your hands/arms between handling each piggy; be aware that the spores often cause an infection on your neck or face in the areas you touch without noticing.
Always start with the unaffected piggies in order to minimise the risk of transmission you yourself pose. I did cause a new outbreak once this way a good decade ago before itrafungol came on scene and I also had carried that batch of ringworm into my group by a piggy that had been with ringworm piggies but had not been affected. Our advice is based on lessons learned the hard way.

Please take the time to read the very detailed hygiene advice in our ringworm guide link below very carefully. It does really work when you thoroughly close off any potential transmission angles. We have learned our tips the hard way but have seen since often enough that our advice does do the trick. The problem with ringworm is its high contagion and the fact that the invisibly tiny spores can stay live for around 2 years and can cause a new outbreak or transmit to humans and other pets at any time if those spores are passed on directly or indirectly. It can really turn into a long running saga.
Topical treatments do work but they do not necessarily address the problem of the spore shedding; especially just creaming. in those cases secondary ringworm patches from picked up spores usually appear all over the body.

However, in my last outbreak 5 years ago (in a guinea pig that had been a vet surrender because of a very advanced case of ringworm due to incorrect treatment) I was able to keep the outbreak confined to the one acutely affected piggy with a single ringworm spot in a room with 31 piggies at the piggies; I also treated their companion so there was no risk that they would ever develop acute symptoms and prolong treatment and quarantine.
I deep cleaned my whole room from top to bottom while my affected pair was in quarantine outside in my hospital cage in an area I would wipe down very easily until 2 weeks after the end of treatment with itrafungal and after one last bath. It was a pain but it did the trick. Ringworm is something you really want to throw the hygiene kitchen sink at. I've never had any more ringworm issues since then in my piggies and my ringworm boy lived for another 4 years totally free of it.

Please never underestimate the spores; the big blind spot with oral treatment are the spores in the coat that have been picked up directly from an acute mate, from the bedding or your clothing or that are left over from an acute outbreak but that are not in direct contact with the skin and can therefore not be reached by the medication. This is a transmission angle that is all too often overlooked. All it takes is just a single spore to restart it all again. At least one bath at the end of any oral treatment in order to wash any spores off is necessary.

Here is the guide link: Ringworm: Hygiene, Care And Pictures

All the best. You can get on top of it.

 

[ceciliaxdee]

I have been prescribed for my own ringworm piggies: 0.05 ml per every 100g of body weight. That makes 0.5 ml for 1 kilo once a day.
The concentration on the leaflet with the itrafungol says that it is a concentration of 10mg of itraconazole (the actve ingredient) for each ml of the solution. Please check that. If necessary, call the clinic and ask them to look up the concentration of their product for you. Perhaps your vet has upped the dosage because of the severity of the ringworm in some places?

Not all piggies in a group will necessarily develop acute ringworm but they can act as carriers of spores and can cause a new break out; I had ringworm carried in once by a new piggy that was not affected but had gone through quarantine with their affected family.
The itrafungol will make sure that all ringworm spores directly on the body (acute or latent) are killed off; please use it on all piggies living together.
Additionally you will have to bathe them all at the same time as you conduct a thorough deep clean with F10 disinfectant on the cage and any hard furnishing and a 60 C/140 F wash on any fabrics in contact with ringworm. This is to ensure that no spores sitting loosely in the coat can be carried across and cause a new outbreak.

Be aware that you and your own clothing can act as the transmissor of shed spores so you need to wash any fabric in direct contact at a higher temperature and wash/disinfect your hands/arms between handling each piggy; be aware that the spores often cause an infection on your neck or face in the areas you touch without noticing.
Always start with the unaffected piggies in order to minimise the risk of transmission you yourself pose. I did cause a new outbreak once this way a good decade ago before itrafungol came on scene and I also had carried that batch of ringworm into my group by a piggy that had been with ringworm piggies but had not been affected. Our advice is based on lessons learned the hard way.

Please take the time to read the very detailed hygiene advice in our ringworm guide link below very carefully. It does really work when you thoroughly close off any potential transmission angles. We have learned our tips the hard way but have seen since often enough that our advice does do the trick. The problem with ringworm is its high contagion and the fact that the invisibly tiny spores can stay live for around 2 years and can cause a new outbreak or transmit to humans and other pets at any time if those spores are passed on directly or indirectly. It can really turn into a long running saga.
Topical treatments do work but they do not necessarily address the problem of the spore shedding; especially just creaming. in those cases secondary ringworm patches from picked up spores usually appear all over the body.

However, in my last outbreak 5 years ago (in a guinea pig that had been a vet surrender because of a very advanced case of ringworm due to incorrect treatment) I was able to keep the outbreak confined to the one acutely affected piggy with a single ringworm spot in a room with 31 piggies at the piggies; I also treated their companion so there was no risk that they would ever develop acute symptoms and prolong treatment and quarantine.
I deep cleaned my whole room from top to bottom while my affected pair was in quarantine outside in my hospital cage in an area I would wipe down very easily until 2 weeks after the end of treatment with itrafungal and after one last bath. It was a pain but it did the trick. Ringworm is something you really want to throw the hygiene kitchen sink at. I've never had any more ringworm issues since then in my piggies and my ringworm boy lived for another 4 years totally free of it.

Please never underestimate the spores; the big blind spot with oral treatment are the spores in the coat that have been picked up directly from an acute mate, from the bedding or your clothing or that are left over from an acute outbreak but that are not in direct contact with the skin and can therefore not be reached by the medication. This is a transmission angle that is all too often overlooked. All it takes is just a single spore to restart it all again. At least one bath at the end of any oral treatment in order to wash any spores off is necessary.

Here is the guide link: Ringworm: Hygiene, Care And Pictures

All the best. You can get on top of it.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. We did rescue a new piggie who is one of the unaffected ones in November last year so I wonder if the spores came in from him. However I am very suspicious of a hay bale we got around the time of the outbreak.
I bathed the whole herd in Malaseb 2 weeks ago and have just started the oral meds today and planning to do a whole cage clean and bath them all in Malaseb tomorrow in addition to the oral meds! 2 weeks ago I also started washing everything in hot water and with an antifungal laundry detergent too. I always use f10 and have a custom built c&c cage but I think I will throw the existing base and build a new one in case the spores are all in it.

Yes the concentration is the same as you used, I checked the vet and I think he just thought go harder as I have been treating topically for so long already but I definitely feel more comfortable starting at the 0.5ml per kg since there is a risk of liver issues. The vet was happy to go down to the 0.5ml/kg dose. And the flaky skin was clearing with topical treatments slightly but I think I am dealing with a reinfection issue and spores everywhere sigh.

My vet told me not to treat the two that are unaffected and not showing symptoms with the oral meds. Do you think just Malaseb bathing the ones without any symptoms while oral treating the ones with an infection will be sufficient?

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. We did rescue a new piggie who is one of the unaffected ones in November last year so I wonder if the spores came in from him. However I am very suspicious of a hay bale we got around the time of the outbreak.
I bathed the whole herd in Malaseb 2 weeks ago and have just started the oral meds today and planning to do a whole cage clean and bath them all in Malaseb tomorrow in addition to the oral meds! 2 weeks ago I also started washing everything in hot water and with an antifungal laundry detergent too. I always use f10 and have a custom built c&c cage but I think I will throw the existing base and build a new one in case the spores are all in it.

Yes the concentration is the same as you used, I checked the vet and I think he just thought go harder as I have been treating topically for so long already but I definitely feel more comfortable starting at the 0.5ml per kg since there is a risk of liver issues. The vet was happy to go down to the 0.5ml/kg dose. And the flaky skin was clearing with topical treatments slightly but I think I am dealing with a reinfection issue and spores everywhere sigh.

My vet told me not to treat the two that are unaffected and not showing symptoms with the oral meds. Do you think just Malaseb bathing the ones without any symptoms while oral treating the ones with an infection will be sufficient?

The ringworm is more likely coming from the affected piggy and shed spores; especially if the ringworm hasn't started in the face. Having an outbreak in the months after is pretty typical. Reinfection can happen for around 2 years or even a little longer. I had it happen again just when I thought I would be out of the woods after 18 months with my big outbreak in 2012. Thankfully, by the second time round itrafungol had come into use and I was able to get on top of it good. having oral treatment was such a blessing compared to all the creaming and bathing 16 piggies every three days. By then, I'd also learned a lot from my mistakes and practical experiences with different methods and their effectiveness during the first outbreak and any resulting immediate transmissions.

Personally, I do give any cage companions of affected piggies 5 days of itrafungol, just to be on the safe side. They will also need a bath to make sure that they are not carrying any spores across.
The acutely affected piggies may need the full 3 weeks course of it, depending on how bad it is and how well they react to the sporonox. My Barri made a full recovery on the lower dosage despite the first vet seeing him wanting to euthanize him.
You can do the 3 weeks in one go or in the cat interval treatment style of one week on and one week off if you have concerns about the liver and with very advanced cases - the interval is more effective than high dosages.
The first round/week should hopefully stop the acute ringworm in its tracks in any healthy piggies. You may want to give your piggies an extra bath and deep clean after the first week once the acute symptoms have stopped in order to deal with the spores issue as soon as the production has stopped and while all piggies are still fully protected by the sporonox medication.

Occasionally, itraconazole is not effective if piggies have underlying health issues. In this case, a higher dosage may be indicated but you need to take that up with your vet. A fully working immune system is key for piggies to be able to fend off ringworm.
I would recommend that you review your hay based diet to see whether there can be improvements made as an added long term natural defence that will help your piggies fend off any further spores and make any long treatment course with sporonox unnessary. Ringworm is an opportunistic illness like skin parasites and URI that mainly affects piggies in less than ideal care but it can be carried into a healthy population although some piggies will be able to fend it off/control it with their own natural defences.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

PS: Keep any leftover sporonox for another 6 months so you can step in with treatment asap if you notice a new outbreak in one of your piggies until you can see a vet for more; that way it will never, ever get as bad again as what you are dealing with now - just in case.

 

[ceciliaxdee]

T

The ringworm is more likely coming from the affected piggy and shed spores; especially if the ringworm hasn't started in the face. Having an outbreak in the months after is pretty typical. Reinfection can happen for around 2 years or even a little longer. I had it happen again just when I thought I would be out of the woods after 18 months with my big outbreak in 2012. Thankfully, by the second time round itrafungol had come into use and I was able to get on top of it good. having oral treatment was such a blessing compared to all the creaming and bathing 16 piggies every three days. By then, I'd also learned a lot from my mistakes and practical experiences with different methods and their effectiveness during the first outbreak and any resulting immediate transmissions.

Personally, I do give any cage companions of affected piggies 5 days of itrafungol, just to be on the safe side. They will also need a bath to make sure that they are not carrying any spores across.
The acutely affected piggies may need the full 3 weeks course of it, depending on how bad it is and how well they react to the sporonox. My Barri made a full recovery on the lower dosage despite the first vet seeing him wanting to euthanize him.
You can do the 3 weeks in one go or in the cat interval treatment style of one week on and one week off if you have concerns about the liver and with very advanced cases - the interval is more effective than high dosages.
The first round/week should hopefully stop the acute ringworm in its tracks in any healthy piggies. You may want to give your piggies an extra bath and deep clean after the first week once the acute symptoms have stopped in order to deal with the spores issue as soon as the production has stopped and while all piggies are still fully protected by the sporonox medication.

Occasionally, itraconazole is not effective if piggies have underlying health issues. In this case, a higher dosage may be indicated but you need to take that up with your vet. A fully working immune system is key for piggies to be able to fend off ringworm.
I would recommend that you review your hay based diet to see whether there can be improvements made as an added long term natural defence that will help your piggies fend off any further spores and make any long treatment course with sporonox unnessary. Ringworm is an opportunistic illness like skin parasites and URI that mainly affects piggies in less than ideal care but it can be carried into a healthy population although some piggies will be able to fend it off/control it with their own natural defences.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

PS: Keep any leftover sporonox for another 6 months so you can step in with treatment asap if you notice a new outbreak in one of your piggies until you can see a vet for more; that way it will never, ever get as bad again as what you are dealing with now - just in case.

Thanks so much. I think I will treat the other two just in case as one already has slightly red skin today and it looks like it could potentially turn into fungal. My piggies are mostly coming up to 4 years old now. Interestingly my IC piggie is the one that doesn’t have any ringworm symptoms at all yet. Do you know whether I need to be careful with the oral med and her IC?

I do feed fresh veg twice a day. Along with a tablespoon of pellets per pig and also unlimited grass hay. I’ve been giving vitamin c and echinacea but still this ringworm outbreak continues

 

[Wiebke]

T

Thanks so much. I think I will treat the other two just in case as one already has slightly red skin today and it looks like it could potentially turn into fungal. My piggies are mostly coming up to 4 years old now. Interestingly my IC piggie is the one that doesn’t have any ringworm symptoms at all yet. Do you know whether I need to be careful with the oral med and her IC?

I do feed fresh veg twice a day. Along with a tablespoon of pellets per pig and also unlimited grass hay. I’ve been giving vitamin c and echinacea but still this ringworm outbreak continues

Once they have ringworm, all you can do is treat it properly and concentrate on eliminating the spores and any chances of re-infection so it is not turning into an endless saga.

Having had IC piggies myself during ringworm outbreaks, it doesn't interfere or interact with itraconazole. If you have ringworm around for long enough, then chances are high that even the initially unaffected piggies will eventually get it from picking up shed spores.
Hopefully, the spore production will have stopped for good in a week's time if all goes well and the sporonox will prevent any new patches from developing. The time between contracting ringworm and the acute outbreak is 10-14 days. As long as you can catch any companions during that period, they will never come down with it.

Just hang in there and give the sporonox once daily. I would recommend that you plan a bath for all and a deep clean of the premises in a week's time when the spore production has stopped in order to prevent any further secondary infections from loose spores. The real challenge with ringworm comes from eliminating the spores.
Have you ordered F10? If you have more piggies, then it pays to get the concentrate which will last you for ages. I strongly recommend a deep clean every 3-6 months after a major ringworm outbreak. F10 is the only disinfectant proven to kill ringworm spores. It is your best investment, believe me!
Mine has also come in very handy during the initial Covid outbreak when I had to shield my hub, so every bit coming into the house or being touched had to be disinfected in order to minimise the risk of exposure.

 

[ceciliaxdee]

Once they have ringworm, all you can do is treat it properly and concentrate on eliminating the spores and any chances of re-infection so it is not turning into an endless saga.

Having had IC piggies myself during ringworm outbreaks, it doesn't interfere or interact with itraconazole. If you have ringworm around for long enough, then chances are high that even the initially unaffected piggies will eventually get it from picking up shed spores.
Hopefully, the spore production will have stopped for good in a week's time if all goes well and the sporonox will prevent any new patches from developing. The time between contraction ringworm and the acute outbreak is 10-14 days. As long as you can catch any companions during that period, they will never come down with it.

Just hang in there and give the sporonox once daily. I would recommend that you plan a bath for all and a deep clean of the premises in a week's time when the spore production has stopped in order to prevent any further secondary infections from loose spores. The real challenge with ringworm comes from eliminating the spores.
Have you ordered F10? If you have more piggies, then it pays to get the concentrate which will last you for ages. I strongly recommend a deep clean every 3-6 months after a major ringworm outbreak. F10 is the only disinfectant proven to kill ringworm spores. It is your best investment, believe me!
Mine has also come in very handy during the initial Covid outbreak when I had to shield my hub, so every bit coming into the house or being touched had to be disinfected in order to minimise the risk of exposure.

Yes I have f10! It’s what I have always used when I do the weekly whole cage clean. They get daily spot cleans when I pick up their poopies too. Yep there’s been a new piggie come down with it every 2 weeks almost exactly so it’s definitely the spore spreading. I really wonder how they got it as my herd is established! I am now washing all clothes and bedding in hot water with an antifungal laundry rinse too. I’m thinking I’ll probably rewash some of their bedding in hot water that was washed in the early stages pre extra precaution just in case!

Today I sprayed everything with f10 like crazy and deep cleaned most of the room. All the piggies got a Malaseb bath and I’ll do another one next week to try and stop the cycle. That’s very good to know regarding the IC piggie thank you.

Here’s a photo of one of my poor potatoes who has it bad post bath. Hopefully the sporanox kicks in and it settles soon. On one of my more mildly infected piggies, her ear was less red this morning so that was hopeful!

 

[Wiebke]

Yes I have f10! It’s what I have always used when I do the weekly whole cage clean. They get daily spot cleans when I pick up their poopies too. Yep there’s been a new piggie come down with it every 2 weeks almost exactly so it’s definitely the spore spreading. I really wonder how they got it as my herd is established! I am now washing all clothes and bedding in hot water with an antifungal laundry rinse too. I’m thinking I’ll probably rewash some of their bedding in hot water that was washed in the early stages pre extra precaution just in case!

Today I sprayed everything with f10 like crazy and deep cleaned most of the room. All the piggies got a Malaseb bath and I’ll do another one next week to try and stop the cycle. That’s very good to know regarding the IC piggie thank you.

Here’s a photo of one of my poor potatoes who has it bad post bath. Hopefully the sporanox kicks in and it settles soon. On one of my more mildly infected piggies, her ear was less red this morning so that was hopeful!

It does look like a pink ringworm ring but glad that the malaseb is helping. The sporonox will hopefully help to clear off the rest. Just hang on in there for another two weeks and you should hopefully be past the acute stage. Make sure that you also clean the whole cage, soak all grids and connectors as well all firm furniture and the area around the cage during the deep clean. Spores are invisibly tiny and will get everywhere - and yours have had time to spread everywhere unfortunately.

I quite literally cleared out the whole piggy room and deep cleaned the whole room before putting everything back together once it had been washed and the F10 solution had been allowed to dry on all surfaces in the room, the grids, connectors and all hard furnishings. It was a manic day but it was worth it.

Just hang in there and let the sporonox do its job to break the vicious cycle. Then you can seriously start in on the spores. If necessary, do another deep clean and bath once you stop treating your worst affected piggies.

There is going to be a certain risk that somewhere a spore is still around (they are shed in their thousands) that can at some point several months or a couple of years later cause a new outbreak but once you know what to do and how to treat you can get on top of it very quickly before it can become a serious problem.
An extra hospital/quarantine cage with any larger group will come in handy. It doesn't have to be a large one and you can look locally for second-hand rabbit cages for instance but being able to separate an infected piggy with their best friend (to keep the stress down) for successful treatment in quarantine means that you can keep the main cage and the rest of the piggies to one round of deep clean and prevention treatment and keep things from spreading widely in the first place.
Then it is just the one affected piggy with a single ringworm patch and their best friend (who with a little sporonox/itrafungol) will never come down with it you need to deal with, which is much easier to achieve. Getting a ringworm apron or coat you can wash at hot temperatures comes in handy as well. I also still have a set of 'ringworm' fleeces in the attic, just in case... I find fleece with just a cotton towel for underlay very handy for a hospital cage.

I have my own floor cages on a vinyl floor surface for a flexible layout and - after my own ringworm experiences with larger groups - for easier effective deep cleans rather than the old carpet. We did indeed have the whole piggy room floor lined with lino after my last ringworm outbreak and not just the cage area.

 

[ceciliaxdee]

It does look like a pink ringworm ring but glad that the malaseb is helping. The sporonox will hopefully help to clear off the rest. Just hang on in there for another two weeks and you should hopefully be past the acute stage. Make sure that you also clean the whole cage, soak all grids and connectors as well all firm furniture and the area around the cage during the deep clean. Spores are invisibly tiny and will get everywhere - and yours have had time to spread everywhere unfortunately.

I quite literally cleared out the whole piggy room and deep cleaned the whole room before putting everything back together once it had been washed and the F10 solution had been allowed to dry on all surfaces in the room, the grids, connectors and all hard furnishings. It was a manic day but it was worth it.

Just hang in there and let the sporonox do its job to break the vicious cycle. Then you can seriously start in on the spores. If necessary, do another deep clean and bath once you stop treating your worst affected piggies.

There is going to be a certain risk that somewhere a spore is still around (they are shed in their thousands) that can at some point several months or a couple of years later cause a new outbreak but once you know what to do and how to treat you can get on top of it very quickly before it can become a serious problem.
An extra hospital/quarantine cage with any larger group will come in handy. It doesn't have to be a large one and you can look locally for second-hand rabbit cages for instance but being able to separate an infected piggy with their best friend (to keep the stress down) for successful treatment in quarantine means that you can keep the main cage and the rest of the piggies to one round of deep clean and prevention treatment and keep things from spreading widely in the first place.
Then it is just the one affected piggy with a single ringworm patch and their best friend (who with a little sporonox/itrafungol) will never come down with it you need to deal with, which is much easier to achieve. Getting a ringworm apron or coat you can wash at hot temperatures comes in handy as well. I also still have a set of 'ringworm' fleeces in the attic, just in case... I find fleece with just a cotton towel for underlay very handy for a hospital cage.

I have my own floor cages on a vinyl floor surface for a flexible layout and - after my own ringworm experiences with larger groups - for easier effective deep cleans rather than the old carpet. We did indeed have the whole piggy room floor lined with lino after my last ringworm outbreak and not just the cage area.

Yes I have major regrets about not separating at the start, I have dealt with minor fungal in the past which always cleared with topical treatment and did not spread. But unfortunately this strain is just crazy!! I also bathed the whole herd early on when patient zero piggie had the patch on her trunk but I avoided the face and ears as they weren’t symptomatic then and most of them now have it on the ears.

Thank you for your supporting words, I need it! It’s been a journey this past 2 months with trying to cream them daily, it not getting better and a new pig every fortnight coming down with it. After 2-3 got it, I figured it was too late for quarantine.

I will need to take apart the cage, wash and rebuild. It will definitely be a manic day. I have ordered a new base as the existing one is starting to wear. Should I just put the new base in after the week? Also when you say you have a set of ringworm fleeces, do you think I need to throw any of their exisiting bedding or is the hot water wash with antifungal liquid enough?

My cage used to be clear vinyl underlay also on the floor! But it got too hard to clean and I have a bad back. See photo of their old cage

 

[ceciliaxdee]

This is their current set up. It used to be two cages but are now connected into one big L shape. It’s a 2x11 c&c, when I pop the new base in, I’m going to try extend to 2x13.

 

[Wiebke]

Yes I have major regrets about not separating at the start, I have dealt with minor fungal in the past which always cleared with topical treatment and did not spread. But unfortunately this strain is just crazy! I also bathed the whole herd early on when patient zero piggie had the patch on her trunk but I avoided the face and ears as they weren’t symptomatic then and most of them now have it on the ears.

Thank you for your supporting words, I need it! It’s been a journey this past 2 months with trying to cream them daily, it not getting better and a new pig every fortnight coming down with it. After 2-3 got it, I figured it was too late for quarantine.

I will need to take apart the cage, wash and rebuild. It will definitely be a manic day. I have ordered a new base as the existing one is starting to wear. Should I just put the new base in after the week? Also when you say you have a set of ringworm fleeces, do you think I need to throw any of their exisiting bedding or is the hot water wash with antifungal liquid enough?

My cage used to be clear vinyl underlay also on the floor! But it got too hard to clean and I have a bad back. See photo of their old cage

Creaming is unfortunately a very inefficient way of treating because it does not reach the full extent of the already affected area and it does not prevent plenty of spores from being shed onto the cage surface and then being picked up by the same or other guinea pigs - especially in the sleeping areas (face and ears from snuggling down) and around the genitalia via scent marking and on the back from mounting. Once ringworm is fully embedded in a group, you are facing an uphill battle with inefficient methods. That is also the reason why pet shops and breeders (backyard for sale and commercial supply ones) can really struggle so much to get on top of it; the spores are literally everywhere.

Ringworm typically sits at the root of hairs (which need to come out) and typically starts in the face close to sensitive organs. That is why ringworm on the very sensitive ears is such a problem - without hairs it is more difficult to shift with any topical products (= applied to the surface of a problem area), whether that is medicated dips or creams.

However, a systemic oral fungal medication should do the trick, especially in all the difficult to reach and treat spaces like ears or right next to the eyes. For me, itrafungol/sporonox has been a godsent, frankly - just two weeks of once daily medication (no need to cream) and only two deep cleans and baths compared to dipping 16 piggies with a fungicidal bath like malaseb every three days and cleaning out their cage at the same time. I was nonstop laundering when you also include all the towels needed for the dipping... plus all the creaming on the acute spots. And then finding out the hard way that you can transmit ringworm via your own clothes, which at the time nobody had ever considered and going into round two.

You will hopefully make the same discovery. You should notice that the fungal crusts will begin to disappear in about 5 days of treatment and that they will not come up again where they do so. Worse affected areas may take longer.

You are by far not the first owner who has been driven to distraction by ringworm, which is the reason why I did write our ringworm guide in the first place. It got a bit too time consuming for me to write out all the necessary measures every single time as we were getting rather swamped.
Our ringworm guide has now well over 65,000 hits, over half of them just in the last 3-4 years, which tells you something about the international scale of the problem since that is just the tip of the iceberg.

As far as I am concerned, paying out for expensive oral medication and a high grade disinfectant is worth every single penny when it comes to ringworm.

Don't despair - the end is in sight for you, too. Just two more weeks and you will hopefully be able to take a deep breath and step down to keeping an eye on the situation and stepping in promptly if that becomes necessary but with minimal fuss.

 

[ceciliaxdee]

Creaming is unfortunately a very inefficient way of treating because it does not reach the full extent of the already affected area and it does not prevent plenty of spores from being shed onto the cage surface and then being picked up by the same or other guinea pigs - especially in the sleeping areas (face and ears from snuggling down) and around the genitalia via scent marking and on the back from mounting. Once ringworm is fully embedded in a group, you are facing an uphill battle with inefficient methods. That is also the reason why pet shops and breeders (backyard for sale and commercial supply ones) can really struggle so much to get on top of it; the spores are literally everywhere.

Ringworm typically sits at the root of hairs (which need to come out) and typically starts in the face close to sensitive organs. That is why ringworm on the very sensitive ears is such a problem - without hairs it is more difficult to shift with any topical products (= applied to the surface of a problem area), whether that is medicated dips or creams.

However, a systemic oral fungal medication should do the trick, especially in all the difficult to reach and treat spaces like ears or right next to the eyes. For me, itrafungol/sporonox has been a godsent, frankly - just two weeks of once daily medication (no need to cream) and only two deep cleans and baths compared to dipping 16 piggies with a fungicidal bath like malaseb every three days and cleaning out their cage at the same time. I was nonstop laundering when you also include all the towels needed for the dipping... plus all the creaming on the acute spots. And then finding out the hard way that you can transmit ringworm via your own clothes, which at the time nobody had ever considered and going into round two.

You will hopefully make the same discovery. You should notice that the fungal crusts will begin to disappear in about 5 days of treatment and that they will not come up again where they do so. Worse affected areas may take longer.

You are by far not the first owner who has been driven to distraction by ringworm, which is the reason why I did write our ringworm guide in the first place. It got a bit too time consuming for me to write out all the necessary measures every single time as we were getting rather swamped.
Our ringworm guide has now well over 65,000 hits, over half of them just in the last 3-4 years, which tells you something about the international scale of the problem since that is just the tip of the iceberg.

As far as I am concerned, paying out for expensive oral medication and a high grade disinfectant is worth every single penny when it comes to ringworm.

Don't despair - the end is in sight for you, too. Just two more weeks and you will hopefully be able to take a deep breath and step down to keeping an eye on the situation and stepping in promptly if that becomes necessary but with minimal fuss.

Thank you so much! Your ringworm guide was very helpful. I actually read it and saw the fungal oral medicine names and showed my exotic vet! He then consulted with his head vet who is a cat vet (this is a large animal hospital I go to which is handy as large range of meds available! And luckily they have a great exotic vet) and apparently they don’t even try creams for cats anymore and go straight to the oral medicine.

I tried using the canestan liquid also along with the cream, the liquid being absorbed through hairs but still did not get rid of it unfortunately. It’s uncommon still in Australia where I am that the oral medicine is prescribed for piggies, I asked another exotic clinic I know also. I wonder if it’s due to cost. But yes I was like take my money and help my piggies. My exotic vet who has 10+ years experience and cavvy savvy did mention he hasn’t had to prescribe the oral med for a while. Very helpful to have access to international information from piggie owners with a large herd and so much experience.

Did you ever catch ringworm from your piggies? I am now starting to get paranoid about getting it also and don’t really glove up when I’m bathing them or just carrying them. I did when doing the cream/liquid daily treatments though.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much! Your ringworm guide was very helpful. I actually read it and saw the fungal oral medicine names and showed my exotic vet! He then consulted with his head vet who is a cat vet and apparently they don’t even try creams for cats anymore and go straight to the oral medicine.

I tried using the canestan liquid also along with the cream, the liquid being absorbed through hairs but still did not get rid of it unfortunately. It’s uncommon still in Australia where I am that the oral medicine is prescribed for piggies, I asked another exotic clinic I know also. I wonder if it’s due to cost. But yes I was like take my money and help my piggies. My exotic vet who has 10 years or so experience and cavvy savvy did mention he hasn’t had to prescribe the oral med for a while. Very helpful to have access to international information from piggie owners with a large herd and so much experience.

Did you ever catch ringworm from your piggies? I am now starting to get paranoid about getting it also and don’t really glove up when I’m bathing them or just carrying them. I did when doing the cream/liquid daily treatments though.

So glad that my guide has helped to pave the way for you and for other future guinea pigs being seen for ringworm.
I would recommend that you take daily pictures and send them to your treating vet so they can see for themselves what a difference the oral medication makes; nothing like direct feedback to help change minds! The acute stage is over when no new crusts form again and the bare skin stays clear but you should always conduct a full course to make sure that it is not just suppressed but fully gone.
You are also welcome to share our Ringworm Care Guide link with your vets. Many vets are not aware in just how many ways ringworm spores can be transmitted and how important it is to close off all possible angles and the care tips may come in handy.

My Ceri was the first piggy to trial Itrafungol for my piggy savvy vet in January 2012 at my own request in order to be his 'trial guinea pig'. She was suffering from an irregular heartbeat at the time and could not fend off the ringworm with the traditional 3 day interval bathing and creaming, the patch just kept wandering. The oral medication did the trick for her and she lived for another 2 years - and the vet began using itrafungol routinely. The itrafungol also helped me with a couple more secondary outbreaks, one of them 18 months later in order to minimise the impact.

Yes, I have contracted ringworm (actually most long term owners on this forum have at one time or other) - that reference picture in the guide is from me... A spore must have fallen off the end of the sleeve of my pullover when I pushed it back up for a thorough handwash considering it was winter.
If you catch it, use the antifungal cream on yourself and sneak off a little malaseb every third day as well. See a doctor if that doesn't do the trick; ringworm in humans is called tinea. An antibiotic may sometimes help in bad or persistent case; especially with younger children who are more likely to get it more badly since their immune system is still under construction.

 

[ceciliaxdee]

So glad that my guide has helped to pave the way for you and for other future guinea pigs being seen for ringworm.
I would recommend that you take daily pictures and send them to your treating vet so they can see for themselves what a difference the oral medication makes; nothing like direct feedback to help change minds! The acute stage is over when no new crusts form again and the bare skin stays clear but you should always conduct a full course to make sure that it is not just suppressed but fully gone.
You are also welcome to share our Ringworm Care Guide link with your vets. Many vets are not aware in just how many ways ringworm spores can be transmitted and how important it is to close off all possible angles and the care tips may come in handy.

My Ceri was the first piggy to trial Itrafungol for my piggy savvy vet in January 2012 at my own request in order to be his 'trial guinea pig'. She was suffering from an irregular heartbeat at the time and could not fend off the ringworm with the traditional 3 day interval bathing and creaming, the patch just kept wandering. The oral medication did the trick for her and she lived for another 2 years - and the vet began using itrafungol routinely. The itrafungol also helped me with a couple more secondary outbreaks, one of them 18 months later in order to minimise the impact.

Yes, I have contracted ringworm (actually most long term owners on this forum have at one time or other) - that reference picture in the guide is from me... A spore must have fallen off the end of the sleeve of my pullover when I pushed it back up for a thorough handwash considering it was winter.
If you catch it, use the antifungal cream on yourself and sneak off a little malaseb every third day as well. See a doctor if that doesn't do the trick; ringworm in humans is called tinea. An antibiotic may sometimes help in bad or persistent case; especially with younger children who are more likely to get it more badly since their immune system is still under construction.

Thanks so much! I must say the oral med is a lifesaver for my herd too, I was spending so much time daily applying topical treatments. I have developed a small red rash on the back of my hand so am treating with canestan just in case! I also get eczema so could just be a flare but not risking it! So far the ringworm seems to be under control and not getting worst - I will report back at the end of the week.

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks so much! I must say the oral med is a lifesaver for my herd too, I was spending so much time daily applying topical treatments. I have developed a small red rash on the back of my hand so am treating with canestan just in case! I also get eczema so could just be a flare but not risking it! So far the ringworm seems to be under control and not getting worst - I will report back at the end of the week.

All the best.

Oral fungal is very good at stopping ringworm from spreading further within a couple of days; the acute patches take a few more days to heal out.

Very sorry about your hand. Fingers crossed!

 

[ceciliaxdee]

It’s been a week and I did a deep clean of cage and room today! About to bath all piggies but checked them and most are so much better. The red ring has settled and skin less flakey. On my patient zero piggie, her fungal patch has dried out. Is this part of the healing? Looks nasty compared to the others who only have it around ears!

 

[Wiebke]

It’s been a week and I did a deep clean of cage and room today! About to bath all piggies but checked them and most are so much better. The red ring has settled and skin less flakey. On my patient zero piggie, her fungal patch has dried out. Is this part of the healing? Looks nasty compared to the others who only have it around ears!

Hi

Once the fungal exudate crust has come off in the bath (please follow the waiting time on the label of the medicated bath before rinsing), the skin should be clear underneath and the exudate should not be coming back.
This is normal for a hairy area and about par for this stage by which the acute stage of ringworm should be stopped in its tracks by now, at least with the majority of guinea pigs that react to it well. However, please continue with the sporonox to make sure that the ringworm in skin stays gone.
Hopefully all the flaky skin and exudate will come off today and there is only normal bare skin left underneath.

Take a deep breath - you are nearly there now!

You should hopefully not see any more signs of ringworm in the coming weeks and can go on observation apart from the continuing medication. Because you have had ringworm for so long and so badly, I would recommend another deep clean and bath in two weeks' time for all piggies, just to make as sure of the reinfection risk from any spores as possible.

But now you know why we are such fans of oral fungal treatment despite it being so much more expensive - but it means only one vet trip (the cost of several consultations will also add up) and so much less hassle and stress at home.

 

[ceciliaxdee]

Hi

Once the fungal exudate crust has come off in the bath (please follow the waiting time on the label of the medicated bath before rinsing), the skin should be clear underneath and the exudate should not be coming back.
This is normal for a hairy area and about par for this stage by which the acute stage of ringworm should be stopped in its tracks by now, at least with the majority of guinea pigs that react to it well. However, please continue with the sporonox to make sure that the ringworm in skin stays gone.
Hopefully all the flaky skin and exudate will come off today and there is only normal bare skin left underneath.

Take a deep breath - you are nearly there now!

You should hopefully not see any more signs of ringworm in the coming weeks and can go on observation apart from the continuing medication. Because you have had ringworm for so long and so badly, I would recommend another deep clean and bath in two weeks' time for all piggies, just to make as sure of the reinfection risk from any spores as possible.

But now you know why we are such fans of oral fungal treatment despite it being so much more expensive - but it means only one vet trip (the cost of several consultations will also add up) and so much less hassle and stress at home.

Thanks for your guidance! You were right, the deep cleaning day was intense and I was exhausted by the end of it! I am due for a vet check at the end of the second week of meds so hopefully much more improved, vet said either way at two weeks we’ll need to do pulse therapy (like one week off then on again) if needed.

Oh gosh I’m so happy to see progress on most of them. One of them still looks quite red so I’m hoping this extra week knocks it for her. Got the flaky skin off my piggie with the patch so hope it doesn’t come back!

The next deep clean and bath, should that be at the end of their treatment when I take them off the oral meds? Or just in another 2 weeks either way?

Yes the oral med is saving me hours every week! And less stress for the piggies also.