Ringworm- positive test

[woo]

I took one of my new piggies –Nibbles to the vet a couple of weeks ago thinking she had mites and the vet thought it maybe ringworm and took some hair samples for testing, had the results today and it’s positive.

She gave me a couple of options and as it’s just on her nose at the mo I have to apply ‘Surolan’ to the affected area twice a day for 2- 3 weeks, and spray the cage regularly with something (can’t remember the name) i am getting from the vet tomorrow.

She said I have to get rid of ALL fleece, beds, towels, washing won’t get rid of the spores! so put just newspaper in so it can be replaced daily....poor piggies they will hate that

She was in two minds about me separating my two piggies as they have already had contact, but I’m not so sure, I know they won’t like being alone but is it best?

This is a real set back as they are still under 3 months old and are just starting to get used to being handled.

Does anyone have experience of ringworm?

 

[Lady Kelly]

oh bless I don't have experience of it but you will need to wash your hands thoroughly after every contact as it can be passed on to humans too. Hopefully the regular handling to administer the cream will help nibbles become more acquainted to you. I know someone on here once told me their 14 day routine of treatments to get rid of ringworm which had never failed them so I hope they read this

 

[danone]

hi , i had the same with my little boy/boys
one had it over his eye and it spreads quick so act fast ! i applied surolan twice a day for a week then added 2 more days to be sure,it worked a treat and the hair grows back quick ! i also had to get rid of all toys and tubes etc,clean all the cage and run in fact clean everything ! i kept them together and just kept an eye on the other one as the stress of separation can bring it on more i was told !
i also got some nizoral anti fungal shampoo to bath both pigs in but did not use it and touch wood have not needed it.

good luck for you and the piggs



ps mine were young also.x

 

[danone]

also yes get some hand sanitizer for before and after and dont worry about the handling thing,just keep them sweet with veggie treats they soon forget about the treatment after they are better, also not sure about the 2-3 weeks as i only used it for 9 days ?

 

[Pippa9701]

Some of my pigs had a bout of ringworm earlier this year, one baby sow got it and passed it on to all of the others including boys just before they were separated.

All of the infected ones were on Itrafungol for 2 whole alternate weeks, we used canestan cream and daktacort as they are good for ringworm, I also bathed them in Nizarol and they came out ok, I felt awful having to give treatment to the babies as they were only 3-4 weeks old.

I don't believe that washing clothing or bedding doesn't get rid of spores, the items do need to be washed at a high temperature and add some fungal treatment to the detergent. I use trigene every time I wash my guinea pig items and clothes from cleaning out. I used bleach solution for their cages and left it for a good half hour to soak in.

It's a long process and not a nice thing to be faced with but it always works out in the end.

You'll also be better off with lots of pairs of disposable rubber gloves for applying creams etc, keeps infection from spreading as much

 

[woo]

Thanks everyone for your advice

I have not heard of trigene before, where do you buy it from? and is it safe to do my own washing in the machine after using it?

I have been tearing up lots of paper ready for their clean out in the morning, but they are going to need some sort of hidaway each, I am guessing the plastic ones would be ok if i wash them every day or so?

 

[Pippa9701]

It is safe to wash your own clothes in the washing machine afterwards, I usually add it to the tablet drawer with the tablets but I don't think it would harm going in the drum with everything, I bought mine cheapest from here, but you can get it on the internet if you type it into google search

http://www.thepetmedicinecompany.co...gene-Advance-Lavender-Disinfectant-TRI007.php

You can buy smaller bottles but it works out cheaper to buy 1l bottle and then you get lots of uses out of it.

You just dilute it to the solution you require with water, I use it with those big 2l sprayers so I think I put 20ml in (the instructions tell you quantities and it comes with a measuring bit at the top), it's completely animal safe. I wash all the guinea pig things in it including bowls, toys etc

I would think plastic hide-aways would be ok and then you just leave them to soak for half hour or so in either a trigene or bleach solution.

 

[woo]

Thanks Pippa

I asked the vet about it today and they use it for wiping down but couldn't sell me any, they did say that Manor Pharmacy does is and they can order me some, 1ltr for about £18 but they said it wouldn't get rid of the ringworm spores anyway.

I got the spray cleaner Imavarol from the vets so have cleaned Everything and thrown out all the fleece just in case. I am going to put down a small piece of new fleece everyday for them to sleep on and the rest will be paper, bless them, they don't like it at all.

I have wiped down the floors and cupboards with diluted bleach as well so there is not much else i can do at the mo......apart from a large glass of wine

 

[Guinea-wiggles]

Depending on where you are in Derbyshire, have you tried a local horse merchants (such as Irvines) they usually sell stuff like that.

 

[Pebble]

As well as trigene, you can also use F10SC disinfectant as this is active against fungal spores ( trigene states it is sporicidal but doesn;t actually say if it is active against both bacterial spores AND fungal spores as well - the latter are more difficult to get rid of and there are very few disinfectants available that can wipe out fungal spores..most that claim to be fungicidal are only active against the vegetative form of the fungus)

F10 is available from quite a few on-line petshops if you google it

HTH
x

 

[Lauren]

Experience with ring worm

My newest girl (Peaches) had a case of ringworm which she has fully recovered from thankfully. It started off as a little spot on her nose which I was unsure of and I assumed she had gotten into a little disagreement with my other piggie Fran however, I was obviously wrong as I noticed it started to spread and over little ammount of time it covered her head (I then seperated them) and she was ever so poorly 8...!. I used some treatment from P@H - not sure of the name - but within 3 weeks like the instructions said her fur had started to grow back and she is back to her bubbly self. I did seperate her from her friend as I was worried for their health but now she has recovered she is living with them happily. I bought her from P@H and I really disagree with their lack of knowledge of the animals in their care and how unwell they are but I was unaware of this and it was close to home, I will never buy from there again! >>>

 

[Sharon.Mackay]

My boys just got rid of it. We still used fleeces, but changed them daily and put them on a hot wash. We also washed all the pen down daily with hot soapy water. We took toys out but just to save washing everyday! Our boys stayed together and i handled them with gloves on. I sterilised my water bottle 'teat' daily in boiling water for 2 mins too. This worked on my piggies and it cleared up a treat. Good luck. It sounds as though your vet has gone a bit overkill TBH, mine was pretty laid back about it, just said to be sensible and keep things clean

 

[Claire1973]

Hi - I have this problem - Mario was a 9 month old neutered boar from a rescue center and when we got him he had a spot on his nose - we also assumed it was from a scuffle with another pig

A few weeks down the line and it turned out to be ringworm ( sample also came back positive) and he was also prescribed Surolan. The Surolan seemingly cleared it up the first time but it came back with a vengance a couple of weeks later - now he is covered in sore patches poor little man! :-( I have bought some Neem shampoo from Gorgeous Guineas to use which is much gentler - but he also was prescribed a shampoo from the vet called Malaseb. I have used it but it is very harsh - meant for cats and dogs really, so I alternate it with the neem shampoo and also use a coco neem melt to massage into his skin to put some nourishment back. I have heard the surolan is also unsuitable for guineapigs as it is a steroid but have to admit to resorting back to it last night because he had scratched so badly again he was bleeding (today it looks so much better) . The problem with steroids is that they thin the skin out and guineapigs already have very sensitive skin, (which is why they are used for testing on ) I have also clipped the hair short around the worst sores to let the air get to the scabs. He isnt looking very handsome at the moment - good job Pompom still loves him...x)

This sounds like I am overloading him with products but I am only doing this twice a week.

Mario is still in with his girlfriend Pompom - and I was advised to also bath her in the Malaseb as she will be reinfecting Mario but not to seperate them as it will stress them out far more. I have still got his fleece snuggle oos which I wash at 60 degrees and add Malaseb to the wash. I have also changed thier bedding to Megazorb as apparently wood shavings were bad and I use F10 spray when I clean them out. It is a horrible infection and I hope we get over it soon - Mario hates his bathtime and I feel so cruel having to do this (once/twice a week at the moment ) xx

 

[Cazz]

I don't know if it's same for guinea pigs, but when I had ringworm I had to continue my treatment for I think around two weeks after it had gone. I had it back in the late 90's so my memory might be rough. :{

If that is the case, that would explain why it came back.

I hope all the piggies with it get well soon.

 

[Claire1973]

I don't know if it's same for guinea pigs, but when I had ringworm I had to continue my treatment for I think around two weeks after it had gone. I had it back in the late 90's so my memory might be rough. :{

If that is the case, that would explain why it came back.

I hope all the piggies with it get well soon.

Yes you are right Cazz I continued the treatment for a week after it had first cleared up but it obviously wasnt long enough, plus I didnt know about the F10 to clean the cage. xx

 

[Cazz]

Yes you are right Cazz I continued the treatment for a week after it had first cleared up but it obviously wasnt long enough, plus I didnt know about the F10 to clean the cage. xx

That's so frustrating for you and your piggies. Fingers firmly crossed that you get rid of it this time. You can only hope that Mario will start enjoying his baths, that will be easy for both of you. xx

 

[Claire1973]

rolleyes poor Mario! It would be good if he got more used to it - at the moment he really struggles and I get scratched by his claws because he struggles so much. I have to shampoo him on a towel then rinse him quick as poss! He does love his massages with the coconeem melt though! He almost falls asleep!

 

[woo]

Can't cope any more!

I have now got scalp ringworm!

I don't know what to do, I am at the point of handing back the pigs to Pets at Home and giving them a piece of my mind but although i have not had chance to bond with my piggies i'm not sure i could let them go, but on the other hand already having health issues myself i don't know if i can cope with ringworm aswell.

I saw my gp today and he was very young and said "i can't tell yet if it is or not, it's too early to say! "use canestan" which i know in the case of scalp ringworm will not get rid of it, it will mean a course of pills for 4-12 weeks with horrible side effects, and probably some hair loss!

I have searched PaH posts on forums and it seems they will refund vets fees etc (spent £120 so far plus new bedding etc etc adds up to about £200 so far since April 7th when i bought piggies) I am not that bothered about the money i just can't cope with it all.

We went to buy new bedding from PaH a couple of days ago and i asked if they had had any problems with piggies and she said yes, ringworm! they took details when i bought them so why dodn't they contact people?

sorry for rant but i am so upset by all this!

 

[Cazz]

Sorry to hear your troubles woo.
When I had ringworm many years ago, I had it on the back of my head and neck. I had loads of prescriptions from the doctor, nothing worked, the only one that did was witfields ointment, (might be spelt wrong).

I had to use for I think two weeks after it had cleared and also rub on the area and a fair bit further out as well. It was weird stuff to use, but it worked. It was also available off prescription back then. Maybe worth asking your chemist.
I hope you and your piggies get better soon.

 

[Suzygpr]

Ringworm can be so hard to shift, I have a few products that I find very effective.

For people, use for 2 weeks after the last signs have gone and for any flare up.
[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Daktarin-DAKTARIN-GOLD-cream-2/dp/B0017TQ0V6/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I1P6KYT3UQ37JU&colid=14IOITHOJMYZM[/ame]

Shampoo for pigs with fungal, weekly for 3 weeks.
[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sporal-d-Fungicidal-Pet-Shampoo-200ml/dp/B003ZJDF9Q/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3P8WL7AETDRBL&colid=14IOITHOJMYZM[/ame]

For treatment of fungal infections - use twice a day for 7 days.
[ame]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Genitrix-Ltd-Mycozole-Spray-50Ml/dp/B003ZJFA0I/ref=wl_it_dp_o?ie=UTF8&coliid=I2X4WQW0N10Z1C&colid=14IOITHOJMYZM[/ame]

The only way to shift fungal problems is to be consistent with treatment and not stop too early, you have to carry on after the signs have gone to kill it.

HTH

Suzy x
http://guinearescue.blogspot.com/

 

[BonBon2010]

I've only come across ringworm once with a P&H pig, and she was in isolation for 2 weeks, and it cleared it pretty quick (she had a patch on her ear), she also had an abscess under her chin, so was treated for that too (both conditions were noted at same vet visit), with her it was just bad luck that the store didn't have an on site vet
Luckily though, they sent her to their nearest big store that had a vet, and sorted her out. They were going to quarantine her there, but I wanted her home, as I felt she'd been through enough.. so she was quarantined at home