Ringworm

[mdcavymum]

My guinea pigs have developed ringworm. Unfortunately I have received conflicting advice on topical treatment from my veterinary peers.(Guinea pigs are afterthoughts in the veterinary world in the US. I mean no disrespect, as I work for vets, but it's a reality.) I have bathed them in the miconazole shampoo. I am giving them oral intrafungol.
My first question is do I continue topical treatment to the actual lesions between bath days? I have liquid miconazole. It's called "lotion," but it's not very thick.
Second question, is it beneficial or detrimental to brush out / remove the flakes from the skin?
I know I'm doomed. I had kittens with ringworm that infected my family room. I should've never taken in these rescue pigs, but I'd like to at least try to keep them comfortable.
Currently it is limited to one spot on top of Endora's head, can't see it until I part her abyssinian cowlick. On Ezmerelda it's a small lesion slightly above her one eye extending towards her ear. I assumed that's the initial point of contact as she is blind in that eye and I apply ointment three times daily. Apparently I wasn't washing my hands as well as I thought.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Sheri

 

[Wiebke]

My guinea pigs have developed ringworm. Unfortunately I have received conflicting advice on topical treatment from my veterinary peers.(Guinea pigs are afterthoughts in the veterinary world in the US. I mean no disrespect, as I work for vets, but it's a reality.) I have bathed them in the miconazole shampoo. I am giving them oral intrafungol.
My first question is do I continue topical treatment to the actual lesions between bath days? I have liquid miconazole. It's called "lotion," but it's not very thick.
Second question, is it beneficial or detrimental to brush out / remove the flakes from the skin?
I know I'm doomed. I had kittens with ringworm that infected my family room. I should've never taken in these rescue pigs, but I'd like to at least try to keep them comfortable.
Currently it is limited to one spot on top of Endora's head, can't see it until I part her abyssinian cowlick. On Ezmerelda it's a small lesion slightly above her one eye extending towards her ear. I assumed that's the initial point of contact as she is blind in that eye and I apply ointment three times daily. Apparently I wasn't washing my hands as well as I thought.
Thanks for any thoughts.
Sheri

Hi and welcome

The fight against ringworm is majorly a hygiene battle to get on top of any acute spores which are invisibly tiny, very long-lived (up to over 2 years), species jumping and highly contagious to all mammals (including humans) and reptiles. The more you can get on top of the shed spores and break the cycle of shedding, the more likely you are going to win the battle.

What most vets are not fully aware of this the importance of encompassing hygiene. Creaming on its own is ineffective as it never reaches the full extent of an infected patch (ringworm tends to sit at the root of hairs and spred from there) and therefore cannot prevent the spread of spores which can then cause secondary outbreaks.

The miconazole shampoo will hopefully catch all spores in the acute area but also in the coat. How often and at which interval do you have to use it? Please follow the advice on the product on how to use it.
The texture of the shampoo is down to the carrier base product and not to the active systemic anti-fungal substance that is added to the base (of which miconazole is an effective one). A thinner shampoo is easier to spread and work into a fur coat than a thicker product. Please be very careful around the eyes, mouth/nose and ears as it can make the eyes swell painfully for a while.

Creaming should not be necessary, unless you deal with a very advanced case or a piggy with a weakened immune system. The scabs should be coming off with each bath where they can be flushed out safely (disinfect the washing area afterwards). Please do not brush because you will only spread the spores further and promote reinfection. The less you touch a ringworm piggy, the less you risk infecting yourself.

You cannot do anything about an acute patch - unless you have a systemic oral fungal product, they need to run their due course. What the bathing does is to interrupt any further already present but not yet acute infection spots (the time between contraction and outbreak is about 10-14 days) on the body so you really need get the shampoo everywhere. What your hygiene measures will do is to remove and eradicate any already shed spores at the start of treatment and to prevent carrying any spores accidentally on at the end of treatment.

Please take the time to read our ringworm guide. It really works (as forum members can assure you, not just me) when you follow the very precise instructions because we address the crucial hygiene aspect comprehensively and in detail. In over 15 years and with literally hundreds of ringworm piggies passing through here we have hd ample time to find all the many ways how ringworm can be transmitted the hard way and learn from our experiences. They have all gone into the guide.
Here is the link: Ringworm: Hygiene, Care And Pictures

I hope that this helps you. We are here for any further questions and practical support.

 

[mdcavymum]

Thank you for your speedy and informative reply!
I have most of that information that you presented, as I have been dealing with this with my cats for over 2 years. I'm not sure how it missed the guinea pigs during the last 3 outbreaks, but I guess my luck ran out.
There really is no way to effectively de-contaminate my house successfully. I have done the best I can, but obviously it has not worked. (The veterinary dermatologist I WASTED money on told me I could euthanize all my cats and burn my house down, then gave me a handout with much the same information I've read everywhere.)
My shampoo is an every third day recommendation, so I will continue that and not mess with the lesions in the meantime as you suggested. That's helpful information. My instinct is to want to pick the flakes off.
Thanks again,
Sheri

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you for your speedy and informative reply!
I have most of that information that you presented, as I have been dealing with this with my cats for over 2 years. I'm not sure how it missed the guinea pigs during the last 3 outbreaks, but I guess my luck ran out.
There really is no way to effectively de-contaminate my house successfully. I have done the best I can, but obviously it has not worked. (The veterinary dermatologist I WASTED money on told me I could euthanize all my cats and burn my house down, then gave me a handout with much the same information I've read everywhere.)
My shampoo is an every third day recommendation, so I will continue that and not mess with the lesions in the meantime as you suggested. That's helpful information. My instinct is to want to pick the flakes off.
Thanks again,
Sheri

Hi


Guinea pigs are a bit easier to deal with as they are in a cage, so you can concentrate on the cage and immediate surrounding area. We have found that F10 disinfectant works best. If you have caught ringworm early on, the spore shedding is not so bad, so an immediate deep clean should take care of the worst. Also bathe the companion so they cannot develop acute ringworm. Only the crusty patches (fungal exudate) are actually infectious because that is where the spores sit.

As long as the first and the last deep clean of the cage, its contents and the area just around it are within 10 days of each other, no further ringworm can develop from the spores shed during treatment.

All the best! Ringworm is not deadly but it is making up for that by being the most contagious issue you can deal with a pet owner and it can turn into a real nightmare - especially when you have already been through a whole saga.

 

[mdcavymum]

Hi


Guinea pigs are a bit easier to deal with as they are in a cage, so you can concentrate on the cage and immediate surrounding area. We have found that F10 disinfectant works best. If you have caught ringworm early on, the spore shedding is not so bad, so an immediate deep clean should take care of the worst. Also bathe the companion so they cannot develop acute ringworm. Only the crusty patches (fungal exudate) are actually infectious because that is where the spores sit.

As long as the first and the last deep clean of the cage, its contents and the area just around it are within 10 days of each other, no further ringworm can develop from the spores shed during treatment.

All the best! Ringworm is not deadly but it is making up for that by being the most contagious issue you can deal with a pet owner and it can turn into a real nightmare - especially when you have already been through a whole saga.

Thank you so much for your input as well. I has been using Rescue spray the last 2 years. I am ordering some F10 cleaner. I think the cleaner we use at the veterinary office is similar, so I should have been using that instead apparently.
Since posting my original thread, I have discovered a bald spot on one of my cats, so I am very discouraged and depressed.
Thank you again for your information.

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you so much for your input as well. I has been using Rescue spray the last 2 years. I am ordering some F10 cleaner. I think the cleaner we use at the veterinary office is similar, so I should have been using that instead apparently.
Since posting my original thread, I have discovered a bald spot on one of my cats, so I am very discouraged and depressed.
Thank you again for your information.

HUGS

I am so very sorry - that makes the problem so much worse since you cannot restrict cats nicely... What a bummer!

 

[mdcavymum]

Thank you, my cats do not all intermingle, yet in past outbreaks I have managed to spread it to all of them. Unfortunately with the 10-14 day incubation period when I didn't realize it was "coming," I carried it from cat to cat since they all have issues that require me to medicate them.
I have pored over every article I have found, including the information on this site. This has been more informative than even the specialist.
He told me what I was doing wrong, but not how to correct it, nor would he take the time to field questions. I think he was angry I brought the contagion to his clinic. That's on his staff, as I told them what the appt was regarding, and waited 4 months for said appointment.
Your response helped me more than that, so thank you again.
Random odd question, Ezmerelda is a Teddy with a very dense coat. Do you think this will work to her advantage?
Endora had cancer when I got her, so she is not so fortunate. Very thin abyssinian coat.