Young Guinea with scaly plaque

[Niah_soni]

Hello,
We recently picked up two young female guinea pigs to join our existing herd. During lap time today we noticed a hard slightly scaly feeling plaque on one of the girls upper front legs. Upon investigation she actually has another in a similar spot on the other side, though not as pronounced. My initial thought was a bite or ringworm, but this doesn't look like either in my experience. The smaller plaque does have some slight scabbing, but its hard to tell if this is from scratching the initial lump, or the cause. The larger lump has no obvious signs of trauma. 'Cake' is approx 9-10 weeks old and we've had her for about a week. Does anyone have any ideas?
I have attached a picture of the larger plaque which is about pea sized and hard and raised.
Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Siikibam]

I would have it checked out by the vet so you know what it is. Hopefully it will be something simple though. I’d get them both checked actually, just as a routine health check.

Did you get them from a rescue, pet shop or private person?

 

[Niah_soni]

We got them both from a local Pets at Home. I have checked Fionna over after spotting the lumps on Cake and can't see anything untoward on her. I will get them both booked in for a check over.
I'm hoping it's something minor, or maybe something leftover from a previous injury, but it's just seemed quite strange for such a young pig! Having spent a lot of time at the vets over the last few months, I was hoping to have a break from that for a while. Oh well, anything for my fur babies.

 

[Siikibam]

Is it a vet independent of p@H? Though some of their in house vets can be good sometimes.

I would refer back to p@h depending on the outcome of the vet visit. You have a right to ask for the vet fees to be paid. However, I believe there may be a time frame within which you can do that.

Have a read of the section on consumer rights in this link. Did you double check the sex of the new piggies?
New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

 

[Niah_soni]

Is it a vet independent of p@H? Though some of their in house vets can be good sometimes.

I would refer back to p@h depending on the outcome of the vet visit. You have a right to ask for the vet fees to be paid. However, I believe there may be a time frame within which you can do that.

Have a read of the section on consumer rights in this link. Did you double check the sex of the new piggies?
New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

Yes, one of the first things I did when my husband bought them home was to check the sex. We had a sow come to us at 8 weeks old already pregnant, so we're very careful of these things!
The vet is not independent of P@H, but its the only one we've found after moving house that is actually accepting new clients. I will see how we go with our local store, but if not I'll be taking them to the specialist vets4pets in New Market. I'll contact the store/vets tomorrow and see what they say.

 

[Siikibam]

Have a look at the recommended vet list below as well.
Recommended Guinea Pig Vets

PS please can you add your location to your profile. Town/county/country will do

 

[Niah_soni]

Yes, one of the first things I did when my husband bought them home was to check the sex. We had a sow come to us at 8 weeks old already pregnant, so we're very careful of these things!

I should point out that the pregnant sow was not from P@H, but from a private individual.

 

[Siikibam]

Unfortunately not all private individuals will be honest. They sometimes just ‘want rid’ of a piggy (piggies) and say what the buyer wants to hear.

 

[Wiebke]

We got them both from a local Pets at Home. I have checked Fionna over after spotting the lumps on Cake and can't see anything untoward on her. I will get them both booked in for a check over.
I'm hoping it's something minor, or maybe something leftover from a previous injury, but it's just seemed quite strange for such a young pig! Having spent a lot of time at the vets over the last few months, I was hoping to have a break from that for a while. Oh well, anything for my fur babies.

Please have them vet checked; it could be potentially ringworm (which can start of with a scab) or something else but you need a hands-on examination.

You can also find information on your customer rights re. vet visits with health issues from newly bought piggies in this link: New Guinea Pig Problems: Sexing & Pregnancy; URI, Ringworm & Parasites; Vet Checks & Customer Rights

If it is ringworm, please contact us again for support and follow the very specific advice in the ringworm guide link in the above guide in order to prevent it from turning into a long running exasperating saga.

 

[Wiebke]

We got them both from a local Pets at Home. I have checked Fionna over after spotting the lumps on Cake and can't see anything untoward on her. I will get them both booked in for a check over.
I'm hoping it's something minor, or maybe something leftover from a previous injury, but it's just seemed quite strange for such a young pig! Having spent a lot of time at the vets over the last few months, I was hoping to have a break from that for a while. Oh well, anything for my fur babies.

PS: The period between infection from one of the invisibly tiny spores and the actual outbreak is 10-14 days in ringworm. The red outer ring is looking suspicious - but I can only guess. The coming days should show a quickly increasing bald and crusty area if it is indeed ringworm; but only a hands-on examination will tell.

 

[Niah_soni]

Thanks for the advice.
Cake is booked in to see the vet on Monday (this was the earliest I could get her in around work). I have also spoken to the store I bought her from and they have a 6week health promise, so if the vet thinks this is a problem that she came to me with, the store will pay the vets bills.
The patches seem to have got slightly bigger in the last few days, but they don't seem to be bothering her too much. It does remind me of a ring work but the fact that the patch is hard has thrown me a bit. Hopefully Monday I can get some answers!

 

[Wiebke]

Thanks for the advice.
Cake is booked in to see the vet on Monday (this was the earliest I could get her in around work). I have also spoken to the store I bought her from and they have a 6week health promise, so if the vet thinks this is a problem that she came to me with, the store will pay the vets bills.
The patches seem to have got slightly bigger in the last few days, but they don't seem to be bothering her too much. It does remind me of a ring work but the fact that the patch is hard has thrown me a bit. Hopefully Monday I can get some answers!

Hi

Good that your petshop is not trying to fob you off.
It sounds rather like ringworm, which can sometimes start with a scab from scratching before the exudate really forms but will continue to grow and develop.
It is important to know that the affected area is larger than you can see since ringworm typically forms on the hair root and that the period between infection and outbreak is 10-14 days. If you can break the cycle during that with any companions, pets or people in contact, then they won't come down with it and your piggy won't form any new patches from picked up or spread invisibly tiny spores; these are shed in their thousands in an acture outbreak and are unfortunately rather long-lived. Just creaming will never get on top of all spores and - more importantly - it can't prevent your piggy picking up spores from the bedding and having them hanging around in their coat.

Please read our Ringworm Care and Hygiene guide. We've condensed out 15 years of forum experience with sadly far too many ringworm cases and our own long term ownership experiences and trials with different ways of treatment into it. Ringworm: Hygiene, Care And Pictures

Key for getting on top of ringworm once and for all is with your strict hygiene in all possible aspects - and there are more ways in which spores can be passed on that you'd think! All we can say is that if you follow our guide, it does really work. It also contains pictures of how an acute patch is running its due course.

All the best.

 

[Niah_soni]

Just a quick update on Cake.
She's been seen by the vet this morning and they have taken a hair pluck to be sent for analysis, though it is looking increasingly like ringworm. The two plaques are looking more flaky and have expanded slightly, and a new patch has now also developed on her nose.
Pets at Home have agreed to pay any and all vets bills associated with the ringworm under their 6 week health pomise, so at least that's one less thing to worry about!
Thanks for all the help and advice.

 

[Siikibam]

I hope she’s on the mend soon. Do keep up with the hygiene regime.

 

[VickiA]

Sorry to hear that it is ringworm. But good to hear they are footing the vets bills. What treatment has she been given?

 

[Niah_soni]

They haven't provided any treatment as of yet, as they want to confirm the diagnosis with the hair plucks. Hopefully the labs will come back quick so we can get treatment underway!

 

[Princess Dustmop]

Best of luck with this. Glad Pets at Home is covering the costs. Hopefully you've already started cleaning and preventive measure to avoid spread of ringworm even if you haven't started treatment.

 

[Piggies&buns]

 

[Niah_soni]

Sorry for the delayed update, our household came down with Covid so we've been a tad distracted!
We started baths with Imaverol as soon as we thought it could be ringworm and cleaned down their room. Cake's sister Fiona was most unimpressed with bath time and screamed through the wholee thing Cake's hair plucks came back as positive for ringworm so were given an oral antifungal treatment which seems to have cleared it right up.
Unfortunately one of our existing pigs, Misty, has developed a small patch on her nose which we are treating, but thankfully so far the others have stayed clear. We will keep doing health checks though until we're sure it's all cleared.
Pets at Home also lived up to their word and refunded us the £180 we paid out for consultations, lab work and treatment.
Here's a picture of our little Cake, looking much healthier now