Baby's thread - ringworm (?) in a baby

SkittleandTwix
Supporter in '11

Post   » Mon May 22, 2017 2:15 pm


Baby and her cage mate were purchased at a pet store. When her owners' kids got ringworm, they returned the cage mate to the pet store, but the store wouldn't take Baby back because they had purchased her first and "the warranty period had expired." They brought her to a veterinarian to confirm that she had ringworm and then abandoned her there. (I forgot to ask if they paid the vet bill.) Since the vet is the rescue's usual vet, he called us and I came to get her and have been fostering her for about two weeks.

The vet put her on doxycycline for 21 days. She wasn't eating well at first, and I supplemented with CC, but she's now eating and pooping normally. She is gaining weight, albeit a little more slowly than the healthy babies I've had.




You can see the white powder around her eye. She also had a patch of problematic skin on her rump....




....which has gotten bigger in the two weeks I"ve had her.




She's been on the doxy for two weeks. I've also washed the affected areas twice a day with diluted chlorohexadine. I used Tresaderm twice a day (suggested by the vet, plus he knew I already had some). That seemed to sting Baby without helping her, so I switched to an OTC 1% Clotrimazole athlete's foot cream. She doesn't mind the chlorohexadine rinse, but she hates the cream and has even bitten me when I put it on her, despite normally being happy to be handled.

She doesn't usually bite or scratch the area, or seem to be in particular pain unless I touch the area.

My questions are:

1) Is this ringworm? Any other possibilities?
2) How long does it take the Clotrimazole to work?
3) Has anyone had experience with giving the oral ringworm medicine to a baby (400 grams). I see from the GL page on fungus that one looks pretty safe. Any reason I shouldn't try switching to that? She takes a syringe very well. Do you use both that and the Clotrimazole?
4) Any suggestions for dealing with an infection so close to her eye?
5) Other suggestions or helpful experiences?

Thanks!

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon May 22, 2017 2:19 pm


It looks like ringworm, but you're probably not going to be able to control it well as long as she's on an antibiotic. If that lesion is what the doxycycline is for, I'd stop it immediately and try the Clotrimazole by itself.

Oral antifungal medicines are pretty harsh, in general. I'd want to see if the cream would clear it by itself before I resorted to that.

Ophthalmic eye drops would be safe for the eye.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon May 22, 2017 4:11 pm


Let me know if you'd like your pics added permanently to your thread for future readers. If you are able to take any photos that are clearer, that would be great.

Ditto bpatters on likely ringworm. Of the two oral fungal meds I am familiar with, I think the ketokoanizole is less harsh.

SkittleandTwix
Supporter in '11

Post   » Tue May 23, 2017 10:27 am


Lynx - you can use these pictures and I'll try to get better ones.

Bpatters and Lynx - thanks for the confirmation. Baby is on the doxy because the vet had to lance an abscess on her ear, so I probably need to keep her on it for the full 21 days which is about another week.

I was using an ophthmolic cream on the wound on her ear. I started using it under her eye too. Great suggestion. She doesn't mind that at all and doesn't flinch.

I'll see how the anti fungal cream works once she's off the doxy. Should I use it in the meantime? I only ask because it seems to hurt her. She ran around her cage like crazy today after I put on the cream. She acted like a preditor was chasing her and biting her in the rear. She's normally very calm.

On the other hand, I'm alarmed that the bald spot is getting bigger and a second one is starting below that one.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue May 23, 2017 1:23 pm


I'd keep using something on the bald spot, particularly since it's spreading. You might try a different brand and see if it bothers her less.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue May 23, 2017 2:34 pm


If you talk to a pharmacist and perhaps don't mention it is an animal, you could ask about a soothing human antifungal cream you can buy over the counter.

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Kimera

Post   » Tue May 23, 2017 2:36 pm


A solution of enilconazole may be better tolerated, if clotrimazole causes irritation. https://www.drugs.com/international/enilconazole.html
Enilconazole is widely used in veterinary medicine, as it is unlikely to cause any side effects,but on the other hand it is a weak medication, better suited to slight, non-persistent fungal infections.

SkittleandTwix
Supporter in '11

Post   » Wed Jun 28, 2017 11:31 pm


The patch on her rear cleared up well with the chlorihexadine and tresaderm. She has little patches of what looks like ringworm In her shoulders - just behind the bald spots behind her ears.

Now I'm worried about a sound she just started making - is this normal? She's eating, pooping, growing and gaining weight normally.

Image

Sorry I never got better ringworm pictures. She started getting better before I had a chance to borrow a better camera.

Talishan
You can quote me

Post   » Thu Jun 29, 2017 4:34 am


To me she just sounds like she's talking to herself. In my experience males do this more than females, but certainly not exclusively, especially younger pigs. If it's something new that she doesn't normally do, though, then ... mumble.

It's also possible she smelled something unfamiliar on the gloves or clothes of whoever's holding her, or in the air in the room and is commenting on it.

Could you email that video to your vet and ask what they think?

Bless you and thank you for taking her in and helping her. She's a beautiful little pig and you've fixed her up just wonderfully.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Jun 29, 2017 11:09 am


You might also want to look over www.guinealynx.info/hairloss.html

SkittleandTwix
Supporter in '11

Post   » Sat Jul 15, 2017 10:34 am


Here is an update on Baby.

The day after I posted this, it became more clear she was having problems. She didn't come out of her hut that day, didn't touch her hay and took longer than usual to eat her lettuce. I also saw a drop of discharge on her nose. Our usual vet couldn't see her, so we took her to a new vet who prescribed Sulfamethoxazole for the respiratory problems and an oral fungal Itrafungol.

Baby is now doing much better. She is more energetic than she has ever been, and she is gaining weight nicely. The bald spots behind her ears are much less red. She also seems much more at home here. She hides away less. She sometimes naps outside her hut and runs to the bars to beg for treats.

The new vet seems to have helped, but she also seemed a little rough with Baby. The vet took a rectal temperature which upset Baby. I've only had one other vet do that and I wondered how helpful or necessary it was, especially when you have an experienced owner (she knew I was fostering Baby for the Rescue) who says she saw nasal discharge and when the vet herself said she could hear an odd breath sound. It seems pretty clear there is an infection, so does taking a temperature really add much to the picture? I could understand taking a temperature when it was less clear what was wrong, but this seemed unnecessary and they did it before even examining her. The vet also took two x-rays. She said the bottom of Baby's lungs looked clear, but the top lungs were cloudy. She said the whiteness of the top of the lungs could have just been caused by baby's shoulder muscles obscuring the view. Again, this is something no other vet has said, although it certainly makes some sense. I am curious if others have had similar experiences with the temperature and x-ray. (Lynx, do you mind if I post these questions on cavy chat too?)

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Jul 15, 2017 12:29 pm


If you don't get any replies here, you are welcome to post those questions on Cavy Chat for discussion if you wish. I think xrays can help give a clearer picture of what is going on but are not perhaps routinely done. I know vets usually auscultate (listen to) breathing.

I do note that on this page, taking the temperature is the first thing I list. There may be other ways that are more guinea pig friendly:
https://www.guinealynx.info/vet_visit.html

See also:
www.guinealynx.info/uri.html

Some vets do more. Some less, partly due to the client not wanting to pay for extra services.

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