Published on: May 24, 2024 • By: phoebe · In Forum: Rodents & Small Furries
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Author
Topic
phoebe
Participant
May 24, 2024 at 05:23pm
Please help I have my sisters help as she breeds these guys she says it’s fungal non contagious but I’m worried it could be ring worm but I don’t know it doesn’t look like a ring it just looks red and hair loss I feel so bad for my boy his a bonded pair and my other boy doesn’t have any hair loss or redness that’s the main reason I don’t think it is but whenever I search fungal in Guinea pigs ringworm only comes up.
I’m going in the morning to get some anti fungal cream (I can’t take to vets for two days as vets is closed over weekend)
Hello - I agree that this may be Ringworm. Please be aware that as a human, you can both catch and spread Ringworm, so minimal handling / gloves would be a good idea until proven otherwise. Please keep the patients away from immuno-compromised people. Excellent hygeine and handwashing should also be a given. Ringworm lives in the enviroment and tends to get a hold at times when the immune system is under stress, so if this is Ringworm then your vet should consider whether affected animals might have been stressed lately, either from internal stressors (illness / hidden dental disease etc) or external factors. It is not unusual for one patient to show signs a long time before the other, especially if one is badly immuo-compromised, but where guinea-pigs are in bonded pairs, it is often encouraged to treat both animals rather than separating them. There is a big difference between 'anti-fungal ointments' and 'effective treatment for Ringworm' so we would reccommend calling your vet, or their emergency cover, to make sure that you know everything you need to know. In the UK, a lot of surgeries are open on a Saturday morning because out of hours clinics tend to be closed then, so it's worth checking. Pharmacies in the UK may also be open and of help.
It is always important to consider differential diagnoses (i.e. 'other things it might be') and in this case, your vet might want to do an examination to rule out such things as skin disease caused by occular discharge, upper respiratory inflammatory disease and so on. Best of luck with your little one and please do let us know how you get on.