Zyrtec's skin problem

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bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Sat Jan 06, 2018 10:34 am


Without reading back, have you tried an antifungal shampoo, such as Nizoral?

annelie

Post   » Wed Jan 17, 2018 6:25 am


I have tried nizoral and it did nothing except make him very dry.

A general update:
The opthalmologist immediately identified that he has problem with tear production in his left eye, so he is on artificial tear treatment for a month and then followup.

I started to notice a pattern in his skin condition that may or may not be causative. He seems to react to perfumes or room scents/heavily scented candles. I removed all scents from the apartment and I see an improvement after a week. It is very cold and dry here now and getting the humidity up is close to impossible so this has not been the cause for improvement.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Wed Jan 17, 2018 8:25 am


Have you tried a warm, wet compress on the eye? Gentle massage? Sometimes a blocked tear duct can be opened. The artificial tear treatment should definitely help protect the eye for the time being.

annelie

Post   » Wed Jan 17, 2018 11:24 am


Yeah we tried that and one of the first vets suspected something like that as well. But the ophthalmologist is really good so I hope that we can solve this finally

annelie

Post   » Sat Jan 27, 2018 3:36 pm


The eye is back to normal! :D the drops are not even required anymore. We still have a checkup in february and I will ask about seeing a dermatologist for his skin.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Sat Jan 27, 2018 7:09 pm


That is good news! Thanks for the update.

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skinnypigs1
Supporter in '12

Post   » Sun Jan 28, 2018 8:16 pm


With my skinny pigs I found the more stuff you put on them, the more it will itch. I had one boy who anything I put on him only made things worse except for coconut oil. Anything else made him go beat red and the condition got worse and wouldn't go away. Just coconut oil sparingly has always worked the best for my skinny pigs.

My one skinny pig had a chronic eye issue and turned out to be entropion (eye lashes curled inwards). He had surgery to correct it. He still has a watery eye at times (tear duct issues) and it takes daily maintenance of cleaning with a warm cotton pad and applying eye lubricant to keep him happy but a huge difference was made after his surgery.

annelie

Post   » Mon Mar 19, 2018 6:49 am


Thank you so much for your tips Skinnypigs1. I started out with only coconut oil for everything from cleaning to moisturising and it never really changed anything :( That was the only reason why I started "experimenting". I now stopped all kinds of moisturising as he is getting irritated from everything touching his skin.

I have some good news. We have visited the ophthalmologist twice now and Zyrtec is to get Hyabak artificial tears 2x a day indefinitely. This vet also suggested I give Benadryl some drops now and then to rinse out dirt or hay (I don't know what this little bastard is doing but he gets pieces of hay in his eye constantly). There has been zero eye problems since I started giving Zyrtec Hyabak.

As for the skin: He is still cycling, and 2 weeks ago it was rather bad (no breaking of skin though). My new (and now permanent vet for skin issues) sent sample from nose fur and skin to external lab for testing. There was no sign of fungus/bugs and we are going today for a visit to evaluate the skin for a steroid treatment regime. She suspects that he has a mite allergy. I will let you guys know how it goes!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Mar 19, 2018 10:37 am


Thanks for the update! I sure hope his issues can be controlled/cured!

annelie

Post   » Mon Mar 19, 2018 1:54 pm


The vet wanted to start with stronghold for both of them just to rule out any resistant mites. If no effect he will get antihistamins and I was recommended to get a spray for removal of allergens (Animedica Flee) that is safe for animals. IF antihistamins doesn't work then we will consider steroids. They are now both in a close to "bare" towel cage for allergy investigation purposes :)

annelie

Post   » Wed Mar 28, 2018 5:18 pm


He got better after the stronghold treatment so we are holding off with the antihistamins for now.

On a side note, due to severe allergies (my own allergies this time) I have been forced to switch my hay to oxbow orchard grass and I feel that it is very dusty and the boys require eye cleaning at least twice a week. I got a 4kg bag. Could this be a batch thing, or is it usually extremely dusty?

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Wed Mar 28, 2018 5:27 pm


You're buying it from a pet store? That's the driest, dustiest hay you can possibly get. See if you can find a local supplier or a place to order it online.

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