Fungal Infection?

[Ralik]

Hello everyone,

I have recently adopted two female piggies that have been doing really well until recently. I've been looking at the info provided on the main site for help and advice, and was thinking about joining the forums. Unfortunately, I have ended up having to introduce myself at a not so good time.

Mayahuel and Oxomo are my guineas. Below is a picture of what they look like normally. I assume they're both younger (typical pet store age?). Mayahuel had a slightly irritated looking eye about a week after coming home, but I figured she may have just bumped it against some hay, and it cleared up after a day or two. When I was checking on her today however, I noticed that she is now missing some fur on the opposite side of here face.




Here is a picture of what is going on with Mayahuel's face.




I've done a bit of digging around on the internet and I think the best candidate is probably a fungal infection. I wanted to get opinions from you guys in case there may be details that I am missing. Oxomo seems to not have anything on her at all, but I will be checking on both of them frequently. Neither appear to be suffering from a loss of appetite, nor are they acting aggressive to each other. I've got them bedded on fleece, and they have access to pellet food, papaya treats, and timothy hay, as well as a water dish that I make sure to clean frequently.

Thank you all in advance for any help or advice. I just got these girls, but I want to take as good care of them as possible. Should I separate them, and if so, what is the best way to do this? i just have one

[bpatters]

Fungus, most likely.

Don't separate them. The other one has been thoroughly exposed. But do watch them both for any other signs.

See http://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html for treatment options.

[Ralik]

Thanks for getting back to me so fast bpatters! I appreciate it, and I'm sure both Mayahuel and Oxomo do too. That's somewhat of a relief. I am really glad that it doesn't look to be mites at first glance.

Right now I am leaning towards getting an ointment of some sort. Have any of yo had experience with using these? good news is that i've got them in a fairly large home right now, but the material is pretty easy to clean. I've already begun to rewash all of their spare fleece and towels too.

[bpatters]

Did you read the article? One of the suggestions is for an ointment. And plenty of people have used them. Just apply sparingly with a q-tip and rub it in well, twice a day.

[Ralik]

Yep, I did. I went out and got miconazole for her, and was able to get it applied with the help of a roommate! Hopefully Mayahuel will officially be on the road to recovery.

As I understand, it takes a little while for the ointment to actual get rid of all the fungus. I also got them the recommended dandruff/antifungal shampoo to bathe with, and will be able to start them on it tomorrow night. I will also be doing the ointment twice a day.

Do you know if the spot will still likely increase in size when you start the cream, or should I be alarmed if it does so after a day or so?

[Lynx]

Let me know if you'd like your medical picture added permanently to your thread for future readers.

Hopefully it will not increase in size but I don't know if it will or not. The cream you got should be effective.

[bpatters]

It shouldn't increase in size, but it will take several days for the hair to start to grow back.

[Ralik]

i think that would be great lynx, thank you. If anyone else can be helped by this that is always a good thing!

Also it's good to hear that the spot shouldn't grow. I've applied the ointment twice so far, though to be honest Mayahuel is making it a fight. Luckily I've been able to get my roommate to help out with the process. Any advice on how to have her be more calm when I'm applying it?

Also, I got some Nizoral for them as well. I am hoping I won't have to end up using it (The info said to use it if the infection is on the trunk), but if I see any signs of spreading I will probably give it a shot. Thank you all so much for the help!

[Kimera]

Fungal infections are pretty common in guinea pigs, because they result from a temporary immunodeficiency, which in turn is a result of stress. Guinea pigs are nervous animals and get stressed easily, particularly when they change surroundings. Fortunately, while fungal infections can be persistent, they pose no real threat, especially when they are treated in early stage.
Besides applying antifungal cream, provide your new piggies with good, varied food, plenty of spaces to feel safe and comfortable, and they wil get better in no time.

[Lynx]

I edited your post to display the images. Let us know how he progresses! (I hope it clears up easily)

What is the seedy looking thing in the picture of your two guinea pigs?

If you haven't read the dietary guidelines on the site, this is a good place to start:
www.guinealynx.info/diet.html

And to simplify:
www.guinealynx.info/fave.html

[bpatters]

It may help to have your roommate cover the pig's eyes while you're trying to put the ointment on.

[Ralik]

@Kimera: Thank you for the info. I'm glad to hear it is not as deadly an issue as I feared. Nevertheless, I hate that she got an infection in my care. I'm planning on going to get some fresh fruits and snacks for them today. I was thinking some carrots, strawberries and another fruit for them to try.

@Lynx: And thanks to you for taking care of the images. I'm guessing you guys have a lot of trouble with photobucket dropping the images through time?
The seed things are treat bars. They're these here. https://www.chewy.com/kaytee-forti-diet-pro-health-honey/dp/ ... gclsrc=aw.ds

Looking through the information you provided on food, I see that seed treats are not actually reccomended? I've been giving those sparingly but I will stop if they really are bad for the Guineas. Why would this be the case? (I already knew to avoid the yogurt covered ones. Didn't seem right feeding something like that to an herbivore) And while we're on the topic, do you see the little chew wheel in the corner of the picture? They're not mineral/salt wheels, but a flavored chew wheel that was marketed as being something hard for them to chew on. They've loved the "Banana" flavored one so far. Do you think something like that is fine, or should I take them out?

@bpatters: I will try that tonight, thank you. I was able to apply some by myself last night and this morning, but she's struggling against it pretty hard. I think she can feel the q-tip on her whiskers and it freaks her out.

-------------------------------------------

Thank you guys again for all the information, help and advice!

[Lynx]

I would not replace the chew wheel when it is gone. Hay is how they should wear their teeth (excellent for the digestion). I would not replace the seed treats when they are gone either. Extra sugars are not recommended (note that you should focus on vegetables rather than fruits because fruits are sugary - www.guinealynx.info/chart.html ).

The seed treats list:

Nutritional Info
Ingredients
Sunflower, Small Yellow Corn, Milo, White Millet, Oat Groats, Wheat, Shelled Peanuts, Peas,Toasted Wheat Flakes, Pumpkin Seed, Gelatin, Raisins, Honey, Corn Sugar, Sun-Cured Alfalfa Meal, Ground Corn, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Ground Oats, Ground Rice, Wheat Middlings, Dicalcium Phosphate, Calcium Carbonate, Ground Flax Seed, Cane Molasses, Salt, Algae Meal (Source of DHA), Corn Gluten Meal, Fructooligosaccharide, Soy Oil, Vitamin A Supplement, Choline Chloride, Yeast Extract, Dl-Methionine, L-Lysine, Magnesium Oxide, Potassium Chloride, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Mixed Tocopherols (a Preservative), Yucca Schidigera Extract, Propionic Acid (a Preservative), Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (Source of Vitamin K Activity), Niacin, Copper Sulfate, Rosemary Extract, Citric Acid, Cholecalciferol (Source of Vitamin D3), Calcium Pantothenate, L-Carnitine, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Calcium Iodate, Biotin, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite, Dried Bacillus Licheniformis Fermentation Product, Dried Bacillus Subtilis Fermentation Product, Artificial Colors.

There are too many red flags in this product. Corn especially is a poor feed. And peanuts? Raisins? Honey? Corn Sugar? Put them on your do-not--buy list.

Yes, photobucket images disappear. To conserve space on the server, I don't have people randomly uploading pictures. Many people don't know how to manipulate them and could upload giant/fuzzy/inappropriate pictures. I look for permission to use clear medical pictures and crop and resize them from the originals.

[bpatters]

Also, guinea pigs shouldn't have hard seeds because they have exceedingly tiny throats, and can get easily choked. Herbs are a far better treat than commercially-processed bars.

[Ralik]

Thank you again for the dietary information guys. I'll make sure to avoid seeds and the like as well. I won't buy anything else without checking the info pages you've shared.

I've come with an update, though I am uncertain on what it means. Here is a picture of what she's looking like now. (Feel free to officially add the photo Lynx). It doesn't appear to be actually larger, and it's really hard to tell, but we4 think that the black stuff in the upper right corner may be hair starting to grow back? She's still got what appears to be a fair bit of blood on the area, though we're not sure if that may just be dried.




We checked her cage-mate Oxomo last night (She was humping Mayahuel. I think they're establishing dominance.) to see if she could be a male (Not thankfully!), and while we were at it we checked to see if she had anything. She appears clean, and Mayahuel doesn't have any other spots on her, though her eye on that side is looking a bit crummy. It's not got any secretions or gunk, I think she's just stressed from having to be handled for her ointment.

That's the status update. What do you guys think?

[Lynx]

She may be scratching herself due to itchiness. Have you also treated with ivermectin? Fungal infections and mite infestations can be concurrent. It worries me to see what might be fresh scratches. I would also weigh daily for the time being in case she is in any pain and goes off her food.
www.guinealynx.info/mites.html
www.guinealynx.info/ivermectin.html

I'll go add your new pic (thanks).