Zoe's Medical Thread

[maggieP]

Zoe was adopted in 2019 and said was 1-2 years old, so 7-8 years old now ? Weight is sitting around 830g this year. Concerns:

• dark flecks/specks, does not appear to be moving. mites would not be so large/visible, right? and lice would be white, not dark? is this just dandruff? hay dust? I did the recommended dose of ivermectin just in case. She had a series/doses of Revolution from the vet in January as well (once a month x 3)

• some scabbiness / inflammation on front foot pads. she had some recurring spurs there which I trimmed back with cuticle clippers in the past. going to try epsom salt soak. will work to keep her area drier. she tends to sit in the same spot a lot.

We are going in to the vet for both issues tomorrow. Behavior, movement and appetite is usual. Will send pictures to attach.

[maggieP]

flakes/specks are mostly on the rump / backside

[ItsaZoo]

I’m glad you got a vet appointment. Hopefully you will get some answers. Scabbiness and inflammation on the feet could be a fungus, and the skin flakes and specks could also be fungal. Keep us posted.

[Lynx]

I am not able to post the pics tonight but will try do so tomorrow.

The dark flecks seem to be dandruff (the skin looks dark).

[maggieP]

Thanks! Will update tomorrow

[maggieP]

Post-vet update: Sent home with chlorhexidine solution (0.2%) to dilute and soak feet in once a day to avoid any infection. Said the feet didn't look infected, just scabby. Will keep on top of it with replacing bubble mats daily or every other day to keep dry.
Confirmed it was dandruff (checked under microscope)... Asked about Nizoral but she said an antifungal wasn't needed. Said she was a big greasy and could try some Duoxo S3 Seb shampoo? Anyone familiar with this?

[Lynx]

Nizoral is a very good shampoo for dandruff, if I remember right.

Chlorhexidine can be drying. You might also wish to read this:
https://www.guinealynx.info/pododermatitis.html
https://www.guinealynx.info/antiseptic_solutions.html

[ItsaZoo]

I’m familiar with Duoxo for dogs and I highly recommend it. We had a dog with seborrheic dermatitis. Thin fur, and red, itchy, greasy skin. She also had flea bite allergies. The vet told us about Duoxo. It’s gentle, and as the old skin cells slough off, the new skin cells are healthier. It’s a process to shampoo more frequently for the first week or so and let the shampoo soak, then gradually taper off and shampoo less frequently. It worked wonders. Her skin was much healthier and her fur thickened up nicely.

[maggieP]

Thanks, good to know. She doesn't really seem itchy. Sorry I had the wrong spelling - Douxo S3

[maggieP]

Mousse or shampoo? Thinking the mousse might be easier to just rub on?

[Lynx]

Here are crops of the most useful pics:





And the flakes, which are most clear on this pic and sync with what the vet had to say (I thought this was dandruff too):

[Sef]

I have seen that kind of flaking/dandruff with dark-skinned guinea pigs who had very dry skin.