Guinea pig's nose? Injury or something else?

[Brianne]

I just noticed this tonight. It wasn't there yesterday when I looked in on them. It looks like a little bald spot on my pig's nose. When I looked closer, the hair around it was clumped as if it was wet or something. They were just to the vet like a month ago to check for mites/fleas (and they were treated for it) so I'm fairly sure that's not it.

My pig's do squabble sometimes, so could this just be an injury? I've never seen it on their faces before, just some bite/scratch marks on their backs/butts the odd time. A bit strange, since this pig is usually the one getting chased not facing off. Anyone, here's a couple pics! Any help would be great!

http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/x...g?t=1272867222
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/x...g?t=1272867247

There is definitely hair missing but he didn't seem to flinch when I touched it.

[GuineaGuy521]

I can't really tell from the photo, but is the skin broken? From the picture, it looks like a balding spot, not broken skin.

A few simple ideas of what could be causing it - the piggy rubbing his nose against something too much (due to itching maybe?). Or barbering from other pigs.

It could be any number of things, hopefully someone else has a good idea. You could just call the vet and ask what they think - and if it necessitates a vet visit. When I call the vet (for any of my pets) I always ask the question 'at what point should I bring the pet in?' This way they can tell me the signs to look for and I worry less. I hope that is helpful.

[Brianne]

Thanks for the reply - the skin doesn't look broken to me. I have noticed my other pig has some crusty stuff by his eye, but he has had this pretty regularly since being a baby. It just seemed worse to me now. I'm gonna keep an eye on them, I'm hoping it's just from fighting and not ring worm.

The problem is my vet way overcharges and every time I call her, she automatically tells me to bring them in. I just spent $300 last month for their treatments and I'm a student so I really don't have the money. I was looking at Guinea Lynx and it doesn't seem like ring worm is too hard to treat, so if it is that I should be able to get rid of it.

[GuineaGuy521]

I'm no an expert and I tend to err on the side of caution myself. It could be any number of things, but at this point, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be overly concerned, but I'd watch it. If it progresses, my level of concern would be raised however.

Hopefully someone has more detailed advice.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Hair loss like that is usually from ringworm/ fungus.

I would definitely consider hair loss a concern unlike the above. It can spread quickly and be very painful.

[JD In Van]

I wouldn't wait and see at all.
As I said on the other thread, if you suspect fungus or Ringworms you need to go to a vet as soon as you're able because those are things that can spread to the humans in your household as well.

[Lil Fella's Mom]

I have had a case of ringworm on my dog before. It spread like wildfire to the other dog and to me. I thought i was being careful, but caught it anyways.

If you don't know that the bald spot came from some sort of quarrel, it is best to go see a vet. Most forms of ringworm will light up under a black light, so it should be easily detected. Treatment is crucial, it won't just go away if you wait and see.

[Brianne]

I'm sorry to keep posting but thing after thing keeps coming up. My one pig is perfectly healthy, which is a bit confusing because this stuff seems like it WOULD be contagious...

Anyways, instead of continuing to post new threads I"m gonna try to put it all in this one, and hopefully can get some answers :) Sorry if it's long!

1.)Last month I found dark "flecks" in his fur and promptly took both pigs to the vet. $300 later and the vet didn't find much but she still treated them for mites/fleas and sent me home with a bottle of spray-on "conditioner" type stuff to help with dry skin. I did notice less scratching in both pigs.

2.)Today, I noticed a bald spot on my pigs nose. (http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/x...g?t=1272924518) I am trying not to presume it is ringworm, but I know that everyone says to go to the vet. I would love to just do this but honestly I don't have the money. Like, not I have it and don't want to spend it - i don't have it. I'm a student and I have about $50 right now. I followed some of the info on Guinea Lynx where it seems that most cases can be cleared up with just a Monistat-type cream. I bathed both pigs, and put some monistat on my one pigs nose.

3.)After bathing my pig, I noticed those "black flecks" on his bum again, and then on investigation, a sticky spot on his behind. Right above his bum, on his back. I trimmed it down right to the skin, and I still can't see much. It is really sticky/tacky and I can scrape off little pieces of sticky black stuff (feels like earwax kinda) with my nail. I dunked his butt back in and tried to work it out with shampoo which didn't do much. I left him for now cuz the poor things been tormented enough today with the bath lol. Could it just be something like boar glue (other pig tends to "mount" him a lot) that has got poo or something embedded in it? Didn't seem to bug him except that it pulled on his skin the same way glue on our skin would.


Okay, that's it. I'm sorry for such a long post! This pig has me stressed and worried constantly while the other one is perfectly healthy. He does eat fine, play, drink, etc though. Any help would be really appreciated. Again, I KNOW the simple solution is the vet but it isn't an option for me right now. Any advice other than that, or from people who have had the same experiences would be wonderful. Thanks!

[Paula]

The sticky spot on his behind sounds like the grease gland. In which case you'll need to clean it but probably doesn't have anything to do with his nose.

Can you post pics of the "black flecks"?

The nose picture does look like ringworm and is likely not to be treated effectively with a Monistat or other OTC cream. You might be able to work out some sort of payment plan with your vet, especially if you just recently dropped $300 there. Might be worth asking about.

[sdpiggylvr]

What Paula says is great advice. I'm also curious to know, is the sick pig showing signs of illness - weight loss, not eating/drinking, not pooping/peeing, lethargy, lack of energy?

[JD In Van]

Spray on conditioners don't work. And bathing pigs with mites/skin issues often aggrevates them rather then improves them.

Is there another vet in your area you could try instead?

[Brianne]

He's not acting strange at all. He's a big pig (the fatter of the two), he's eating and drinking normally, pooping and peeing fine, and as far as I can tell he's not sleepier or any more inactive then normal. They still both run up to the side of the cage excitedly when I bring them their carrot and lettuce.

Here's a pic of the black flecks:
http://i749.photobucket.com/albums/x...g?t=1272927145
That picture is from BEFORE the vet visit. They are pretty much identical to how they are now though. The vet looked at them under a microscope and she said they looked like nothing.

I'm thinking the sticky spot may be boar glue now after reading other posts. I'll get mineral oil and try to get it out.

His nose still worries me, but the reason I thought the monistat would help was because on guinea lynx it says:
"[SIZE=2]3rd photo by Jandras (miconazole cream cleared this up)
4th photo by Rshevin (miconazole cream also cleared this up - not identified by culture as fungus)"

I think I will have to keep trying with this cream for a couple days and watch what happens. My vet is, honestly, not the best for price negotiations. They way overcharge but they're the only vet in my area that knows guinea pigs.
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[Brianne]

Spray on conditioners don't work. And bathing pigs with mites/skin issues often aggrevates them rather then improves them.

Is there another vet in your area you could try instead?

The pigs were treated for the mites a month ago, and I didn't give them a bath till now. The main reason I gave them a bath is because that spray on stuff left them feeling so greasy. I agree, not the best product.

And no, unfortunately this is the only vet in my area that knows guinea pigs at all. They are scratching less though, so it's possible they DID have fleas or mites before which were treated.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Black flecks like that usually means parasites of some type.

[Brianne]

Black flecks like that usually means parasites of some type.

I'm not too concerned with the flecks. I think it's just from dry skin or perhaps from the problem with the boar glue. I already had him looked at by the vet and treated too. I'm concerned about his nose problem right now and fixing that.