Hair Loss Hair falling from pig's foot

[DouglasLC]

Hi everyone,

I noticed a few days ago that hair started falling from a foot of one of my two guinea pigs. This one has always had an issue from time to time.. first on his nose.. then on his back, then on his cheek, now on his foot. The first time it happened I came here and you guys helped me by advising to use Nystatin and it helped. All other times he had issues I used it and it always solved the problem. I've been using it on his foot for around 3 days but it seems like the hair loss continues and is slowly getting bigger. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd be very glad to hear. Thanks a million.

This is an old thread of the issue he had on his nose: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/115244-Little-wound-in-guinea-pig-s-nose?highlight=

The issue on his foot:

 

[bpatters]

Front foot or back foot? Looks like a back foot.

The next treatment in line is an antibiotic cream, but that's trickier because you don't want the pig to ingest the antibiotic. It's more a problem if it's a front foot, because it's easier for the pig to lick it.

I'd get a triple antibiotic cream (any pharmacy, any brand), apply it very sparingly with a q-tip, and rub it in very well. Be sure to get into the hair around the bald spot. When you're done, wipe the area well to get any cream out of the hair.

And keep an eye on the pig to see if there's any licking going on. Also watch for any signs of digestive upset.

But it looks fungal, so I'm not sure why the Nystatin isn't doing anything.

Your other option is to try another antifungal cream -- Mycostatin, Lotrimin, etc. Maybe the one you've got has lost strength and isn't as effective any more.

Whatever you use to clear it up, keep using it for several days after you start seeing regrowth of hair. Fungus can be hard to get rid of.

 

[DouglasLC]

Yes it's on his back foot. He does lick it so I started holding him on my lap for a while after I applied it to make sure he doesn't lick it. I just noticed I have some Ketoconazole here at home, it says it's also an antifungal cream so I'll try this one for now. Thanks for all the tips.

 

[bpatters]

If he licks it, it probably itches. So you might want to consider also applying a bit of cortisone cream to it. Or, you could see a vet and get a combination antifungal/cortisone cream prescribed for him.

 

[DouglasLC]

I don't think it itches.. his behavior seems normal.. I saw him licking during his ritual of licking the whole body to clean himself I believe. I plan on trying this other antifungal cream I have for a few days. If I don't see any improvement and it continues to get worse, then I'll take him to a vet. But I'm optimistic, I think he'll be alright with this one. Thanks again for the help

 

[DouglasLC]

Hi guys. I'm happy to say that the Ketoconazole cream I applied on the foot did the trick and now it is almost 100%. So if anyone has a similar issue, this helps. I did have to insist.. I applied the cream around 3 times a day for more than a week before I started seeing hair starting to grow back. But I'm glad he's ok now.

Thanks again for the help!