Skin Problems Is this Ringworm? (Hair loss + Crusty skin above one eye)

[lucyy233]

Hi,
On Friday, we found a hairless spot (a bit crusty also) right above our three month old male guinea pig's left eye (See images here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dQoRaIxmvRbjDxlCwyjT6rdJHcp9i60uTrf5AcEU4IE/edit?usp=sharing). Took him to the vet yesterday suspecting that it could be ringworms, but the vet told me it doesn't look like ringworms/mites/lice and could be vitamin c deficiency... I looked up the symptoms of that and none of them match (we feed the pigs plenty of vitamin c rich veggies daily, so I couldn't see how that could be it. Does this look like ringworm to you guys? If so I think I will start treating for ringworm just in case. Thank you so much!

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

It looks like fungus to me. And because it's so close to the eye, you'll need a prescription for it.

Was this an exotics vet you saw?

 

[lucyy233]

It looks like fungus to me. And because it's so close to the eye, you'll need a prescription for it.

Was this an exotics vet you saw?

It's a vet that treats animals from cats and dogs to guinea pigs and hamsters. Pretty much the only vet that takes guinea pigs around here so I didn't really have a choice I went on LA guinea pig rescue's website for ringworm treatment steps and so far I have given both my pigs a bath with anti-dandruff shampoo they recommended. I'm thinking about giving them some anti fungal cream but I'm worried also because it's so close to the eye... Would it be a bad idea? Thanks again.​

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[bpatters]

It's not ringworm -- that causes an actual ring. But it does look like a fungus, and ringworm is a fungus, so it's so nearly the same it might as well be.

There are no over-the-counter treatments for fungus that near the eye, so you'll need to see a vet for an ophthalmic fungus prescription.