Skin Problems my guinea pig has a white area forming around a skin tag on the ear

[Kieri]

last week i noticed my guinea pig, elliot, had a bump on her ear. i assumed it was a skin tag after reading about lumps in the ear. also, it felt sort of rough almost like a scab, however she hasn't be itching at it and my other guinea pig hasn't nipped her from what i know.

just now i was spot cleaning and i noticed the skin tag area has white forming around it.

i'm assuming it's a fungus. is there a way to treat this with something over the counter or should i make a vet appointment?

if elliot has it, i take it there is a high chance it is going to eventually show up on my other guinea pig? if i need to make a vet appointment, should i take both pigs in?

other than her ear, nothing regarding eating and drinking is different and she has the same amount of energy she always has.

here is the best picture i could get of her ear:

 

[Frapplove]

I don't know of any over-the-counter medicines to recommend. You could check around this site for medicine information, I'm sure there is lots. I would go to the vet with Elliot, figure out what it is, and then you would know if it is something contagious and if you should get medicine for your other guin too.

 

[grace&piggies]

Is the skin on her ear drying out and flakey? Have you had a look at (broken link removed) ? I'd mention GuineaLynx but I know you would have already checked there.

 

[Kieri]

i checked that website out earlier, i'm not too sure what it could be. none of the pictures match her ear.

i can't imagine her being stressed and i'm not even sure where she could have got the fungal or bacterial infection when i spot clean the cage daily and completely clean out the cage every 5-7 days (it's a fairly large cage, so it lasts longer, but if that's a potential issue then i will completely clean it out more often.)

this morning i gave the pigs veggies. obcy doesn't appear to have anything on her ears or body. elliot's white mark is still the same size.

i'm going to call the vet today and ask if it would cost extra to bring in both pigs. a vet visit here is $35, so i'm hoping it'll be $35 total for the visit instead of $35 per pig. if it won't cost me extra, i'll bring in both piggies to be safe.

thanks for the advice!

 

[bpatters]

Try putting Monistat on it -- you can get it any pharmacy. Rub it in well with a Q-tip so she won't eat it when she grooms herself. If it doesn't clear up in a few days, a vet visit is probably in order.

 

[foggycreekcavy]

You can also use other over the counter fungus cream. Monistat cream isn't usually available at the stores I go to--the yeast treatment for women is (with the suppositories) but not the tubes of cream by themselves. So I usually buy Lotrimin, and it works as well.

Apply it two or three times a day and see if there's any improvement.

 

[Kieri]

thank you guys so much.

i will surely look for those things at the store later today.

i made an appointment for elliot, it's this saturday at 4 pm. i was going to bring obcy in as well, but it would have cost $65 compared to $35. so i'm only taking elliot. (i haven't seen anything on obcy, but that doesn't mean nothing will form)

if it's anything contagious or harmful, i will ask for extra medication to treat obcy, or i will bring her into the vet.

i wouldn't mind paying $65 to have both of them seen, but if the vet does a biopsy it will cost $65 per pig, and if they need to send the biopsies to a lab it'll cost $100 per pig, so i would rather just take one pig in for now.

i read somewhere it could be ringworm, however i touched her ear a lot last week when i felt the bump/scabby skin and nothing has appeared on me.

 

[Kieri]

one more question - what sort of fungal or bacterial infections ABSOLUTELY require vet care and prescription medication?

are all guinea pig fungus ordeals treatable with over the counter creams?

depending on the verdict on saturday, i'm going to ask my vet if i can get the medicine over the counter rather than spending an arm and a leg on a cream. however, i don't know the vet well enough to know whether she would lie just to get money out of me, claiming i MUST get medicine from her or else.

 

[SurfingPigs]

Fungal infections, unless so severe as to be life threatening (which won't happen with proper care), can almost always be treated at home with over the counter medications already listed.

Bacterial and viral infections (in general URI, UTI) should be treated with prescription medications from the vet.

 

[Kieri]

alright, well it looks as if i'm going to take obcy with me to elliot's appointment on saturday. my boyfriend doesn't see anything wrong with her eye but it appears to be sickly looking as if she's losing hair around her inner eye.

i'm no longer home so i can't provide a picture.

hopefully i'm just over reacting. if it's fungal i hope i caught it early enough to treat it easily.

i'm so overly stressed right now, i don't want my babies itching or feeling uncomfortable.

 

[bpatters]

I doubt seriously that your pig needs either a biopsy or prescription medication.

If it were me, I'd treat it with either Monistat or Lotrimin (either will do) for several days, and if it didn't get better, then I'd take her in.

Fungus infections usually do not need vet care unless they're so bad that the lesions are infected with some sort of bacteria as well. Bacterial infections almost always need vet care.

Read www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html for more information. You do need to protect yourself, and to clean the cage very carefully. You'll have to throw away anything in the cage that is made out of wood.

If your other pig shows no signs of fungus, then it doesn't need treatment.

 

[Kieri]

i'm going to try the monistat/lotrimin idea first. i've spent over $600-700 in books and school supplies the past 2 weeks and i don't have that much money at the moment. (i still have another book i need to buy for chem, but i can't even afford that right now)

i'm always broke when classes begin, it's absurd, so thank you guys so much for your advice. i feel so relieved knowing i don't NEED to go to a vet just yet. i think i caught whatever it is early enough to treat it on my own.

once again, thank you so, so, so much.

i'm going to look up videos/tutorials on applying cream to ears and eyes. does anyone have a good technique to apply cream around the eyes? do i need some sort of special rinse in case any cream gets into her eye?

should i separate my guinea pigs? or is it pointless considering they have had contact with one another?

can i use any house hold product to clean the grids and connectors or should i buy something like this:
(broken link removed)that product doesn't appear to be too safe though. "Used For: Spiders, Mice, Whiteflies"

edit:
https://www.walgreens.com/store/c/lotrimin-af-clotrimazole-antifungal-cream/ID=prod352271-product

that is what i need to keep an eye out for, correct?