Lichen in guinea pigs: causes, symptoms and treatments

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Pets like guinea pigs are prone to various diseases. As a rule, they all appear as a result of improper maintenance and neglect of the rules of care. Ringworm in guinea pigs can be caused by a fungal infection of the skin. In order to recognize the disease in time, you need to know the main symptoms. You can treat it at home, but in any case, you should take your pet to the veterinarian.

What is lichen?

Lichen is a skin disease caused by the active growth of fungal cells. The following symptoms will indicate that guinea pigs have lichen:

• hair loss;
• redness;
• itch;
• flaky areas.

The condition of the sick animal is noticeably deteriorating, it constantly itches and is in a disturbed state. If you ignore these manifestations and do notto help, the lichen will begin to actively spread throughout the body. Moreover, the hosts and rodents with which the animal shares its “living space” will be susceptible to infection.

There are two types of lichen in guinea pigs:

• trichophytosis;
• microsporia.

Spores of fungi can be stored for a long period on the skin of rodents, in the ground, on various objects and not be active. It is worth noting that an animal can be a carrier of this disease, but it will only begin to progress under the influence of certain factors. Often, an illness can provoke keeping the animal in inappropriate conditions or weakened immunity.

Diagnosis

To recognize ringworm in guinea pigs, the animal must be shown to specialists. The clinic uses the following diagnostic methods:

• Illumination of affected areas with a UV lamp.
• Analysis of wool fragments to be examined in detail under a microscope.
• Scraping from bald areas.

If it is not possible to take the pet to a veterinary clinic, you can perform one manipulation that will allow you to find out if the guinea pig has lichen. It is necessary to circle the affected area with a cotton swab dipped in iodine. The fungus will have clear outlines. However, it is permissible to resort to this method only if there are no wounds on the pet's body.

Treatment methods

It is important to contact a specialist who will tell you how to treat lichen in a guinea pig. Before starting therapy, a sick rodent must be transplanted into a separate cage or container. All items that the animal has come into contact with must be treated with disinfectants.

If the cage is lined with fabric, it must be boiled or burned. Hair from the edges of the affected area must be cut off. All manipulations with the animal must be carried out with gloves.

Treatment regimen for lichen in guinea pigs with medicines is made only after the diagnosis is confirmed. For the treatment of wounds, a Chlorhexidine solution is prescribed, after which the areas are lubricated with antifungal ointments. It can be "Clotrimazole", "Termikon", "Miconazole". If the disease is advanced, in addition to the ointment, drugs should be given to the animal inside. To strengthen the immunity of guinea pigs, you need to give ascorbic acid.

In severe cases, the antibiotic "Griseofulvin" is used to combat ringworm. The drug is given once (20 mg per 1 kg of animal weight).

Folk remedies

Treatment of depriving guinea pigs with folk remedies also gives good results. Burnt paper gives a good effect in non-traditional therapy. The procedure will be as follows:

1. It is necessary to take a clean plate and a white sheet of paper.
2. Then you should burn it right on the plate. A brown precipitate should remain on the surface, which needs to be lubricated with the affected areas. For such manipulations, it is advisable to use cotton swabs.

Equally effective inthe fight against deprive guinea pigs of such a remedy as tar soap. After applying it, damaged areas must be treated with iodine.

Treatment with baking soda and table s alt also gives good results. It is necessary to mix them in equal proportions and apply to areas with damage. For the treatment of lichen, a mixture of crushed raisins and vegetable oil is suitable. It is necessary to resort to traditional medicine methods with caution, because such treatment can harm the animal.

Prevention

It is important to consider that lichen is contagious to humans, so you need to be careful with sick animals. All manipulations with them must be carried out exclusively with gloves.

The cage in which the animal was kept and other items must be treated with disinfectants. For wet disinfection, a 3% formaldehyde solution is suitable. In the composition you need to add a little 1% caustic soda. A solution of whiteness can be used to kill ringworm spores. The product must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10.

Carpets and upholstered furniture should be steamed and also wiped with disinfectants. It is also necessary to regularly clean the premises and introduce fortified food into the pet's diet, which will strengthen its immunity. If there are other animals in the house, contact with them should be limited.

Who is at risk?

Those animals that have a weakened immune system can face lichen. Notit is excluded that the disease may develop due to improper maintenance of the pet. Guinea pigs with oncological diseases, those who have undergone chemotherapy, are also susceptible to deprive. Often, lichen occurs in animals of advanced age.

What diseases in guinea pigs are similar to lichen

To save the animal and prevent complications, you need to know what lichen looks like in guinea pigs. The fact is that its symptoms can be confused with other diseases. Rodents are prone to ailments that cause partial hair loss, redness and peeling. We are talking about the following defeats:

• Fungus. As a rule, the muzzle of the animal begins to go bald. Peeling, hair loss, itching are observed on the skin. If the disease progresses, the fungus begins to affect the paws, ears and neck.
• Pododermatitis (corns). These problems are caused by improper pet care. The appearance of tumors and pustules on the wounds may be due to dirty bedding and too long claws in the animal. Calluses can also appear on the background of obesity and other diseases.
• Guinea pig hair loss can be caused by a sudden allergic reaction or seasonal shedding.

Conclusion

If a guinea pig has he alth problems, it becomes worried, constantly itches, it must be taken to the veterinary clinic as soon as possible. Self-medication is possible only as a last resort, when it is not possible to consult a specialist.