Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[lilchinchilla]

The photos look like ringworm to me.  Nose included. I've seen ringworm like that before.

 If it isn't getting better, you could try an oral treatment for the ringworm.  Tinactin powder in the dust is usually recommended for fur fungus. However, sometimes fungus isn't always easy to clear up.
If you wanted to try, you could go to your local vet, and ask about using an oral treatment like ketoconazle. I used it many years ago, with a nasty fungus I got on some chinchillas shipped from the states. You only need two pills to treat with. Each pill is cut up into 8 pieces and you use one piece a day for a 16 day treatment. It's an anti fungal oral treatment that has been used for years with ranchers locally here. You can only get it by prescription from your vet, as far as I know.

 It isn't as often used these days as tinactin is, but it does work for a real stubborn fungus you may run into. On another note, one thing a vet told me a long time ago when it came to fungus, is that "it often gets worse, before it gets better." That is very true.

[duny]

I took the two chins (males) the one with the eye problem (it looks almost healed after 3days antibiotic drops) and the other with the nose bald spot. I searched them very thoroughly and I noticed unfortunately signs that are not look good, and the worst is that I am sure that other two chinchillas (females) have similar signs...

I found that the flakes at the ears today are more than yesterday and is like dry skin because if I scratch the base of their ears the flakes get more as they unstick from the skin. Then especially the one with the eye problem has these flakes almost all over his body except the back (from the back legs to the tail). More than the half body has flakes up and under at the belly, not as many as at the ears, but they exist. In addition, it looks like it loses hair especially around his neck and the fur there is much less dense. Also, the forehand of the chin that has bald spots at the nose is also in bad condition. The bald spot there is very small and I had to wet the fur so I can isolate it, it has flakes, it is not red I would say, but it is something that eats their fur!!! You can see lower fur and missing fur. I post the pictures. I will go to vet to ask because I must do something right now, the powder don't seem to have great results...

Forehand
http://www.seatech.gr/Bforehead1.JPG

http://www.seatech.gr/Bforehead2.JPG

[lilchinchilla]

It could just be a certain strain of fungus that is resistant to the active ingredient in the foot powder. Sometimes, you have to take other options to treat certain fungus. Some fungus strains, for example will glow under black light. Other strains will not glow. Culturing the fungus (your vet does this for you if you ask.), can sometimes determine the strain of fungus and of course can say a lot more on what best treats it. It takes a few days to figure it out while they grow it in the lab.

But...looking at photos, and knowing that you've been using foot powder - which doesn't appear to be working? - might be in the best interest to try an oral treatment. I know how depressed chins get with fungus, so the sooner you resolve it, the happier they will be.  Ketoconazle is a really inexpensive treatment too. Two pills for one chin, that's all. Not sure about the price down there, but it's only $2.00 a pill around here. Keep treating with the tinactin anyways, for the meantime, but try to get in soon to see your vet. Good luck and hope they get better soon.

[duny]

Really thank you for following my problem!

I use foot powder 6 days now. The flakes and the bald spot are more though. I don't know if 6 days is enough for them to get better but as i have read and you are right to this I must find and other medical solutions as the powder is not enough the most times. It is not a matter of money, anything for them to be cured fast! I wrote down the medicine you propose to ask the vet tomorrow, but I have the feeling that I won't find it. It is a small island here and many things don't exist. The vet doesn't even know what a chinchilla is!... 7 years that I have chinchillas and everything learn it from the internet, and from a vet by phone. Hopefully they didn't have until now something very serious like malocclusion or any health issues that they really need the vet's support. Sometimes I am so tired of trying to find every solution with this way, and then I can't find certain things like medicines or even proper bedding, I accuse myself for choosing chinchillas for pets. But I regret the next second because I love them so much, and the reason I have them is because I saw and understand from the first moment what souls they have. Well, now I am telling my life's story I will see the vet tomorrow and anyway I will try to find the proper medicine from another place and send me by courier. I just wanted to know with what I have to fight. And it seems that is ringworm.

[lilchinchilla]

I am sure you should find it. It is more often prescribed for people, not pets. The vet will probably request you go to a pharmacy for the prescription. Vet clinics themselves do not carry it (at least where I am, it is not at the vet clinics.) but they have it in their books for anti fungal care. What island are you on?
Fungus is really easy to take care of. It does make the chins depressed when they have it though. Compared to malocclusion or something more serious, it's a cake walk to cure. The vet might want to prescribe a cream for topical care, but the chins really don't like that and it makes them more unhappy. Topically, keep to the tinactin in the bath, and then use oral treatment as well.

[duny]

Hello!
The island I live is at Greece and it is called Santorini.

Well I went to the vet with one chinchilla. She didn't even know how to hold it. Anyway I hold it and shown her all these things. She told me the same that is fungus and ringworm. She didn't want at first to give me malaseb shampoo because it is too strong for small animals she said. I insisted to give it to me and that i will be very carefull with it. She also gave me oral treatment ITRADROPS which contain itraconazol and she told me to give 0,5ml every morning, once a day for two weeks. She told me that is the same with the pills you told me.
 
What do you think?

Can you please tell me how to use the Malaseb? With water or not? I leave it on the chin or I must wash it to leave?

Should I provide the oral treatment to all 6 chins? As the 4 of the 6 have the flakes at the moment nothing else, but I am afraid that all may have the fungus.
 

[GrayRodent]

Itraconconazol is probably better. It will kill more kinds of fungus and may cause less side effects. You probably shouldn't use the shampoo. Bathing your chinchillas in water can cause them to go into shock and die because of the sudden changes in temperature if it is not done exactly right.
Make sure none of them are allergic to the itradrops before you do anything else. I'm not sure if you should treat all of them but I think it will be necessary.

[duny]

Thanks for the answer, but how will I know if they are allergic? I guess I will understand after I give it.?

[GrayRodent]

Redness of the skin, difficulty breathing, sudden diarrhea, and seizures, these are all possible signs of allergic reactions in most animals. Just watch for any sudden changes in behavior or redness on the skin. If there's an allergy it will probably show up after the second or third dose. However it is very rare for this to happen. Maybe someone who knows more can comment.

[duny]

I will start from tonight to do all these, I hope for the best. My main worry is that I can't quarantine all the chinchillas, not enough rooms, and the 3 females are together to one cage. I hope the medicine and the shampoo treatment and also the disinfection of cages 2-3 times a week to show good results.

[lilchinchilla]

The pills are much better than the bath. I personally don't recommend bathing chinchillas. When I had to give the pills, I would crush it up and put the recommended dose in a raisin. I know some people don't like using raisins, but it works easy to get meds down. I would just slice down the raisin and put the ground up pill in it, and then put the raisin back together. I would think it would be best to treat them all. Just because some may not be showing signs yet, they may show signs of fungus later.

[duny]

Is fungus cause watery eyes? I am worrying cause most of my chinchillas have watery eyes also the last 2 days... They also seem lethargic, they eat and drink normal though.

[chinclub]

No fungus shouldn't cause watery eyes.

[GrayRodent]

Did you give them a bath with that shampoo? The shampoo can irritate their eyes really bad. It is known to cause burns on the eyes of dogs. Chins eyes are more sensitive. Use eye drops.

[duny]

No I haven't used the malaseb shampoo yet.

Other observations are: They eat pellets and hay normally, I would say that their appetite is increased the last month, because they almost eat all they hay I give every day, they used to leave some more a month ago. They also seem to drink more water too. Their droppings are quite normal, but not perfect. Maybe is the treatment (ITRADROPS). What I mean is that their dropping don't have the same size every day, one day are normal length, another are bigger and some of them are rough, and all this happens the last two weeks.
I suspect, that its something more than a fungus, but I don't really know what. I have searched the internet so much, but I can't find something that is completely similar to my case. For sure is an infection, I will tell the vet to do exams if he can (he doesn't know about chinchillas), to two at least chins, like blood, or feces cultivation.
 
About the oral treatment I am doing 6 days now (ITRADROPS). I stopped the sand with the powder for fungus. How many days you think it takes to show results?
 
Thanks!