Please please help me!!! I don't know what else to do.

Sophiaxfrizzx · Jul 25, 2020

I have already posted on the forum regarding this.
Long story short I got two chinchillas in poor condition and covered in ringworm. Disney passed away and left his brother walt with us.
Walt will be 8 months old the end of the week and in that time he's had ringworm for about 6 of those months.
He was prescribed an oral liquid medication twice for 28 days each time and we have given him sand baths with tinactin powder in them every other day.
Vet did prescribe a thing to wash him with but we did not feel comfortable wetting him. It was 1ml of the stuff to 50mls water but I felt uneasy so we didn't try that.
We were ringworm free for about 2 months and last week it appeared on his little toe. My partner is now also covered in it.
The vet wants to try a tablet that we crush up. He has not bonded with us due to having ringworm most of the time with us so getting him out of the cage to treat him, he loses his life. He fur slips with massive chunks of hair coming off.
On top of the ringworm he also has a constant weepy eye that vet thinks is a blogger tear duct.
I'm literally so scared I'm going to lose him. He's a very happy chin that likes to do his own thing and will come up to us and chat when we sit beside him. I just feel like he's so small that something is not right and that he's never going to be better from all this.
My last chin was 10.5 years old and unfortunately passed away after a dental. I never had ringworm issues with him so I'm lost

Spoof · Jul 26, 2020

Sounds like you have an unusual case of ringworm - there are only a few types that are zoonotic that can pass between living things and the worst one is the cat/equine variety. I'm hoping the liquid your vet gave you was Imaverol? If it was, wash that chin! it only takes a couple of applications to get rid of it. Most of the time it'll go away with one application. There are several breeders here that have used it on themselves - but to be honest I'm guessing your partner brought it in and you have passed it to the chin this time. This is common if you are around puppies, kittens or livestock. I would have them go to a doc and get a scrape and see exactly what you are dealing with. It may be a very aggressive strain and the human drugs will likely work for the chin. Let the doc know about both of you having it.

I have never had a ringworm infection take more than 6 weeks to completely clear so there may be some underlying issues here.

Sophiaxfrizzx · Jul 26, 2020

Yes the vet prescribed Imaveral but I'm afraid to wash walt in it because I've read it's bad to get a chin wet. I will wash Walt in it and hope it will clear.
To be honest I think its walt that gave the ringworm back. My partner and I are not around other animals and with covid 19 we only leave the house to go to work. I'm thinking it never fully cleared up in Walt and thats how we got it a second time.
Could it be a case that walt will never get better? I can't understand how he has it after two treatments of Itrafungal which is an oral medication.
Also should I get bloods done on him to see if something is going on? Thank you so much for your response I really appreciate it. My last post got no response and I'm going out of my mind with worry

Sophiaxfrizzx · Jul 26, 2020

Also when washing walt do I wet him all over or just the area where the ringworm is visible. Vet said 50ml water to 1ml Imaverol. I'm just nervous about washing him

tunes · Jul 27, 2020

First, I'm sorry you didn't get a response on your first post. For some reason, it didn't come up when I hit "new posts." Second, a chin won't die if it gets wet. It can be a problem if you don't get him completely dry. I agree with Spoof. I would bathe him, and I would bathe all of him. There's no telling where there might be spots coming up soon because of the density of his fur.

As far as getting it again, you guys could be bouncing it back and forth between you. I've been told by vets that ringworm in chins is often caused by a compromised immune system. You might want to look into some ways to help with that. also, EVERYTHING has to be washed that you touch. If you touch anything chin related (including Walt) you should be wearing disposable gloves (barring that, immediately do a 20 second wash of your hands) and changing your clothes and washing them after you hold him. Also, everything in his cage needs to be treated. If he has wood houses, either get rid of them and get new ones or put them in the hot sun for a few days. If you can't do that, bake them. All cloth things need to be washed and dried on high heat. That means some serious cleaning for the humans living there too.

Frank Bradley · Apr 10, 2021

tunes said:
First, I'm sorry you didn't get a response on your first post. For some reason, it didn't come up when I hit "new posts." Second, a chin won't die if it gets wet. It can be a problem if you don't get him completely dry. I agree with Spoof. I would bathe him, and I would bathe all of him. There's no telling where there might be spots coming up soon because of the density of his fur.

As far as getting it again, you guys could be bouncing it back and forth between you. I've been told by vets that ringworm in chins is often caused by a compromised immune system. You might want to look into some ways to help with that. also, EVERYTHING has to be washed that you touch. If you touch anything chin related (including Walt) you should be wearing disposable gloves (barring that, immediately do a 20 second wash of your hands) and changing your clothes and washing them after you hold him. Also, everything in his cage needs to be treated. If he has wood houses, either get rid of them and get new ones or put them in the hot sun for a few days. If you can't do that, bake them. All cloth things need to be washed and dried on high heat. That means some serious cleaning for the humans living there too.

I totally agree with you. You are saying right about it.