ringworm and chins

[jessonehundred]

well, a few weeks ago i discovered a raised dry patch on my side, the size of a nickel. it turned into an itchy ring, and i googled to discover it looks/feels/sounds like ringworm. i also read that it is a fungal infection of the skin, which can be contracted from animals. i read that chinchillas can/often do have ringworm. does anyone have any experience with chinchillas having this problem? i saw pictures on google of what i think are very extreme cases... my chinchilla does have what looked like a 'part' in the seam of her tail, now upon inspection it could be a bald spot. she is a light beige color so i cant tell any discoloration or anything.

i dont want to be paranoid but i just wanted any information.
thanks

 

[tunes]

Yep, and I got ringworm from a chin once (thankfully, only once). I got a spot on my butt the size of a 50 cent piece! My kids made fun of me, wanting to know if I had sat on any chins or rubbed my butt on any lately. <rolls eyes> Everybody is a comedian.

On you, Lotrimin cream works great. It's over the counter in the foot care section. If your chin has it, you can add Tinactin to the dust bath at a rate of 1 teaspoon per cup, and let her bathe in it every day for a week. At the same time, you'll want to use a topical treatment like the Lotrimin cream or my personal favorite, Blu-Kote. I've had good luck with both of them. I try to use the Lotrimin in places where the chin can't chew, and the Blu-Kote can go anywhere.

Wash your hands a LOT after handling your chin. Make sure that you completely scour her cage and wash all bedding in hot water and dry on hot, as well as boil and bake any wood. If you can, throw the cage out in the hot sun for a while. The sun works wonders on killing fungus.

 

[jessonehundred]

thanks

thanks so much, i was actually kind of foolish and scoured the internet, heard a lot of complaints about topical creams not working, and put a little diluted bleach on the spot after reading a million times that it worked (and hurt) haha. it actually seems better but im going to go ahead and get some actual medication.
how did you know your chins had ringworm?
thanks for the advice!

 

[arf2184]

I've had ringworm several times...my older sister and I seem to be prone to it unfortunately. The chins here have only gotten it twice though.

For me, I prefer Lamisil cream for treatment as I haven't had much success with Lotrimin...but that's just me. If you don't see improvement in two weeks I'd go to the doctor. They can give you stronger creams or oral meds. Usually it goes away with over the counter stuff though.

On chins, it shows up as a bald spot. Skin may or may not be red and flakey. If you've got it and your chin has an unexplained bald spot (not from fur slip that you know of), I'd treat it like its ringworm just in case. Treat it now so it doesn't spread. I prefer sulfur in the dust bath and blu-kote on the affected areas for treating chins. Tinactin powder can work as a preventative and may help keep it from spreading on the chin, but as a treatment for already affected areas, it can take a long, long time.

You can use blu-kote on yourself too if you don't mind a purple spot...lol. If you use it, be aware that it stains everything. Rubbing alcohol can be used to get it off your skin and hair and some surfaces, but only if you catch it right away.

 

[arf2184]

Oh and there's not really any way of knowing where you got it from. It can live on surfaces for some time and you can get it from other people just as easily as from animals. You and your chinchilla can pass it back and forth, so be careful. Wash your hands often! (which everyone should do anyway, especially with the multiple flu strains going around)

Sunlight it a great anti-fungal, but this time of year the sun can be scarce in many regions...lol. Bleach water kills about 80% of spores on surfaces.