ringworm and tresaderm? bad vet?

[faineance]

i have a young black velvet female chinchilla, around 4 months old, weighing in at 280 grams.

nearly a month ago, my local vet gave me tresaderm to apply for 30 days on a ringworm lesion on her left ear. two weeks into her treatment, she had a lesion covering the entire left half of her nose, with fur missing up close to her eye, all the way to the tip by her nostrils and down through her whiskers. he said to apply the tresaderm on her nose as well for 30 more days.

so far, ive been treating her nose for a week but shes having breathing problems, like her nose is congested. she constantly wipes and snorts and sneezes. when she tries to sleep, she sounds worse, like she has blockage. her nose isnt wet though. is the tresaderm just making the tissue swell and constricting her passage? should i stop using tresaderm? i told the vet but he didnt look into it, nor did he check her other ear to see what i was calling a possible third breakout. as a matter of fact, two days before her nose was bald, he told me she was fine and showing great improvement in her ear...

the tresaderm has made her coat so dirty but the vet said to try not to give her dustbaths. shes getting one maybe once a week until i can get my hands on some tinactin. ive read various sources recommending the tinactin before even a vet visit, but no stores here sell the powder, so now im waiting for an order to come in next week.

also, the vet said anything wooden like ledges and hideouts in her cage shouldnt be an issue and i wont have to replace any of it. however, everything ive read says the opposite because of the fungal spores. which is it? there is only one exotics vet here, so i cant see anyone else for a professional second opinion unless i risk driving my baby 2 hours either north or south in the 100 degree texas heat. definitely not worth the risk.

 

[tunes]

Okay, first, if tresaderm hasn't done anything in 30 days, it isn't going to DO anything. Stop using it and move onto something else.

Second, if the fungus has become so advanced as to her entire face becoming bald, then you've got a severe case of fungus going on. Start dusting every day with Tinactin 1 teaspoon per cup of dust. I would do several cups to several teaspoons. Apply Blu-Kote to the affected areas, and you can also use Tinactin cream which does a pretty decent job. At this point, it also sounds as though you need some itraconazole to be given orally as the fungus is starting to really get out of hand.

Third, find a new vet. This one is obviously clueless. If that means you have to drive 2 hours, then crank up the a/c and hit the road. My vet is always 2 hours away, summer or winter, because that's all I've got out here. I load up the car and off we go. Your wood chews and toys and houses have EVERY reason to be either boiled and baked or destroyed. The spores go everywhere. Into the wood, the hammocks, the carpet, your clothes, your skin. Fungus is incredibly contageous. You should be thoroughly washing your hands and arms every single time you handle your chin, and some people go so far as to change their clothes to make sure it doesn't spread to other animals and people in the house.

Lastly, the breathing is NOT related to the fungus. Fungus is generally associated with a lowering of the immune system, which obviously would then make other opportunistic illnesses easier to develop. Your chin probably has either a URI or pneumonia. She needs to see a vet immediately to find out what is going on, including a x-ray to see if it's in her lungs or just in her nose. If you want to know how fast this can turn bad, do a search for Bear. Stackie just lost her little guy to pneumonia.

It is worth the risk to drive in 100 degree heat. Use your a/c and get your little one to a vet. A URI or pneumonia will not wait until Monday. If that is what it is, and you wait, you will lose your chin.

 

[menagerie]

I agree with Tunes, the current course of treatment is not working. Time to move on to something else. Actually the time to move on to something else was when it wasn't responding to treatment and started spreading.

Your chin needs to get to the vet ASAP for the respiratory issue and to get systemic medications for the fungus.

 

[obcsed]

Where in Texas are you? If you are near Houston, get the baby to:

http://www.animalemergencyhospital.com/
1111 West Loop South Suite 200
Houston, TX 77027
Tel: 713-693-1100

They have exotic vets very experienced with chins on call 24/7. Just call them and tell them you are coming and the vet will be there when you get there.

 

[faineance]

i live in lufkin, 2 hrs north of houston.

im one of the lucky drivers of a neon with leaks around the tail lights (turns out its very common). when it rains, the trunk gets pretty wet. so now in the summer, my car is quite humid and uncomfortable even to me. i was really hoping for a simpler solution than having to take her on a 4-hour round trip in a hot moist environment if i didnt absolutely have to.

ive taken her to this vet three times about her ringworm, and so far he has told me im wearing him out, what more do i want from him, congratulations- its still ringworm, and what am i gonna do- change the wood every day? he thinks hes clever. i think hes a prick.

 

[menagerie]

Can you get someone else to take your or borrow a car? It's really important that she is treated. URI's are deadly and quick to hit hard.

 

[Essentia]

He's most definitely a prick. Good lord. I would definitely start the tinactin powder and cream. In the mean time start calling around to all the local vets to see if there is anyone else you can see. If you don't find anything you need to go back to this vet and demand some care for her breathing (antibiotics, etc). URI's get very bad very fast in chins. I had a chin that was sneezing one day and I started him on antibiotics that very next day and I almost lost him. Luckily with constant hand feeding, antibiotics, and nebulizing him 3-4 times a day he did pull through. Unfortunately not all chins are that lucky though. The longer you wait, the worse this URI is going to be.

 

[faineance]

ok so i took her back to the vet yesterday, who greeted me with an exasperated sigh. he examined her and said i made him panic over absolutely nothing. she doesnt have any respiratory problems. the ringworm/tresaderm were indeed bothering her and causing all the snorting/wiping. he said her ear is healing very nicely and im done treating it now, so i just need to finish my last two weeks applying the tresaderm to her nose. as a bonus he gave me baytril, saying it was just to make ME feel better. as i was leaving, he asked if he would be seeing me next week.. ergh.

i guess he cant be all bad - my baby is much better and he hasnt charged me for the past three visits.

 

[RDZCRanch]

I would still find another vet and take the advice that Tunes gave above. A vet should not treat you like that or be exasperated by your presence. Those kind of vets are the ones that end up killing your chinchilla because they think "nothing" is wrong. How on earth does he know she doesn't have respiratory problems?? If her lungs sound good that just means it hasn't reached that level yet. Has she stopped snorting, swiping, and breathing funny? If not...you need to keep up on the baytril and you'll possibly have to start hand feeding (Baytril causes appetite loss) and I'd take her to a better vet that actually cares about your pet's health.

You asked for advice and great advice was given. Just because this guy can put DVM after his name doesn't mean jack. You have to KNOW chinchillas. My personal vet who has worked with countless chinchillas for over 10 years recommends tinactin powder mixed with dust as Tunes suggested to take care of fungal problems. Fungus has reoccurences VERY easily all the time. Even if he says the fungus is gone, give her a dust bath with the tinactin for a few weeks after you see no more signs. Those spores are stubborn and stick around FOREVER.

 

[Dustbunnies]

I got so tired of that crap. I had 4 or 5 vets treat me like that before finding a decent one.

Find a way to get to another vet and hope for less BS. Good luck!

 

[caiti]

He should have his license taken away. I hate people like that (i.e. inconsiderate idiots).

 

[Brittany_Lynn]

Is there a yellowpages.com website that your a-hole vet is listed on so that you can warn other chinchilla owners in your area? I wouldn't trust that guy with my pet rock. "Will I see you next week" If he said that to me, I'd have knocked him into next week!
Okay, maybe not knocked him, but I'd definitely have chewed him out. :hair: WHAT A JERK.
Anyway, please try and get your girl to that vet in Houston (with a family member's or friend's car, maybe?) as tunes said. She gives the best advice.
I find that it's easiest to ask for a big favor like a 4 hr car trip by mentioning all the fun things the pair of you could do in Houston. "Hey ____ when was the last time you went to Houston? Let's go today! We can go to ___, ___, and shop at ___! The only thing is I need to bring my chinchilla to the vet, but other than that we're free, AND I will pay you for gas money. Especially if the A/C is gonna use some of your gas. Sounds like a plan? Yahoo!" ...Or tell them that if they let you borrow their car, that they will get it back with a full tank, and that they're helping save your sick baby chin.