Ringworm: Sulphur or Athletes Powder

[chechinchillas]

I have a pet owner asking me about Ringworm treatment. She was told by another breeder that only sulphur powder will kill the infection and that Tinactin powder will only send it into remission. I myself use minconazole cream on any affected areas and Tinactin in the dust bath. Then disenfect the cage and all accessories. This is what has worked for me and I haven't ever had an animal get reinfected. Thoughts?

 

[saphire]

Both treatment will do the job. Once it is gone it is gone on the body.

And dormant until a situation causes it to come back. Such as stresses!

A weaker chin will show it more often than another since stress weakens one..

It is my understanding from conversation with vets, that once they have it they carry it. (so to speak)

So, it is my understanding that no treatment will "kill" it.

 

[AZChins]

The Tinactin is easier for pet owners to use. It will kill off the fungus completely, but that depends on how deep the fungus has gotten into skin tissues and if chins are treated long enough. I've never had a fungal infection last for more than a couple of weeks here, but I am also very very vigilant about the chins and their cleanliness. Fungal spores will live on everything around the chins and everything must be disinfected or the fungus may come back.

A lot of breeders will say that Tinactin or whatever other topical treatment doesn't work because the fungus just comes back. Most of the time that is because there is a source for the fungus around the chins. It can grow in cage pans, and it can live in dusty areas and scatter should those areas be disturbed.

With fungus the concentration of spores can be what determines if the chins will get it. It's all over everything anyway, it isn't just "ringworm" that is passed from animal to animal. It's in the air, it comes in on hay, shavings, when the door is opened, on people, etc etc. The important thing is to keep things clean, keep wet shavings to a minimum - that means CLEAN up cages very often and vacuum and wipe down surfaces with disinfectant.

Dust your chins often, that will help to dry out their fur and keep the spores from attaching to the chin and causing a fungal infection. I upped my dusting to twice a week instead of once, and since then I have seen little or no fungus. (Along with cleaning all cages twice a week...this keeps the pans much drier, of course.)

I've used Tinactin many times with rescues and with the very odd chin that has gotten fungus here. It's been years since we have had fungus occur here spontaneously. When I see it I use the anti fungal cream for any spots I see and Tinactin in the dust of affected cages.

 

[seachin]

To the above I would also just add good air circulation is always important for many reasons including this one (but avoid direct breeze on the chins).

 

[starleomach]

also bluekote/bluelotion will kill fungus that is used on ringworm on larger animals

 

[tunes]

You can have the cleanest barn on the planet and you can still get fungus, just as you can have the dirtiest and not. Fungus is actually an issue with the immune system, it's not a housekeeping issue. It can be aggravated by housekeeping, but that isn't necessarily where it starts.

I don't bother with Tinactin. It never seemed to do anything. I just use Blu-Kote for five days and then it's done. I've also used the topical creams and those work well.

 

[saphire]

You can have the cleanest barn on the planet and you can still get fungus, just as you can have the dirtiest and not. Fungus is actually an issue with the immune system, it's not a housekeeping issue. It can be aggravated by housekeeping, but that isn't necessarily where it starts.
.

Exactly how I wish I had said it.

I used both Blukote and Tinactin have worked for me.

 

[Godins Chinchillas]

Agreed with Peggy and Tunes. I have and continue to use desenex in my dust bath.

Jessica

 

[AZChins]

I don't know. I've seen chins with horrible fungus usually come out of the most disgusting places. I go for years and years without having a single case pop up...keeping everything clean seems to do the trick for me. I'm positive that stress can cause fungus to pop up.

The chins I saw with the worst fungus were kept in an area that wasn't cleaned up very often (possibly not for weeks at a time) and the ventilation was very poor. They came out of it without having a single reoccurrence in the time that I had them, and after they went to new homes I never heard anything about fungus. And, people ALWAYS let me know when there is an issue.

I don't buy that this is something that chins are infected with forever. It's not a virus. Once the spores are gone and the fungus isn't reproducing, it can't come back. The spores have to be retained by something, and the spores have to land somewhere where they can actually sprout, so to speak. Fungal spores are like little seeds. They need a place that is warm and wet so that they can cause an infection, or, in reality, grow and reproduce.

There are fungal spores in the air and everywhere, but the amount that is in fresh air from outside is going to be of a concentration so much less than inside where there is humid, wet conditions where the spores can attach themselves and reproduce and put off more spores.

I'm not saying that someone with a very clean place can't get chin every now and then with a fungal infection on the skin. It's very curious that it would be considered to be an immune system issue when usually if there's an outbreak of fungus in a herd, it's not just compromised animals (young and elderly) that get fungus. I hear these theories about it not being from dirty conditions (or from conditions where a breeder isn't cleaning up certain areas or has dirty pans, etc.) and honestly in the past I have thought that it was just an excuse. Probably the main thing that makes me think it is an excuse is the input of a couple of larger ranchers that I talk to regularly...blame them.

The point is that good animal husbandry goes a long way. The vast majority of fungus I have seen in chins over the last 16 years has been from wet shavings.

 

[tunes]

Susan - I've been in a large breeder's barns that made me cry from the stink and noxious fumes that rose up when you stirred the air. The cages were just shy of having maggots in them and all of the shavings were dark orange because they were soaked. None of the chins had fungus.

I agree that stress can cause fungus, because stress can cause a dip in the immune system. Look at people, it works the same way. The more stressed out they are the more susceptible to illness. When I say it's an immune system issue, I'm not making it up. It is from vets who breed chins. It only makes sense that if you boost the immune system of a chin who has fungus, it's going to aid in the clearing of the fungus.

 

[AZChins]

That's always a strange, isn't it? I've seen that, too. Normally the fungus tends to be with smaller breeders. I always chalk that up to inexperience and not knowing how to treat it. There's also the air circulation that a lot of larger breeders will have so that cleaning up the cages isn't as necessary as it would be for me.

It can be an immune issue...but usually it isn't. Sometimes, yes, of course. I just have seen a few breeders in particular that grasp for an excuse like that. If you have a herd of chins and it pops up with one old chin or only a few younger chins, definitely it could be having to do with the immune system. It's just that when I see rampant fungus all over an entire herd, generally there is something else wrong.

Boosting the immune system will provide chins with a number of benefits of course. Part of that is keeping things clean. Ammonia in the air (in a large concentration) definitely puts a huge load on a chin and staying healthy is more difficult. Stress, improper temperatures, etc etc etc...all cause serious issues with chin's health.

You are right, if their health is greatly compromised making them more susceptible to illness, they will probably be more likely to have fungus. Just telling you what I have seen...

 

[chechinchillas]

So, if the chinchillas are already being fed a high quality pellet, timothy hay and reverse osmosis water what else would you do to boost the immune system?
Wouldn't a high quality pellet already have all of the vitamins they should need?

 

[AZChins]

Keep them in a clean environment with good ventilation, as well. They are less stressed that way and less stress is better for the immune system.

 

[luvcafe]

Help!! New chin has a skin problem

Hi all,

My girl has hand and chin bold in two weeks, and I just bring her home a month ago. I found her left hand started to get hair loss and thought it maybe caused by water when she drinks water. But soon I found out another spot is getting bold too which is her chin and where is even worse! Can anyone see what happen to her? If this can be fungal or ribgworm or something else?? If so, what should I do?

I cant post photo cause file suze is too big... I describe the bold area is a little bit like dandruff..

 

[Amethyst]

What you are describing sounds more like the chin might have malo (Malocclusion) rather then a fungal infection. You should take your chin in to the vet and get check out. You will need x-rays to check to see if it's just the teeth involved or if the roots have elongated too.

The fur loss on the hands, arms, and chin is most commonly caused by drooling. The chinchilla drools, wipes her mouth with her paws, which causes them to get wet over and over causing the fur to fall out. Fungal infections, like ringworm, normally show up around the eyes and nose, and look like dry flaky skin, not wet.

If it's just the teeth you might be able to prolong the chin's life for a little while with teeth filings, but ultimately, if it is malo, there is no cure. Teeth filing will need to be done anywhere from every few weeks to every few months, depending on how fast the teeth grow. Once there is root involvement though it's really a quality over quantity situation. The top roots will grew up into the skull and end up puncturing the eyes, nasal cavity, and brain. The bottom roots can end up growing down through the jaw, coming out under the chinchilla's chin. It's best to put the chin to sleep before it gets to any of those points.

Just so you know, attachments don't really seem to work on this forum anyway. For pics your best bet is to upload them to a photo share site then link them here.