Help with ithcy, dandruffy spot

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jimmycoco

Post   » Mon Mar 29, 2021 2:26 pm


Hello!

My big guy Chico has developed an itchy spot with lots of big dandruff flakes. I first noticed it 2 weeks ago at the centre of one of his "swirls" in his fur, where the skin is naturally a bit exposed. It was quite mild, so I suspected it was just a bit of dry skin (our winters are very, very dry here) so I put coconut oil on it for moisturizing and for the anti-fungal properties of coconut oil, and made an appointment with the vet just in case.

When we saw the vet a few days later, they indicated that it was likely mites, not fungal, and applied a topical mite treatment. They also told me that the coconut oil wouldn't do anything and to not apply it anymore.

10 days later and the itchy spot is getting bigger and worse, which leads me to believe the mite treatment isn't working. I suspect its not mites at all, as he doesn't bite or scratch at the spot at all, and it is only the centre of his swirl that is affected. His ears, nose, eyes, paws, everything else is fine. He only seems bothered by it when I touch it.

Suspecting that it is in fact fungal, we began applying an antifungal cream (clotrimazole) and I've made another appointment with the vet. We've been applying the cream 2x a day for the last 2 days and it seems to still be getting worse. I've attached pictures to show the progression.

It should also be noted that his 2 brothers, who live in separate but adjacent cages, are completely unaffected.

March 25 Image
March 26 Image
March 28 Image
Hair clumps Image

We wont be meeting the vet until 2 days from now, so any thoughts or suggestions are incredibly appreciated!

Thanks!

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Mar 29, 2021 11:54 pm


I can't see your pics. If they are crisp and clear, I can put them up for you. Send to:
Image

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue Mar 30, 2021 10:38 am


If the antifungal cream isn't working (give it 5-7 days to see), then switch to an antibiotic cream.

And your vet is wrong about coconut oil, as long as we're talking about the cold-pressed kind. It has both antibacterial and antifungal properties, and will help a mild infection of either. It won't, however, do much for a bad infestation except keep the skin supple.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Tue Mar 30, 2021 12:38 pm


Here you go. Ditto bpatters on giving it a bit more time. Recommend a Nizoral shampoo too, looks fungal.
https://www.guinealynx.info/fungus.html

March 26th

Image

March 28th

Image

March 30th

Image

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Tue Mar 30, 2021 2:02 pm


Definitely looks fungal to me. It should clear up with a strong antifungal cream. Just don't give an oral antifungal unless you absolutely can't clear it any other way -- that stuff is hard on man and animals.

jimmycoco

Post   » Mon Apr 05, 2021 3:00 pm


Well, the mite treatment didn't seem to do anything.

We took him back to the vet, who recommended we stop the clotrimazole (Canestan vaginal yeast infection cream) and prescribed an oral antifungal instead.

We are on day 3 of the oral antifungal and no improvement yet. It isn't getting worse, just not getting better. His brothers are both still fine as well, and he still only seems to be bothered by it when its touched.

I suppose we need to give the oral antifungal more time, but now I'm wondering if maybe it was mites all along and the coconut oil and clotrimazole cream caused them to burrow deeper, hence the mite treatment not working.

I really don't want to bring him back to the vet for skin scraping tests. Poor little guy has been through enough poking and prodding already, but I wish I knew what the problem was.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Mon Apr 05, 2021 10:06 pm


Did you ever do a NIzoral shampoo? It is mentioned on the fungus page (link above).

jimmycoco

Post   » Thu Apr 08, 2021 1:28 pm


Day 6 of the oral anti-fungal and still no improvement. None at all.

Haven't tried the Nizoral shampoo yet, but I have a bottle of it ready to go. I don't want to bombard him with too many treatments at the same time, although there are no sores, scabs, or lesions, so the shampoo wouldn't get into his system anyway.

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Thu Apr 08, 2021 3:09 pm


If there's no improvement with the antifungal, I'd stop it immediately. If that's the problem, it should be improving by now.

Shampooing with Nizoral also won't hurt, even it he's taking other medication. They're often recommended together.

However, with all this antifungal treatment that hasn't worked, I'd be ready to discontinue it and start with an antibiotic treatment. The problem is almost certainly either bacterial or fungal -- there's not much else that infects the skin.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Apr 08, 2021 9:49 pm


Do try the Nizoral shampoo before you move to an antibacterial product.

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