[Gpdd] [HEALTH] flakey skin on piggie nose and antibiotics Issue 177

[Ann Evans]

Dear Piggy friends,
I am sorry that I have been slow to respond to some of the medical 
questions. I accidentally deleted a few of my GPDD issues. Also, my 
neighbor fell off a ladder and I am in essence his private duty nurse 
and dog walker when his wife is at work. This is in addition to running 
Piggyville, being the vice-president of Hintlink.com and seeing upwards 
of 15 piggies/weeks at the vet practice that I volunteer at and caring 
for my husband and home.
Regarding trimethoprin sulfamethoxazole. Both are antibiotics that are 
combined as 1 part trimethoprin and 5 parts sulfamethoxazole. This 
combination if very effective in penetrating fluid and pus. This drug 
combination goes by many different names such as Bactrim, Septra and 
Sulfatrim in the USA. In the UK it is called co-trimoxazole, Septra and 
Septrim. These are just some of the names that are used. The important 
fact is that it is Pediatric Bactrim or Pediatric Septrim that is used 
in cavies.
Thus the oral suspension of Pediatric Bactrim or Paediatric Septrim 
contains 8.0 mg/mL trimethoprim and 40.0 mg/mL of sulfamethoxazole. 
Vedra Stanley-Spatcher recommends for URI that Paediatric Septrim be 
given at a dose of 0.5 ml twice a day for 10-14 days. As others have 
mentioned if there is fluid in the lungs a one off dose of Lasix at 5 to 
10 mg should also be given. This dose can be repeated in 12 hours. 
However if fluid continues to return to the lungs the cavy may have 
congestive heart failure.
In addition Rimadyl should be given to reduce inflammation in the lungs. 
The suggested dose is 10 mg twice a day for 4 days then 5 mg twice a day 
for the remaining time the cavy is on antibiotics. This is only one 
protocol for treating URI. There are several different approaches 
depending on the severity of the condition.
As for the skin and hair loss around the nose, this may be due to a 
fungal infection.For the British members Daktarin cream applied twice a 
day can be used. First clean the area with a solution of povidone 
iodine. For the USA members apply miconazole nitrate 2% antifungal cream 
after cleaning the affected area. You may have to apply the antifungal 
cream twice a day for 14 days. This is an over the counter product. The 
best antifungal product on the market for use around a cavie's eyes or 
mouth is Lavender an Myrrh Lotion from Gorgeous Guineas. 
www.gorgeousguineas.com
I am not a vet. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to 
contact me.



Cheers,

Ann and the Rescued Piggys of Piggyville, Tampa Florida USA.