Ringworm is Rearing Its Ugly Head

We recently agreed to take in a whopping 50 guinea pigs from one home, several of whom are pregnant. If that isn't enough to blow your mind, just wait 'til you hear what we found.

Our veterinarians immediately got to work examining all of our new intakes, and to their surprise and horror, found concerning lesions on several of the guinea pigs. Our hearts collectively dropped at the idea that this could be ringworm: a highly contagious, incredibly difficult to contain fungal infection. We sent samples off for testing, and our fears were confirmed.

Because of how contagious ringworm is and the close proximity of all of the pigs, we had to test every. Single. One. At a cost of approximately $100 per test, this adds up quickly.

So far, we have eight confirmed cases of a strain of ringworm called Trichophyton. All of these piggies are in strict quarantine and are receiving treatment, including oral anti-fungal medications and topical lime dips twice per week. Each will need to show two negative tests two weeks apart before we can remove them from their quarantine.

You're probably thinking, ok, but what about the other 42 pigs? Since all have been exposed, they will be receiving the same lime dips twice per week for two weeks, and then we will re-test each of them. If they test negative for a second time, we can clear them – but if not, they need to be quarantined and the whole process starts over.

If you're following along with the math, that's at least $10,000 worth of ringworm testing alone, plus treatments. The easier and less expensive option would be to cut our losses and euthanize – but we believe each and every one of these guinea pigs matters. We need your help in order to successfully test and treat all of these innocent critters. Your gift today supports these piggies to get the care they deserve... Because there is no life too small.

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Email updates showing the guinea pigs' progress will be provided to those who donate towards their care. 

Care requirements include 2x ringworm testing for 50 guinea pigs, isolation and personal protective equipment, oral antifungal medications, lime sulphur dip, follow up veterinary care and daily care until the guinea pigs are ready for adoption. 

If the amount raised for the guinea pigs exceeds their cost of care, funds will help other animals in need.

Please note that when donating to more than one animal, your credit card may be flagged for unusual activity. We recommend waiting a few minutes between transactions to prevent this error. Thank you for your patience!