Degu with multi-focal alopecia, pruritus

RE: Degu with multi-focal alopecia, pruritus

Marie Kubiak — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 11:02:07 GMT

If in house culture is negative then I'd stop at 3wks of treatment.

Is there a reason this degu would be bullied (smaller/unwell/subordinate in single sex group)? If so that needs addressing. We often castrate all males in a group that is fighting and this helps where social aggression isn't complicated by the presence of a weak individual.

There are two options for reintroduction:

1) soft approach- have the degu in a cage next to others and move it gradually until they are adjacent and able to interact through bars. Then swap the animals between cages to mix scents every 2-3 days for a couple of weeks. Add the group in the single degus cage and feed at the same time. It helps to have tubes and other 'hide' areas but avoid those with a single exit.

2) hard approach- stick them all in an unfamiliar small carrier and put them somewhere new (bathroom/car trip etc). Return to cage all together after a few hours.

I much prefer option 1 and use 2 as a back up plan. Castrate them first to maximise chance of success.

Marie

RE: Degu with multi-focal alopecia, pruritus

Benjamin Alyoshkin — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 07:52:47 GMT

Hello Marie

Thank you very much for your advice! Spoke to the owner yesterday, apparently the Degus has been better: old scratch wounds seemed to have healed, no new ones developed. He has been kept separately from the rest of the group. Agreed to monitor weight, continue on anti-fungal long term (?longer than the initial 3 weeks). Initially, review the animal 2-3 days before the end of the 3-week anti-fungal course. How long would you recommend to continue Itrafungol? If the in-house fungal culture is negative 12 days post inoculation, would you still treat for fungal infection? Would you recommend a strategy re the right time to reintroduce the Degu to the rest of the group and how to do it to minimise the risks for this individual of being rejected/ bullied? THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Ben

RE: Degu with multi-focal alopecia, pruritus

Marie Kubiak — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 12:32:57 GMT

Is he definitely pruritic? Barbering is common in degus in stressful situations (self- or conspecific barbering) and this can develop to skin injury. They are highly intelligent rodents with complex social rewuirements so behavioural issues are more common than in less complex species.

If standard tests are inconclusive then consider skin biopsy as the next step. If foci are anatomically related (e.g. over joints, abdominal) than radiographs of these areas to look for related painful foci would be wise.

Dermatophytosis is however definitely a plausible cause so you may be wise to wait a couple of weeks to see treatment response to the introduction of itraconazole if the degu's welfare isn't compromised by this.

Marie