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big foot

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kotov

kotov

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hello,
We got 4 pigs - but one of them is really disaster zone.
2 weeks ago Saturday we are noticed that our Big Q stops eating and drop weight as we a bit experienced with problems we check and found his leg became big.
We gave him baytril from previous appointments and recovery mix + bio-lapis becouse he stops eating when got antibiotic as well.

He got better and follow Monday we visited doctor she told probably dont need to do xray and gave us more baytril - he got better and behave as normal - his leg became a bit less and we stop give baytril after 10 days.But yesterday his leg became bigger even before and we think need urgent help.
I make an appointment with goddard ewel clinic for today have to drop working day - but may be someone have experience what this can be and what we can expect.
I did picture(from scaner) of his first legs normal and bad.
bigq.jpg
 
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my wife think that my English so bad so probably you not understand me .

Here is again better version:

Hi
We've got 4 guineas - one of them is a disaster zone.
2 weeks ago (on Friday) we noticed that our Big Q stopped eating and dropped weight. After checking him we noticed one of his front legs has swollen a lot and had a wound on the foot pad.
After visiting our local vet he was prescribed Baytril (2.5 twice a day), he's been on that for over 2 weeks now. We also give him Recovery mix + bio-lapis + freshly squized pineapple juice + medicinal charcoal mix immediately after antibiotics (orally) to prevent him from loosing appetite, stopping eating and becoming constipated, because he is on antibiotics.

He got considerably better and last Monday and our doctor said there is no need to X-Ray him, but advised to continue with Baytril. After the total of 10 days on Baytril his leg got a bit better and we stopped giving him Baytril for a day, but the very next day his leg became a lot bigger than it was before any treatment has started.

We think there's a real danger to his life at this point as it's just getting worse, although it doesn't seem to affect his behaviour: he is eating, not limping, his poop is normal and he sleeps and runs around happily.

We have an appointment with Goddard Ewel clinic today, there have been quite a few missed working days and we are still nowhere with this. Please, if anyone had similar experience, can you share any information that you think might help?

I made a scan of his foot, which is attached.
 
Hello your English is very good! Where are you from?
From the photo it looks like a condition called Pododermatitis, known as Bumblefoot.
There's some information here http://www.guinealynx.info/pododermatitis.html
It's a condition you have to manage rather than cure, having had a piggy with it myself.
If you put Bumblefoot in the search box on the forum you will find lots of information about other people's experience of it and treatments they have tried.
Gorgoeus Guineas make an ointment which has helped a lot of piggies http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/documents/Bumblefoot.pdf
 
Just to add he will need a pain killer - Metacam, that's probably why he's off his food. Is he fluffed up?
Also is it 2.5ml of Baytril twice a day? That seems an awful lot.
 
thanks for reply - I bring him to Hospital and left for xray and other inspection.

He eat and behave as normal boy only leg is big.It is probably bublefoot - but not sure.
 
i don't know much about this but i can recommend guinea pig helpline run by one of the forum members. Google the webpage and the link Will give you her email address and phone number to get in touch. Hope your pig gets well soon it looks very sore. Your English is good i think x
 
Anne did him xray told bones looks ok - take some examples and send them to laboratory.
As soon I get him home he starts duty again near girls fence lol
 
katiepops said:
Just to add he will need a pain killer - Metacam, that's probably why he's off his food. Is he fluffed up?
Also is it 2.5ml of Baytril twice a day? That seems an awful lot.
Click to expand...

He's been on 2.5ml of Baytrill twice a day for over 2 weeks now. It's hard to watch. I've also been soaking his foot in surgical antiseptic solution alternating with pure Dead sea bath salts twice a day. The first vet we went to before we even posted on the forum said it wasn't Pododermatitis. We insisted we needed an x-ray, but they said it was too early for that and he had to be on Baytril for a bit longer. The second vet we went to see said the X-Ray they took didn't show anything at all, no infection, no bone abnormalities, but his foot is getting a tiny bit bigger day by day and it is the size of a grape now! The last vet took tissue sample and sent it off for analysis, but it's going to take ages, we'll have to wait till Wednesday for results and nothing works so far, his foot is just getting bigger and he is becoming less and less active. Taking latest vet's advise we stopped giving antibiotics. Usually he asks to be let out for a walk, we would then lock the girls away (they run free and he's not neutered) and let him out, but these days he just sleeps, although he makes his happy sounds, but is a hell of a lot less aggressive than usual: when he smells a girl he doesn't make mating sounds any more, just sits there. If there was a single vet anywhere in the whole of Europe that is a guinea pig specialist, I'd go to see them no matter what, but they all know sh*** about small animals.

Yes, thanks for the advise, he was prescribed Metacam already. Frankly speaking I don't notice any difference in his behaviour whether he's on it on not, but I heard they disguise their pain very well, so I keep on giving it to him.
 
any chance of getting him to the CCT tomorrow to See Vedra? Type Cambridge cavy trust into Google x
 
Has anyone used Regutumoral before?

We've just received it and the only dosage and indications we were able to figure out using on-line German dictionaries is that it is to be sprayed (twice) two times a day orally and it's a homeopathic solution, so we tried it. Don't know if it's any good or bad, but he's getting worse slowly but surely for a month now and no doctors can tell us what's wrong.

We also ordered Tarantula logoplex before, but when it arrived, we translated the labels and it appears to be an injection, so we didn't use it.

Does anybody know any vets that have done their doctorate degree and that degree's subject was guinea pigs? We've not found one so far.
 
See Above post. Vedra is a rodentologist and a guinea pig expert. Otherwise contact Laura at guinea pig helpline again Google it. Good luck x
 
drop Laura a mail or text too as Vedra is always quite busy and I'm not sure what the score is if you don't have membership x
 
PiggiePal said:
drop Laura a mail or text too as Vedra is always quite busy and I'm not sure what the score is if you don't have membership x
Click to expand...

I know! I've emailed them some time ago to find out if I can do Rodentology diploma without having to bring my pets with me at any time, but I think they are very busy, so no response yet.
 
PiggiePal said:
drop Laura a mail or text too as Vedra is always quite busy and I'm not sure what the score is if you don't have membership x
Click to expand...

I've just emailed Laura, too. Also texted Vedra I can pay in advance, just need help urgently, I'd pay a couple of yearly memberships just to get a true professional opinion mallethead

By the way, my avatar is the picture of our Big Coo. He's 1330 grammes and is a very intelligent boy :) Here they are behind my website: http://webcreating.co.uk/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=7
 
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Hi there:) I've seen a foot like the one with the scab before.. it defo looks like bumblefoot, one of mine has had it, and it's not a nice thing for the poor piggie at all:( It will probably be filled with pus, and soaking it in salty water daily will go along way to helping it heal, I was doing my girl 3/4 times a day, it took a couple of weeks, but she did get better and you'd never have thought she'd had poorly feet after..
I can't remember what antibiotics she was on though, I'm sure you'll get sorted out with the right ones... good luck, and give your boy a hug from my piggy Treacle, she says he's a hunkx)
 
Thanks for your help, everyone. I've been to see Vedra today: what an amazing woman! His foot problem was caused by too much protein in his diet, which affected his joints badly, it has turned out to be equivalent of human galls disease (she x-rayed him to find out), likely he doesn't have any stones in his bladder. He's going to have to take anti-inflammatories along with cortisone medication for a long time. She also recommended "Happy Sole Ointment" from Gorgeous Guineas website to rub into his feet 4 (minimum 3) times a day. So grateful to everyone here who mentioned Vedra and most of all to Vedra herself - she gave my Big Coo so much attention, 8 trains and 2 taxis were totally worth it. And I got my membership :) http://www.britishassociationofrodentologists.co.uk/CCT.html
 
I'm so pleased you managed to See Vedra and that big coo has been looked at by someone who knows what they're talking about guinea wise. Hope he's feeling much better soon i saw the videos of him he's gorgeous!
I'm rejoining the CCT again this year even though i live in Cheltenham i think it's a charity well worth supporting. Really i think it's the most likely organisation to be able to influence the education of vets around the UK to guinea pig ailments.
Let us know how he's getting on. Alyson x x x
 
Merry Christmas, everybody! x

Thanks, Alyson. Vedra was my best Christmas gift.

As I sat on the train back to London it was so cold I couldn't feel my face, I had to take my hat off and the scarf to wrap Big Coo before tucking him under my coat, so I'm really ill today, but very-very happy. He peed on me so many times yesterday, I was like his personal moving toilet bedding :)

He sleeps a lot today and after applying the foot rub his foot isn't getting worse, which is already a big improvement on previous situation. We also got the correct water for all of the pigs yesterday: mineral water should have as little calcium as possible (ideally less than 4%) or else it'll make them really ill in the long run.

I filled out the form today to order my first distance learning module for GBAR diploma, so one day I could be a qualified Rodentologist :) A great way to support the charity and to get some invaluable knowledge, whether sitting the exams or not.
 
A quick update: he was prescribed Prednisolone (half a 1mg tablet twice a day, ground to powder, orally) and we are still using 'FM Ointment' foot rub from http://www.gorgeousguineas.co.uk/
He had to stay off any other medication for a day before taking Prednisolone.
Fingers crossed this should help to clear out residues around his joints that cause inflammation and swelling.
 
Just replied to your other thread and thought i'd come and check how his foot is doing now. Do you have an "after treatment" pigture to show us :)) x
 
PiggiePal said:
Just replied to your other thread and thought i'd come and check how his foot is doing now. Do you have an "after treatment" pigture to show us :)) x
Click to expand...

It's not better yet. Vet was not available till yesterday morning and we had to make a one day break in oral medication after receiving the prescription: Metacam had to be washed out of the system completely before we could even begin giving Prednisolone - steroidal medicines must not be mixed with non-steroidal anti-inflamatories for guinea pigs. He doesn't look very upset though: eats normally, asked to go out for a short walk today, didn't shout once when pooping. I sent his urine sample to Vedra by before-9am Special Delivery, it comes up as delivered on royal mail tracking. Feeling a bit uncomfortable disturbing her, but am dying to find out if the urine is normal.

He's sleeping right now (just took the photo). Coat looks grubby from the foot rub, it's very oily (smells nice of some nuts)

coo.jpg
 
bless him it looks like he's enjoying lounging on the towel! Does it look like it's getting any better? Glad he's seeming perky though, hope you hear from Vedra soon :)
 
Vedra said urine sample was perfectly normal. We're just hoping the swelling will start going down soon, but she said previously it will be a very long treatment, around 6 weeks or even longer. I'm so stressed about it now, started having heart aches for a couple of weeks, have to go to see a doctor myself :)
 
update that his leg almost good as should be(fingers cross).In the middle of treatment he managed to broke his second tooth and we have to feed him manually all the time around week.He eats ok now and leg looks good - is only still fighting to stop problem with his dropping.It is too soft and sometimes almost as liquid.
 
awww great news, you could maybe cut out veggies for a couple of day just feed hay and pellets until poops firm up? Maybe use a little probiotic to get the guts working nicely?

Only an idea, i think this it what i would do.
 
Bumblefoot can be very diffecult to get rid of, and sometimes the foot never goes back to normal it might just be a case of managing it, but piggies can be very resilent and manage perfectly well.
 
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