Emily Yoakum
New Born Pup
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- Mar 13, 2014
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Hi guys! So for anyone looking for answers, I thought I could share my story to try and help.
I have a 4 year old male guinea pig named Emmett. He is a healthy happy boy. Just recently I was clipping his toe nails and noticed one of his front paws (the pad) was completely black. He is a multi colored pig, with white, tan and black spots. He was born with one front paw surrounded by white hair, pink toe nails and a pink pad and the other paw with black hair, black toe nails and and tannish pad. So the one paw has always been darker than the other. It worried me that the pad had completely turned black, and I noticed there were some bumps on the pad as well. I live in OH, in the US. I found a vet that will care for guinea pigs, though they do not specialize in small animals. I did a lot of research and learned a lot on Bumblefoot and seen some cases where the foot had turned completely black and the foot was practically dead. I got myself so worried, to the point where I couldn't sleep or eat. Emmett is so important to me, he has such a personality and is truly my baby! We went to the vet the next day, it was his first time being at the vet and he did so good! He was so sweet to the vet and let them check everything out. The vet said it was for sure not bumble foot. He said the bumps were from his weight and that he had some cracking due to his size. I was worried about that, but was extremely worried about the black pads. The vet said so simply that it was just natural pigment change and was nothing to worry about. Just something that happens when they get older. As well as pigment changes that they can get behind their ears in patches. The vet recommended for him to get a little more exercise. I've moved his food to the lower part of his C&C cage to try and get him moving around more. I hope this helps anyone who was going through the same thing I was. I searched hours online for answers, which I know isn't always the best thing to do because I got myself so worked up! Lol I couldn't find anything about natural pigment which is weird because it seems to be very common in older guinea pigs. Emmett is doing great now! I'm keeping an eye on his feet and have a follow up appointment with his vet in a month! Good luck with your piggies! Go give them kisses! Here is a picture of Emmett relaxing after his vet visit.
I have a 4 year old male guinea pig named Emmett. He is a healthy happy boy. Just recently I was clipping his toe nails and noticed one of his front paws (the pad) was completely black. He is a multi colored pig, with white, tan and black spots. He was born with one front paw surrounded by white hair, pink toe nails and a pink pad and the other paw with black hair, black toe nails and and tannish pad. So the one paw has always been darker than the other. It worried me that the pad had completely turned black, and I noticed there were some bumps on the pad as well. I live in OH, in the US. I found a vet that will care for guinea pigs, though they do not specialize in small animals. I did a lot of research and learned a lot on Bumblefoot and seen some cases where the foot had turned completely black and the foot was practically dead. I got myself so worried, to the point where I couldn't sleep or eat. Emmett is so important to me, he has such a personality and is truly my baby! We went to the vet the next day, it was his first time being at the vet and he did so good! He was so sweet to the vet and let them check everything out. The vet said it was for sure not bumble foot. He said the bumps were from his weight and that he had some cracking due to his size. I was worried about that, but was extremely worried about the black pads. The vet said so simply that it was just natural pigment change and was nothing to worry about. Just something that happens when they get older. As well as pigment changes that they can get behind their ears in patches. The vet recommended for him to get a little more exercise. I've moved his food to the lower part of his C&C cage to try and get him moving around more. I hope this helps anyone who was going through the same thing I was. I searched hours online for answers, which I know isn't always the best thing to do because I got myself so worked up! Lol I couldn't find anything about natural pigment which is weird because it seems to be very common in older guinea pigs. Emmett is doing great now! I'm keeping an eye on his feet and have a follow up appointment with his vet in a month! Good luck with your piggies! Go give them kisses! Here is a picture of Emmett relaxing after his vet visit.
