cookieandfaith
New Born Pup
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- Apr 13, 2019
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Does my Guinea pig have Bumblefoot or spurs? Should we go to the vets or shall we just leave it alone? Please help
Thank you for the reply. We’ve searched online to match photos to her paw but we will probably take her to the vets as we don’t want to take chances, will keep you updated!Welcome to the forum
I’m no health expert but the best advice we give on the forum is to go to the vet with any health concern.
Only a vet can give a proper diagnosis and meds if needed.
If you are UK based there is a list of recommended vets- these are ones we know are experienced with guinea pigs.
Elsewhere I believe that Guinealynx is a good place to start.
Let us know how things go
Does my Guinea pig have Bumblefoot or spurs? Should we go to the vets or shall we just leave it alone? Please help
Yeah of course I’ll post one in here!Hi and welcome
Could you please post a picture so we can help you?
Here is more information on foot problems:
Spurs: Guinea Lynx :: Guinea Pig Feet and Foot Problems (Please note: the coours of spurs depends on the skin colour as they are in fact harmless dead skin growths)
Bumblefoot: Guinea Lynx :: Pododermatitis
Yeah of course I’ll post one in here! View attachment 110850
Thank you so much! That’s helped us a lotHi! That’s the very beginnings of a foot spur. It doesn't need any intervention unless it is in danger of catching and ripping.
Thank you so much! That’s helped us a lot
Thank you you’ve been a big helpBumblefoot is rare in well kept guinea pigs whose cages are cleaned regularly and that are not kept on unsuitable wire mesh.
Most commonly you come across it in guinea pigs with mobility issues that cannot move away from where they are peeing and pooing and/or guinea pigs with a diminished blood circulation; usually this is the very elderly piggies with arthritis or back leg paralysis where extra measures to keep the area they are lying in clean are necessary.![]()
What do you mean in the first part of the message?Hi! That is clearly horny and the very beginnings of a foot spur. It doesn't need any intervention unless it is in danger of catching and ripping.
Thank you! That helps, I was wondering what it meantI have merged your two threads so all advice is in one place.
Horny in this context is the meaning of a hard substance like horn. Spurs are horny skin. They can grow long and occasionally are at risk of being caught but the ones show in the photo is very short so it is the start of spurs. It may or may not grow longer.
What do you mean in the first part of the message?
Yes thank you, it makes sense now, I didn’t know what you meant.'Horny' as in 'consisting of dead skin'?
'Horny' means (according to the Oxford Dictionary of English - please look it up) in its first and original meaning 'of or like horn'. 'Horn' is what the material made from dead and hardened skin is called, which is what a spur is made of as well as fingernails, hooves, calluses and, yes, horns.
The metaphoric and secondary meaning of 'horny' as 'sexually excited' (again, according to the Oxford Dictionary) refers to satyrs' goat horns as a symbol of their mythological rampantness if you want to know.