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Help! Bike Accident! Possible Broken Foot.

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Doragon

Doragon

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Hi there guys! I got a massive problem.

Long story short I had the Guinea Pigs out inside their run while I was cleaning them out, and my brother's bike was leaning against the pool table nearby. Next thing I hear is a massive bang and a wheek! I check my Guinea Pigs over and they all seem okay; but when I looked again I saw blood. I picked each one up one by one and discovered that poor Smudge must have trapped her foot somehow! The poor little foot is all swelled up and there's a scab where I think her foot got caught and it was bleeding.

Shes been eating and drinking since and she's walking okay on it; she's putting weight down on the leg as normal.

Vet visit tomorrow I think! I feel so guilty! I just didn't realise and it was a complete accident! Do you think she could suffer any permanent damage from this?

Here are some pictures of the injury:
image.webp image.webp
 
I have no idea, can just suggest a trip to the vets (like you say) just to be sure
 
Aw no, the poor thing. I don't know much about the possible damage caused but as upsetting as it is accidents happen
 
I know you said it must have been from the bike falling, can I ask do you normally check that feet? I know it's somewhere I can sometimes overlook. I just wonder if that's bumblefoot - I have no experience of bumble foot just looks very similar to pictures I have saw.

Vet visit is definitely advised.
 
She's booked in at the vets tomorrow. I'm hoping to everything that it's just a little swollen and she's going to be okay. Since she's still walking alright on it (and being dominant with the other pigs!) I'm hoping with some pain medicine and lots of treats she'll be alright. I feel so guilty. I mean; I know I didn't leave the bike there and it's been fine plenty of times but I just feel so bad; even though it was an accident.
 
Bumblefoot? Is that something that can be passed to my other two pigs? I've never heard of that before.

I tend to check the feet once a week at the very minimum as I clip them! But if it is something else I shall keep an eye on it more regularly!
 
Aww, so sorry to hear this. =( Accidents do happen though, so don't feel too guilty about it. My mum stood on my dad's budgie once, which resulted in permenant tendon damage (we thought she had killed him, so it was actually a relief in some ways!); he just needed some anti-inflamatories at the time. It didn't hinder his quality of life much though; just meant he occassionally fell off his perch! Oops.

So I imagine if there is any permenant damage it'll be minor and I doubt it'll have any serious impact on her well being. But her putting weight on it seems to suggest that it looks worse than it it?

Hope she recovers quickly!
 
I'm currently reading up on Bumblefoot and it looks...very similar. Which now the articles are scaring me as it could mean she's has to have a leg taken off. I just hope, if it is by the bike injury, it's treatable. And it's it's Bumblefoot; then I've caught it early enough.

And what's scaring me even more is now that Smudge is hiding in an igloo and not coming out; which she NEVER does. She was acting normal this morning and begging for food and I didn't noticed anything abnormal, but...anyway she's booked in at 1:30 at the vet tomorrow so I'm hoping it's going to be alright.
 
That article wasn't a very good one, only one I could find. It can be treated with Antibiotics I believe - please don't worry about her losing her leg I think that's quite rare.
 
Reading on the Guinea Lynx site; it sounds bad and difficult to treat; but it seems possible to do.

I'll try and not jump to conclusions until after the vet visit tomorrow. I'll mention the accident and then I'll also mention Bumblefoot to the vet just in case. Luckily I got the good vet instead of the silly one who misdiagnosed Cookie...my usual vet Emily; she diagnosed Cookie within 30 seconds and felt very guilty for her colleague for not picking it up.

I'll keep you guys updated.
 
Having calmed myself down and had another look at her foot; as well as the entire leg, I can feel that her whole leg is swollen, and it's not just the foot. Now; it may be Bumblefoot or it may be swollen from when it was caught in the run and the cut could have simply be from the wire.

However; forcing myself to remain calm. Been reading up on Bumblefoot and it seems like it's not a death sentence like I'm making out in my head (curse my anxiety...) but it does appear that Smudge will require antibiotics and to be washed and bandages; that sort of thing.

She doesn't appear to be in any pain with the foot as she still let me chase her around at usual top speed and she's also diving for the fresh veggies I just gave her! She's eating and drinking as normal.

People in my college class didn't help - they know full well I have anxiety so goodness knows why they told me she was going to die! Anyway people told me some silly stuff how she would be PTS on the spot. So I'm just keeping myself calm, giving her lots of attention and making sure that she's eatin and drinking and continues to walk on it normally. Who knows, it could be from the injury? And worse case scenario she'll have to have a leg amputated. But it seems most Guinea's recover fine and well and are very well with three legs; so not letting myself panic about that either.

She seems happy running around and she still comes up to me for a snuggle! So I'm content to wait and not...well, try not to panic Intil the vet confirms it tomorrow. A certain somebody from class is being blocked until then! She's bombarding me with messages about how I should take her to be PTS as "if your animal gets it she's screwed and you're going to have to PTS or it'll kill her!"
 
If your guinea pig cut its leg and the cut got infected, it can turn into bumblefoot. From what I've read, you can purchase some balm from gorgeous guineas to rub on it to sooth the foot. If it still gets worse then take to the vet for treatment.
 
Please stay calm @DoragonHinansho and wait until the vet has had a look. Accidents happen. And our piggies do get injuries from time to time (mine included). Just let the vet tell you what's wrong and what's to be done about it. Until then please be kind to yourself x
 
Thanks @VickiA . I've been beating myself up heavily over this evening and comments some people have made to me over Facebook has not been encouraging! I know accidents happen and things like that; I just feel so terrible that it was the accident that caused it or its Bumblefoot and I didn't see it earlier. I know some things I just can't help, but...I dunno....
 
I am really sorry this happened and I really hope that all goes well tomorrow in the vet. Hugs xx
 
DoragonHinansho said:
Having calmed myself down and had another look at her foot; as well as the entire leg, I can feel that her whole leg is swollen, and it's not just the foot. Now; it may be Bumblefoot or it may be swollen from when it was caught in the run and the cut could have simply be from the wire.

However; forcing myself to remain calm. Been reading up on Bumblefoot and it seems like it's not a death sentence like I'm making out in my head (curse my anxiety...) but it does appear that Smudge will require antibiotics and to be washed and bandages; that sort of thing.

She doesn't appear to be in any pain with the foot as she still let me chase her around at usual top speed and she's also diving for the fresh veggies I just gave her! She's eating and drinking as normal.

People in my college class didn't help - they know full well I have anxiety so goodness knows why they told me she was going to die! Anyway people told me some silly stuff how she would be PTS on the spot. So I'm just keeping myself calm, giving her lots of attention and making sure that she's eatin and drinking and continues to walk on it normally. Who knows, it could be from the injury? And worse case scenario she'll have to have a leg amputated. But it seems most Guinea's recover fine and well and are very well with three legs; so not letting myself panic about that either.

She seems happy running around and she still comes up to me for a snuggle! So I'm content to wait and not...well, try not to panic Intil the vet confirms it tomorrow. A certain somebody from class is being blocked until then! She's bombarding me with messages about how I should take her to be PTS as "if your animal gets it she's screwed and you're going to have to PTS or it'll kill her!"
Click to expand...

Well I shouldn't start worrying about having her pts- bumblefoot can be caused by many things. A simple cut on the foot can let infection get in &that can start it off. Other things such as unsanitary conditions, wire or abrasive flooring &some medical conditions (circulation problems) can start it off.

Antibiotics can be given ,soft bedding (vetbed /fleece /towels) anything that wicks away urine can be used to help the feet heal: @TAN has used some foot wrapping bandages to improve little bumbles feet.

I had a piggy who I adopted late in her life &she had bumblefoot. I soaked her feet in Epsom salt water &rubbed in some glorious guineas foot lotion twice a day. It improved immensely but unfortunately I lost her to a different medical issue :(

Hopefully its just from the bike accident &it'll improve quickly anyway. But you're doing the right thing getting her checked out at the vets :nod:

They'll probably be very nervous for a while when theyre free ranging it at clean out time but just be patient with them.

Good luck at the vets &dont listen to the others horrible comments they probably have never owned piggies&are too daft to understand or just too stuck up to admit they've had accidents happen to them.

Let us know how u get on at the vets. Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery. Whichever it turns out to be. Luv the girls &I. Xx
 
Please do not overthink this. You're keeping an eye on her and you've got a vet's appointment arranged. It's horrible when accidents happen - but , unfortunately, we can't turn the clock back.
 
Hi there guys! Just got back from the vets.

Vet said that its Bumblefoot; and while it's only on the one foot for now, it may begin to occur on the other feet as she saw some pinkness. However; she thinks not enough bedding is the cause - I'm still looking for a substitute for my usual bedding as its been discontinued; but I have a better idea of where to look for it now so will investigate it during the week.

She took Smudge away to clean the wound (and apparently there was a lot of blood when she removed the scab) but no pus which I'm assuming is a good thing.

She's put Smudge in a little dressing (pictures below) and I have to seperate her from the others for this evening. Going to try and set them up so they can still see and smell eachother, it might be a bit awkward but if not she'll be back in with them tomorrow after the dressing comes off. The vet also gave her an injection of anti-inflammatory and I have Baytril (a dose of 0.45) to give her twice daily for the next week. I have to take her back in tomorrow morning to remove the dressing and see how it's healing.

Took her to pets at home with me afterwards (the Yate store was nearby) where some store assistants made a massive fuss of her and said she was the biggest Guinea Pig they'd ever saw! Which I know for a fact...she's not fat, it's just fluff :3 she picked out some treats and a nice soft bedding. Now I'm going to set her up on some towels or lots of newspaper with that bedding I bought....then dash out to the shops to get her some nice veggies she can have for being such a brave girl.

Here she is showing off her injury! She's being such a good girl and not chewing at it (yet!)

image.webp image.webp
 
Little Sweet-heart. The fact that she is putting her weight on it seems like a very good sign, as perhaps it's not very bad. Bumblefoot is often caused by the environment but not always. I wish I could remember... I'll try and dig out the thread where I saw it being caused for other reasons.
She's gorgeous :)
 
She's managed to get the dressing off her foot already! But the vet said that was fine; they told me to take it off if she was chewing on it anyway. Still needs to be in for the checkup tomorrow!
 
She's adorable! Maybe the falling over bike incident was a blessing in disguise after all.
 
She looks kind of adorable with her little dressing! Hope she's better soon xx
 
Aw she looks adorable I'm her leg bandage. Glad the vets went well, and she has some antibiotics.

@TAN - Bumble recently had Bumblefoot she may have some tips.
 
I may have giggled just a little bit at "Bumble" having Bumblefoot x3 thank you giys! She rocked the dressing; I admit. Hoovering up the house and some other chores before I give her the first dose of Baytril.
 
Critter said:
Little Sweet-heart. The fact that she is putting her weight on it seems like a very good sign, as perhaps it's not very bad. Bumblefoot is often caused by the environment but not always. I wish I could remember... I'll try and dig out the thread where I saw it being caused for other reasons.
She's gorgeous :)
Click to expand...
Circulatory issues can also be a cause (heart issues). However, this sounds like it was caused by the bedding as she has probably had her foot in urine etc.
 
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