is my vet correct?

[mackenzieluvslife]

just went to the vet and one of my girls is developing bumblefoot. it is mild and he says we caught it just as it was arising, but he gave no antibiotics, only oral pain medication and instructions to clean the cage 1x a day for the next few weeks and keep an eye on it. just wondering if this seems right, as ive read online that bumblefoot cannot be treated without antibiotics. is it because the case is so mild that it is fixable without actual medicinal intervention? thank you

 

[Piggies&buns]

It is a call for your vet to make but I always thought an Antibiotic would be needed to kill the bacteria.

I would make sure to remove any wet bedding more than once a day

Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

 

[mackenzieluvslife]

t

It is a call for your vet to make but I always thought an Antibiotic would be needed to kill the bacteria.

I would make sure to remove any wet bedding more than once a day

Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility

thanks! just wondering about that last comment you made, how would that work? should i be putting in multiple separate pieces of fleece to cover the bottom of the cage? i have a custom made guinea pig fleece from etsy that is absorbant. how would i change it multiple times a day if its one solid piece- should i rotate between washing and using the two multiple times a day, or should i add more layers of something on top of that one fleece, and remove those whenever they get wet? thank you!

 

[Piggies&buns]

t

thanks! just wondering about that last comment you made, how would that work? should i be putting in multiple separate pieces of fleece to cover the bottom of the cage? i have a custom made guinea pig fleece from etsy that is absorbant. how would i change it multiple times a day if its one solid piece- should i rotate between washing and using the two multiple times a day, or should i add more layers of something on top of that one fleece, and remove those whenever they get wet? thank you!

Using smaller pieces of fleece (pee pads) or pieces of vetbed (If you can get it) in high traffic areas can be useful as those smaller pieces can be removed without having to change the main fleece.

If you don’t have those at present, then just make sure the fleece is remaining dry.

 

[VickiA]

Using smaller pieces of fleece (pee pads) or pieces of vetbed (If you can get it) in high traffic areas can be useful as those smaller pieces can be removed without having to change the main fleece.

If you don’t have those at present, then just make sure the fleece is remaining dry.

Extra pieces inside houses, under houses/log tunnels etc that you can change daily is a real help to keep piggies clean and dry.

 

[Freela]

Smaller pieces of fleece in preferred potty areas that you can change daily really helps! My girls really only pee in the two back corners, if I can change the fleece there the rest stays relatively dry!

As for early bumblefoot, my vet years ago suggested that for very mild bumblefoot/urine scald I could use betadine soaks or betadine ointment... it's honestly the thing that worked best for me, more so than the more expensive silver nitrate cream I was using before that. One of my pigs developed nasty bumblefoot when she was old and this was literally the only thing that worked on her! Warning: It will dye your pig orange anywhere it touches, though.

 

[fluffysal]

A lot of people use bobble bath mats (either cut down or whole) as pee pads. Me included, I change these most days.

 

[eileen]

I've got a piggie with bumblefoot on her two back feet.i soak her feet in Epsom salts for 10 mins.the gently towel dry.place flamazine on her feet.The scabs came off today,there was bleeding.the slough has come off..

I'm using vet bed in the cage/vet fleece.which I have found valuable.it keeps her dry.i use puppy pads under the vet fleece.I'm not giving antibiotics.
Good luck,you need to be persistent with the foot soaks.it will clear up,but it can take Time.

 

[mackenzieluvslife]

Smaller pieces of fleece in preferred potty areas that you can change daily really helps! My girls really only pee in the two back corners, if I can change the fleece there the rest stays relatively dry!

As for early bumblefoot, my vet years ago suggested that for very mild bumblefoot/urine scald I could use betadine soaks or betadine ointment... it's honestly the thing that worked best for me, more so than the more expensive silver nitrate cream I was using before that. One of my pigs developed nasty bumblefoot when she was old and this was literally the only thing that worked on her! Warning: It will dye your pig orange anywhere it touches, though.

this is actually so handy, ive got betadine solution! i will absolutely be doing that for her! thank you!