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Scab

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mysteriousdave

Junior Guinea Pig
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Hi everyone.

This is Bill - i've posted about him before and was after some more advice if possible!



We adopted him from our old landlady, and he's always had a bit of a sore back foot - he seems to walk on the back part of his hind legs (possible due to not having his nails cut as much previously?).

I've used aloe vera gel on it before, but at the moment it's scabbed up as below. From reading about bumblefoot, it seems there is normally swelling, but other than looking a bit sore, i'm not sure what this is.



Bill lives in a cage with wood shavings and hay for bedding.

Thanks!
 
It looks a little bit like bumble foot, but almost like hes had something poke into his foot and then its scabbed over. Maybe try not putting him on shavings, sometimes this can irritate there little feets a bit if theyre sore. I would try and get the foot washed on a daily bases (probably with something like clorhexadine based - hibiscrub or savlon or an iodine) really and see how it goes. It does look a bit red and sore, so i would suggest if it doesnt look better in a few days after bathing maybe pop him to the vets and he may need a very short course of antib's and a little investigation to see if there is anything buried under that scab in his foot causing all the redness and discomfort. If you feel hes in pain you can give him 0.2ml childrens neurofen up to twice daily. Let us know how he goes.

x
 
Thanks - will pop along to the pharmacy today and pick something up. Hopefully it's just where his foots got sore, and somethings irritated it.

Unfortunately I don't think he helps himself due to the way he walks - poor thing!
 
That looks like some type of puncture wound that has scabbed over and now has an area of inflammation and possibly infection around it. Splinters in the wood shavings or staples in newspaper are the main culprits.

The area is quite large and inflamed and, as he has had it for some time I would be inclined to consult a vet sooner rather than later. However as suggested above you could first try bathing it - soak his foot in 2% hibiscrub (1ml in 50ml of water) - and hopefully the scab will come off too so you have access to clean out the wound. You'll need to keep his cage ultra clean as piggies do have a habit of traipsing through their own poop and getting bits stuck on their paws! Keep a very close eye on it as there might still be a foreign body in the footpad and/or an abcess/infection develops suddenly or the reddened area gets larger in which case straight down the vets.

HTH
x
 
Hope that heals up soon - poor pet, looks very sore.

Good for you for taking him on!
 
Interestingly cleaned it with some savlon solution tonight, and a fair bit of stuff came off - so it looks like a lot of it is compacted poo. Underneath theres a bit of a wound. Will give it another clean over the next few days. Is it likely to heal up of it's own accord then?

Not really sure there is much a vet will be able to do. But then theres not much I can really do to stop it becoming sore again with the way he walks!
 
I'd make sure he's off shavings - they can irritate their feet at the best of times so I'd not want a sore foot in contact with it.

Personally I would get it checked by a vet, it looks rather red and inflammed and he might need antibiotics.
 
mysteriousdave said:
Interestingly cleaned it with some savlon solution tonight, and a fair bit of stuff came off - so it looks like a lot of it is compacted poo. Underneath theres a bit of a wound. Will give it another clean over the next few days. Is it likely to heal up of it's own accord then?

Not really sure there is much a vet will be able to do. But then theres not much I can really do to stop it becoming sore again with the way he walks!
Click to expand...

Pigs that have gait or bearing problems can be more prone to foot pad issues. A softer more even bedding like fleece can help with the gait as well as keep his foot pads healthier. It can also help wick away urine so he isn't sitting or standing in dampness, which will contribute to foot pad inflammation - can cause urine scald and bumblefoot infection.

If it does not seem to heal on its own in just a couple of days or if the pad breaks open, bleeds, looks very inflamed or begins to appear infected, you should definitely see a vet. Bumblefoot infections can get into the bone and bloodstream. Serious illness, amputation and death can occur from something that starts out rather minor.

Nothing like trotting out worst case scenarios, but it's just true. That being said, I've had pigs whose feet have looked similar and have cleared up quite well with just a bit of attention from me. Just keep a good watch on it, keep up the cleaning and visit a vet if it does not improve or if you see it worsen.
 
Well it's cleaner again today which is good, and doesn't look quite as sore. Will give it another go tomorrow and if no better by Thursday take him along to the vet.

So is the best bedding to use a fleece with some hay on top? As it strikes me that could get just as damp as wood shavings etc. I've seen shredded tissue paper about as well.
 
Fleece is good because it ebbs away the damp of wee. Its a good idea to pop towels or puppy pads underneath to soak and wee up. Wood shavings tend to get overloaded with wee and stay damp. I'm not sure the whole reason behind it but shavings are supposed to irritate the feet. I think probably due to them being so course and the oils within the wood. They have been known to cause respiratory issues in piggies too. Have you got any hay racks? I would use those with fleece to pop your hay in. Keeps it (a little bit) tidier, tho my lot tend to pull all the hay out of the racks and trample all over it. and pooh all over it. Little humbugs. Its a question of opinion really.

x.
 
Just a quick update - been cleaning the scab for a few days and it looks a bit better, but still took Bill along to the vets. She thinks it's bumblefoot, and gave me some antibiotics to give him.

He certainly didn't like it through the oral syringe, so have managed to convince him to eat it on a piece of veg!
 
Just a quick update - been cleaning the scab for a few days and it looks a bit better, but still took Bill along to the vets. She thinks it's bumblefoot, and gave me some antibiotics to give him.

He certainly didn't like it through the oral syringe, so have managed to convince him to eat it on a piece of veg!
 
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