Scabby mouth

[paul1979uk]

Noticed today that Charlie has scabs on the corners of his mouth, one side worse than the other. Wiped him with antiseptic wipe and scab has come off and his lip looks a little sore underneath. He's still eating like a pig though. Picture below, have you seen this before?

 

[Guinea pig slave]

I believe acidic foods can cause sores i.e. apple. citric fruit, tomatoes etc. so should only be fed occasionally so if your boy has not had any of these, would consult a vet.
Cheilitis is another possibility;
Unpleasant pics but here is a link on this condition:
http://www.guinealynx.info/cheilitis.html

Hope Charlie has a speedy recovery from his ailment and send healing vibes p

 

[Shellza]

Has he eaten any tomato or citric fruits? As that is my initial thought. If not then it is possibly cheilitis as mentioned. Lexi had cheilitis a while back, only on one side though. It's easily treatable with daktarin oral gel. Best to go to the vet before administering treatment though.

 

[Pebble]

Given that this is only one "small area" I would suggest that
a) all acidic foods as mentioned above are withdrawn
b) monitor the open sore, if necessary bather with sterile saline solution
c) any deterioiration/proliferation then get to a vet as you may need an anti-fungal or antibacterial topical treatment.

One other thing to be aware of - scabs around the mouth could be a very early indicator of an underlying heart issue. Might be worth starting to check his feet on a routine basis for signs of bumblefoot as this is another early warning.

I'm sure this scab is just an isolated event from acidic foods - but at least you are now armed with the extra info such that if it doesn;t resolve and can take him to a vet.

HTH
x

 

[paul1979uk]

Cheers everyone. He's been eating the odd grape lately but thats it as far as acidic food goes. He bites his bars a lot. His feet seem ok but hes had tags for about a year now, they don't seem to trouble him.