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Swollen Hind Feet

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Predawn

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My female skinny pig has had swollen hind feet since I picked her up a week ago. She is only 2 months old. She stays on fleece in a c&c cage. She gets around alright but what worries me is that on her worse foot she tends to hop with it almost lifted off the ground. On one foot it looks like just the back joint is swollen. On the other foot it looks like the whole middle of the foot is swollen. She does not like me trying to mess with her hind feet. My nearest small animal vet is over an hour away so I can't just pick up and take her to the vet if its not something serious. Any help is greatly appreciated.
 

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Her feet are swollen - it could be serious -she needs to see a vet
x
 
OK I did book an appointment at the vet for tomorrow I just wanted to make sure. A friend said that I should soak it in epson salt water to help bring down the swelling. Should I try the epson salt or just wait for the vet?
 
I'm pleased to hear that you have a veterinary appointment for tomorrow, @Predawn!

However, I am questioning whether your girl has injured her left hind foot (Your girl's right hind ankle/foot appears to be fine). . .

I would not advise bathing her foot in Epsom Salts.
 
I know the picture isnt great but her ankle on the right side is swollen to a little bigger than a pea. The right side didn't really worry me to much but her left foot scared me with it being so swollen. She is still eating and drinking just fine and is not acting lethargic so she is confusing me a little. She was in with another, far larger female (not the mom) when I picked her up. Although I dont see any puncture wounds could she possible have been bitten or attacked by the other piggie?
 
It is possible that the swelling on your girl's right hind ankle is due to weight-bearing. . .

I wouldn't have thought that the swelling on your girl's left hind foot is the result of a bite.

Please ensure that your girl is examined by a cavy-savvy veterinarian. However, at this moment in time, I would strongly recommend that your veterinarian treats your girl for an injury, and prescribes a suitable anti-inflammatory. For example, Metacam. Although, your veterinarian may wish to prescribe an antibiotic also, in which case, I would strongly recommend Septrin Paediatric.
 
Good that you have booked her in at the vets; your baby's foot needs professional attention. It can be an injury (is she limping and refusing to put weight on it) or an infection.

We have got a piggy savvy UK vet locator on the top bar. You can help us with giving you our best advice straight away by adding your country, state or (for the UK) your county/city to your details, as medical brands, access to vets and climate etc. can vary quite a bit across the world, but influence our specific recommendations.
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk...cation-and-creating-an-avatar-picture.107444/
 
I agree , maybe she has hurt her foot, this has caused the swelling. Hope the vets can help :)
 
I agree with the others. She may have landed funny whilst leaping about (skinnies are very lively) and so may need some anti-inflammatories from the vets. Great that you have an appointment. As the vet is so far away make sure they give your oral medication to bring home in addition to any injections they may give.
 
Unfortunately I live in the United States so the vet tab wont help me much. I took her into my local vet today just to get her checked out and they quite obviously had no clue what to do. (When I walked in they thought she was a rat...) So I made a new appointment for the farther away vet for friday. Unfortunately they are incredibly busy as they are the only small animal vet around here so I couldn't get in earlier.
 
Another thing I noticed is when I hold her and play with her she will gently nip me every once in a while. It doesn't hurt and I just move that body part away but is this normal? As she is only 2 months could she possibly be teething?
 
Yet another thing I have noticed is that every once in away she will sneeze. It doesn't happen all to often just 1-2 times every couple days. Again she doesn't seem lethargic and she doesn't have any leakage around her eyes and nose. Is this normal? Sorry for all the questions but she is my first skinny pig and none of my other cavy have ever had any problems.
 
Nipping is quite normal, and is typically a mild warning.

Guinea pigs are born with all their teeth, which grow continuously throughout their lives - A good-quality hay should be offered ad lib to encourage good dental health etc. . .

An occasional sneeze, and/or cough is nothing to worry about. However, a guinea pig that presents a persistent sneeze, and/or cough should be examined by a veterinarian immediately.

Does your girl's foot appear to be any better today?!
 
No her foot looks just as bad as it has since I got her. Thankfully it has not gotten any worse. I've made an appointment for the farther away vet but the earliest they could get me in was Friday. Hopefully they will be able to help her. She is still just as active as ever and she doesn't seem to limp at but I know it's hurting her because she still won't let me mess with her hind legs. Right now I'm so afraid that it will be something really bad.
 
Hey guys i'm sorry I didn't get back to you on friday but I was just too upset. I took her into the vet on Friday and they saw her immediately. We found out that she had a severe bone infection. The infection was found in both hind legs, and one front leg. As she was so young they thought it would not be for the best to surgically remove 3 legs. It was recommended that she be put to sleep. I was given one more night with her to say my goodbyes and then I brought her back in Saturday morning to be put to sleep. As sad as I am I am glad that she is no longer in any pain. R.I.P Eve.
 
@Predawn - Offering my deepest sympathy, and sincere condolences for your loss! I am shocked, and sadden to read that beautiful Eve is no longer with us! However, acute osteomyelitis can occur due to infection, injury, and/or underlying condition - I would imagine, as there was no evident infection/open wound in the surrounding tissue, and as Eve appeared otherwise well, that Eve suffered a fractured/broken bone in her left hind foot, which resulted in an infection?!

I believe that you have been very unlucky! However, I believe that you made the right decision - I do not believe that Eve would have survived surgery etc. . . Regrettably, in my experience, Skinnies do not cope with illness, and/or injury well!

Thank you for the update - As above, I'm so sorry that the diagnosis/prognosis was not more positive!
 
Yes, I went back to her breeder and after some pushing she said that eve had been dropped by her as a baby. Apparently she didn't think her barely walking on her hind feet and them being swollen didn't require a vet visit. I am assuming that that is what caused the infection. I can't help feeling that if she had been taken to the vet right after being dropped that she would still be with us today.

@Predawn - Offering my deepest sympathy, and sincere condolences for your loss! I am shocked, and sadden to read that beautiful Eve is no longer with us! However, acute osteomyelitis can occur due to infection, injury, and/or underlying condition - I would imagine, as there was no evident infection/open wound in the surrounding tissue, and as Eve appeared otherwise well, that Eve suffered a fractured/broken bone in her left hind foot, which resulted in an infection?!

I believe that you have been very unlucky! However, I believe that you made the right decision - I do not believe that Eve would have survived surgery etc. . . Regrettably, in my experience, Skinnies do not cope with illness, and/or injury well!

Thank you for the update - As above, I'm so sorry that the diagnosis/prognosis was not more positive!
 
@Predawn - Poor Eve!

However, I would imagine that there was very little that could have been done to save Eve - Evidently, Eve suffered quite substantial injuries when dropped. . . In this situation, it is difficult to say whether prompt veterinary care would have prevented Eve's death - I believe that surgery would have carried substantial risks, and antibiotics can cause further issues!

Regrettably, I believe that Eve's death was the result of a tragic accident!

Nevertheless, I do hope that the breeder returned your money, offered to cover the veterinary fees you incurred, and issued you with a sincere apology?!
 
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