Swollen toe again!

[kel22]

Hi all

Just some advice really. I posted here a while ago about one of our pigs having a swollen and sore toe at the back. That rectified itself with a couple of dips in cooled salted water and he's fine. I noticed yesterday that the other one had a swollen toe, back foot on the outside. There's no sign of a cut or anything, it's just red and swollen and kind of sticking out sideways. He's not moving any slower and I had a feel of it yesterday and he didn't squeak or anything. Do you think I should do the same thing as I did with the other one?

Not sure what it is really.

Kelly

 

[Laura-CCC4]

Hi Kelly,

It is possible an infection - whether bacterial or fungal - has gotten under the nail bed and into the toe. Depending on what kind of infection it is, it may not need antibiotics. A fungal infection would be indicated by flaky/crusty skin on the foot, perhaps a bit of hair loss. For fungal infections, the foot would need to have cream applied 2-3 times daily. Daktarin Cream (from the chemist) or Lavender and Myrrh lotion (from www.gorgeousguineas.com) will help.

If it is a bacterial infection, bathing the foot in warm saline should prove beneficial. Antibiotics could be worth talking to the vet about if it doesn't improve within a day or two, and/or a mild anti-inflammatory.

One of my girls, now 1 year old, has had fungal skin issues since she was three weeks old. Her feet were initially affected, and they are still are, they have slightly toughened and flaky skin. She had a swollen toe when she was a few months old, caused by the fungal infection having got into her toe. It's affected the nail, it's thicker and more brittle, but the swelling went down with anti-inflammatories (Rimadyl) and she's not had an infection in the toe since.