Any treatment for pododermatitis / hock sores?

[Fluffbabies]

I thought I'd make a separate post about this as it is a very specific health issue for our senior Oreo.

Oreo has had sore hocks for a long time due to her arthritis and how she now puts weight on her back paws. This has now progressed from redness to redness, some swelling and she has a small scab. I also noticed today she has a very small red area on the bottom of one of her front paws. I am worried about the swelling and if she could get an infection or other complications.

The vet she saw today about her other health issues advised we put sudocrem on Oreo's paw redness/sores while she is having cuddles. Also suggested we could try gently washing her paws and her back legs because her hair around her bottom and back legs is stained with urine. Oreo has always found the wettest areas to lie in so she has always had this to an extent but now her hair around there is usually wet.

But the exotics vet Oreo's seen a lot through her journey with arthritis said she wouldn't recommend putting anything on the sores partly because she might lick it off, and there wasn't anything we could do to stop her from getting them other than keeping bedding clean and encouraging mobility because that's where she puts her weight since her arthritis. Oreo has always been on fleece bedding and we change the whole cage every other day, swapping out pee pads and beds daily.

Should we be washing her bottom and legs to stop urine being on her skin? How often? Are there any other steps we can take to reduce the urine on her back half? We don't want to aggravate her arthritis or make her miserable by washing her too much.

Should we be washing her paws and could this help reduce the sores?

Has anyone had experience using creams or other treatment for sore paws?

Has anyone had experience with these sores or bumble foot or success in reducing them?

Thank you in advance as always.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Making sure bedding is kept dry to consequently ensure she is kept dry, using additional pee pads can help as they can be removed throughout the day and as necessary.
Ensuring hair is kept short around the back end to reduce the risk of soiling.
Bum baths when necessary otherwise wiping her with a damp cloth can be helpful to keep her clean.

You have to be very careful with putting creams etc on their feet. It can be counter productive - creaming can soften the skin too much and make it more susceptible to issues. We actually need the skin on their feet to be tough. Sudocrem can potentially be quite drying on the skin and is not always the best choice.
Painkillers and antibiotics can be needed to deal with bumblefoot and unfortunately it can be a tricky thing to manage.

Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility
Guinea Lynx :: Pododermatitis

 

[Fluffbabies]

Making sure bedding is kept dry to consequently ensure she is kept dry, using additional pee pads can help as they can be removed throughout the day and as necessary.
Ensuring hair is kept short around the back end to reduce the risk of soiling.
Bum baths when necessary otherwise wiping her with a damp cloth can be helpful to keep her clean.

You have to be very careful with putting creams etc on their feet. It can be counter productive - creaming can soften the skin too much and make it more susceptible to issues. We actually need the skin on their feet to be tough. Sudocrem can potentially be quite drying on the skin and is not always the best choice.
Painkillers and antibiotics can be needed to deal with bumblefoot and unfortunately it can be a tricky thing to manage.

Looking After Guinea Pigs With Limited or No Mobility
Guinea Lynx :: Pododermatitis

Thank you.

She's on long-term metacam, and baytril currently so hopefully that helps. She's long haired and we've been keeping her bottom and back leg hair cut short since she's got older and it's been more of an issue. I think we'll try bum and paw baths and swapping out pee pads and beds two or three times a day instead of once.

 

[Lady Kelly]

I have used gorgeous guineas products before. Never applied it multiple times a day but 2-3 times a week when I had a piggy prone to sitting in their own wee Perfect Paws Ointment: 25gm

 

[Eriathwen]

Personally I would speak to your vet about trying cartrophen injections, while usually tried for bladder issues in guinea pigs it's original use in other animals was for arthritis. My Gus used to have awfully sore, cracked feet as well as severe anal impaction. Since starting these injections his feet have cleared up and his impaction is almost completely managed by himself, instead of by me 3xs a day! His knees are riddled with arthritis and he was walking abnormally causing pressure sores on his feet. He can now walk normally again, fixing the issue and massively improving his quality of life.