‘Cracked’ looking fur

[Lisanjake]

Hi all

So it’s been a good few weeks since Winnie had her abscessed drained and teeth filed and she wasn’t feeling to great so hasn’t been too active over the past 6 weeks or so.
She’s improving every day but I’ve recently noticed she has some sores on her feet. The local vet who cuts her nails said it’s just because she hasn’t been moving about as much but she stumbles about a little sometimes so I wonder if they are sore.
She is already on Zithromax and loxicom so hopefully they are helping her if they are painful.
I was also wondering if her fur is like this because she’s lost weight? (Around 150 grams since her heaviest weight I recall) she’s stabilised now and is increasing slowly.
She’s bright in herself otherwise and eating hay shouting for veg etc x

 

[Wiebke]

Hi all

So it’s been a good few weeks since Winnie had her abscessed drained and teeth filed and she wasn’t feeling to great so hasn’t been too active over the past 6 weeks or so.
She’s improving every day but I’ve recently noticed she has some sores on her feet. The local vet who cuts her nails said it’s just because she hasn’t been moving about as much but she stumbles about a little sometimes so I wonder if they are sore.
She is already on Zithromax and loxicom so hopefully they are helping her if they are painful.
I was also wondering if her fur is like this because she’s lost weight? (Around 150 grams since her heaviest weight I recall) she’s stabilised now and is increasing slowly.
She’s bright in herself otherwise and eating hay shouting for veg etc x

Hi

You may find the care advice in this guide here helpful; it includes feet care.
Looking after guinea pigs with limited or no mobility

I wish her a good and full recovery. Please keep weighing daily at the same time (I prefer first thing in the morning when the weight is at its lowest to have the best stable comparison.

Fur is still standing up a bit, which means that she is still a bit in pain.

 

[Lisanjake]

Thank you, I have ordered some Epsom salt for her feet so fingers crossed that will help. Worried me she is still in pain being on loxicom 0.5ml day and night already

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you, I have ordered some Epsom salt for her feet so fingers crossed that will help. Worried me she is still in pain being on loxicom 0.5ml day and night already

Her pain doesn't look too serious. As you are having zithromax, I assume that you are also on dog metacam? The Zithromax will hopefully kick in and do the trick.

My Dylan was on the same medication two years ago when he had an abscess swelling coming up in December with us bound for a family holiday in Switzerland. The abscess was not developed enough to be lanced so we had to opt for a medical solution in the hope that this would see him through into the next year; in fact he needed two course of zithromax and a month on the high metacam but amazingly, his abscess went down and has stayed down; even though the zithromax eventually killed his appetite and I had to syringe feed him round the clock since our return. Dylan is now coming up to 6 years of age.

I sincerely hope that it will work for you, too. Be patient and hang in there. It takes some time to build up and work fully but as your girl has started to improve, you know that her meds are working. The more the zithromax is doing the trick, the more the pain will go down.

 

[Lisanjake]

Her pain doesn't look too serious. As you are having zithromax, I assume that you are also on dog metacam? The Zithromax will hopefully kick in and do the trick.

My Dylan was on the same medication two years ago when he had an abscess swelling coming up in December with us bound for a family holiday in Switzerland. The abscess was not developed enough to be lanced so we had to opt for a medical solution in the hope that this would see him through into the next year; in fact he needed two course of zithromax and a month on the high metacam but amazingly, his abscess went down and has stayed down; even though the zithromax eventually killed his appetite and I had to syringe feed him round the clock since our return. Dylan is now coming up to 6 years of age.

I sincerely hope that it will work for you, too. Be patient and hang in there. It takes some time to build up and work fully but as your girl has started to improve, you know that her meds are working. The more the zithromax is doing the trick, the more the pain will go down.

Oh good I do worry myself sick about her.
Yes that’s right, well she’s on loxicom (I think that’s the same thing?) 0.5ml twice a day.
She’s been on the Zithromax about 3 weeks now as there was a little pus left but fingers crossed she will be in the all clear soon.


Oh gosh how long was he on the antibiotics for?
Fingers crossed for little Dylan They are real fighters aren’t they!

 

[Freela]

Hopefully the foot clears up soon! The fur pattern looks like something I have sometimes seen as my guinea pigs age... whereas all the fur seems to lie smooth on young pigs, some of my older pigs have gotten that 'cracked' look depending on their position. I'm not sure if it's weight loss (as pigs do tend to lost some muscle mass with age) or if it's just an aging thing. Coat quality seems to be one of the things that tell a pig's age... Leela, currently turning 5, has a similar coat at this age... baby Tomie is smooth.

 

[Lisanjake]

Hopefully the foot clears up soon! The fur pattern looks like something I have sometimes seen as my guinea pigs age... whereas all the fur seems to lie smooth on young pigs, some of my older pigs have gotten that 'cracked' look depending on their position. I'm not sure if it's weight loss (as pigs do tend to lost some muscle mass with age) or if it's just an aging thing. Coat quality seems to be one of the things that tell a pig's age... Leela, currently turning 5, has a similar coat at this age... baby Tomie is smooth.

I'm hoping it was just the weight loss that caused it as I’ve not noticed it before.
She is around 4/5 years old now bless her so could be her age.
Can’t wait for her to put some weight back on

 

[Wiebke]

Oh good I do worry myself sick about her.
Yes that’s right, well she’s on loxicom (I think that’s the same thing?) 0.5ml twice a day.
She’s been on the Zithromax about 3 weeks now as there was a little pus left but fingers crossed she will be in the all clear soon.


Oh gosh how long was he on the antibiotics for?
Fingers crossed for little Dylan They are real fighters aren’t they!

For four weeks (two courses) because the first finished just before Christmas and he clearly needed more (a piggy-savvy friend kindly holiday boarded them for me for what has turned out my last family visit to date). He is not my first piggy to need more than one course of it; although the others were mostly for inoperable eye injuries.

 

[furryfriends (TEAS)]

Does the fur feel a bit crusty or sticky? I find the dental piggies can get this happen with their fur, due to their mouth being a bit messy, when they groom. When Earl had problems with his teeth, he would end up completely green, due to him still having green mush in his mouth, from eating veg, when he groomed himself.

 

[Lisanjake]

Does the fur feel a bit crusty or sticky? I find the dental piggies can get this happen with their fur, due to their mouth being a bit messy, when they groom. When Earl had problems with his teeth, he would end up completely green, due to him still having green mush in his mouth, from eating veg, when he groomed himself.

No it just feels a tiny bit greasy, she’s eating with no problems at all really now which is amazing. She’s so happy in herself to be grazing the hay again
The issue I have now is she’s got little sores on her feet, they look a bit scabby on her back legs. I’ve ordered some Epsom salts so I’ll let her sit in that a few times a day to hopefully help clean them. Silly poppet just sits in the hay and won’t go into the fleecy houses like Erin does x