Does trimming off a spur cause pain?

[mochaandcocoa]

I just noticed what I think is a spur on my guinea pig’s paw by the toenail. Her nails are way to long and I was wondering if that could cause a spur. I did some research and I saw that you can clip it off with nail clippers. Will that cause any pain for my piggy? Thanks

 

[dannif_piggies]

I just noticed what I think is a spur on my guinea pig’s paw by the toenail. Her nails are way to long and I was wondering if that could cause a spur. I did some research and I saw that you can clip it off with nail clippers. Will that cause any pain for my piggy? Thanks

Firstly, I'd be prioritising getting her nails trimmed, a spur isn't going to cause problems most of the time but over grown nails can result in all sorts of issues. What's the reason her nails haven't been trimmed?

 

[Lady Kelly]

Are you sure it's a spur and not dried poop? Usually a spur occurs on the foot pad not the toes. Try soaking it in warm water and gently rubbing. If it is a spur then it's just hard dead skin and doesn't hurt to clip it if clipping is needed at all. Just be mindful of going too low and getting live skin

 

[mochaandcocoa]

Firstly, I'd be prioritising getting her nails trimmed, a spur isn't going to cause problems most of the time but over grown nails can result in all sorts of issues. What's the reason her nails haven't been trimmed?

Okay thank you! I haven’t recently trimmed her nails because last time I accidentally cut them too short so I am nervous to cut them again.

 

[mochaandcocoa]

Are you sure it's a spur and not dried poop? Usually a spur occurs on the foot pad not the toes. Try soaking it in warm water and gently rubbing. If it is a spur then it's just hard dead skin and doesn't hurt to clip it if clipping is needed at all. Just be mindful of going too low and getting live skin

Okay thank you! I was thinking it could be poop but it wasn’t coming off when I was rubbing it. I will check if there is anything there tomorrow!

 

[Lady Kelly]

Okay thank you! I was thinking it could be poop but it wasn’t coming off when I was rubbing it. I will check if there is anything there tomorrow!

A dried bit of poop can be hard to remove hence we recommend soaking the foot to soften it first. Don't panic about nail clipping either, even the most experienced of piggy owners will catch the quick on occasion, it's part and parcel of owning piggies. If you are really quite anxious then you may be able to book at the vets to be shown how to do it (once lockdown is over and they aren't just seeing emergencies)

 

[dannif_piggies]

Okay thank you! I haven’t recently trimmed her nails because last time I accidentally cut them too short so I am nervous to cut them again.

I find using the human nail clippers much easier to avoid cutting too low, small animals nail clippers tend to be too bulky to even really see what you're doing.
Wrap you piggy in a blanket with one little foot poking out at a time, and little tip, gently press where you're planning on clipping prior to actually cutting the nail, and if you're too low down the piggy will pull its fur away, or just do a very small amount at a time, this was the method I used for my black nailed piggy when I first got her, but now I know where I can take her nails too. Hope this helps

 

[mochaandcocoa]

Are you sure it's a spur and not dried poop? Usually a spur occurs on the foot pad not the toes. Try soaking it in warm water and gently rubbing. If it is a spur then it's just hard dead skin and doesn't hurt to clip it if clipping is needed at all. Just be mindful of going too low and getting live skin

This is what it looks like. What do you think it is? Should I try to clip it off when I cut her nails later? Or should I just let it be?

 

[Lady Kelly]

View attachment 144237This is what it looks like. What do you think it is? Should I try to clip it off when I cut her nails later? Or should I just let it be?

I would try soaking it a little first and seeing if it comes off. Its hard to say from a photo