Feel sick - feet not look great😔

[Tara95]

I feel terrible , I've just looked at a few of my guinea pigs feet and they don't look great. 2 of my guinea pigs have always had quite sensitive pink feet but in the last I think 4 or so months I've changed to a softer Timothy hay bedding and I wonder that perhaps it's been that change that has caused the potential issues. As they were always bedded on fleece. Thinking about changing back to fleece or buying some vet bed (any recommendations on vet bed and how often it needs to be changed). I think I need to give their feet a good clean perhaps with some Luke warm water? I will be taking them to the vets just in case it's something more serious. Perhaps the Timothy hay was too course sensitive feet?

 

[Free Ranger]

When you say 'not great' do you want to give any more details? What have you got under the hay to absorb the pee?

There's urine scald - pink/red patches which are sore but can sort themselves out - will eventually go dry and flaky as good new skin grows underneath. This can be lack of absorbency in bedding, bedding changed 'less often' (and this is wide open as some spread the pee all over and some have a favourite spot), long-haired bum fluff wicking pee down the legs, or even UTI causing constant dripping. I got caught out when trying new bedding with my long-haired girl but her fuzzy friend was fine!
Then there's bumblefoot where the skin is cracking open and ulcerating - this needs much more careful attention to stop it in its tracks and is not necessarily associated with prior urine scald.

I didn't get on with vet bed: too deep to walk through easily on short legs and covered the washing machine with grey fuzz. I just put it in one area and they essentially avoided it. Fleece/zorb/fleece machined together in a sandwich works well for us but in the bedroom areas it's Back-2-Nature topped with hay.

Put some foot pics up if you like...?

 

[Tara95]

I'm really worried it's bumblefoot. I use hay with puppy pads underneath. One of her feet looks quite bad as you can see. The second picture the skin feels really dry. Many thanks for your time.

 

[Free Ranger]

Her feet are a bit pink but I can't see any open sores (which look 'moist' if you can see what I mean). The lumpy bumps look pretty normal to me. They're cleaner than my feet as I don't wear shoes in the back garden!

You might have a 'foot spur' in the second pic which as I understand is a bit of dry skin forming at the side of the foot but is harmless. Guinea lynx talks about when these can be trimmed off but I wouldn't touch one unless it was a massive trailing bit that was catching and ripping and even then I'd probably get the vet to look! If she has a little warm water foot bath she might enjoy it if she's nibbling something to distract her. Just try and make sure her tummy stays dry if you can because it's a faff to have to wait for them to dry off before going back in the cage

This bit is controversial. For mild urine scald we have been known to wash the feet and apply a small amount of Sudocreme (little light dabs, don't rub in) in the short term. Then you have to put piggy on your lap or on a bit of towel for 15 mins while it soaks in or there's Sudocreme all over the hay! It's antiseptic nappy cream which has been tipped by our vet in the past but we've been warned on the forum that longer-term use can cause thinning of the skin which is not what we want on feet. But a daily pedi with a bit of cream and a cuddle for a few days has worked for us in the early stages of pink feet

If you're still worried tag in wiebke or piggies&buns x

 

[Tara95]

Her feet are a bit pink but I can't see any open sores (which look 'moist' if you can see what I mean). The lumpy bumps look pretty normal to me. They're cleaner than my feet as I don't wear shoes in the back garden!

You might have a 'foot spur' in the second pic which as I understand is a bit of dry skin forming at the side of the foot but is harmless. Guinea lynx talks about when these can be trimmed off but I wouldn't touch one unless it was a massive trailing bit that was catching and ripping and even then I'd probably get the vet to look! If she has a little warm water foot bath she might enjoy it if she's nibbling something to distract her. Just try and make sure her tummy stays dry if you can because it's a faff to have to wait for them to dry off before going back in the cage

This bit is controversial. For mild urine scald we have been known to wash the feet and apply a small amount of Sudocreme (little light dabs, don't rub in) in the short term. Then you have to put piggy on your lap or on a bit of towel for 15 mins while it soaks in or there's Sudocreme all over the hay! It's antiseptic nappy cream which has been tipped by our vet in the past but we've been warned on the forum that longer-term use can cause thinning of the skin which is not what we want on feet. But a daily pedi with a bit of cream and a cuddle for a few days has worked for us in the early stages of pink feet

If you're still worried tag in wiebke or piggies&buns x

Many thanks for your help it was really hard to get a picture and the brown bit looks a bit ball shaped but very dry! Not sure of I should change the bedding from hay to fleece? I might buy some sudacream and give that ago! Many thanks

 

[Piggies&buns]

I cant see bumble foot.
It does look like a spur

As has been mentioned, you dont want to overdo creaming the feet as you dont want terribly soft skin on their feet - they need some toughness!

If you are finding they are struggling with hay as bedding, then it may be worth going back to fleece, but it may just be a coincidence. Hay isnt absorbent but I see you are using puppy pads underneath. My Piggies are bedded on hay and they do fine with it so it may be piggy dependent!

 

[Free Ranger]

I should post my feet - they're flippin' shocking!

 

[PigglePuggle]

Those feet look ok, a bit red but that might easily be your camera no obvious open sores. Maybe could do with a weekly wash and moisturise? Or a wipe and moisturise? Gorgeous Guineas have some excellent foot balms, "perfect paws" and "F&M ointment" are very good for Jezzy's crusty old feet which are quite shocking due to her bad background and her habit of weeing down her floofy trousers then sleeping in the wet. Our vet prescribed CLX paw wipes which are antiseptic wipes for dog and cat paws- contain the same mild antiseptic as human mouthwash- to clean her feet once or twice a week, then let them dray and pop on a bit of the Gorgeous Guineas foot creams. You can actually buy CLX paw wipes from Amazon too, they are expensive but half a wipe is plenty for 4 piggy paws.
But often just a wipe with plain water or sterile saline (cool boiled water with a teaspion of salt added) is enough to prevent urine scald, plus thinking about your bedding absorbency. But some piggies do just have crusty spurred feet, and wee paws, despite our best efforts- Jezzy is a crusty pawed wee monster and I always feel the need to apologise to the vet about her feet and tell them she does actually have a 28sqft luxury habitat with twice weekly cage cleans and daily pee pad changes and weekly pedicures!

 

[Wiebke]

I'm really worried it's bumblefoot. I use hay with puppy pads underneath. One of her feet looks quite bad as you can see. The second picture the skin feels really dry. Many thanks for your time.View attachment 185349View attachment 185350

Hi

Please take a deep breath!

The feet are looking rather warm (overall intense pinkness means increased blood flow through the skin to shed body heat) and the have the very start of harmless spurs on the sides of pads. They are a common overgrowth of dead skin.

 

[Tara95]

I cant see bumble foot.
It does look like a spur

As has been mentioned, you dont want to overdo creaming the feet as you dont want terribly soft skin on their feet - they need some toughness!

If you are finding they are struggling with hay as bedding, then it may be worth going back to fleece, but it may just be a coincidence. Hay isnt absorbent but I see you are using puppy pads underneath. My Piggies are bedded on hay and they do fine with it so it may be piggy dependent!

Thank you, I do find they personally prefer the hay bedding (as do I because of the reduced washing load!) I am wondering whether to switch to meadow hay for bedding or orchard hay! As perhaps the soft cut Timothy can be a bit course at times. I did find the piggy in question had redder but cleaner feet on the fleece as if she was getting carpet burn. My main worry is that if the dry pieces of skin got pulled off their potentially could be a red sore wound underneath (like bumblefoot) which could get infected. It's a relief to know it's not that. Many thanks

 

[Piggies&buns]

Thank you, I do find they personally prefer the hay bedding (as do I because of the reduced washing load!) I am wondering whether to switch to meadow hay for bedding or orchard hay! As perhaps the soft cut Timothy can be a bit course at times. I did find the piggy in question had redder but cleaner feet on the fleece as if she was getting carpet burn. My main worry is that if the dry pieces of skin got pulled off their potentially could be a red sore wound underneath (like bumblefoot) which could get infected. It's a relief to know it's not that. Many thanks

I only ever use meadow hay as bedding. My two love eating soft timothy though.

 

[Tara95]

Those feet look ok, a bit red but that might easily be your camera no obvious open sores. Maybe could do with a weekly wash and moisturise? Or a wipe and moisturise? Gorgeous Guineas have some excellent foot balms, "perfect paws" and "F&M ointment" are very good for Jezzy's crusty old feet which are quite shocking due to her bad background and her habit of weeing down her floofy trousers then sleeping in the wet. Our vet prescribed CLX paw wipes which are antiseptic wipes for dog and cat paws- contain the same mild antiseptic as human mouthwash- to clean her feet once or twice a week, then let them dray and pop on a bit of the Gorgeous Guineas foot creams. You can actually buy CLX paw wipes from Amazon too, they are expensive but half a wipe is plenty for 4 piggy paws.
But often just a wipe with plain water or sterile saline (cool boiled water with a teaspion of salt added) is enough to prevent urine scald, plus thinking about your bedding absorbency. But some piggies do just have crusty spurred feet, and wee paws, despite our best efforts- Jezzy is a crusty pawed wee monster and I always feel the need to apologise to the vet about her feet and tell them she does actually have a 28sqft luxury habitat with twice weekly cage cleans and daily pee pad changes and weekly pedicures!

Aww thank you, those balms sound nice! As well as the paw wipes. Will be ordering some! Thank you for the reasurannce

 

[Tara95]

Hi

Please take a deep breath!

The feet are looking rather warm (overall intense pinkness means increased blood flow through the skin to shed body heat) and the have the very start of harmless spurs on the sides of pads. They are a common overgrowth of dead skin.

Thank you. Do you think it's worth a vet visit?

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you. Do you think it's worth a vet visit?

No, it's definitely not needed; only if you yourself need to hear the same from your vet.

Please do not overcream feet - it makes them actually more vulnerable to problems.

 

[VickiA]

I don’t think you need a vet visit at the moment. Just invest in some Gorgeous Guineas foot balm and give her a regular pedicure.

 

[Tara95]

No, it's definitely not needed; only if you yourself need to hear the same from your vet.

Please do not overcream feet - it makes them actually more vulnerable to problems.

Thank you

 

[Tara95]

I don’t think you need a vet visit at the moment. Just invest in some Gorgeous Guineas foot balm and give her a regular pedicure.

Thank you! Will do

 

[Tara95]

Those feet look ok, a bit red but that might easily be your camera no obvious open sores. Maybe could do with a weekly wash and moisturise? Or a wipe and moisturise? Gorgeous Guineas have some excellent foot balms, "perfect paws" and "F&M ointment" are very good for Jezzy's crusty old feet which are quite shocking due to her bad background and her habit of weeing down her floofy trousers then sleeping in the wet. Our vet prescribed CLX paw wipes which are antiseptic wipes for dog and cat paws- contain the same mild antiseptic as human mouthwash- to clean her feet once or twice a week, then let them dray and pop on a bit of the Gorgeous Guineas foot creams. You can actually buy CLX paw wipes from Amazon too, they are expensive but half a wipe is plenty for 4 piggy paws.
But often just a wipe with plain water or sterile saline (cool boiled water with a teaspion of salt added) is enough to prevent urine scald, plus thinking about your bedding absorbency. But some piggies do just have crusty spurred feet, and wee paws, despite our best efforts- Jezzy is a crusty pawed wee monster and I always feel the need to apologise to the vet about her feet and tell them she does actually have a 28sqft luxury habitat with twice weekly cage cleans and daily pee pad changes and weekly pedicures!

Thank you all for your help! The F & M cream looks good! Not sure whether to go for it or some of the other creams! Like the sound of the aloe vera creams (I would like something I could use for all the piggies paws) or the Neem cream!

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you all for your help! The F & M cream looks good! Not sure whether to go for it or some of the other creams! Like the sound of the aloe vera creams (I would like something I could use for all the piggies paws) or the Neem cream!View attachment 185358

Please be aware that those creams should only be used if there is actually a real problem and then should only be applied very thinly and sparingly. F&M is helpful with acute bumblefoot, which you haven't got.

The softer the skin on the soles, the more vulnerable they actually become for tiny cracks to form and infection to set in.

If you have got your piggies on fleece, please check whether you are using too much detergent when washing first. Much cheaper and actually much more to the point!

 

[Tara95]

Please be aware that those creams should only be used if there is actually a real problem and then should only be applied very thinly and sparingly. F&M is helpful with acute bumblefoot, which you haven't got.

The softer the skin on the soles, the more vulnerable they actually become for tiny cracks to form and infection to set in.

If you have got your piggies on fleece, please check whether you are using too much detergent when washing first. Much cheaper and actually much more to the point!

Thank you