Guinea Paws Advice please! (pics included)

[lauren_johnson]

Hello piggie lovers out there,

I was wondering if you guys could give me some advice for my guinea pig Leia's back paws? So they are lil red and flakey (as you see from pics) and I'm worried its the start of bumblefoot. Now I did take both pigs to the vets back beginning of April about this and was given baytril and to administer twice daily and also put a coating of vaseline on them daily. I was worried its from urine scald, but I am pretty religious with cleaning and replacing their fleeces and keeping on top of hygiene. Anyway, I lost Rey suddenly (Leias sister) end of April and the vet seems to think it was gut statis and the antibiotic wiped her gut flora, and perhaps even an underlying problem (they are rescue from not a great home to start with) even after giving her probiotics during this time and keeping a close eye ... I was heartbroken as you imagine

So I'm obviously a bit reluctant to give Leia antibiotics, or take to the vets as the stress was pretty bad and especially loosing her sis, took a long while of care to get her back to normal again and establish her gut flora. So is there anything I can buy/do to help her feet? We trim her claws regularly and she moves about fine and doesn't seem to be in pain, even when I handle her and have a look at her feet (although they mask pain obviously ) she is an indoor piggie and is white and tan so has naturally pinkish feet and ears

---

too if that makes any difference. I've heard gorgeous guineas F&M ointment is good and I also have Epsom salts so can do a foot bath twice daily too. She is eating and behaving fine.

Any advice would be great! Thanks so much.

 

[lauren_johnson]

Ahh figured out how to upload pictures

Let me know, thanks guys!

 

[Piggies&buns]

Does it look like there might be an open area, in the second picture particularly?
I can only encourage you to seek veterinary advice again. The problem with treating bumblefoot is it depends what bacteria are getting in as to how effective any treatments are going to be. Vet guidance is needed for a diagnosis and how to deal with it going forward if it is the start of bumblefoot.

Guinea Lynx :: Pododermatitis

When dealing with something like this ensuring bedding is kept dry by changing it frequently and using smaller fleece pee pads in high traffic areas so they can be changed a few times a day is a good idea.

I’m sorry for the loss of your piggy.
Antibiotics can wipe out the gut bacteria and affect appetite - equally some antibiotics have less of an effect than others.
You cant be reluctant to use antibiotics though if they are needed but there are things which can be done to help mitigate their affects
- using a probiotic, or better still, poop soup from a healthy companion. This can help replace the gut bacteria. Poop soup, when made correctly, directly replaces the gut micro biome
- switching from the lifelong and routine weekly weight checks and instead weighing daily for the duration of the illness/medication. This will mean you can keep a closer eye on hay intake and enable syringe feeding at

 

[lauren_johnson]

Hi @Piggies&buns

Thanks so much for your reply. I don't think there is an opening no, but of course I don't want it getting worse - haven't ruled out the vets, they may be able to offer an alternative so can explore that avenue.

I did do probiotics with Rey and was about to do the poop soup as read up on it but too late by then. The syringe feeding alone for both piggies was very invasive and I don't think the stress helped at all and may have contributed so I would rather not have to do that again if I can avoid it - she is a very sensitive piggie.

Thank you for all the helpful links too.

 

[Freela]

It does look like potentially urine scald/early bumblefoot. The first thing to do is to keep everything scrupulously clean and dry, even if it means you are spot cleaning a few times a day. Sometimes pigs will have a spot where they normally pee and will sit there for a prolonged time, which can lead to this kind of irritation. What my vet recommended for sore feet was either silver sulfadiazine (which I had to get by prescription at the vet) or betadine, which is an over-the-counter disinfectant (it's often used in surgery for people- it's what colors your skin orange when doctors prep you for surgery.) I've honestly had more luck with the betadine, which you can get as either a soak or an ointment. My pigs have never been too agreeable to the soaking, so I prefer the cream, which I put on a couple of times a day on the sore area and wipe off the excess. Hope this helps a bit!

 

[lauren_johnson]

Hi @Freela

That's very helpful, thank you so much. I was ideally looking for a cream/ointment so will give that a go.

I'm currently changing fleeces and pads and any soiled hay daily but will up it just to be sure! I think she does pee in one place too!

Thanks for the advice

 

[Piggies&buns]

I hope you can get it dealt with but you do need to stay in contact with the vet and keep trying to find something to help. Bumblefoot isn’t always easy to deal with as I say, it depends on what bacteria are present.
Definitely clean more than once a day

Syringe feeding can be a difficult time but is essential that it is done if there is any change in the appetite and weight loss due to reduced hay intake.

 

[Free Ranger]

My long-haired one got urine scald in part because I switched bedding to trial a new one and in part because her bum hair needed trimming. So I switched bedding back, trimmed her bum and bathed a little before applying Sudocreme lightly to the red patches. This is what my vet had recommended on previous occasions (when the scald was triggered by urinary infection - urine dripped all the time). This was effective within 5 days: other forum members have warned that creaming should not be used long-term as the skin can go thinner.

I don't think the vet will automatically give oral antibiotics for this - more likely to opt for some sort of antibiotic or antiseptic cream. If that 2nd pic shows the skin starting to break I'd personally take her in for a check and some advice before things get any worse. Urine scald itself doesn't require prolonged soaking - just a rinse of the affected area to slosh away any pee. The salty soak is for open wounds on the feet to try and combat infection. Was the Baytril initially given for UTI or something else?