guinea pig developing mild pododermatitis (bumblefoot)?

[guineapigsorority]

i suspect my guinea pig is beginning to develop bumblefoot. she has mildly irritated red spots on the bottoms of her feet, which are pink. it's nothing bad right now - it's so little i barely caught it - but what should i do now? how do i treat this? i want to get rid of it before it gets any worse and i have to take her to the vet. i looked around on the web and people have varying opinions on the best way to treat it before it needs vet care varying from epsom salts to vitamin c supplements. has anyone else dealt with this? what am i supposed to do now? thanks so much!

 

[Siikibam]

I would get piggy seen by the veg to confirm what it is.

 

[Wiebke]

i suspect my guinea pig is beginning to develop bumblefoot. she has mildly irritated red spots on the bottoms of her feet, which are pink. it's nothing bad right now - it's so little i barely caught it - but what should i do now? how do i treat this? i want to get rid of it before it gets any worse and i have to take her to the vet. i looked around on the web and people have varying opinions on the best way to treat it before it needs vet care varying from epsom salts to vitamin c supplements. has anyone else dealt with this? what am i supposed to do now? thanks so much!

Hi!

Please do not self diagnose and do not home treat on spec. Pododermatitis (bumblefoot) in well kept guinea pigs whose cage is regularly cleaned, daily poo patrolled and doesn't have a wire bottom is actually pretty rare; most affected are neglected, those that have lost mobility and older guinea pigs not moving around much and with less than optimal blood circulation.

There is not a one size fits all treatment because the problem very much depends on what bug gets through a tiny crack in the skin to cause a localised infection. It is most common on the weight bearing front pads because that is where the greatest pressure is. In bumblefoot, the spot should feel much hotter to the touch than the surrounding skin. You don't usually get lots of infection spots at once - that takes long term neglect or a wire bottom cage without bedding.

Don't be tempted to soften your piggy's feet with lots of creaming because that makes them more vulnerable to skin lesions than hard skin. The same goes for over-bathing.

PS: We cannot diagnose sight unseen. If you please posted a picture, we may be able to tell you whether you are looking at skin markings or soreness. Any pictures are best uploaded via the Attach Files button on the bottom when you write a post. The clearer and well lit, the more of a chance we have to get out of guessing country.