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Spur or bumblefoot?

Blue133557

Blue133557

New Born Pup
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Hi,

I’ve noticed a hard scab type mass on my guinea pigs foot when trimming his nails. I’m going to call our vet tomorrow to try to get him seen straight away but just looking for some opinions to see whether this looks likely to be spurs bumblefoot?

I’ve attached a few pictures which were the best i could get unfortunately.

Thank you in advance.
 

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It seems very hard like a scab - i’m panicking slightly thinking it may be bumblefoot but sure that forms in a different part of the foot? I tried pulling it a little in the hope it would come off but worried i’ll hurt him or damage his foot.
 
Thank you. That’s a relief. I’ve managed to get an appt with our vet this evening to get him checked over too. I’ll sleep easy tonight if it’s no harm.
 
It doesn't look like bumblefoot, as the pads of his feet aren't irritated or red. Hopefully the vet can clear up that it's just a spur and nothing to worry about.
 
Blue133557 said:
Just back from the vet & all ok … it was a spur which she trimmed down. Thank you for your advice … definitely calmed my nerves until he was seen 🙂
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So glad all went well. You'll know for next time. They really make us worry don't they. I have 8 pigs and at least 3 of them have foot spurs. My one pig, Jupiter, has one on each front foot.
 
It's weird that some pigs get spurs and others don't... about fifty percent of mine have had spurs. I'm trying to figure out if there's any factor influencing and I can't figure it out. So far all the pigs who have had foot spurs have had pink feet instead of brown or black feet... but then again, I've had more pigs with pink feet in the sample. And I've also had one pig with pink feet who lived to be almost seven and never had spurs. Who knows?
 
Engel said:
So glad all went well. You'll know for next time. They really make us worry don't they. I have 8 pigs and at least 3 of them have foot spurs. My one pig, Jupiter, has one on each front foot.
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They definitely know how to make us worry. It was on my little boy who had bladder stones last year so i’m even more protective over him as he’s survived surgery twice. Our other has never had one ailment but he seems to have a bad run with everything bless him so the slightest thing and i panic now.

Do you trim them yourself or leave them?
 
Freela said:
It's weird that some pigs get spurs and others don't... about fifty percent of mine have had spurs. I'm trying to figure out if there's any factor influencing and I can't figure it out. So far all the pigs who have had foot spurs have had pink feet instead of brown or black feet... but then again, I've had more pigs with pink feet in the sample. And I've also had one pig with pink feet who lived to be almost seven and never had spurs. Who knows?
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It really is strange. Our other pig has black feet and his are absolutely fine.

Wow seven is a great age!

Just so glad it’s not bumblefoot as guilt set in thinking what have i done. I clean them religiously daily and feel they have enough space but luckily it’s not
 
Blue133557 said:
They definitely know how to make us worry. It was on my little boy who had bladder stones last year so i’m even more protective over him as he’s survived surgery twice. Our other has never had one ailment but he seems to have a bad run with everything bless him so the slightest thing and i panic now.

Do you trim them yourself or leave them?
Click to expand...
I only trim them when they are long and start catching on things.
 
Blue133557 said:
It really is strange. Our other pig has black feet and his are absolutely fine.

Wow seven is a great age!

Just so glad it’s not bumblefoot as guilt set in thinking what have i done. I clean them religiously daily and feel they have enough space but luckily it’s not
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It's unfair that bumblefoot is so associated with poor care that owners feel shame about it. Yes, living in a wire cage or in a cage that is never cleaned will give pigs bumblefoot, but there are also pigs who develop bumblefoot even in good conditions- albeit probably a lot fewer. One of my prior pigs had bumblefoot in her front feet... she was cleaned out religiously and had a lot of space, but she was elderly, chunky, probably had some circulatory issues related to age, and tended to just sit around all the time. We treated it and it never got severe, but I felt terrible about it, probably undeservedly so because I know she wasn't living in poor conditions. She just liked to sit in her pigloo, pee and poop while she was in there, and then stand on it all day! We should probably start thinking of bumblefoot as a medical condition with a variety of contributing factors and not mainly a 'no one cleans this guinea pig's cage' issue because it would save owners a lot of guilt and shame if their pig happens to contract it in spite of all their efforts!
 
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