Piggie with a swollen paw..

[soaccidentprone]

He is 5, and when I checked on him on Sunday I noticed his paw was bleeding. He had a sore on it. I bathed him with medicated shampoo and he is now in a clean dry box in the house, to make sure his paw is kept clean and dry. The sore has now scabbed over, but his paw is still swollen.

He is still a happy old boy and isn't in any pain. Any ideas as to how to treat his paw?

Hi soaccidentprone

Do you think he injured his paw or maybe he'd been pulling at his paw with his teeth? (The hay at the moment seems really brittle and dry, I've noticed some sharp twigs and thistles in it . I'm trying to check eat handful when I throw it into their bed, but I know I'll miss something)

If it's a scratch and it's dry, then just keep a check on it. You could give it a wash with warm salty water and gauze.
If it gets hot,weepy or painful (he'll let you know if you touch it ) then see your vet.

But it sounds like it's healing by itself. And your Guinea-Pig will probably wash the paw himself (with his guinea-pig pooh spit) - nice.

5 yo- bless him

It might be bumble foot. My 2nd ever boar had it (secondary to a rheumatic condition it seems.) It's so difficult for a foot to heal because they're on it most of the time.

Here's some info from Guinea Lynx that might be useful. Good luck and hugs to you both. www.guinealynx.info/pododermatitis.html

YY to don't rule out bumblefoot but I've looked on some of the websites and it seems to be a slower progression than a wound through trauma (though it appears trauma can be the causitive factor) as can unsanitary conditions, being on wire mesh based cages, long nails curling in.

If it doesn't settle ,then take piggie to the vet

(My first boar -when i was a child- had a swollen foot when he stood on a pin. My mum used to sew all my clothes, how embarressed was I and if she dropped a needle or pin she never bothered to pick it up, she just got a new one. Of course we stood on the blardy things all the time. It was only when the GP got spiked that she realised, Ooh that's a bit dodgy.

He was fine after some TLC and salt water wash.

You're probably right. Piggies do heal really quickly. Fingers crossed!

Any update on the Pig's paw?

Hopefully he's back to 100% fitness