Feet: My Fitzroy Doesn't Sit Right

[MissFormosa]

Ugh...Fitzroy!! Fitzroy!! Fitzroy!! Our little runt!

He doesn't sit right. None of the other pigs do this. He sits on the back of his heels so his toes are in the air. About 90% of the time. I've been clipping his nails regularly, so I don't think that is part of it. He has no injury or apparent pain in his legs or feet.

He does have, however, little red spots on the pads where he sits on his heels. Ladies - imagine when you step out of a pair of heels you've been wearing all day and the ball of your foot is red. That's what it is like. He doesn't like the red spots pushed on, but if you just touch them, they don't bother him.

I don't want him to get any sort of sores or anything. I flipped all the other pigs over and checked their feet and no one else had these two little round red spots.

Can anyone help me with this? Or shed some light? I can't find any info on this, other than bumblefoot and spurs. I don't think it is either of these.

[GizzyandMe]

I have no idea what it is but by the way you are explaining it must look really funny to see him sitting that way!

[foggycreekcavy]

Are they his back feet or fronts? Or all of them?

I'm not familiar with Fitzroy--is he a heavy pig? Very active?

[wigglesgiggles1]

MissFormosa, can you post a picture, I am picturing it and it sounds really cute and funny. I am not sure what it could be.

[JD In Van]

One of my pigs had red feet all the time but they weren't sensitive to the touch. He was sleeping on his hay/bedding all the time though. I've put a HUGE towel tent over a quarter of the cage, now he sleeps out in the open on the fleece under it more and that seems to have improved it.

[MissFormosa]

I don't have a picture of Fitzy sitting like that! Wow! I usually get him from the front though. I'll take one tomorrow and post it, as well as what his feet look like.

This is what Fitzroy looks like. He is a tiny little runt-like Teddy.



(That's pepper juice, not blood, by the way)

He weighs 1lb, 3oz and he is probably about 4 or 5 months old. He was on Baytril when he was a baby and I think it stunted his growth a little or something.

[GizzyandMe]

Oh my gosh he is adorable. But on the sitting, the Staffie we have at work always sits very weird - not very dog like at all - and she has no hair growing on the spot above her tail due to her always sitting on that spot. We always tickle her on her bald spot but on a very hot day it will be sensitive. So I am not sure if it is the same - just a part of their bodies not accustomed to the way the animal decides to use it. Sifa the Staffies is nearly 16 years old and has been doing it all her life - though it has caused a bald spot she does not seem bothered by it.

[heartpiggies]

Maybe he has an anatomical deformity and it's more comfortable to sit that way? (Even if it makes his feet sore). Calluses will probably form over time, making the area less sensitive to the extra wear.

[piggiecrazy]

Don't have any advice on the feet issue, but he sure is one cute piggy!
Hope you can figure out the problem.

[Jojojo]

Elliot sits in exactly the way you describe. He was on Baytril as a baby too, though I don't know if that has anything to do with it.

[pigsmakemesmile]

It sounds a little to me like he may have a sensitivety to something in his environment. the redspots on his pads sound like irritation and him not sitting right can be a sign of discomfort. What type of bedding do you use? if it's fleece, what detergents are you using? if shavings, what type? Is there anything that could be a little rough in his environment that he could be more sensitive to than to the others? do you find him in one area of the pen more often? If he tends to sit a lot in one spot, his urine can be the culprit if he's sitting in it as urine contains ammnia. If it's shavings, if there's any traces of oils in it, this would be something to look into maybe even switching brands. If it's fleece, fleece remains wet longer in comparison to shavings, and if he's spends a bit of time on fleece, this could be the problem. Hay, I know some of my pigs love to sit and sleep on it, but some hays are rough, if he's trampling through it, could be an issue especially if he has sensitive pads to begin with.

I hope you can find what the problem is...good luck!

By the way, he is one cutey of a pig!

[MissFormosa]

Originally Posted by pigsmakemesmile

It sounds a little to me like he may have a sensitivety to something in his environment. the redspots on his pads sound like irritation and him not sitting right can be a sign of discomfort. What type of bedding do you use? if it's fleece, what detergents are you using? if shavings, what type? Is there anything that could be a little rough in his environment that he could be more sensitive to than to the others? do you find him in one area of the pen more often? If he tends to sit a lot in one spot, his urine can be the culprit if he's sitting in it as urine contains ammnia. If it's shavings, if there's any traces of oils in it, this would be something to look into maybe even switching brands. If it's fleece, fleece remains wet longer in comparison to shavings, and if he's spends a bit of time on fleece, this could be the problem. Hay, I know some of my pigs love to sit and sleep on it, but some hays are rough, if he's trampling through it, could be an issue especially if he has sensitive pads to begin with.

I hope you can find what the problem is...good luck!

By the way, he is one cutey of a pig!

Thanks!

We use fleece and the detergent that is clear of all fragrances and additives.

He tends to hang out in one spot, but not exclusively. He doesn't even sleep like this. He actually sleeps with his legs stretched out behind him. But when he is just sitting there, chilling, he sits on his heels.

I'll post a picture later this evening.

[MissFormosa]

Okay - I attempted to take pics, but they came out a little yellow and blurry. Our camera isn't the best.

This is how Fitzroy holds his feet while he is sitting:

[MissFormosa]

He sits like that on both feet, not just that side.
Here are the bottoms of his feet where he gets the red spots. I apologize for the quality.

[vicky2]

Lucky sits like this sometime too. I'm not sure why though.
She doesn't have sore spots like that though.

[MissFormosa]

Lastly, here are his toenails to show we do clip them. They are pretty close to the quik. We are hoping the quik will recede more.

I would think that long nails would be the first cause of sore spots on the heels, but he actually sits with the toes, nails and all, off the ground.

[MissFormosa]

Originally Posted by vicky2

Lucky sits like this sometime too. I'm not sure why though.
She doesn't have sore spots like that though.

Yes, he sits like this all of the time, except when sleeping. I don't think he would continue to sit like this if it hurt him. But those spots sure look red! I hope I can figure this out!

[Beahbeah]

My pigs both tend do sit like that too, with the weight from their back end on their heels rather than on their toes. Their nails are pretty short too, probably a bit shorter than Fitzroy's. Neither of them seem to have red spots on their feet though, nor do they have sensitive feet. Unfortunately I don't have a clue why they would do it either, but I'm hoping someone here knows!

[wigglesgiggles1]

It may just be a habit. It is probably red because they are supposed to sit on their feet and his feet are probably tougher than his heels. That is just my guess

[Toadies]

One of my boys sits like that as well. He injured his knees when he was young and, with his calcium issues, has developed arthritis in his knees. I think that his knees just don't bend enough to fold his legs up under him.