Feet Nails Falling Out?

I've never heard of that but I would take the pig to a vet asap.

Could be a fungal infection which might be contagious so I'd also suggest a vet visit asap, too.

I'd suspect fungus also. I'd get him to a good exotic vet -- I expect something that severe will require stronger medicine than you can get over the counter.

If the vet recommends soaking, and they probably will, a bottle cap makes a good pig foot bath. Just be sure to rinse his feet and undercarriage well wherever the soaking liquid has touched.

Thank you guys, sorry for getting back late. I will alert my friend, I've been trying to teach her the ins and outs of being a guinea pig owner so hopefully I can convince her to take him to the vet. I've also been worried about another one of the pigs, he's sneezes a ton and I think he might be developing a URI. He's very small too.

NinjaAlena said:

Thank you guys, sorry for getting back late. I will alert my friend, I've been trying to teach her the ins and outs of being a guinea pig owner so hopefully I can convince her to take him to the vet. I've also been worried about another one of the pigs, he's sneezes a ton and I think he might be developing a URI. He's very small too.

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Does he have green/yellow mucus? Coughing? Lethargy? Lack of appetite? Crusty eyes?
Sometimes they just have allergies, or theres too much dust in the air. My pigs sneeze a bit too, and sometimes Pansy has fits, but my vet told me she doesnt think its a uri. It happens on and off, and there are no other symptoms of URI. But if youre worried, id let your friend know how you feel and get her to take the pig to the vet. Make sure she knows to keep a close eye on him, and watch for any changes in behavior.

HollyLeaf said:

Does he have green/yellow mucus? Coughing? Lethargy? Lack of appetite? Crusty eyes?
Sometimes they just have allergies, or theres too much dust in the air. My pigs sneeze a bit too, and sometimes Pansy has fits, but my vet told me she doesnt think its a uri. It happens on and off, and there are no other symptoms of URI. But if youre worried, id let your friend know how you feel and get her to take the pig to the vet. Make sure she knows to keep a close eye on him, and watch for any changes in behavior.

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I haven't noticed mucus, coughing, or crusty eyes. He's very small but I haven't noticed a lack of appetite, he definitely eats when he can (the other pigs bully him). All three of them are actually in my care right now because my friend is out of town, so I am able to keep a close eye on them myself. I have expressed my concerns to her. Wilbur (the pig) just constantly sneezes, and I've noticed that his mouth/nose area tends to be more wet than that of the other pigs. I hear him wheeze too. It's possible that it's allergies. But when he was in his original cage with towels he sneezed, and now in their temporary cage with Carefresh bedding he still sneezes. It's possible it could be the hay, it is very dusty. I could probably switch them to my hay, which is much better, I've already been mixing it in anyway. It does worry me though because my friend says he's done it since she got him, which has been several months now.

The pig sounds like he has a respiratory infection -- possibly bronchitis, possibly pneumonia. This pig needs to see a good exotic vet.

bpatters said:

The pig sounds like he has a respiratory infection -- possibly bronchitis, possibly pneumonia. This pig needs to see a good exotic vet.

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Ok, I will talk to my friend and try to get her to take all three pigs to the vet, just in case. She did say she got them from a pet store so I guess that's what you get from doing that. How long can a pig go with having bronchitis or pneumonia before it gets life threatening? Because it's been a while, and my friend doesn't get back until Tuesday.

Oh my. That kind of sounds like gangrene. I've heard of it affecting dogs and cats if there's an open wound, and it gets infected.

SpootyBooty said:

Oh my. That kind of sounds like gangrene. I've heard of it affecting dogs and cats if there's an open wound, and it gets infected.

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Oh geese that's scary. Doesn't gangrene spread though? So it would be up into his feet and legs by now if it was. It's probably fungal like the others said.

A quick update:
I've been watching the three pigs more and more now, and I think they all have some kind of skin infection as well... ugh. They all scratch a lot but I think the worst one is the piggy with the nail problem. He scratches about every 15 seconds or so, and he looks pretty uncomfortable. He has a kind of moist spot as well. Poor pig... Do you think the fungus from his nails could have spread to his skin when he scratches? It really sucks because I can't do anything about it, since they're not mine. I'm texting my friend today though.

It's more likely mites than fungus, but it could be either. Can you post a picture -- close-up of any skin lesions?

He doesn't really have any lesions, he just has some fur missing and he's a bit dandruffy. It's kind of hard to see here but his furs thinning some. But no, he doesn't have lesions.

Mites. See https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/111160-How-to-treat-for-mites.

Dang. Thank you though. Can you only treat it by yourself with Ivermectin or will the vet do it for you? And is it possible it could spread to me? Just curious.

You won't get mites from him. Actually, you've already got them. We all do, all the time. But the ones on him won't bother you.

You can take him to the vet. That costs more, but it's not terribly expensive. You could call the vet and ask.

Be sure to see an exotic vet, not a dog and cat vet.

bpatters said:

You won't get mites from him. Actually, you've already got them. We all do, all the time. But the ones on him won't bother you.

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Ooh that's some pretty sketchy stuff right there haha. I texted my friend today and finally after a couple of tries convinced her mom to take them in when they get home. Yes, I got an exotic vet, I've never been to them, but I'll update you from my friend what they say, just to make sure they know what they're doing. And Thanks again!

NinjaAlena said:

Oh geese that's scary. Doesn't gangrene spread though? So it would be up into his feet and legs by now if it was. It's probably fungal like the others said.

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I would agree, but I do wonder if gangrene could affect guinea pigs. I've just never heard of the nails turning black and falling off like that. The only time I've seen dead, really black tissue was when I was bandaging up a dog who was in a really bad fight.