Feet Dry and cracked back feet skin

[hyankov]

Hello,

Long time lurker, first time poster.

One of my two piggies has dry and what seems very deeply cracked skin of the back feet. It literally looks like deep cuts into the skin. Doesn't look red and inflamed though. There's a yellow hue to it and it's not dried poop or anything.

The cage is huge and I use pine shavings for bedding. Half of the cage is also covered with a fleece.

The pig eats just fine, but lately sleeps a lot.



I am taking her to the vet on Monday but wanted to see what other people make of it.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bpatters]

Those crusty areas may or may not be the beginnings of spurs. If they are spurs, they'll continue to grow and you can clip them with clippers, the way you'd clip toenails.

Or they may be dry skin. I'd rub cold pressed virgin coconut oil into those areas twice a day for a while, and see if things improve. The oil has both antibacterial and antifungal properties, and will also make the skin more supple. If it were me, I'd hold off on a vet visit until I had a chance to assess how well the coconut oil works.

Another possibility is pododermatitis, but it usually starts with red and swollen feet, and this doesn't really look like that.

You could check out https://www.guinealynx.info/feet.html.

But pine shavings aren't a great bedding. Even if it's kiln dried, some of the oils remain, and they may be contributing to the foot problems. You could switch to almost anything else and it would be better -- aspen, wood pellets (that don't smell of pine), fleece, or paper.

 

[hyankov]

Here's an update and some questions.

Shortly after I noticed her feet, she started not always coming out to eat, which was unusual. I also noticed crusts in the corners of her mouth. I rushed her to the vet ER and they gave us antibiotics, anti-inflammatory and solution to clean her feet and mouth.



After the first 2-3 days she got better. And then she got really bad. She had diarrhea, bloating, gas and completely stopped moving and eating. I took her to the vet again and we agreed I should stop giving her antibiotics. Instead they gave me probiotic (which they should have probably done the first time!) and Critical Care. That second vet also said he felt something on the right side of her abdomen and took an x-ray. Later he called me and said what he felt was probably displaced organs due to bloating.

I force-fed her for a few days, during which time she seemed barely alive.





The probiotic and fibers finally kicked in and she she got better all of a sudden. With the antiseptic her feet got really pink and soft again and the crusts in the corners of her mouth disappeared.



She barely made it, but after an excruciating week for all of us, she finally seemed normal again - eating and moving and interacting with us. I also changed the bedding to GuineaDad and got rid of the shavings. They seem much more comfortable now.

And now I am getting worried again, because after the initial happiness of her recovery passed, I now notice changes in her behavior. She's eating and all, but she seems to have less control over her bowel movements. She goes (broken link removed) and (broken link removed) , while being in my wife's lap, something she's never done before. She poops A LOT more than usual, like making a small pile at a time, although the shape and solidity seems fine. Poop on the outside seems wet and color is very dark. And sorry about the graphic detail, but the corners of her poop seem to have something like a poopy string on each side. Like so:


Also, I might be imagining, but she seems a little bloated on her right side. I wonder if she developed intolerance to some of the veggies that I've been giving her throughout her whole life (4 years).

I use her sister for reference, and she's showing none of those things. I might need to take her again to the vet, but it's an ER and I don't think they'd consider this an emergency. Does anyone have experience with anything remotely similar?

 

[ItsaZoo]

I would start by cutting out the veggies, since they can contribute to bloat and loose poops. She will need to be eating hay so she gets enough fiber to help get her digestion back on track. I would also add a probiotic again.

Antibiotics can mess with digestion and sometimes it takes a while to get back to normal. But if there is anything else going on, like not eating, lethargy, sitting in a corner puffed up, etc., I'd check with a vet.

 

[hyankov]

I think what's happening is this:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/veterinary-science-and-veterinary-medicine/fecal-impaction

What's described here is consistent with her behavior. I can't give her any more fiber than she's willing to accept through hay. I guess if I dial down a little on the veggies, she'd eat more hay.