Feet Irritation on paws

[SesshyBooBoo]

Hello all,

Having more issues with my oldest pig, Boo Boo. He's about 7 and since he's been sick with a bacterial gut infection (that still hasn't been resolved) it seems like he just keeps getting sick. Not sure if it's because of age but before his bacterial infection he was a very healthy piggy.

Two days ago I noticed his front paws were a little swollen and red on the padding. He also has a spur on one front paw but it's very small and doesn't seem to be bothering him. I took him to the vet last night for a routine nail clipping (over the past year his nails have been growing much faster than usual but I've heard thats because of old age). My vet said that he has minor irritation on all paws and minor swelling on his front paws. We keep both pigs on fleece flippers from Guinea Pig Market and we change them every 5 days. We always spot clean them every day as well. She prescribed him a topical cream called "Soother Plus" from Heal X. It says its a "nontoxic alternative to antibiotics for management of skin disorders in all animals." It says to gently massage the product into the affected area twice daily. My vet said not to worry if he licks some off since it does not contain any toxic ingredients. I put some on his paws this morning but haven't used any since. Should I continue using or try something else? Just want to make sure this is safe for him to use. She wants to see him back again in a week to see if the swelling and redness have gone down.

I also ordered a topical cream for paws from Gorgeous Guineas put it won't arrive for about another week since its from the UK. Has anyone had any positive experiences using their foot creams?

Ingredients: A patented monoglyceride suspended in aloe vera distillate and a patented quaternary ammonium solution.

 

[bpatters]

A seven year old pig isn't likely to move very much, and could easily have swollen paws from a heart condition. I've seen a number of older pigs with red and swollen paws, even outright bumblefoot.

I looked up Soother Plus, and it's out of stock at Amazon. The reviews said that it was announced as discontinued in 2014, so check the date on what you have -- it may be so far out of date that it shouldn't be used. If that's the case, cold pressed virgin coconut oil should help, and is certainly safe. If he's also having heart problem, then getting him moving will help with his circulation.

 

[SesshyBooBoo]

Okay I won't use it for the time being just to be safe and I'll call the vet in the morning, from what I can see the bottle has no expiration date. I heard coconut oil is toxic for guinea pigs to ingest on another guinea pig blog or is that false? The blog is Cali Cavy Collective. Should I also buy Epsom salts and soak his feet and if so what brand would you recommend and for how long should I soak them? Thanks!!!

 

[bpatters]

Coconut oil is safe, but you want the cold pressed stuff. Heating it causes changes which destroy some of the antibiotic and antifungal properties.

It doesn't matter about the brand of Epsom salts. It's magnesium sulfate, no matter what the brand is. You can use it if you like, just make absolutely certain that the pig doesn't drink it, get it in its eyes, or lick its paws while they're wet with it. Rinse the paws VERY well after using it, and dry them gently with a towel. There's information about it here: https://www.guinealynx.info/pododermatitis.html