Lump (not a bumblefoot, not an abscess)

Pompom

Post   » Thu Jun 14, 2018 3:39 am


Hi, I am new to this forum. I wanted to ask if anyone has a simillar experience.

I have a male piggy, 3 years old. He hasn't had any health issues whatsoever. He is a little chubby boy (but not overweight, I think).

Last week I cleaned his already messy cage (I wanted to clean it earlier, but I was very busy and stressed) and trimmed his nails. He is black and so are his nails, so I have to be careful, because they curl a bit when left untreated for longer time, so for couple of times I experienced some bleeding.

Trimming is always stressful, as he trows a tantrum, as I lay him on his back and trim his nails, he sometimes jumps, rotates and leaves his paw in my hand while jumping of me (I am sure any pig owner know what I am talking about). So I'm always worried he might have gotten hurt. Anyway, this time he did it with his hind leg, so I checked he's okay and continued trimming. After I trimmed all his nails, he stood on the ground, lifting his other paw (not the one he left in my hand while rotating, the one that went really okay). I thought I might have cut him, but I didn't see anything so I thought he is just being drama queen.

Next morning he didn't squeek. It worried me sick, because I knew immediatelly something is really wrong. I put him on the ground and he hobbled, he didn't step on the paw he was lifting last night. I touched the paw and there was nothing wrong. He didn't squeek when I touched it, nothing. So I took him to a doctor that afternoon. She was not a real guinea pig specialist, but she was near and the weather was terribly hot, so I took him there. She said she didn't see anything wrong and gave him a shot of antibiotics.

Day after that his paw got swollen in the part of, let's say, where a heel would be. I called a specialist that time and she told me to wait a bit (because she was in the office two days later) and I thought it might be bumblefoot, caused by the not so clean cage and maybe a cut from hay (he likes a type of hay which is a little bit pointy, but he doesn't eat any other kind that much). So I made him an epsom salt and betadine bath two times a day. No improvement.

We went to the specialist and she said it's probably abscess caused by some bacteria. She gave him antibiotics for 6 days and I bought him tons of probiotics. Everything went well, he ate well, he did not get diarrhea, except the lump didn't got nor worse nor better. It seemed better for a day, and he stepped on the paw, but then it got the same as it was.

After six days we went to a check up at the doctor and she said it's a mystery. She pierced the lump a bit to see if there would be some puss, but just blood came out. She said it's not abscess (because it would get better or worse) and that it's not bumblefoot. She said if he is not in pain, eating normally and everything, I should just watch it so it doesn't get worse.

Anyone experienced anything simillar? It seemed weird to me the whole time he got it just right after the trimming. I thought it might be some muscle pulled and swollen, is that possible? Thank you for every advice and sorry for the long post.

TL;DR: My pig has a lump on his foot after trimming his nail. It is nor an abscess nor bumblefoot. Just filled with blood.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Jun 14, 2018 9:49 am


I put a space between your paragraphs to improve readability. Please put spaces between your paragraphs in the future.

It does seem unusual. I wondered if it was a sprain the caused swelling. If just filled with blood, perhaps the twist injured a blood vessel? Do you have a crisp clear picture of the lump on his foot? If so, you can email it to me:
Image

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Thu Jun 14, 2018 10:00 am


Sounds like an injury to me, but you need a better vet. Pigs don't react well in general to antibiotics, and they should be reserved for when the pig has defined infection, not for when the vet just doesn't know what's wrong with them.

Pompom

Post   » Thu Jun 14, 2018 2:52 pm


Thank you for the replies and sorry about the spaces.

Yes I know, I was unhappy she give him antibiotics, but she said it's 100% an abscess and after two days it seemed to get better, so I was hoping it worked. I got him a lot of probiotics.

I sent an email with a picture of the lump. Thank you so very much.

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Thu Jun 14, 2018 9:57 pm


This is on one foot? It looks a lot like pododermatitis to me.
pododermatitis.html






Pompom

Post   » Fri Jun 15, 2018 1:05 am


Yes, only one foot. That's what I thought originally but she said it's not bumblefoot because it's too high... I don't know :( I'm thinking about that sprain... It seems possible considering he didn't feel well with the foot right after the nail clipping...

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Lynx
Celebrate!!!

Post   » Fri Jun 15, 2018 9:25 am


She does have a point concerning the location. But I still suspect pododermatitis.

Pompom

Post   » Sat Jun 16, 2018 12:07 am


Anyway, whar can I do? Just check it daily? How can I help him when ATB didn't improve it! :(

Pompom

Post   » Mon Aug 06, 2018 12:11 pm


Dear guys,

I'm gonna try asking one more time before losing my mind.

After the first post, I've waited for like a week and he didn't improved. I thought it might be some kind of joint sprain, so I let him relax. Then I noticed his hind leg is swollen too. That's when I called the doctor and they told me to call another one, that she's the biggest specialist. I went to her, she made an X ray and told me there is nothing to be seen, just an inflammation and a tiny arthritis in the rear leg. She told me to give him ATB for a week and come back for a check up. No improvement, or at least to me there was none. She said it was reacting and gave him ATB for two more weeks and told me there will be an improvement but that the rear leg will never be the same. It seemed like it was improving a bit although his eyes were crusty and he was dirty cause he lied in his pee and stuff. But then the hot weather begun and everything went worse. His third leg got swollen. He lost some weight, he doesn't eat that much, he cannot poop normally, there are bits of it stuck "inside" him. I put him in water everyday so he swims a bit while I hold him. He is lethargic. Does anyone has the same experience? On Wednesday I'm going to the vet to see if there is anything else I can do or if I should end his pain... :'(

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Aug 06, 2018 12:43 pm


What is ATB?

He could be lethargic from the hot weather. Guinea pigs can die of heat stroke at anything above 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees celsius). Put ice packs in his cage and keep him as cool as possible.

Don't let him lie in his own waste. He can develop skin and urinary tract infections from that, and they'll only make things worse.

I'm not sure what we can do from here. It sounds like he has some systemic problem that your vets don't know how to address.

Do keep us posted on what happens.

Pompom

Post   » Mon Aug 06, 2018 1:52 pm


Sorry, ATB means antibiotics.

I try to, but I work and cannot be at home the whole time. After a couple of hours, he lies in his own feces.
He have never been very tidy. I give him ice packs everyday, but if they move a bit or he rolls them away, he never goes back as he doesn't walk anymore.

I just wanted to know if someone experienced a simmilar thing...

bpatters
And got the T-shirt

Post   » Mon Aug 06, 2018 1:58 pm


I don't remember anyone having anything exactly like that, but it sounds like he's very ill. I'm so sorry you're faced with this.

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