My new guinea pigs have red, puffy feet. Is it serious? How to help?

Hello. Thank you for using PetCoach! The first thing I see is that Ella needs her nails trimmed desperately. If you don't know how to do it yourself you will need to get her to a vet so they can do it for you and teach you how. You can also find YouTube videos on how to do this. The second thing is that her foot is very red/irritated and it looks like she has fecal material stuck to it. I suspect she has a skin infection. This should not happen unless she is sitting in a dirty cage, has incorrect bedding and/or a cage with a wire bottom. I suggest you review your husbandry carefully to make sure you are doing everything correctly. The best bedding is Care Fresh. https://www.walmart.com/search/?query=care%20fresh%20pet%20bedding&typeahead=care%20fresh While you are waiting to take her to a vet, I suggest you soak her feet in a dilute betadine solution for 5 minutes twice a day. After soaking, dry the feet very well before putting her back into a clean cage. https://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-First-Aid-Antiseptic-Topical-Solution-8-Oz/10324543 Hope this helps. Best wishes.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Percy. A swollen foot in a guinea pig can be due to a condition known as bumble foot. This is a potentially serious condition that is an infection in the foot. The infection can unfortunately spread to the bone. I would continue to give the medications prescribed by your veterinarian. It should be fine to cleanse the paw with warm water as well. Make sure he is not being housed on wire flooring as this can contribute to the condition. I hope this information helps!

Check her foot for swelling or redness. She may have an infection (bumblefoot) which would account for the symptoms you are seeing. It happens when guinea pigs are kept on a wire bottom cage. Dirty bedding can also complicate it, especially if she develops a small wound on her foot. You don't necessarily need a vet that specializes in pocket pets. A local vet should be able to diagnose and dispense antibiotics. If this is not possible, try foot soaks in a dilute chlorhexidine or Betadine solution. You don't need much, just enough for her to stand. Soak daily, dry thoroughly and keep her on paper towels until she heals. Change bedding daily or more often if necessary.

It could be the start of bumble foot. Be sure that his cage is softly bedded and he is not standing on hard surfaces. I just recommend you try this Vetericyn Spray Gel on the affected are a couple times per day until healed. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/vetericyn-plus-antimicrobial-wound-and-skin-hydrogel-for-pets

Hi. First, thanks for taking such good care of Ralph! It sounds like you’re doing a great job trying to fix a problem you were handed. The soaking and topical dressing sounds good and should help. However, the hanging scab of tissue there is likely to get caught on things again or trap debris in the wound. It needs to be removed. It would be best to remove it with some local anesthetic for pain reliever and also in a controlled environment where it can be cleaned and bleeding can be well controlled. Also, pododermatitis (infection and inflammation of the feet) can extend into the bones and can be hard to control without interventions like surgery and medications like antibiotics and pain medication. Therefore, a trip to the veterinarian is really the best thing for Ralph at this stage. Check AEMV.org to find an exotic mammal vet near you. Good luck!

It could be anything from local infection or inflammation to a benign or malignant mass. Monitor it for rapid change or growth. If necessary have Snowflake examined by your veterinarian. A fine needle aspirate can be done in the clinic to collect samples for pathology. This may provide a definitive diagnosis after which the appropriate treatment can be administered.

Hi and thank you for the pics, While it is not possible to make a diagnosis based on pictures alone, they do show an inflamed area with lots of hemorrhages. What I'm missing is some background info such as her age, is she alone or with other GPs, where are the lesions on her body (difficult to tell from the pics) and are there several lesions or just one. An accurate diagnosis would require a good history, a physical examination and likely some lab tests such as skin scrapings and cultures. This can only be done in a vet clinic.