[Gpdd] [HEALTH] Bumblefoot and Spicey

[Ann Evans]

Dear Joane, Spice and the GPDD Family,

There are about as many causes as cures for Bummblefoot. In most cases 
of bumblefoot the cause is most likely due to lack of mobility due to 
age, weight, arthritis, diabetes or poor circulation due to a weak 
heart. However systemic fungal infections can also cause bumblefoot. I 
know of three procedures that are known to cure bumblefoot.

Since I am a long term student of Vedra Stanley-Spatcher of the 
Cambridge Cavy Trust and this is what she prescribes for bumblefoot.
·	Place patient on Vet bed. I do not know if you can buy it here in the 
USA but you can order it from EBAY.  I buy Vet bedding from the EBAY 
store The Bedding Box in the UK the seller is dog-beds her name is Ros. 
She will sell you any size and ship to the USA very quickly. You want to 
get the real bedding with the green backing. This bedding allows the 
urine to pass through so the surface stays dry. There are many knock 
offs. Here is a link to her review on vet beds. 
http://search.reviews.ebay.co.uk/members/dog-beds
·	 I keep all my piggys on Vet Bed. You can also use clean towels that 
you change daily.
·	Rimadyl which is an NSAID initially at the dose of 10 mg twice a day 
for 5 days, followed by long term treatment at 5 mg twice daily. This 
will reduce inflammation and pain.
·	Treatment with Itraconazole oral solution also known as Sporonox if it 
is determined that infection is the result of systemic mycosis. This is 
a 10 mg/ml solution of intraconazole and is an anti-fungal drug. The 
dose is 0.3 ml twice daily for a minimum of 10 days.
·	Hydrogen Peroxide. Clean any sores on the feet with hydrogen peroxide 
just once. It is very important to not bandage the sores. Fill the sores 
and cover the foot with baby diaper rash cream every day until the foot 
heals.
·	I have also found that the UK company Gorgeous Guineas has a product 
called Happy Soles, which is very effective in treating bumble foot. 
Their product contains natural antibiotic and antifungal ingredients. I 
have used it successfully in treating fungal infections of the ears and 
skin. Here is a description of their product and pictures of a real 
piggy patient cured of bumblefoot with Happy Soles 
http://www.gorgeousguineas.com/documents/Bumblefoot.pdf
·	It is very easy to order from Gorgeous Guineas and they ship very quickly.
My recommendation is to always have some Happy Soles on hand. You can 
keep it in the refrigerator. If one of your piggys gets bumblefoot start 
with the Happy Soles immediately. This may stop the foot from developing 
an open sore. Also have your vet prescribe the Rimadyl. This will help 
with the pain and inflammation. If the foot develops an open sore then 
you will want to continue with the Happy Soles but try to determine the 
cause. Is the sore due to a bacterial or fungal or both infections? Is 
the sore due to diabetes or congestive heart failure? I wish I had a 
simple answer for you. But there are so many causes of bumble foot that 
there is not one solution to the problem. You can always contact 
Gorgeous Guineas. They have done a lot of research in this area.

There is also a product called Soother Plus Topical cream that you can 
buy from Harrison’s Pet products in the USA. If you scroll down this 
link to the rabbit pododermatitis pictures it shows some amazing 
results. http://www.exoticdvm.com/mammal


Cheers,

Ann and the Rescued Piggys of Piggyville, Tampa Florida USA.