Sore and red front foot

[LinzWolf]

Mischki's front feet are dry. Also, her left front foot is red, sort of chafed looking on the top, and she holds it up most of the time. I'm going to buy bag balm today, but is it okay to use on her front feet, or should I use something else? Also, what should I do about the chafing, just use bag balm?

I posted the pictures in another thread: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21070&page=3

Her left front foot is red in two patches on the top. All I can guess is that her foot is itching or hurting from being dry and she started biting it. The two patches are missing fur and red. They look like they're chafed or scraped. There is no blood, and she's not losing fur or having issues otherwise. I have Bag Balm and antibiotic cream, but which should I use on that foot? Please help! :wacko:

 

[Claire D]

Can you post a photo of the problem please? That will help us give you more specific advice.

 

[LinzWolf]

Update and Pictures

I did post pictures, but it won't let me re-post them in a different thread. If you click on the link in my first post on this thread and scroll to the bottom of that page, there are three pictures of her foot.

Update: Last night her foot was really warm to the touch compared to her other feet, and I put antibiotic cream on it. While I did that, I checked her feet, and they don't look dry enough to put bag balm on them, so I'm not sure if that is the problem.

This morning I cleaned her cage and put fleece liners in, instead of the shavings I normally use. While I was doing that, Mischki was running in her wheel. She ran on all paws, but when she stopped, she would hold her paw up again. Also, I noticed that the sore spots looked a little wet, like when you first get a scrape and raw skin is exposed and not dry yet, so I think she's still biting her foot.

Her foot isn't warm anymore, and she's very active, but when she sits still she holds her foot up, and it sometimes twitches and flexes.

 

[LinzWolf]

Bottom of her foot

Quick update: I checked the bottom of her foot, and I can't find any redness, tenderness, bumps or anything else weird. It seems to be only affecting the top of her foot.

Here are a couple more pictures I took a little bit ago. Sorry, they're a little blurry because she doesn't like posing for pictures.

 

[momenteller]

May be a fungus then, since its only affecting the top? I would take her to the vet.

 

[LinzWolf]

The closest vet is an hour away, so the earliest I'll be able to take her in is Saturday, as long as there's an opening.
Thanks momenteller, I appreciate the advice.

 

[momenteller]

Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[LinzWolf]

Another update, and question:

I talked to the vet tonight, and scheduled an appointment for Saturday morning. However, Mischki isn't eating or drinking very much. The vet helped me try to find Critical Care in my area, but nobody sells it.
The closest thing I found is "Repta-Aid" by Fluker's. It's an herbivore mix, but when I tried to give it to Mischki, she took one sniff and ran away. Every time I put it up to her nose, she'd run away.

I tried just mushing up some of her pellets with warm water, but she won't eat it, and it doesn't fit in a syringe. She'll eat a few pellets if I handfeed her (maybe five or six pellets), and same thing with water. If I dip my finger in water and hold it out to her, she'll lick the water off my finger.

I need advice: Should I skip classes tomorrow and take her in, because she's not eating or really drinking, or just wait til Saturday? :wacko:

 

[lolanu]

If she's not eating or drinking something is wrong, I wouldn't wait.

 

[LinzWolf]

Headed to the Vet

Yeah, I decided last night that I'm not going to wait. I made an appointment for 12 noon today Central time. There's a snow storm coming, so driving will suck, but Mischki is worth it. Wish me luck and prayers are appreciated.

 

[LinzWolf]

Results

Just got back from the vet and got Mischki settled. Turns out that she has a sprained wrist (possibly dislocated and relocated). The vet thought that she was in pain, and was biting her foot because of it, and might have gotten an infection as a result. So, I was sent home with an order for bed rest (no jumping, etc.). He also gave me (for a price, of course) antibiotics and pain medication, as well as critical care. She ate some critical care right before she left the vet, and once she got home she started eating some pellets.

Expensive little bugger but I love her to death. :hug4: