My guinea pig's toe is open after nail trim. Does he need a vet?

Question

Just adopted a Guinea pig, was told he had a "bad toe" , nails were never trimmed. I trimmed all the nails with no problem, but after that he bumped that bad area and it opened up . This happened last night and so far I am soaking in hibiclens and Epsom salt twice a day and covering with non adherent drsg, Triple atb ointment and Coban wrap. What else can I do? Or do I need to take him to vet? I'm trying to avoid a vet bill. He has a solid vinyl bottom cage with fleece bedding. Pet's info: Small Animal | Unknown - Small Animal | Male

Emi Knafo, DVM, DACZM · Accepted Answer

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!

My guinea pig's toe is open after nail trim. Does he need a vet?

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