nerve damage with guinea pig

Question
QUESTION: my piggie (age 5 month) ended up with a broken leg in 2 places. she had a soft cast on for 4 weeks. the foot is still a bit swollen. 2 days after the cast was off, she chewed the middle toenail down to the foot.

I bought some nasty tasting spray that is made out of natural ingredients. I sprayed her foot daily and she she seemed to be leaving it alone.
2 days ago I was very busy going outta town and working, I looked at her today and she chewed the other 2 toe nails down to the foot.

Today I brought her back to the vet. The vet feels there is nerve damage and gave me some antibiotic drops that taste nasty and said to try to bandage it with a band aid. When I did that before as I pulled off the band aid.. toe nail pieces came off too.

It is hard to keep an eye on her all the time. Other than that she seems happy. She is separated from the other pig and has a towel to lay on. I took her "hut" out so she cant hide in there and chew her foot.

Is there any hope for recovery ? Will this be an ongoing thing of having to spray her foot? Since the cast has come off she has traumatized it and started to pull a little skin off also.
thank you,
Sandy
I called the vet

ANSWER: The chewing on the wound is an indication that it hurts. A bandage could easily be too tight and cause her to want that off at all costs.  I'm not sure taking away her hut will keep her from chewing on it.

After four weeks it should have healed. I don't like the idea of spraying it with a distasteful chemical, natural or otherwise. If she wants to chew it she will find a way, bad taste or not. If the toenail came off there was damage to the body of the nail, causing it to die and fall off. It may or may not grow back again.

If it were one of mine I think I would return her to her cage mate if that's what she's been used to. A Band-Aid isn't going to do anything but give her something else to chew off. And again, if it's too tight it will cause loss of circulation and blood flow to the foot that could result in her losing the foot altogether.  

Yes, there's hope for recovery. I think I would leave the Band-Aid off and don't put anymore spray on it. Give her a chance to heal by herself. Those bones should have knitted together by now.  She won't injure it by trying to walk on it now.

Now for the obvious question:  How in the world did she break a her leg in the first place?  That's a very unusual injury for a guinea pig.  The only time I've seen that was when an animal was grabbed by the back leg in an attempt to catch it.  Their bones are delicate and easily damaged by that kind of trauma.  

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: It happened when 12 yr old son took her out of the cage, I think. He blames the other guinea pig but I think that is impossible. =(  he is off limits for holding her or taking her out of her cage now.

The vet talked to me today and wants me to construct a cone for her head so the foot can heal. I think this will be hard to do as guinea pigs done have much of a neck. Ive tried to think of a way to make socks for her but how to get them to stay on ? So far I just try to hold her more and then she doesnt chew on her foot at all. I do have other things that need doing tho so I do the best I can with this.

thank you so much for your prompt reply ! Ill put her and the other pig together in an open area and see how they do.

Sandy

Answer
It's doubtful the other pig did it. But I'm sure your son feels awful about his pig getting hurt, and he certainly didn't do it intentionally. I don't think I'd even bring it up again. He's probably beat himself up inside already.

The problem with a cone is eating. It makes it very difficult to get the head in the bowl. But it's worth a try. There is a product on the market called Critical Care. It's a supplement made for guinea pigs (and probably other small animals) for needs like this. It has all the calories and nutrients they need to sustain their health and keep them from losing weight. You might consider something like that while he's recuperating.

You're right about the neck. It's pretty much the same size as the head, making it easy for the pig to kick it off. Your vet might have some creative ideas on how to avoid that. If you are able, could you send a picture of the pig with the cone on? I'd love to see it.