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[Gallardo_Puff]

Last Friday, my chin Gallardo Puff broke his tail (from what I believe). His tail no longer curls up but hangs below his body.
Gallardo Puff managed to squeeze his little body up into a wall at a new apartment that I recently moved into with my boyfriend. We had no idea where the hole in the wall lead to, so my boyfriend grabbed his tail to stop him from going anywhere.
It was a scary moment, because this being a new place, we did not know if they could be rat poisen laying around in the walls anywhere and we did not want to loose Gallardo Puff.
After we got Gallardo Puff out of the wall, his tail had some red spots on it and lost a lot of fur. His tail was grabbed at the base of it. We took him to the emergency vet that evening, and the doctor there did not know anything about chinchillas. The vet i normally take Gallardo Puff too was out of town until today. She gave us an antibiotic to give Gallardo Puff, but that confused me because there wasn't an open wound on his tail.

Today, Gallardo Puff is going to see the vet he always sees to get his tail wrapped.
He doesn't really eat his pellets but does eat treats and hay. His attitude had change; he's not happy and excited anymore like he used to be.

Does anyone have experience with a broken tail? I just want to know if anything can really be done for him and his tail.   

[chinclub]

I am so sorry.  I am sure he is in pain which is why he isn't himself.  I'm guessing a lot will depend on the way it is broken. If it is minor you might could reset it but you could have a time getting the chinchilla to leave it alone.  If it is a bad break it might be easier to amputate the tail at the break spot.  I have a chinchilla that lost its tail during a bad delivery as a baby and only has a stump.  It gets along just fine. 

I am glad that you have a vet that knows your chinchilla. Let us know how it goes.

[Gallardo_Puff]

Thanks for the advice.

Gallardo Puffs vet gave him some pain medication and wrapped his tail at the base. She said it probably is broken but since his tail is still warm and not swollen, he has blood flow to it so there is no fear in the tail dying. I don't think it will have to be amputated. (I hope!) The vet reccommended that I give him pedialyte and beneobac to help with his diet. So far he's absolutely loving the pedialyte. Gallardo Puff takes his pain medication from a syringe and I don't have to hold him or even take him out of his cage, he loves eating/drinking from a syringe.

I think things are looking up for him. 

[chinclub]

That is so great!  Glad he is a good little patient. 

[AnnieHank]

Aw, he sounds great. You're lucky. Buddy attacks the syringe when he sees it coming! Glad he's going to be okay

[Jo Ann]

   Keep an eye on the tail and make sure it stays a normal temperature and does not swell.  Swelling is a sign of infection ... something chinchillas do not handle well.  If it has to be amputated, it's much better than having to loose him.  We'll keep our fingers crossed it heals properly!   

I would give him some yogurt half way in between the doses of antibiotics (at least 2 hours apart).  This helps to keep his system going properly.  Yogurt is a milk product and can not be given at the same time as his meds or they will cancel out each other.

Watch his poos and make sure they do not change in size or number.  If the number of poos becomes less or if they become smaller or dryer, please let your vet know immediately.  This is usually a sign they are about to get stopped up.   Believe it or not, a constipated chinchilla can be worse off than a sick chinchilla.  Their digestive system can not be allowed to shut down.

Keep us posted on Puff's progress!

   Jo Ann