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[Spatula]

Hello Everyone!

I'm brand new to this forum, seems like a good place for some information though. I just recently adopted a chinchilla that's about 10-12 months old from Petsmart. This was roughly a month ago. About two weeks ago the problems started. He decided to jump from one of the high ledges in his cage to a lower ledge a the bottom, missed the ledge and broke his front leg. We took him to the vet, they put a splint on it and we thought everything would be fine. Today I took him to ANOTHER Vet who actually did x-rays and the bone is still just as broke as ever. It's sitting at roughly a 45 degree angle. The vet said that maybe they could fix it, who knows...

About 1 week ago a neighborhood stray cat jumped into our window while little Spatula was out and decided to take a piece of his tail as a keepsake. I guess he also bit or scratched his rear leg as well because that was swollen this morning. We also think that he may have cataracts, but the vet said no. When we're home and the lights are low and his pupils are real big you can see these white clouds down in his eyes, but then today at the vet there was nothing...

I don't know what to do with this little guy regarding his arm (they said maybe amputation was the best way to go if it doesn't heal), his tail and his eyes. He's the sweetest little thing and I just don't know what to do?

If anyone has had any experience with ANY of the above and has some words of advice or anything, please let me know. I'm sort of at a loss for words I suppose.

Thank you so much,
Lauren

[Romeosgirl]

Welcome to the forum! 

Are the vets you're visiting familiar with chinchillas? The broken leg problem surprised me, with it still being at a 45 degree angle after 2 weeks. As you may know, lots of vets don't have much (or any) experience with chinchillas. As long as you're working with an experienced vet, you're doing all you can to fix the problem. Unfortunately, there are lots of chinchillas who have lost a leg/arm to a poorly judged leap, but I think most of them seem to get around ok with only 3 limbs.

With the swollen leg, I would pick  him up and check for a scratch. If you can find one, you could try to treat it with an antibiotic cream. But if you can't find it, and maybe even if you can, it might be best to take him to the vet. Especially since it didn't swell up until a week after the cat "visited". That makes me think there could be a different cause. He could have injured this leg as well-and a tripod chin will get around much better than a bipod!

As far as the cataracts, I didn't know that chins could get cataracts. And I didn't really know they had pupils, being as they're so beady-eyed. So I'm going to defer to one of the lovely breeders on this site who have experience with dozens or hundreds of chins.

When it comes to the tail, there's not much we can do about that. I would treat it like a cut, and put antibiotic cream on it until it healed completely. I don't know if there's any special risks involved with the fact that a cat bit him off-certain infections you should watch out for, etc.  Make sure Spatula doesn't get any dust baths while he has an open wound-you can hold him on your lap and rub the dust into his coat for him, that would make him very happy. But letting him roll himself won't help his tail. I would keep a very close eye on it and visit the vet at the first sign of trouble.

--Also, you should make sure to keep the windows closed when you're letting your little guy out. I've read that chinchillas can jump as high as 6 feet. Mine can only get about 3 feet, but that's high enough to get to my windows. With cats getting in and him possibly being able to jump out, you could lose him forever.

This is mostly my experience from researching chinchillas, some others might have input from personal experience. I hope we can help!

I'm sorry you're going through all these troubles and vet visits! Hopefully soon your chin will be healthy and you can both be happy again.

[KCchins]

If the chin was bitten by a stray cat there's a good chance he may need to take an antibiotic.  I would take him to a vet for this.

Often the least stressful thing for a chin with a bad leg break is to amputate.  Often putting a cast on or a surgical procedure to repair the leg ends up not working and the leg needs to be amputated anyway.  Chins recover surprisingly quickly after an amputation.

[Debbie.nl.ca]

I have a chin that suffered a head injury and has a floating white glob in one eye and a clouded pupil in the other.
IF you look at your chins eyes with a flash light you can see them easier.
I'm sure my guy is blind in one, but has peripheral vision in the eye that has the floater.
If I tip him to one side or hold him upside down the white glob moves around.
As he was a newborn when this happened I thought he was going to die, and never took him to the vet. He's almost 8 years old now.
I treat all scratches and cuts with peroxide and ointment.
I had one chin that broke a leg and it healed just fine, and I know a lady who's kit broke both back legs and they healed just fine.
The first vet should have done an ex ray, set the bone and cast it for 3-6 weeks.
It shouldn't take very long for their little bones to heal.
Yes I have heard of many 3 legged chins whom do just fine.

[Jo Ann]

Hi Lauren,
    Sounds like that poor little fella has been through the ringer.   

    A bone that has been broken that long is going to take some skill to get it back where it belongs and mended ... chins are not known for patients or leaving a cast alone.  If they are fairly sure it will work (no one can guarantee it to be perfect), you might want to try it.

   But, amputation is not the worst that can happen to him.  Below is a picture of Jewel, she was a breach birth ... I was not there at the time, so the momma had to pull her out ... Jewel lost her right front arm, just above the elbow and 1/2 of her tail.  She adjusted just fine.  They are great at adapting, if they have to do it.  He might be a little off balance until he learns to adjust to the 1/2 tail ... their tails are used to help balance themselves.

    BUT ... it would be best to get these open wounds healed first, I think, but you and your vet will have to make that call.

    A cat bite can be deadly.  Do you know if the cat that bit him has had all of it's shots?  Very important to know this.  An antibiotic would not be a bad idea at all ... but ... remember ... an anti-biotic will kill all bacteria ... even the good bacteria in the digestive system that is needed to process his food.  For this, you will need to give him acidulopus (must be refrigerated after opening) or live culture yogurt (I use the strawberry and blue berry flavors ... they seem to like them and I get the individual serving size as not to wast allot of it).  But ... yogurt is a milk product so, you can not give the medications and the yogurt within three hours of each other or each will cancel out the good the other is doing.  I try to schedule it so that I am giving them the yogurt 1/2 between times of the medication doses.

    Cleaning the open wound with an iodine and water solution, then put a triple antibiotic ointment (like Neosporin) on it is what I would do.   What might look like matted fur, could have an open wound under it.  Check out my story about the chin momma that got one of her teats torn off by fighting kits.  There are pictures that show how to flush the wound and other information. 
     It's at my second web site:  Luv 'N Chins II at: http://www.geocities.com/jobernstein1949/  under Nursing & Damage Control.  Luv 'N Chins II deals more with the medical side of things and is not suitable for children or the squeamish.

      Any time there is a wound or infection, try to remember what my vet told me: 
"The solution to pollution is dilution."    Two or three times a day, if possible.

      If he has cateracts or is blind, there is little that can be done about that with a chinchilla ... mainly just make sure his cage and anywhere he may play is as safe as possible.  (Hint: you might want to change those leaping ledges in for shelves and tunnel ramps.)   Windows should be closed at all times when you have your little one out to play and/or if you are not home ... chins have a way of learning to open their cages ... we have to put special locks on about a dozen of our cages.   

  Hope this helps a little.   Keep us posted!   

 
Jo Ann

[Spatula]

Hello again...

Well, took the little guy to a second vet. They kept him for about 4 days to do blood work and generally monitor his conditions. Found out he had two enzymes in his liver that were highly elevated. I have him on 2 antibiotics and something for the pain of his arm. He's much more attentive now, swelling in the leg has gone down and seems much happier. His little arm is out of a splint/cast at the moment. It was VERY swollen around the break and the Vet wanted to see if it healed itself before talking of amputation.

As far as his eyes go, when it's dark in the room, it looks like someone put milk in his pupils. No discharge or anything of the nature, just white down in the eyes. But when it's bright in the room, you can't see them.

Either way, the little guys cage is all one level, we're giving him tons of hay and lovin and hoping for the best.

Thank you all so much for your detailed answers! I really, REALLY appreciate it! I'll have to get a few pictures of the little guy up as soon as possible.

Lauren

[Jo Ann]

  Sounds like you have a good vet now.   

Keep us posted and please, do read another article called "Don't Let the 'Cure' Kill Your Chinchilla!" that is on my second web site (Luv 'N Chins II) at: http://www.geocities.com/jobernstein1949/ .

Antibiotics are wonderful and can do wonders, but they can also make things just as bad if you don't do something to keep the flora (good bacteria) balanced in the digestive tract.  Vets tend to have amnesia when it comes to remembering to point this out.   

 
Jo Ann