HELP - Injured kit

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poetrue

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Jan 31, 2009
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205
Location
East Hartford, CT
I just watched one of my females give birth to her first kit and in the process the kit was injured. This kit is missing a patch of skin on its side and shoulder and I'm not sure what to do for the kit. Any help would be much appreciated!

Cheryl
 
Here is a photo of the kit so you can see how large the patch of missing skin is. Mom keeps biting at the injury in her way of trying to clean it, but I don't want her to do more damage, so the kit is with me for now.

Cheryl
 

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Poor little mite.

You could try drying it off and seeing if the mother is just trying to 'clean up the mess' hence the over grooming.

A heat mat/pad will help the kit to maintain warmth and if the mother keeps on at the wound then I am afraid you will be hand rearing.

That's a big wound on a small chin (it will lose fluid initially) so a couple of feeds will probably help in the first instance too (to replace any fluid and counteract shock).
Keeping the wound clean is going to be a bit of a pain too - do you have any moist wound healing products?
Here on chins we use Green Cream from Galen's Garden so not sure if you have something similar?

The problem with Blue Kote and other things which dry the wound out is pain - once a wound that size dries out, every movement is going to be painful and it's also going to keep breaking open - if you can get the balance right between keeping it moist enough to be less painful (and promote healing) and infection free then you're on to a winner.
I have found that if the kits survive the initial shock and can feed then they heal pretty fast.

I hope the little one survives for you.
 
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Claire - thanks for the info!

Once I noticed mom pulling at that side of the kit I took it out and have kept the kit with me since then. I cleaned the kit off and I've got the kit mostly dried at this point. I also set up a travel carrier with a heating pad for the kit too.

I'm not sure what green cream is but I have neosporin and bacitracin. I can use those on the wound to keep it clean and infection free and promote healing.

Cheryl
 
Oh Cheryl that is so heartbreaking...poor poor baby! Keeping my fingers crossed for your little one! C'mon baby you'll pull through...
 
Not much more I can add to what Claire posted. How many kits did she have Cheryl?

I use Homeopathic meds here at my home for the family and animals. While I know you do not have these on hand, I will tell you what I might have done if this happened to me. These meds can be bought at a healthfood store or whole food store. Or online through some of the companies listed below. I keep both the Arnica and Hypericum at all times. I don't have the space to explain these meds. So I will condense to say that what the body doesn't use, the body expells. I have used both meds on chins with no ill effects.

I would have used a homeopathic medicine called Arnica. It is used for trauma, bruises and muscle soreness. I would have chosen it for the trauma and pain the kit went through at birth. And a follow up with the med Hypericum. Used for nerve pain. As the flesh is exposed.

In this case the pellet can be diluted in a bit of water. Since we have no directions for something so small, I would cut off an 1/8 and dilute it in 5 ml of water. The 5ml of water would be sucked up in a syringe first and then put in in a shot glass. Dissolve and suck up in the syringe and given one drop orally. Same procedure to dissolve each. And wait for an hour and see how the kit responds. I would have been looking for the kit to be standing alone and alert. If so, I would give another drop of each in an hour. In the afternoon I would than only give one last dose of Hypericum. In hopes the kit can be spared of as much pain as I could offer through the med. I might put a light coat of some salve on the bare skin. I know how skin feels when it has a cover after you have a bad scrape. Relief.

For human application of the med one would place it under the tongue to disolve. In the case of chins I have just desolved in a tiny bit of water in a shot glass. These meds have such a minute amount of herb/flower or mineral they are originally made from. So it is important NOT to touch them before use. Some have twist lids that the meds fall in. Others are in a tiny bottle. I use the soft pellet form and lay it on wax paper to cut.

Highlands company makes their pellet soft. Boiron is a hard pellet. And Washinton Homeopathic Products makes a soft pellet. I have used both Arnica and Hypericum on a chin that had surgery for teeth spur removal. I have also used Hypericum on another chin with a foot crack.

Wishing you the best for the little one. Keep us updated.
 
I wouldn't put neosporin on it. BluKote it. Contact Cathy Kane, KansasCityChinchillas, I believe she had one like this that grew and survived great if I remember right.

Take pictures, you won't believe how well they heal from this! She was stuck sideways and mom had to pull her out is probably what happened.
 
Im sorry the baby chin is hurt !!!!will keep baby chin in my thoughts
 
Several years ago I had a kit with the exact same thing. I called him "scar".

I cleaned it very well with Betadine, and then used blue kote treatment for him. I ended up having to handfeed him as mom would just constantly try to clean/groom the area and it wouldn't close up to heal. I had to keep him in a small box with a heating pad. If mom will leave the wound alone, I'd put them on towels and keep him with mom. If she keeps going after the area you'll need to handfeed and remove him.

Good Luck!
 
Chery, I was going to say along the lines of what everyone else posted. Praying for the little one. I know you will do everything possible.
 
Alright so the kit is still hanging in there, but on her own with some towel and a tiny travel cage and a heating pad. The wound starts at the shoulder and anytime the kit moves that leg the skin just pulls down to her elbow and causes her pain. So understandably she's not moving too much and doesn't seem to be able to actually stand on her own.

Since mom won't leave the wound alone and can't be trusted not to injure the kit more, I'm handfeeding. I've gotten a little bit into the kit, but not all that much. She just doesn't want to swallow anything :-(

Cheryl
 
It's tricky with these little ones when they are injured but I would just keep plugging away little and often with the feeds for now - hopefully a bit of warmth and some fluid will help her. I'd go drop by drop every 1/2-1 hour until she seems to be a bit brighter, warming her up between feeds.

I had a kit brought to me who's mother had ripped his arm off at the shoulder and he had a sizeable wound (like your kit) - it was touch and go with him for a while but he survived and is a lovely chin now.

Do you have anything like Aloe Vera gel or Intrasite or anything like that you could use on the wound just to keep it from cracking open?
 
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I think I would look up those honey-based remedies for wounds that encourage granulation of the tissue, and would also keep it moist.

We had a kit that had part of his cheek ripped off by his sister at a few days old. I had my mom apply blukote regularly. The kits mom did chew a little bit more off, but she did a good job, and he healed very well. This mom also amputated a kit's foot for us, that had been injured when he came out breech, man she was an amazing mom!
 
I think I would look up those honey-based remedies for wounds that encourage granulation of the tissue, and would also keep it moist.

The problem with manuka honey based dressings is how sticky they are - they are great if you can cover them with a secondary dressing but, oh my, they make a mess of the fur!! LOL
 
I was thinking the same thing with the honey Claire.

Was the mom "eating" or cleaning? I personally would put the kit back with mom and watch closely for a while. I would never hand feed if not necessary. If it's BluKoted I doubt mom will want to mess with the wound much and it's possible she was just trying to clean it off, thinking perhaps it was some sac or after birth stuck on there...
 
AWWWWW Cheryl I am so so incredibly sorry. I was thinking of her today hoping she'd pull through... At least she isn't hurting anymore... :-(
 
Cheryl I am so sorry :( It's hard with these little guys when the wounds are so bad :(
 
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