Vet trip..interesting advice

[JaeTea]

I would assume a course of antibiotics, cream rubbed in, relief from standing on hard surfaces, and a very clean cage would take care of it, as Claire mentioned above.

I don't have a wire floored cage, I have alot of leaping ledges. So I'm really concerned about why their feet are in such bad shape.

I've been putting Vitamin E on their feet daily for the past few days.

I switched over to Carefresh, which they seem to enjoy nibbling on.

How long should I continue with the Vitamin E oil?

Should I remove the saucer from the cage permanently?

And when/ how often should I start using the Bag Balm?

Sorry for all the questions but these two are like my children to me.

 

[tunes]

How dry is your house? Even though it's good to have a clean cage, sometimes TOO dry is just as bad. It's possible that your house is so low in humidity that their feet started cracking, opening up the chance for infection to start.

I would keep rubbing the oil or bag balm in until the feet are all healed up, and after that rub it in occasionally or as needed.

If you don't ask - you won't know. Ask away.

 

[macygray]

If the humidity is TOO low I would suggest putting just a bowl of water in the room to bring it up again.

Good Luck.

 

[Silverrose]

The most important thing when dealing with bumblefoot is to remember it is a result of uncleanliness and the buildup of bacteria, it has nothing to do with the texture of what the chin is standing on. Callouses naturally occur on chin feet. It's the bacteria that make their way into a small cut or sore on the foot that causes the infection. Make sure to keep conditions as sanitary as possible for the chin's feet. I actually wouldn't recommend bagbalm for the open sores as it can get messy and make the conditions even better for bumblefoot to spread. The feet need to be soaked either in epsom salts or a chlorohexadine solution at least once, twice a day is better. If you have blue-kote, you can also put it on the feet. Making bumblefoot go away takes a lot of patience and dedication, as it can take up to a few months for it to entirely get rid of.

 

[ALS_WIS]

chins eating bag balm... ok that is not true from my experience. I cured a chinchilla of mine who has a hematoma on her ear. It involved a lot of things I am not doing to detail here, but bag balm had been used on her ears, on another ones foot, and another one of mine's ears that were dry ( hes a homo beige and his ears were like flaky skin scaly until I used it. That was a year ago. I didnt keep using it, and dont have too, they are like normal now) Not one time was there ever a problem with a chin eating the bag balm.


As far as the leafy crap goes.. I see an exotic vet too. He has been wrong about some things, but not regarding diet. When I brought in food with my chinchillas, he could guess what type it was before I told him ( I feed tradition) . We talked about food, and there is a big misconception, he told me straight out that exotix vet usually means BIRDS, FERERETS, things like that. He said there is not much known about chinchillas, and he has learned more from chinchilla owners that know their stuff than the textbooks they give them.
Although in evolutionary standpoint, a rabbit TYPE animal is the closest cousin of the chinchilla, I forget the name it starts with a "V", a chinchilla is not a rabbit, or any of the others, and I would definetly not say that is overweight especially for a female.. I have 1000 +g females and they are not overweight. Maybe she just needs a little more information on chinchillas in general..

 

[Claire D]

The most important thing when dealing with bumblefoot is to remember it is a result of uncleanliness and the buildup of bacteria, it has nothing to do with the texture of what the chin is standing on.

I am sorry but I disagree - basic biomechanics are involved in bumblefoot development as well as trauma and secondary infection. Ulceration is primarily caused by the build up of fluid under the callus as a result of an inflammatory response. That inflammatory response is usually as a direct result of unrelieved pressure.
Wire mesh can cause abnormal pressure points which produces thick callus over time - that callus cracks and the cycle of ulceration and infection begins. It is a bit like us walking with a fold in the lining of our shoe - if we walk on it enough it can cause blistering, callus, pain, and ultimately ulceration.


There is a good article on the development of bumblefoot on the ratguide.com site here. Whilst it is aimed primarily at rats the same applies to chinchillas.
Rabbits can also exhibit bumblefoot - the cause is primarily unrelieved pressure and is, again, attributed mainly to wire (Merck Veterinary Manual).

Callouses naturally occur on chin feet.

Yes, callus formation is the body's natural response to pressure. It is the excess and/or unrelieved pressure which causes problems - callus formation is (in some ways) a flawed response. One of the first rules of wound management is to prevent pressure being exerted on a wound - the wound will not heal under constant pressure. The only way to relieve the pressure on a chinchilla's feet is to provide softer flooring. In humans we can use a rocker bottomed sole shoe, a scotch cast, specialist footwear, crutches, wheelchair, or (in some cases) total bed rest. Unfortunately we cannot do that with chinnies so we have to provide the next best thing - a clean, soft(isH) flooring and good hygiene practices.

There is also a balance to be struck between allowing the callus to continue forming and cracking and softening the skin a little so that it moves with the gait of the animal but does not compromise the protective qualities of the plantar skin.

 

[JaeTea]

I actually wouldn't recommend bagbalm for the open sores as it can get messy and make the conditions even better for bumblefoot to spread.

As you can see from the photos none of the sores are open.

Lilly's foot actually will stop bleeding on its own. It also only bleeds when she compulsively runs on the saucer.

I've been keeping both of them off the saucer for the past week and applying Vitamin E daily to their pads. I also switched over to carefresh and order a bunch of fleesh items and new shelves.

I'm really not sure what else I can possibly do at this point other than removing the saucer completely.

What is involved in soaking their feet in epsom or chlorohexadine solution? I don't think she needs it because, like I said none of the callouses are open wounds.

 

[InkedupTara]

should there be a concern for the chin eating the carefresh? I know that is a bit off topic, but it was mentioned.