Brown Discharge Female Chin?

[meli_sketch]

Hello! First Thread on here, but my little chinnie is experiencing a brown sticky discharge from her vagina. I’ve had her for years and this has only happened once a few years ago. I remembered reading it being like a heat or period sort of thing? But I can’t find anything on it now and I want to make sure it isn’t something else. It was also all over her cage. She’s a little irritated, but her behavior isn’t much different, she ate, she had her water, and wanted me to let her, but I want to make sure this isn’t anything I need to get her immediate care for, thank you for any help!

 

[Amethyst]

I would take her to the vet to get checked out, I would be worried about a uterine infection. When in heat they can have whitish discharge, not brown.

 

[meli_sketch]

I thought white was a possible case of pyometra, like pus. She has had this in the past too and she had cleaned herself and within a day or two she was better. I recall looking up her issue and it was described as her in heat, but looking it up now I find nothing in brownish discharge.

Im monitoring herat the moment, she’s drinking and eating just fine. No cloudy eyesand her teeth are a normal color. Can a vaginal infection not show any other symptoms besides discharge?

 

[meli_sketch]

It also doesn’t smell at all, which apparently discharge from an infection like pyometra can. I mainly worry since I know chinchilla’s don’t show many symptoms when something is wrong, and although this has happened before, it was years ago so I’m not sure if the weather had an effect on her heat cycle.

 

[meli_sketch]

Looking closer it looks like blood? It’s dried up a lot since this morning though.

 

[meli_sketch]

I also noticed her drinking a bit more today than she usually does, I tried to gently wipe at her vagina to see if it comes out a bit yellow as I also saw online how dehydration can cause thick urine and turn it darker, almost brown. Again, something similar has happened in the and she was fine after a day or two, so I changed her water, letting her rest, and I’ll check on her tomorrow. If no change I’ll take the drive upstate to a 24 hour animal clinic that has exotic vets. Unfortunately no animal clinic near me has an exotic vet on hand.

Thank you for the reply, if anyone else has any such experience or any insight I’d be most grateful to hear it!

 

[Amethyst]

I haven't had female chins in about 18 years and never had any issues with them, so hopefully someone else can chime in. I do remember when it heat they can have a small amount of odorless whitish/clear discharge (it's not thick and creamy white like pus) and the heat plug (which most eat before you see it) is also white. I've never had any experience with brown discharge, I've just heard that any color or smell to it could be a sign of an issues. Dark brown seems like old blood, and that is probably not a good sign. Also yes they can act completely normal, until they physically can't.

 

[meli_sketch]

Thanks for all the help, I couldn’t wait, I would be an anxious mess, so I’m currently at the 24 hour animal hospital, waiting for the vet. I’d much rather go and find out the issue, even if it ends up being nothing at all, then potentially waiting and her getting worse.

 

[tunes]

There should not be brown discharge. That could be pyometra or something equally dangerous. I'm glad you got her to the vet.

 

[Chinmama]

The only other thing that comes to my mind is that she is pooing and peeing in the same spot and sitting in it, and the poo is slightly or full blown squishy. I would think that would have an odor though? Hope you were able to get some answers at the vet.