Chinchilla has opened his wounds

[Jaina_Organasolo]

Hi everyone,

I know I don't post here often, but I could use some advice please.

I have recently been through hell with my Standard boy, Stitch. He decided a few weeks back, after having gotten a 'cold' and been given Baytril to stop eating.

I managed to get him to my vets in a short time and they treated his stasis before it got to the critical part. It took him around a week (and he was put out for a minor dental - which I do not believe had anything to do with him stopping eating - prior to his cold he was an 800g chunker who wolfed everything, never drooled...) to start eating for himself and his appetite has been low ever since. He wolfs hay but eats little pellets (but has no physical trouble in eating them). :hair: he now is 750g.

We had an accident last week that basically resulted in him running into my other chin's cage. Who proceeded to bite him. I didn't think he had been bitten, until I handled him the next day and felt a lump.

He was rushed to my vet who shaved and bathed him (only lightly and only across the wound). He is on Septrin, twice a day and Metacam for the pain. This was wednesday. He has 3 (2 largish) shallow wounds right across his shoulders.

Everything was going fine (apart from still some eating issues), no redness, no swelling, smell or sign of infection. Today, it has reached the itchy stage.

I have some 'green cream' on order but I'm waiting for the postman to bring it, so for now, I have no cream to soothe the itching.

He can't bite the wounds, BUT he has managed to scratch them open with his back leg. Today when I came to bathe him, there was fresh blood on the wounds.

is there anything I can do to stop him scratching them? Can I make a dressing? Some kind of collar is out of the question as he wouldn't be able to move freely and wouldn't be able to clean 'himself' (he has long fur and is VERY prone to fur rings)

It's gutting that he was healing so well until this, and up to today, he hasn't bothered with it at all.

 

[tunes]

I'm sorry to hear your little guy is having such a hard time.

I was going to suggest an Elizabethan collar, but you already addressed that. Might I suggest though, that you consider it for just during the overnight hours? That is his most active time and probably when he is going to be digging at the wounds the most, wouldn't you think? If you could at least keep him off of it for that amount of time, maybe the day time would take care of itself.

Other than that, what about a vet wrap or gauze type wrap around his neck? We use it to put horses tails up, to wrap dressings on wounds, etc. It self-adheres back onto the wrap, but if you put some gauze under it, it should protect his fur.

The only other thing I can think of is going to sound really goofy, but it worked for our rat that had surgery. He had a very large growth removed from his back and he kept digging at it. So we took a large thick tube sock (because he was a large rat!) and cut a hole in the end, then cut holes for his arms and extended it down to about mid-waist. We then secured it with the vet wrap. You have to keep a constant eye on it, which is a pain, but it kept him from digging at the wound.

Last suggestion - possibly a topical anti-itch cream? Benadryl works pretty well to keep itching to a minimum. Maybe you could ask your vet about using something like that, or something he might recommend.

Hopefully someone else has more suggestions, that's about all I've got.

 

[CerLynn]

Koko had a collar when he broke his leg and had no problems getting around - it was one of the softer nylon-ish ones, not the stiff plastic kind. He didn't have the hair ring issue though, but could you just do checks every day or two while he heals?

 

[Megan]

I had a huge wound on a chin that she kept biting open. The collar didn't work, as when it was put on her she flopped on her back and didn't move, I was affraid she'd seriously hurt herself.

I took a chance, and threw in a dustbath and left it in there with her. She was more focused on the bath, and for whatever reason didn't touch the wound from there on out. I did apply blue kote to the wound. Without the bath, she still ripped it open, with the bath she didn't touch the wound.

Even in my "attack" chins that have been attacked, I've been putting in a dustbath. This just seems to brighten them up, and gets their mind off the wounds they have/the other chin etc.

 

[Jaina_Organasolo]

Thanks everyone so far - I have some Gauze here, i was thinking of maybe wrapping him with that and seeing if I could safety pin it together - should let the air get through wilst cushioning it maybe??
The cream I have on order is an anti-itch cream with Myrrh I think - so once that comes, I hope it will help.
I'm not sure if a tube sock would be a bit warm for him.

I don't think a collar would work as he's not biting it as far as I can see, he's scratching it with his back paws - a bit like a dog scratching their ears if you know what i mean.

Here's what they looked like straight after vets; will give you some idea of where they are -

I think I might take him back on Monday as he appears to possibly have a little lump as well by the bites and I want it checked out.

 

[Jaina_Organasolo]

Right, I tried a sock with some guaze under it and the poor lad just freaked out. I've got no pins and i guess that could cause more problems.

I'll try get cohesive bandages tomorrow and try that I think - maybe just on nights to let the air get to it in the day.

I've got some E45 cream here, which is anti-itch, but i'm not sure if it would be safe if ingested. I also have sudocrem - which is for nappy rash and itches.

 

[Jaina_Organasolo]

Well, The cohesive bandage failed. it took him 3 hours to figure out how to remove it - so I wrapped him up again, with a longer bandage. That time it took him 30 seconds. :hair: So he defintley figured it!

The Green cream has worked fairly well

(here for anyone interested - http://www.galensgarden.co.uk/shop/products.php?cat=11)

he seems to be itching less and hasn't scratched it nearly as much - and hasn't opened it up since. :clap1:

I had the lump lanced - but it was wierd. there was no infection inside, in fact, nothing really inside at all. it just collapsed in. The vet believes it to be a very early abcess, that had not yet got infected. So i've just got to keep it clean and he should be fine.

Thank you for all your suggestions - it's much appreciated;

Julia and Stitch x