Chinnie Fall

[Jadebf700]

Buddy finally succeeded in jumping out of our arms this morning. He probably took a 4 foot fall and is now limping. Poor little guy. He isn't walking on his left leg at all. I took him to the vet and he said he didn't see any sign of a break but thinks he could have torn his little knee muscles. Anyone have any experience with this or think it is right? :banghead:

 

[tunes]

Did he x-ray him to be sure there are no breaks? If he was struggling, that would have included anesthetizing him.

If he did, and he is sure there are no breaks, confine him to a small cat carrier, as small as you can get. You want to confine his movements as much as possible. No play time, no wheel, no nothing. Complete cage rest and it's going to take weeks. Sprains and ligament tears are actually worse than breaks and take much longer to heel. He's going to be crabby as all get out at you, but don't cave. Be sure that that leg is 100% sturdy again before you allow him out of cage time, and I'd wait a week after that to be sure.

 

[CerLynn]

Agreed - if he isn't using the leg at all, he'll need x-rays if he hasn't already, as some breaks are impossible to detect without them. If it is a break, you'll have a couple options - try to fix it or amputate - and amputation is generally a less risky, much simpler and faster recovery process. Either way, as Peggy said, you'll need to restrict his movement. When Kokomo broke his leg, we gave him about 1/3 of a single level of his FN (probably about 1x2 feet) - no shelves or anything - just water and food dishes. Did the vet give you any pain meds? If it's hurting enough that he isn't using it, some Metacam would probably help. Keep an eye on him to make sure he's still eating and drinking well - chins in pain may stop eating properly. Good luck and I hope he recovers quickly!

 

[Carol~Anne]

I hope it isn't anything too serious and I'm wishing you guys the best. My first guy Pip jumped from my arms a few times and luckily landed on the soft furniture. Now that I'm a little more experienced with chinchillas, I always tell people that when they're holding these guys, especially when standing up, always have your hand at the base of the tail to secure them in case they decide to leap. Securing them like this really gives you more control of them and is much safer than having them suddenly jump out of your arms. I hope all goes well with your Buddy.

 

[Jadebf700]

Just a little buddy update. I took him out and put him on a table to see if he was limping as bad as yesterday and he seems to be putting weight on it again. He has also been much more active than yesterday. He is eating and pooping normally. His poops are a little small which I am keeping an eye on but everything seems to be going well!

 

[lauralynne]

Good news!

 

[Gizmo24]

hey I've been in and out of the house today.. im off tomorrow so give me a call at some point hows the little man today?