Head wounds from fighting.

[Instinct]

Hello all, I am new to this forum and though I hate to introduce myself under these circumstance I am looking for advice and help. To keep things short I have six chinchillas, three of which live together since they are brothers. They have never scuffled or fought before so when I woke up to find one of the boys bloodied and crouching in the corner of the cage I was very much surprised. I separated all three of them and placed them in different cages. After that I immediately checked out the Hoss, the injured one, and noticed that he had a good amount of scratches behind his ears, top of his head and one bite wound on his back. Everything seemed to be scabbed up and there was no more bleeding but to be on the safe side I called my vet. Unfortunately, she is out and will not be returning till the 30th. I've attached some photos of his wounds but was wondering in the mean time is there anything I can do? Any help is appreciated!

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

If you haven't already find another chin ASP. The wound looks nasty and an infection could happen very quickly. Also the chin could go into shock. Don't delay getting the chin to the vet.

 

[Claire D]

I am sorry your chins have fallen out - I would suggest you treat your chin for shock.
Is he eating, drinking, peeing, pooping ok?

There's information on treating shock here (http://www.azure-chinchillas.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=150&Itemid=148) - he needs warmth, quiet, & careful monitoring - he may need help with eating if he is a bit flat/listless. Fluids are very important too, to prevent dehydration.


As for the wounds - chin bites are notorious for becoming infected & abscessing. Chin teeth can do a lot of damage under the skin & fur (there can be extensive bruising around the actual bite wound).
There's more info on wound management here which might be helpful.
http://www.davidson-chinchillas.co.uk/pages/basic_wound_management.php

Please do keep us updated on your little chap's progress. Fingers crossed for him.

 

[Spoof]

Doesn't look too bad as far as fights go, and is already healing. Claire gave you some great advice, the hardest part is getting him over the depression of being rejected from his family group.

 

[AllieKatt]

-Hugs- I am so sorry this happened. My girls had a falling out as well but I was still awake when it happened. I have bruises on my arms and cuts on my hands from getting in the middle to break them up. Now I have them all in different cages but the mums who were not fighting each other. This just happened the other night. I am hoping for the best for you!

He is a very pretty chinchilla.

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

Sorry they had a falling out. I would suggest finding another chin knowledgeable vet for your little guy to see, at least until the other one returns.

I wish him a speedy recovery.

Maybe after he is all heal up, you can try introducing him to another male you have.

 

[Instinct]

Thank you all for your help it means a lot. )
Earlier today I noticed Hoss was eating and drinking, his eyes looked "brighter" and he was acting pretty normal. I took him to a different vet today, managed to find one that was able to fit him in for an afternoon appointment. I've never been to this vet before so I was a little surprised when all he did was clean the wounds and send me home telling me to keep him updated.
I do have an appointment with my regular vet tomorrow later in the day. Not sure if I should go since I don't want to stress the poor boy out but would love to know if my vet thinks antibiotics are needed. Again, thank you all for your help and I'll keep this thread updated.

 

[Tillygizmo]

So glad hes alright ...I am not sure the vet will do anything additional but I would want to treat it with antibiotics to be safe. . . I would be too nervous so maybe it is worth the ride and stress : / I would hate to see him get an infection

 

[Spoof]

I personally wouldn't cause the chin any more stress - unless he gets an infection taking him to vets exposes him to bacteria and actually increases the risk of such things just like going to a human hospital. Every time you raise his stress level it compromises his immune system and leaves him at higher risk too.

If the last vet gave him a clean bill of heath and the wounds were cleaned properly and not infected he should heal fine within the next week or two.

 

[ticklechin]

I agree, why stress the chin and your pocket book, chins heal pretty well on their own from bites, even a dog and cat vet can tell if wounds are healing well.

 

[Tillygizmo]

Just an aside question, would the 24 hours pre wound cleaning from the vet be long enough to breed infection? I dont know how quickly these things can happen

 

[Kansas City Chinchillas]

I personally wouldn't cause the chin any more stress - unless he gets an infection taking him to vets exposes him to bacteria and actually increases the risk of such things just like going to a human hospital. Every time you raise his stress level it compromises his immune system and leaves him at higher risk too.

If the last vet gave him a clean bill of heath and the wounds were cleaned properly and not infected he should heal fine within the next week or two.

I agree with the above. Unless there are signs of infection another vet visit isn't needed. I too have seen wounds like this and they healed well without antibiotics.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I agree also - unless an infection occurs another vet visit is not recommended. Too much stress. Just watch for any signs of infection. If any shows take to the vet asp