gladiolii
Member
This is my first time posting. I've been a long-time lurker and it's a bit of a shame that my first post would be in the emergency section, but I am really worried and need advice.
A month or so ago, a baby boy we adopted from a rescue was neutered under their vet's advice. He was 4 months old at the time, and while I already had chins I didn't know the exact details about sexual maturity in chinchillas. It wasn't until AFTER the surgery that I found out 4 months is too early to neuter. She said she had to dig around to find the other testicle, since it hadn't descended yet, and that it was a monorchid neuter. Things seemed a bit tricky, but nothing out of the ordinary for the first week after that. We handfed him CC and did everything the other posts here recommended.
About two weeks after, the area had already healed over and the skin was smooth, and we thought we were in the clear. However, the area started swelling rapidly. I called the vet back to find that she is on vacation, and the receptionist told me it's probably not a big deal, could be a tissue reaction. She told me to keep an eye on it, which doesn't help me one bit, because the area was increasing significantly every day. I contacted another local exotics vet, and he recommended exploratory surgery to see what was going on. We went with his advice since there wasn't really another option, and he told us that the problem was that the previous vet had tied off a mucus gland that was in the area, and the stuff the gland was producing had nowhere else to go, thus causing the swelling.
Which brings me to the current problem. The wound site is now severely infected. The incision, which was originally glued shut, has peeled open and is gaping. It's swelled up to three times the original size. I've contacted the vet repeatedly asking for advice, and he says to leave it alone, it shouldn't be a problem. It's frustrating me a lot that he is writing it off repeatedly, when I'm sending him pictures showing the before and after. He just keeps asking me if his behavior and appetite is normal, to which I say yes, but I know chinchillas can hide pain really well. I can't stop worrying. Is the vet right? Is this how any surgical site would heal? And so I had to post to ask for any advice anyone might have. I don't know what else to do. The boy is being such a trooper, but I hate subjecting him to so much pain. I feel like it was all my fault. I shouldn't have listened to that first vet telling me it was okay to neuter at 4 months.
If anyone has any idea what to do, please let me know. Or if anyone has a recommendation for a vet in my area, please also let me know. I'm at wit's end. I've attached the photos showing the progression of the infection.
A month or so ago, a baby boy we adopted from a rescue was neutered under their vet's advice. He was 4 months old at the time, and while I already had chins I didn't know the exact details about sexual maturity in chinchillas. It wasn't until AFTER the surgery that I found out 4 months is too early to neuter. She said she had to dig around to find the other testicle, since it hadn't descended yet, and that it was a monorchid neuter. Things seemed a bit tricky, but nothing out of the ordinary for the first week after that. We handfed him CC and did everything the other posts here recommended.
About two weeks after, the area had already healed over and the skin was smooth, and we thought we were in the clear. However, the area started swelling rapidly. I called the vet back to find that she is on vacation, and the receptionist told me it's probably not a big deal, could be a tissue reaction. She told me to keep an eye on it, which doesn't help me one bit, because the area was increasing significantly every day. I contacted another local exotics vet, and he recommended exploratory surgery to see what was going on. We went with his advice since there wasn't really another option, and he told us that the problem was that the previous vet had tied off a mucus gland that was in the area, and the stuff the gland was producing had nowhere else to go, thus causing the swelling.
Which brings me to the current problem. The wound site is now severely infected. The incision, which was originally glued shut, has peeled open and is gaping. It's swelled up to three times the original size. I've contacted the vet repeatedly asking for advice, and he says to leave it alone, it shouldn't be a problem. It's frustrating me a lot that he is writing it off repeatedly, when I'm sending him pictures showing the before and after. He just keeps asking me if his behavior and appetite is normal, to which I say yes, but I know chinchillas can hide pain really well. I can't stop worrying. Is the vet right? Is this how any surgical site would heal? And so I had to post to ask for any advice anyone might have. I don't know what else to do. The boy is being such a trooper, but I hate subjecting him to so much pain. I feel like it was all my fault. I shouldn't have listened to that first vet telling me it was okay to neuter at 4 months.
If anyone has any idea what to do, please let me know. Or if anyone has a recommendation for a vet in my area, please also let me know. I'm at wit's end. I've attached the photos showing the progression of the infection.
Your vet sounds so amazing. My fingers are crossed, and I will keep everyone posted.
