I just picked up two rescues. The female is a standard and she seems to be ok, expect they were in an all wire cage so she has some sores on her feet. The male is in HORRIBLE condition! he is a large pink white, but he seems underweight( I won't know a weight for sure untill I get him home). His right ear is basically shredded around the edges. His nose is slightly swollen and has a scab on it. His feet are literally bleeding! The tip of his tail has no hair, the skin looks dry, but not red. His tail will not uncurl, it feels stiff. And the scariest thing, his right eye looks to be swollen (his actuall eye ball). I don't know if he is eating or pooping. I had to drive three hours one way to pick them up. We are on our way home now. Please! Any advice? My vet won't be in till tuesday
New rescue, in really bad shape, please help!
- Thread starter Narcissus
- Start date
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Dolyphinm
Well-known member
http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=21331
That thread has a chin with bad feet. I suggest reading it over for the bad feet for starters.
The eyeball thing is definitely worrisome though to let go until tuesday. That male needs a vet asap for pain meds and antibiotics for those poor feet of his. Hopefully someone can give you guidance on the swollen eye.
Good luck.
That thread has a chin with bad feet. I suggest reading it over for the bad feet for starters.
The eyeball thing is definitely worrisome though to let go until tuesday. That male needs a vet asap for pain meds and antibiotics for those poor feet of his. Hopefully someone can give you guidance on the swollen eye.
Good luck.
Laurie
I heart Leonard
Definitely do not wait until Tuesday on the eyeball. A swollen eyeball is not good. I would be looking to get him somewhere tomorrow for certain!
I am probably going to take some flack for this post but hey-ho, I'm going to post it anyway......
Narcissus, I am sure you mean well but can I ask why you keep taking in "rescues"? I am very concerned that you seem to be getting in over your head, especially when you have a possibly pregnant chin plus a load of puppies to deal with already.
You took in some a few weeks ago - are these new ones going to be quarantined in a completely separate area to the other rescues & also away your other chins & the puppies?
You may have all these things in place already but I have to ask:
What do you have in the way of a first aid kit for these chins you keep taking in? Do you have everything to hand rear kits, for instance? Do you have basic wound care products/equipment ready? Do you have saline, syringes, KY jelly (for fur rings), syringe food, basic bloat medication, heat pads etc etc?
Again, I am asking not to be rude or put you off what you are doing but I am concerned - we have seen again & again people come onto the forum with little chin knowledge & getting 'into' taking on rescues then getting out of their depth.
Right, on to these new chins.
My first suggestion is that these chins need to be separated immediately - you need to do this since they are a mixed pair anyway but I'd do it now rather than waiting. It is possible that the female is pregnant (a kit-safe cage is needed for her) & has beaten the snot out of the male or that she has beaten him up for trying to get her pregnant. Either way he sounds to be in need of some serious nursing care on his own.
Secondly the male definitely needs to see a vet today - he cannot wait until Tuesday if he is in the conditions you describe. The eye being swollen is very worrying. He needs to be fully assessed by a chinchilla competent vet including checking for other wounds on his body - get the vet to check him very carefully all over. Chin bites are nasty & the amount of damage which can be inflicted is often severe - often the damage is hidden by the fur - wounds can abscess under the surface of the skin too.
I would also take the female & get her checked over - she also needs checking for wounds under the fur.
The male may be in shock if he has been beaten up - I would initially treat him as if he is in shock. A small, low level cages is needed with plenty of clean, soft padding on the floor for his basic comfort & for feet. The flooring will need changing daily. I would also add a heat pad under part of the cage so that he can be warm if he wants but can also get away from the warm spot if necessary.
He needs close monitoring to ensure he is eating, drinking, peeing & pooping. If he is not eating or drinking then he will need some intervention - he may need sub-cut fluids & careful syringe feeding.
Narcissus, I am sure you mean well but can I ask why you keep taking in "rescues"? I am very concerned that you seem to be getting in over your head, especially when you have a possibly pregnant chin plus a load of puppies to deal with already.
You took in some a few weeks ago - are these new ones going to be quarantined in a completely separate area to the other rescues & also away your other chins & the puppies?
You may have all these things in place already but I have to ask:
What do you have in the way of a first aid kit for these chins you keep taking in? Do you have everything to hand rear kits, for instance? Do you have basic wound care products/equipment ready? Do you have saline, syringes, KY jelly (for fur rings), syringe food, basic bloat medication, heat pads etc etc?
Again, I am asking not to be rude or put you off what you are doing but I am concerned - we have seen again & again people come onto the forum with little chin knowledge & getting 'into' taking on rescues then getting out of their depth.
Right, on to these new chins.
My first suggestion is that these chins need to be separated immediately - you need to do this since they are a mixed pair anyway but I'd do it now rather than waiting. It is possible that the female is pregnant (a kit-safe cage is needed for her) & has beaten the snot out of the male or that she has beaten him up for trying to get her pregnant. Either way he sounds to be in need of some serious nursing care on his own.
Secondly the male definitely needs to see a vet today - he cannot wait until Tuesday if he is in the conditions you describe. The eye being swollen is very worrying. He needs to be fully assessed by a chinchilla competent vet including checking for other wounds on his body - get the vet to check him very carefully all over. Chin bites are nasty & the amount of damage which can be inflicted is often severe - often the damage is hidden by the fur - wounds can abscess under the surface of the skin too.
I would also take the female & get her checked over - she also needs checking for wounds under the fur.
The male may be in shock if he has been beaten up - I would initially treat him as if he is in shock. A small, low level cages is needed with plenty of clean, soft padding on the floor for his basic comfort & for feet. The flooring will need changing daily. I would also add a heat pad under part of the cage so that he can be warm if he wants but can also get away from the warm spot if necessary.
He needs close monitoring to ensure he is eating, drinking, peeing & pooping. If he is not eating or drinking then he will need some intervention - he may need sub-cut fluids & careful syringe feeding.
Last edited:
ticklechin
Well-known member
If you rescue you need a 24/7/365 on duty exotic vet.
Essentia
Jax Chinchilla Rescue
Agreed.
claire- I have spent many hours reading information you and many other people have written, from this I have taken great knowledge and I respect the advice given from you and many others from this forum. But I must say, I looked forward to you posting because I know you are very knowledgeable when it comes to bumblefoot. I did not expect to have to defend myself, but I understand your concern. I don't have a lot of time, right this second to go into grave detail, but I will later on if nessisary. Yes I have a first aid kit, including but not limited to, simethicone, cc, syringes, epsom salt, saline, heating pads, iodine.... And more. Yes, because one of my chins might possibly be pregnant I have purchased goats milk, powdered, and canned (i also have access to fresh), syringes, and I also bought a coffee grinder, along with some miscelenious items.
Yes, I have five rescues, right now, "rescues" because no body wanted them. 2 standard females who were over weight, doing much better, these two are living in my kitchen. Ariel, who is possibly pregnant, living in my family room down stairs. And now these two who are living in my bedroom. Yes, they are separated, they have been since the second I got them, they ride home in two different carriers.
I have to go now, I have a vet appointment
Yes, I have five rescues, right now, "rescues" because no body wanted them. 2 standard females who were over weight, doing much better, these two are living in my kitchen. Ariel, who is possibly pregnant, living in my family room down stairs. And now these two who are living in my bedroom. Yes, they are separated, they have been since the second I got them, they ride home in two different carriers.
I have to go now, I have a vet appointment
Thank you for understanding my concerns & for answering my questions. I'm glad you got a vet appointment too - please keep us posted.
Now, I'm going to say this & hope that you take it in the spirit with which it is given......
Your house is full of chinchillas. Some of them have nursing &/or quarantine requirements. You have a possibly pregnant female which may or may not need help if she produces kits - this could include round the clock feeding of kits hourly if she rejects them or they need help. She may need a C-section & need post-op nursing care. These two chins may need lots of TLC (the male certainly sounds like he does need special care in the immediate future). You also have puppies.
So please STOP taking on more chins - you have a very steep learning curve ahead of you for the next few weeks & you need to be able to give each chin in need the right amount of attention. If you keep taking on more chins you are not going to be able to cope physically or emotionally (plus the financial strain of multiple, repeat vet visits) - if you don't believe me, just ask other members with rescue experience or who have nursed multiple sick chins what they think.
With all that said - please let us know how you get on at the vets.
sitting here waiting for the vet...... Figured I would post more, after we finally got home last night I placed the male in a "guinea pig" type cage. It has no ledges, I put two fleece liners in the bottom to give him extra padding. He was very active last night, he devoured write a bit of hay. I didn't offer pellets because I didn't want him to get soft poop to add to his problems. He is pooping alot. His poop is slightly small but looks good other wise. I soaked his feet in epsom salt, after soaking them they stooped bleeding. His feet have a couple cuts on them but do not look to be infected, they look much better than expected. His ear damage looks to be an old injury, it is healed, but the scar tissue looks horrible. Ok. vet is here......
miss.lauren
Active member
Any updates?
Claire-
I am not quite sure why you keep discouraging Narcissus. It seems like Narcissus is trying to do the her/his best and that he/she wants to try. Narcissus is obviously devoting alot of time, money, and attention to his/her animals. Why do you try to discourage someone that is trying to help because they have 'chinchillas all over their house' and they also 'have puppies'? If this is something that Narcissus wants to devote the time and money to than why are you trying to stop it?
Just curious.....
Claire-
I am not quite sure why you keep discouraging Narcissus. It seems like Narcissus is trying to do the her/his best and that he/she wants to try. Narcissus is obviously devoting alot of time, money, and attention to his/her animals. Why do you try to discourage someone that is trying to help because they have 'chinchillas all over their house' and they also 'have puppies'? If this is something that Narcissus wants to devote the time and money to than why are you trying to stop it?
Just curious.....
Lauren, Claire is trying to keep Narcissus grounded. Every new pet owner wants to save the world, and realistically you can't. Time and again we have seen folks who just keep taking in chins and taking in chins, only to watch as they become completely overwhelmed financially, physically, and emotionally. It's great to want to help every animal out there, but it's more important to be realistic about it, about the cost, the toll on your body and time, etc. What good does it do that animal if you just have to rehome it again because you cannot properly care for it due to overextending yourself?
Also, I just want to point out to folks that the term "rescue" gets thrown around entirely too much. Buying a chin from a pet store is just that, buying a chin. It's not "rescuing" it unless the conditions it is in are so bad that an agency should be called. The same applies with taking a chin from a home situation. Just because a chin hasn't had a dust bath in a while does not make it a rescue. It just means it needs a dust bath.
Narcissus, I hope the vet visit goes well.
Also, I just want to point out to folks that the term "rescue" gets thrown around entirely too much. Buying a chin from a pet store is just that, buying a chin. It's not "rescuing" it unless the conditions it is in are so bad that an agency should be called. The same applies with taking a chin from a home situation. Just because a chin hasn't had a dust bath in a while does not make it a rescue. It just means it needs a dust bath.
Narcissus, I hope the vet visit goes well.
miss.lauren
Active member
Thanks Peggy. I understand where Claire is coming from I just thought that it was odd that she wouldn't give Narcissus a chance.
With all due respect, have you ever seen someone who is completely exhausted from looking after 1 really sick chinchilla? Or visited a rescue where the person running it is emotionally & physically burnt out? Or listened to your chinchilla friends pouring their hearts out at 4am because they just lost a chin they were fighting to keep alive? Or sat up all night supporting someone as they fought to save a chin? Or wracked your brains to try to help someone find answers?
I have - most of my friends on here have - chinchillas are not easy especially when they are sick. You cannot take on more than you can cope with & one true rescue chin in need can demand your attention 24/7 for days or even weeks............
I am not trying to discourage Narcissus - if you believe that then you really have no idea who I am or why I spend my time on this forum trying to help people. Peggy nailed it because she knows exactly where I'm coming from - as her post so eloquently illustrates:
It's not about discouraging, it's about trying to prevent burnout & about helping the chins.
Ask anyone who has had to deal with sick chins what it is like - they will all tell you the same thing - the learning curve is very steep, chinchillas don't respond the way other animals do, they go up & down like a roller-coaster, & their care is very demanding - & that's for those of us with experience of caring for sick chins............ I have suggested Narcissus stops taking on more chins (for now) for some of these reasons.
It is the caring & compassionate thing to do, is it not?
I would never discorage anyone for wanting to help an ill treates chin,but i have to agree with claire. I to have seen it happen before with someone taking on more and more chins until they could not devote the required time/funds to hand feed and nurse 6+ ill chins at once. They refused to admit they couldnt handle them and no chin got what it deserved or needed.
If you want to help out support 'proper' chin rescue centres you will help more chins in the long run.
Let us know what the vet says.
If you want to help out support 'proper' chin rescue centres you will help more chins in the long run.
Let us know what the vet says.
Good news from the vet!
Lets start with the girl. She is most likly not pregnant. If by some chance she is, then she just barely conceived. She is in pretty good condition, her teeth looked WONDERFUL! She does have a couple sores on her feet. The vet said to soak them in epsom salt once a day for a week, and apply an antibiotic ointment twice a day.
Now as for the male. His teeth looked WONDERFUL! His nose has a small cut (bite?) Above it, with a little swelling, it seems to be his most recent wound. We cleaned it and she believes it should heal just fine if kept clean. His ear is deffinatly an older wound, and is just a lot if scar tissue. She took x-rays and believes that the eye problem is not an infection. His "cheak bone" right underneath his eye haas an old break in it that was never cared for properly. It has misshapen his eye socket which allows his eye to protrude more than normal. The eye had good blood flow and we believe he can still see out if it. His feet have several cuts on them, I am to soak them in epsom salt once a day. Apply antibiotic cream twice a day, and change his cage liner at least once a day. His tail has a lot if scar tissue from what we assume is from bites. She gave me a moisturizing cream to apply to the skin that is showing. Also a anti-fungal powder to put in his dust, just in case. Over all, he is better than expected
interestingly enough, they both appear to have once had ear clips... I thought that was interesting.
I just want to say, I understand the concerns about becoming overwhelmed, and I greatly appreciate the concern. Thank you. I am very blessed, I have a wonderful family who helps me with my animals and my children. My grandfather had many times spent countless nights trading shifts with me to care for sick goats, cows, and hand feeding my latest sugar glider. My husband had been wonderful, last year he helped me nurse 4 kittens ever two hours for 4weeks and then every for hours for the next four weeks. My mom has also helped me with no complaints, she loves animals as much as I do. I am not employed, my husband has a wonderful job, so it allows me to give round the clock care. My vet is a good friend of mine, I have volunteered many hours helping her. She is very good about keeping her costs down for me. Usually she only charges me for the medicine or equipment (syringes, iv fluids) even then she sells then to me for cost. Last night she was out of town visiting family, she drove 4 hours to come home this morning to see him. She is truly a wonderful person. Claire- I hopefully wil not need to take in any more. But, if their is an animal that has no other option then I do my best to help it. Rather that means taking them in, until an appropriate foster home becomes available or helping find them a forever home.
Lauren- thank you, although I do not take offense to anything claire has said, it is nice to know that their are people watching out for other people. Once again, thank you
Lets start with the girl. She is most likly not pregnant. If by some chance she is, then she just barely conceived. She is in pretty good condition, her teeth looked WONDERFUL! She does have a couple sores on her feet. The vet said to soak them in epsom salt once a day for a week, and apply an antibiotic ointment twice a day.
Now as for the male. His teeth looked WONDERFUL! His nose has a small cut (bite?) Above it, with a little swelling, it seems to be his most recent wound. We cleaned it and she believes it should heal just fine if kept clean. His ear is deffinatly an older wound, and is just a lot if scar tissue. She took x-rays and believes that the eye problem is not an infection. His "cheak bone" right underneath his eye haas an old break in it that was never cared for properly. It has misshapen his eye socket which allows his eye to protrude more than normal. The eye had good blood flow and we believe he can still see out if it. His feet have several cuts on them, I am to soak them in epsom salt once a day. Apply antibiotic cream twice a day, and change his cage liner at least once a day. His tail has a lot if scar tissue from what we assume is from bites. She gave me a moisturizing cream to apply to the skin that is showing. Also a anti-fungal powder to put in his dust, just in case. Over all, he is better than expected
interestingly enough, they both appear to have once had ear clips... I thought that was interesting.
I just want to say, I understand the concerns about becoming overwhelmed, and I greatly appreciate the concern. Thank you. I am very blessed, I have a wonderful family who helps me with my animals and my children. My grandfather had many times spent countless nights trading shifts with me to care for sick goats, cows, and hand feeding my latest sugar glider. My husband had been wonderful, last year he helped me nurse 4 kittens ever two hours for 4weeks and then every for hours for the next four weeks. My mom has also helped me with no complaints, she loves animals as much as I do. I am not employed, my husband has a wonderful job, so it allows me to give round the clock care. My vet is a good friend of mine, I have volunteered many hours helping her. She is very good about keeping her costs down for me. Usually she only charges me for the medicine or equipment (syringes, iv fluids) even then she sells then to me for cost. Last night she was out of town visiting family, she drove 4 hours to come home this morning to see him. She is truly a wonderful person. Claire- I hopefully wil not need to take in any more. But, if their is an animal that has no other option then I do my best to help it. Rather that means taking them in, until an appropriate foster home becomes available or helping find them a forever home.
Lauren- thank you, although I do not take offense to anything claire has said, it is nice to know that their are people watching out for other people. Once again, thank you
Be very careful when applying antibiotic ointment. It is incredibly easy to seal bad bacteria in, rather than keep it out. Make sure that you do it immediately after soaking the feet and that there is no debris or anything on the feet before applying. Also, do not allow the foot to touch down on any surface, or that will just contaminate the area all over again.
Narcissus- Glad to hear they are both better than you expected!! Looks like with patience, time and a lot of effort they will recover. I hope they make a full recovery! They are lucky to have such a person take them in instead of possibly suffering/death at their old place.
Good luck and here's to a great recovery! Do you plan on keeping the chins or finding them homes?
Please keep us updated and post pics of their progress!
Good luck and here's to a great recovery! Do you plan on keeping the chins or finding them homes?
Please keep us updated and post pics of their progress!
I am one of the people who counts myself lucky to be a friend of Claire's, although we've not met IRL. Being a rescue, I've been presented with some pretty tough cases and Claire has always been there for me as a sounding board at some strange times during the day and night with encouragement, comforting words, throwing thoughts on different treatments back and forth. The chins and their welfare are always first and foremost in her thoughts and actions.
I too have seen too many people that are new to chinchillas, who haven't even learned the basics to care for a healthy chin, jump in and try to take on sick chins that are way beyond their capability. All too many times it has horrible results. Claire's comments were made out of concern and compassion so that Narcissus doesn't find herself in an unfortunate situation.
The male will most deffinatly stay in my family "loop" even after he gets doing better. I may try to see if hercules and him can get along and be cage mates (after quarantine). Hercules is very docile, and I hope they could get along. As for the female, seeing as how agressive she was toward him, I don't know if she will be able to have a cage mate. When quarantine is over I will take it slow with introductions and see what we can do. If she prefers to be alone then, if the right person comes along, I will rehome her. She deffinatly needs some one on one attention
