chin leg possibly broken how to make interim collar? help?

[chinmom]

Today our beloved chin man of 5 years got his foot caught in his wheel and tried to jump. We are pretty sure his leg is broken. Needless to say we are going to be changing cage/wheel types after this incident.

It's 4th of July weekend and the only vets that see chins are closing for the weekend. He is in "ok" spirits. Better than I thought. His rear leg got a minor scrape and is hanging. I was worried about his hip but when he tries to hobble, he can hold the leg up with his hip. I am assuming that he likely broke his leg near the knee or foot. He is eating tiny water soaked raisin pieces and sleeps a while then tries to hobble around. We are very close with him and you can tell he knows we are taking care of him . Poor little guy.....

The vet was out until Monday due to the holiday so I talked to the nurse. She told me that I can attempt to splint it and should likely make a cone/collar to prevent him from chewing it. It is likely that he will chew it? I don't really want to wait to find out but I know that a splint/collar is going to make a really grouchy chin man....

My question is...... what do I use to make a splint, what is the best position to splint it in, is that the best thing or should I just do a collar and let him hold it in position? My other question after that, is what do I use to make a collar and what size to make it? Can he choke by resting on this collar? I am so worried. I know I will be up all night checking on him. I keep worrying that he's not going to be alive everytime I look at him even though it's just his leg.

The vet is going to call me on Monday. Any ideas of what to watch for as it turning into an immediate emergency would be great. I have read about surgery, not always successful. At what point do we decide that we should have it amputated? I sure hope chin man does not have to have this done. How long will it take for me to know? I'm broke so I want to try to splint/collar him and see how he does.

Thank you all in advance for hopefully some quick responses on the splint/collar fabrication/positions and what to look for.
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[Chinniechantel]

He NEEDS pain medication, he could go into shock and die without it for that long. A broken bone hurts so bad, he needs to at least get pain meds and does need a splint, he could start to chew off his own foot. I would find an emergency vet, because I would want an x ray to see how bad, if it needs antibiotics, if it is really bad then it is best to amputate to give him the best bet of survival if it is a bad break pining and casting does not usually work and you end up amputating anyway. That is just my experience though. Good luck, has he seen the vet before? Maybe then they will call in pain meds to a pharmacy? Worth a shot.

 

[AZChins]

I have used popsicle sticks and cloth tape for a temporary splint/boot on a chin's leg. It will keep it from getting worse. Just try to set the leg as well as you can and use the popsicle sticks as a way to keep it in place as you wrap it.

The problem with broken legs is that a lot of times the leg will become infected or the leg tissue will die. If the blood was cut off to the leg for too long, that is a possibility. Now, if it was just a clean break, there is a very good possibility that just splinting it up will allow it to heal fairly well and very quickly.

I don't like using collars because they make it VERY hard for the chin to move about and can make it impossible for the chin to eat.

I hope that he can be alright until monday.

This was a back leg, right? And, can you feel where there is a broken bone?

 

[Jenn]

What rotten timing with the holiday weekend, but I agree that he really should see a vet asap, and not wait until Monday. It could mean the difference between life and death.

I am so sorry your chin got hurt and I hope for the best. Please let us know what you find out. Good luck!

 

[tunes]

Until you can get him to a vet, confine him in a small carrier. Don't let him jump around and be overally active or he can damage it even more.

Other than that, I would get him to the vet and find out for sure what is going on. There are vets on call for emergencies over the weekend. Try and find one who sees chinchillas.

I'd also be real careful about splinting that leg if you don't know what you're doing. If you get bone grinding on bone or cut into a vein, etc., you can be doing even more damage.

 

[addictedtochins]

He needs to be seen by a vet. It does not have to be a "chin vet" broken bones are about the same no matter what species. Do a search here on pain meds to learn what is the best for chins and the various side effects. Hopefully the vet will postpone payment. Maybe you can go to one of those payday money loan places? He needs to be in a small chin safe cage/carrier to limit his movement. Don't leave him without medical care, how would you feel if your leg was broken and you sat at home with a homemade splint?

 

[alli713]

Also, don't be feeding him a bunch of raisins, that's not what he needs right now. Regardless of the debate over how healthy/unhealthy raisins are, pumping him full of sugars is not good. Is he rather lethargic? It almost sounds like it from your post. If he is, he could be going into shock. Either way it sounds like he is pretty bad pain if he's sleeping and only hobbling around.

So yes, he needs to get into a vet now, not on Monday.

And for those others reading this, this is why you don't use wheels with spokes or center cross bars. You need a solid metal running surface.

 

[chinmom]

The problem with broken legs is that a lot of times the leg will become infected or the leg tissue will die. If the blood was cut off to the leg for too long, that is a possibility. Now, if it was just a clean break, there is a very good possibility that just splinting it up will allow it to heal fairly well and very quickly.

I don't like using collars because they make it VERY hard for the chin to move about and can make it impossible for the chin to eat.

I hope that he can be alright until monday.

This was a back leg, right? And, can you feel where there is a broken bone?

I am leaving him to rest at the moment, he ate ONE raisin and his good healthy grains after that along with some water. It's daytime, this is his normal sleep time so him eating and moving around makes him not as lethargic as he normally would be for this time of day. He his very responsive to love and attention. We saw it happen so the foot/leg was released within seconds of getting caught. In that sense I don't think there was much time to go without blood flow to the leg unless the break itself were to cause blood flow. I am hoping it is a clean and simple break if it is indeed broken (I'm nearly sure) Since it had just happened I decided not to do too much "feeling" right away. Gave him food, time to rest and will attempt to feel his back leg for any bumps and attempt for a simple type wrap this evening. He does not seem to be looking at or paying attention to the leg, and knows we are taking care of him. I have already talked to the nurse of the only vet I could find open and she will be giving me info on amputation options on Monday if needed. I know what a broken bone feels like and how to keep still so as to relieve any pain from movement...... I am currently healing from a broken collar bone myself. Poor little guy. After our initial inspection, I don't want to move him much for a few hours. Thanks for the advice on the splint. Not only could I not find an emergency vet that would do anything but put him down (not an option IMHO) but I cannot afford emergency surgery unfortunately. Our vet on Monday will work with us on our options and in the meantime I will give him comfort care and a lot of love. I'm sorry for those of you who think that I should rush him in. I wish I could.... I can't. I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend and any other responses and advice on splint and/or collar will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Chinmama]

Where are you located? Someone nearby may be able to suggest an experienced E-vet who can see him if he deteriorates any before Monday.

 

[ticklechin]

Be prepared to hand feed, chins in pain can refuse to eat and he will not be able to go until monday without food. I would weigh his bowl at night and in the AM and make sure he is eating enough, not just do a visual of how many pellets are missing. Mark the bottle also to make sure it drops.

 

[addictedtochins]

I wouldn't splint or collar him, he might start chewing at the splint then start on his leg. I have never heard of a chin being collared, the only reason you would even think of it is to prevent him from chewing his leg which is his response to extreme pain. Do a search on amputations. I've heard of quite a few who have had them and they all came out fine. I think it's Lynn on here has a boy who is missing both legs on the same side and he is happy and gets around OK.

 

[BellaBella]

My chin lost her left arm on a holiday weekend, so I sympathize. I was able to get her to an er vet, however - I had no choice really as it was a compound fracture and her arm was dangling by a piece of skin.

They did outfit her with an e-collar (one that they cut to fit her specifically) so she wouldn't bother her stitches. If it all possible, try to get one of the er vets to prescribe you metacam for pain until you are able to see your reg vet - they do it by weight I believe, and should help your chin stay comfortable until you can get him seen.

 

[CerLynn]

We've dealt with a broken back leg as well, and from our experience, if it is broken, I would recommend amputation. We chose the pinning and splinting route, and it was a very long (and very uncertain) healing process. Luckily it turned out well, but I would've kicked myself if he would have needed amputation after over 2 months of trying to fix the leg. Amputation will likely be easier on your wallet as well. He also had a collar throughout pretty much the entire healing process - first around the neck, and then more as a skirt, which was much easier on him. Best of luck and keep us updated!

 

[kdr13]

I had a chin who had a bad gash on her back and they put a collar on her and she stopped eating b/c she couldn't get her hands around the collar. If you do have to use a collar, I would put it on like a skirt like cerlynn said. We did the same and she was much happier with it like that (not that she was happy about having it on at all)....honestly I wouldn't put on a collar until the vet tells you to because if your chin is irritated with it, it might cause more injury becasue she might try to take it off and struggle. Just my opinion.

 

[lauralynne]

Just curious as to how he's doing today...

 

[Easterpiggy]

good luck with this whole thing we're rootin' for you!

 

[Remyma0408]

Hopefully all is well. I am just now seeing this. Will he see the vet today (Monday)?

 

[Jovi]

Any update? I hope your chin is ok.

 

[Marie5656]

Just wondering how the chin is today.

 

[chinmom]

Thank you all!!

Thanks for all the great responses I got for our little man's broken leg! You were all so helpful!

He did just fine over the weekend, still eating and drinking and wanting to play. A bit irritated that I took out all his climbing toys so he could not play. We finally talked to a highly recommended exotic pet vet (emerg. phone call) Sat. am and he talked to us regarding chin man's situation and we planned on Monday's visit to him. Amputation is an option but by what I told him he felt that there is a good chance of saving his leg. Chin man was managing good on his discomfort level, eating and drinking and no signs of infection. Toes still warm. He talked us through a simple, safe and stabilizing splint. He told us what to watch for that would mean to take him in for emerg. before Mon. We were warned that he may try to take care of it himself, chewing it off as their instincts tell them. Like my daughter said tho~ we have domesticated him enough that he is relying on us to take care of this and that is exactly what he his letting us do! After a night of rest, he was very happy to have us help him. He held still while we designed and put on his splint as the vet described. He did really good with it all weekend. While awkward, he soon realized that it made him mobile to a reasonable extent again.

On Monday we took him in to the vet. He took an x ray and said that he had broken his tibia in the middle left hind leg. Little to no swelling, no signs of infection, pink warm toes and a seemingly happy chin eating, drinking and acting normal (except at home he is still pissy about being restricted to the bottom of his cage, lol)

Anyhow, the vet was really nice and said we did a good job on our splint. He didn't want to disrupt it and chin was not bothering the splint. We left the toes open on the top so we could monitor the temperature/color. So far, no need for a collar Yay! I think he totally knows that this is to help him. He likes to play with the gauze strings around the edge but that's it. He's being really good. With the boot cast, his foot is not dragging. He is holding it up with his hip when he walks putting slight pressure on the boot. When he sits, his leg is in normal position.
We are watching him close. It's going to be a while they said but there is a chance of saving his leg. I sure hope so!
In the meantime, he is getting super spoiled, lol. He's loving being hand fed, laying on us with his cast on our chest. He's always been a lounger, it's funny to see him adapt to laying totally on his side with the casted leg on the upside, ha ha! We are driving an hour and a half up to my parents at their house in the mountains this weekend and he his going with us. He is used to this and loves my parents. They can't wait to see him and kiss his owie .
I hope we can save his leg. He said a good chance but it will take a while. As long as toes are pink and warm we will leave his splint a week then check on it and put it back on again. He said as long as he is doing well and it looks ok, no bad signs we see him again in a month to decide if the bone is healing. If the leg dies or heals improperly we will amp. but decided if he could handle it ok we will chance saving it. And handling it well he is!

Thank you all for caring . I got a variety of different responses and PM's and I am grateful for all of you that love your chins so much that you took the time to help out another. I will update how it all works out!