Chin with a broken pelvis

[CJR]

Susan - I gave her an empty toilet paper roll last night after I cleaned her carrier up, I'm going to see if she shredded it or not. She was chewing on something last night, I heard it multiple times. )

Kdr13 - I would not hesitate to drive an hour and ten minutes to see Dr. Angie. However, I live three hours away... it would be at least an eight hour ordeal to go see Dr. Angie and come back. Tia travels well, but that is a loooong ways. And a full tank of gas. But I am seriously considering going to her, three hours be darned.

Tunes - I usually have my ceiling fan set to its lowest or next-to-lowest setting to keep air moving in my room. It has been off lately though, so that might be it...

Essentia - That is a good point. I will keep watch on her and see...

 

[Brittany_Lynn]

I think it was a good step for you to dust her I have read that sometimes it is worse for a chin to be dirty than any small amount of pain when you dust them. There is an article on chincare.com about dust massages--basically for an occasion (sp) likethis: you go slow and massage them with dusty hands, then adding some dust right on their fur and rubbing it in. If i wasnt on my ipod right now Id send you the link

 

[CJR]

I've got a question (I always have questions, lol).

Should I let Tia have some playtime during the day? Just let her hop around for a little bit, maybe 10-15 minutes? Or is that a really bad idea? I was just reading about how chins can get impactions if they don't move around much... and she is obviously not doing too much moving...

Ps. She is doing *great* on the Metacam - she eats plenty; poops either plenty, moderately, or semi-moderately; and chews wood to absolute shreads when she isn't hurting!

She also will let me syringe-feed her a few times a day - not much, just about 5mL at a time, but I really just want her to get used to it so that if I *do* have to force feed her... it might be somewhat willing. I really don't want to burrito her, I'm afraid it would hurt her pelvis.

 

[CJR]

Oh, and one last thing - her eyes are still watery, the fur is still damp around them. Cause for concern or no?

 

[tunes]

No playtime at all. Not even for 5 minutes. That's the point to being on complete cagerest. All it would take is one hop, and that bone will lose whatever fusion it's gained. You're already fighting a huge uphill battle with it being such a severe break. You don't want a re-break or it will never heal.

As far as the eyes, I still would guess it's from a ventilation issue. Those little cat carriers just don't have much air flow. If you're concerned about it, have them checked when you take her in for a recheck on her pelvis. For right now, as long as she's eating, drinking, pooping, and peeing alright, no swiping at the mouth, no drooling - I wouldn't mess with it.

 

[CJR]

No playtime at all. Not even for 5 minutes. That's the point to being on complete cagerest. All it would take is one hop, and that bone will lose whatever fusion it's gained. You're already fighting a huge uphill battle with it being such a severe break. You don't want a re-break or it will never heal.

As far as the eyes, I still would guess it's from a ventilation issue. Those little cat carriers just don't have much air flow. If you're concerned about it, have them checked when you take her in for a recheck on her pelvis. For right now, as long as she's eating, drinking, pooping, and peeing alright, no swiping at the mouth, no drooling - I wouldn't mess with it.

She hops around in her carrier (she can't go far, obviously, maybe half a hop) and when I get her out to clean it she often struggles... I just don't know how her pelvis could ever heal, she's always moving around?

 

[menagerie]

For better circulation, you can get cages that are about the same size as the cat carrier. That would get her out in the open and she wouldn't feel like she's in a cave all the time. How much smaller is the little cage you put her in for dinner time with you than the carrier?

 

[mishellyshel]

I have also used a small birdcage for travel. i was able to fit a tube & shelf in it so it was not too small............you couldnt do that because you dont want tia to jump BUT the bottom space is bigger and the ventilation is much better.
or you could look on craigslist and see if someone has a small cage for free or super cheap. the cat carriers are good for transportation and short stays but for long term you may want to consider a different option.
i have no idea where carlisle, pa is but maybe if you post in the wanted section someone here may be close enough to lend you. i am in mercer county NJ so if that is anywhere near you, i have a cage you can borrow. it is a super pet and i can take a pic if you are interested.

 

[CJR]

The hamster cage would would, it is probably the same size except the carrier is a rectangle and it is a square.

This is the hamster cage, or almost exactly like it anyways.

I'll move her to the hamster cage when I go home tomorrow morning - I'm at my boyfriend's house for the night (he's been getting really jealous over the whole Tia thing).

 

[mishellyshel]

yes..........something like that! just watch she doesnt chew the plastic. that will definitely give her a little more airflow. it is also small enough that you can travel with it when not staying home.

hey don't worry bout the jealousy.............my fiance' is convinced i love my chins more than him! it just shows you have the capability TO love!

 

[CJR]

Well she's been in the hamster cage for two days now and she HATES it. It's smaller than the cat carrier, and she really hates it. Anytime I open the door, she thrusts her whole body out. Last night as I tried to gently push her back in, she actually bit me. No blood, but she did tear skin off. She has been throwing her wood pieces, tipping her food dish...

She also will scrub her hands furiously on the floor and then do this weird... peeping scream. My camera can't record it, I tried. It's like a high pitched "WHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYY".

I'm worried that, as she continues to throw these fits, she's going to injure herself more. Should I put her in a slightly bigger cage? Or just let her throw fits?

Also - her watery eyes began to dry up with 12 hours of moving her to the hamster cage. So it was a ventilation issue.

 

[tunes]

That cage you pictured does seem too small even for an ill and confined chin. It looks just slightly larger than a show cage. Can you get one slightly larger, more the size of the cat carrier? Maybe check Craigslist and see if there is a cheap one on there. Now that you know it was the ventilation causing the eye issue, you know it won't hurt her to put her back in the carrier, but it will most likely be uncomfortable, especially if she starts digging at her eyes.

 

[Claire D]

This is where it gets tricky for you & very, very frustrating for her. Being her advocate just got harder - because you naturally want to give in to her increasing demands & you will feel really guilty for not doing so.
Basically the Metacam & the enforced rest will be reducing her pain - so she is "feeling better" & wants out.

I know it's hard but keeping her confined really is the best thing for her - it's hard not being able to let her know it's for her own good.

Hang on in there - she's doing well & so are you.

 

[mishellyshel]

the hamster cage you have her in is approximately 14 x 11 & the typical cat carrier is 20 x 12. i also suggested before to check craigs list in your area for a cheap cage. i think the bird cage that i have used for travel is about 15 x 15 or maybe a little larger and it really was ample space but not too much that there would be running. of course i was able to add shelves and a tube but you can not. all you really can put in there is a bed of fleece because anything else she may try to jump on.

 

[CJR]

I have this cage at home. I really can not afford to get another cage.

This is 18" by 18", and it's 22" high.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754308

 

[tunes]

That should be okay. It would be great if it was a little shorter, so she couldn't hop, but on the other hand it will make her feel like she has a lot more room. Hopefully she won't feel so crabby.

Make sure you get rid of the wire grid on the bottom. Duct tape the slide out try shut (which will actually make it a lot easier for cleaning) and watch for chewing on the plastic.

 

[mishellyshel]

i think that is the exact bird cage i have or it looks very similar. i dont think mine had a wire bottom though.......although it could have been removed.
it was an extra my mom had for her bird and i thought it would be a good carrier or temp cage for the chins.

try it out, see if she is a little happier, but make sure she doesnt have too much room to run around. i think this cage will be the happy medium she needs til she is healed.

 

[CJR]

I took the wire bottom out when I bought it because I hate them. It used to be a bird cage, long ago, and then when my bird passed away I re-did it into a rat cage.

I'm going to take the ledges and ramps out tonight and put her in that. Hopefully it will ungrouchify her a little bit.

 

[CJR]

Well, that was fun. I cleaned up the old cage, took the levels out, put the towel and fleece in, put Tia in... and like some sort of SPIDER CHIN she leaped up at least halfway and just clung to the bars, looking at me like WHAT'S UP MAN.

I freaked. Obviously she needs a bigger cage, but I can't have her climbing around like that! So I got a piece of cardboard and fleece, and made a new "ceiling".

Top of the 'ceiling'.

Sideways view of the ceiling.

I've made ramps like this for rats before, it's actually quite sturdy. I use packing tape and made a tape-cardboard-tape sandwich over the bars so that the cardboard is locked in place. The fleece I only included so she can't chew the cardboard.

Meanwhile, she seems totally pleased to be in something that is nearly at least half bigger than the previous little cage.

If you look real close in the back right corner, you can see the pillow she sits on all the time. It's kind of hard to see because it is made of the same pattern material. She LOVES to sit on the pillows I made, it's cute.

Anyway - do you guys think that's a suitable size? She can move around a good bit in it, maybe even more so than the cat carrier.

Ps. Her eyes are almost completely dried up.

 

[AZChins]

I think it's fine, the cage looks about right for keeping her at the bottom so she can heal. I'm just sorry that she's driving you nuts with all her spider chin activities. I have a little guy who is doing exactly the same thing...he doesn't have a broken pelvis...but he gets to the top of his three foot tall cage and clings.