Chinchilla skin infection(?)

[gmalsman]

I'll start by saying that before today I personally knew next to nothing about Chinchillas.

The pet store manager let us bring this little guy home to take care of him for a few days. He has a bumpy bald patch of skin that looks infected or at least irritated, though he is showing no signs of discomfort. The vet said it is not ringworm and that it could be cancer or some other infection. I can't find anything online about a Chinchilla getting skin cancer, so I hope I can rule that out.

I have a couple pictures, my camera isn't the greatest however, I may be able to get better shots if needed. I really want to see this guy get better so he can find a good home!

 

[AZChins]

Hmmmmm...it could be scar tissue or a wound healing up. How does the vet know that it is not fungus? Did he put him under a black light or take a scraping?

It almost looks like the chin had an abscess that drained out and is healing, but I can't tell. Do you know how long it has been like that?

Chins can have cancer. It isn't terribly common, but it can happen.

 

[javachin]

It looks more like an abscess to me than fungus. Fungus usually starts around the nose, but it could be completely random. When the site is dry, what does it look like?

 

[gmalsman]

In the center of the bald spot is a red growth, it bulges out a bit and is "squishy". It is covered in bumps, some red and some white. I was not at the vet, but was told that he was originally treated for ringworm, no other fungus was mentioned. The pet store was not willing to biopsy because of the cost.

He is on two medications, Gentizol and Benadryl, prescribed by the vet. Unfortunately, I am not sure how long this has been going on, but I can probably find out.

 

[Jazicat]

We took our boys for well vet visits when we got them. It was an added expense but we wanted them to be seen and the vet to have met them healthy. Maybe you could take your guy to your own vet for a second opinion?

 

[gmalsman]

Another vet said it looked like an abscess so we're treating it like one. It's looking much better! The growth has shrunk and the skin around it is smooth, the redness has gone away as well, probably because he's stopped messing with it.

It looks like we'll be taking care of him until it completely heals and the hair grows back.

Thanks for the responses everyone!

 

[Kansas City Chinchillas]

I will take 3 to 4 months for the fur to grow back to it's original length.

 

[AZChins]

That's good news! Maybe it was just a wound that got infected. I'm glad to hear that it doesn't appear to be cancer. And, Cathy's right...it can take months for the fur to grow back to the normal length.

 

[Stackie]

It looks a bit like a bite wound that could have abscessed to me.