Dirty Chin

[staci-p]

Hi,
I adopted a chinnie named olivia around 5-6 months ago. She has been having problems with her fur being stained by urine (as well as urine scalding, which sounds incredibly unpleasant). I've taken her to the vet 3 times since I have gotten her, each time i am given some medicine (to help with her UTI i think), some cream to soothe her scalding, as well as gettin a small shave in order to make the cream applying more effective. The problem is not going away. She is constantly spraying urine at my other chins (she is not very social at all, everytime someone walks by her cage she snarls at them), which i think may contribute to her dirtiness. Anyway, her fur also looks really bad. She gets Blue Cloud dust, but her fure always looks gross, and she also always has peices of fur hanging put, though she has made an improvment since i got her, she still looks not so great.
Any ideas on how to make her fur look nicer and dealing with her urine problems?

 

[Cuddlebug]

You can try cleaning the stained areas with an unscented baby wipe, followed by a thorough drying and a dust bath. You may need to do it more than once to get the stains out.

 

[staci-p]

I've done that and it works, but after a couple days it just gets worse...I dont think there is anyway to stop it, and i would do it everyday but it seems she becomes more and more tamatized evertime i do it...

 

[Spoof]

and i would do it everyday but it seems she becomes more and more tamatized evertime i do it...

With chins this bad (constantly urinating at the slightest move) you may have to buck up and do some desensitization training with her.

Chins that are so bad I use these methods almost can not eat on their own. They will not take any food that smells human. They are usually very underweight, cry constantly and exude tension and stress.

As the masters say "it's the release that teaches" - in other words, if/when you release her and she is still tense or angry it teaches her to fight harder. If you hold on and do not let go until she completely relaxes she will learn that relaxation = release. It can take a rather long time with a chin that is traumatized.

It's a rough deal, but there have been a few so bad I've donned my leather gloves and pinned them down in the cage. They'll piss, bite, scream, kick, release their odor, etc. Just wait it out. Longest I had was ~25 minutes the third time, called an "extinction burst". As soon as they relax - you'll feel the muscles let out - let them go. Then do it again. I do it 3-8 times depending on the chin. Some can not take it more than three - you'll know because when you remove your hand after they relax they'll lay there or move off stunned. Normally they'll pop up and run to the other side of the cage.

The next step is to pin them and curl your fingers around them or act like you are picking them up - same thing. Wait until they relax.

Why go to this extreme? How terrible is it to live in such fear that movement causes you to piss all over yourself? Starve? A week or two of intense interaction and your life could be changed - one where people mean relaxation and it's safe to eat and play. They gain weight, they are healthier and not as aggressive towards other animals.

These chins get to live in my tub (due to the amount of urination) and because of that they see me very frequently. I approach and retreat a lot - eg, use the potty/wash hands without bothering them and when they become comfortable enough to not run I'll drop a treat in for that. That's usually the turning point, when they willingly eat treats.

On a side note, some lines just like to drag their bottoms and sit in their own urine. I had a couple like that and the babies did it too. Got rid of them all though they were very friendly and had very nice topsides. It was just gross to pick them up and stick your hand in that all the time.

 

[staci-p]

Thanks!
She is underweight and hates human food (i read that part and though "yep thats Olivia")
I'll try that holding method with her, and hope she gets better.

 

[Chub_Chub]

Cornstarch!!!!!! You would not believe how much this helped stained fur. And our mini herd is sooo much softer now too. When Susan told us about adding it to the bath, we thought it was a little strange But it works!! Plus the chins look cute all whited out :thumbsup: