He's stuck... should I do anything?

[mk94]

I feel really bad right now because I haven't been able to give my little boy a whole lot of attention lately. Anyway, I checked on him night and the first thing I noticed was that it looked like he had peed on himself. I lifted him up and noticed his penis was protruding a little bit. Oh dear, I thought for sure he had some hair on there or something. So I took him out and I looked. Nope... nothing. Well, that's strange. Now he has always been a bit "happy" with his penis, cleaning it regularly and whatnot. I've never really had a problem with him having a fur ring. So then I thought maybe it was a little dry down there or something. I put a little dab of lubricant on there and moved it back in as much as I could. But it's still kinda sticking out a little bit. Should I keep messing with it? Or just leave it be and see if he gets it back in by himself? I've never had a problem like this before, so I guess I'm not sure if it will go back in or not.

 

[Sasha]

Did you extend it all the way out? Sometimes there is fur stuck in there.
As for it going back, sometimes it wont go back in right away. I'd just let it be for the time being and check later. Look out for any signs of inflammation like redness/swelling.

 

[mk94]

Yes, I had it all the way out. I couldn't find anything. So weird. I checked on him this morning and it's still protruding a little bit. It's not really red, but it looks a little plump. It's also kinda glossy now from the lubricant and the fur around his mouth looks it may have gotten on some it as well. I guess maybe he was messing with it last night afterward. I'm going to look at it again. If I still don't find anything, I'll have to see if I can find a vet that will look at him.

 

[starleomach]

sometimes there is a single hair that is hard to see.

 

[mk94]

Okay, since it's Sunday, I was only able to get a hold of an emergency vet clinic. The lady I talked to said that since it has been out for at least 12 hours, then it would be best if we bring him in. So I guess that's what I'm going to do. I tried looking at it again, but he's not wanting to cooperate today and my husband isn't much help.

 

[mk94]

Alright, here's an update for you. We took him to the emergency vet clinic and they took a look at him. She used the surgical lamp and a magnifying glass, but even she could not find a thing. So she just eased it back in with some lubricant and told us to monitor him. She said she couldn't see anything wrong with the tissue, other than it's a little bit swollen. So yeah, we're not sure what the problem is. She told us to put some white paper down in his cage to see what color his urine is. Other than that, she really wasn't sure what could have caused the problem. Anyway, I have him home and there is still a swollen area of sheath that kinda looks like a bulb. But his actual penis isn't sticking out anymore.
Now I'm just worried about the mess he has made of himself. He has pee all over his underside. Any suggestions for cleaning him up? I'll probably wait until tomorrow since he seems a bit upset right now (but who likes going to the vet, right?). I was thinking maybe trying to wipe his belly with a damp washcloth. Obviously he's going to need more than some dust baths to get it all off. So any advice would be appreciated.

 

[mk94]

No pee yet... hmm...

 

[Sasha]

Usually with dustbaths the pee stains will eventually go away. But if you want it gone sooner you can try and use the wet washcloth (dunno how well it will work) just make sure you dry him off well and good. Id leave him be for a bit though, he's probably really stressed out from the poking/prodding and vet visit. A little pee stain isn't going to hurt him.

 

[AZChins]

I'd keep an eye on it and see if the swelling goes down over time. Sometimes even if the fur ring has been removed, there's still the residual swelling that just needs some time to resolve itself. The penis can become very irritated with the chin messing with it trying to clean it up after a fur ring, etc.

I hope he urinates for you soon. Did the vet mention anything about stones or other things being lodged in the urethra?

 

[mk94]

I'd keep an eye on it and see if the swelling goes down over time. Sometimes even if the fur ring has been removed, there's still the residual swelling that just needs some time to resolve itself. The penis can become very irritated with the chin messing with it trying to clean it up after a fur ring, etc.

I hope he urinates for you soon. Did the vet mention anything about stones or other things being lodged in the urethra?

She examined him very thoroughly down there but she didn't say anything about finding any stones or anything like that. She did say that it was possible he really did have a fur ring but managed to remove it himself, which then could have led to the swelling if he had been messing with it a great deal. She felt his bladder, but said she could not feel anything. She wanted us to see what his pee looked like before deciding to do any x-rays or anything like that. If his pee looks normal, she said, then we shouldn't need to do anything except monitor him. But no pee yet, unfortunately. He's still pretty swollen down there too, but at least nothing is hanging out anymore.

 

[mk94]

He peed! Finally! I took a look at it and it is yellow. Not really dark, but then again he has been drinking quite a bit since he's come back from the vet. And everything is still intact, just the same swollen appearance. So I guess I'll just wait and watch. And hopefully we can do something about all the pee in his fur. I would really like to try to get some of it off because his fur looks icky. I guess I'm just worried it's all going to stick together in clumps.

 

[AZChins]

Thank Goodness! A little cornstarch in the dust will help take care of the yellowish color on his fur if he's been getting urine on himself. Dust him every day or every other day until he looks normal.

I hope that the swelling goes down quickly. He'll be alright.

Isn't it strange when people are happy that your pet peed?

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

Unscented baby wipes are OK with which to try and do a little cleaning up.

 

[mk94]

Haha! Well it didn't help that he wasn't too anxious to pee when we got home, but I'm impatient like that. Since he's light colored, the pee stains are pretty obvious. So, yeah, it would make me feel better if I could get rid of them. I hadn't heard the cornstarch thing, but I could give it a try. The baby wipes might work too. Hmm... maybe I should try the cornstarch first since that sounds less traumatic.

 

[mk94]

Just in case anyone was interested, the swelling seems to be going down a bit. I gave him a dust bath today too. I also rubbed his underside with a dry wash cloth just to see if he would let me do it. He didn't seem to mind really, maybe it felt like he was getting groomed by another chinchilla? Anyway, I'm thinking it won't be too traumatic for him if the wash cloth is wet next time.

 

[AZChins]

The swelling going down is good! Yay. Definitely try the cornstarch in his dust...seriously, it works tremendously well over just a few dust baths to clean up yellowish spots in the fur. And, they look funny when they are a little whited out for a few minutes...

 

[mk94]

Yes, I'll have to pick some up. We have cornstarch powder, but it's not the plain kind.

 

[oxchincerelyxo]

if you do decide to use baby wipes or anything wet be sure to make sure he is fully dry after use. Fungi can grow very easily in the fur if it is a bit wet. Other than that the suggestions here have worked for me and should do the same for you-or it'll come out in time! Thry look silly part yellow :tease: