Perianal mass

[Almostperfect10]

Yesterday, I noticed a very swollen area near my almost-three year old male chin, Alfie's left testicle. He seemed active and fine over the weekend. He was a little quieter than usual on Sunday, but not enough to alarm me. I only noticed the swollen area when I held him. He seems a little blah, but is still eating, drinking, pooping, and peeing well.

We went to the vet today, but he couldn't tell if it was a tumor or an abscess (fingers crossed) between the testicle and the anus. The vet started him on Baytril and scheduled him to come back on Thursday during surgery hours to remove whatever it is. I am lucky to have an extremely competent exotics vet who I trust completely, but I am still scared for my baby boy.

Since we've been home, I've searched through this forum looking for info. I know tumors are rare in chins. I saw one picture posted a few months ago of a chin with a similar lump that turned out to be an abscess. Is this a typical area for chins to get abscesses? Has anyone experienced a tumor in this area of a chin?

I've attached a photo of the mass in question. For reference, his anus is the brown spot on the left side of the mass (he was just starting to show me that he was indeed pooping okay).

 

[AZChins]

It looks like it could be a hernia. That's a common place for this to happen with male chins...more so with chins that have been neutered (possibly by a less than experienced vet.) This is something that is pretty easy to fix especially if you have a great vet.

It could be an abscess. Those happen and they can be very swollen, but I think your vet may have been able to tell if it were an abscess just by feeling it. But, some abscesses will feel very hard or soft and squishy, it just depends on how much pressure the puss in the abscess is exerting against the skin.

I wouldn't worry too much...you are taking care of this ASAP and that means that he has a very good chance of having no complications so his procedure will probably go smoothly. You should see what happens when people let abscesses and hernias and tumors go unchecked and untreated for months or years. ick.

 

[Almostperfect10]

Susan, thank you for your reassuring words! You've put my mind at ease a bit. It would be great if it ended up being a hernia! I hadn't even thought about that. I am ust thankful that whatever it is will be taken care of tomorrow.

He seemed a little more blah last night. I don't know if he was feeling worse or was just worn out from his trip to the vet and from fighting me when it was time for his Baytril. His appetite is still good this morning, and he doesn't seem to be paying any extra attention to his genital region.

 

[AZChins]

Baytril can make chins feel like that. It can make chinchillas feel a little out of it, it's good that he's still eating. Most healthy chins do pretty well with it when it's used for a preventative.

Not that hernias are something you want a chin to have, but they're usually pretty to correct. If that's what going on here, it's probably just fat tissue that has sort of popped out. The trick with any of these things is to catch it quickly and take care of it right away.

I hope his surgery goes well tomorrow...you'll have to keep us posted.

 

[Almostperfect10]

I didn't get to talk to the vet to find out what it was, but supposedly he is doing great and can go home at 5:00pm!! I will post more details later...

 

[Cinder and Me]

Hope he's doing ok!! Did the vet say what the mass was?

 

[Almostperfect10]

Alfie is groggy, but doing well! The mass ended up being an abscess. Surgery was a bit more complicated than expected due to the abscess being attached to his rectum.

He's on Baytril and Metacam for two weeks, then he goes back for a recheck.

I imagine he won't be too happy about being restricted to a small cage and minimal activity for the next two weeks...

 

[AZChins]

I'm so glad you took him in and got that fixed! It's good to hear that he made it through surgery and is doing well. He'll hate being restricted but it's for his own good...and he'll make up for it in a couple weeks.

 

[mercynursie]

Geezz! Great catch for you and your Dr for taking care of this problem.Don't wait to start adding probiotics,reglan(rx for gut motility),and hand feeding with critical care.He needs all of the extras to help him get healed from this surgery and not wait until the most likely complications of this kind of stress develope(weight loss,poor nutrition=poor healing, the baytril and just the stress of being ill are enough to trigger gut problems).Prayers for both of you as I sure you know that since the abcess involved the rectum it may be a long recovery for both of you.

 

[Almostperfect10]

I am beyond heartbroken. My Alfie died in my arms this afternoon.

He did very well following his surgery. That night (Thursday), though still a bit groggy, Alfie was eager to come out of his cage for a very restricted playtime. I turned my back for a second, and he snuck up on a chair as he always did. He was a pain to shoo back to the cage.

Friday he still seemed sleepy but not to the point of concerning me. I was a little concerned that I hadn't seen him eat much, so I mixed up critical care, which he took willingly. Throughout the day he had all his meds (and benebac) and critical care. He was quiet during his playtime but still obviously wanted up on the chair.

Saturday he still seemed sleepy. Meds and handfeeding continued. That night he just sat around during his little bit of time out of cage. He seemed weak and had a little trouble getting up his cage door when it was time to go back.

Today he seemed even weaker. He managed to have a reasonable amount of critical care. His breathing seemed a little off. I sat with him on my lap for a little while after he ate. Then he burrowed into the crook of my arm and took his last breath.

I never expected this. He wasn't even three and had always been very active and healthy. He did so well right after the surgery. He never seemed to be in pain. He didn't even seem uncomfortable. His incision was barely even visible and looked healthy. I'm pretty sure I started critical care before any belly issues started (I've dealt with those before and know the urgency), and he showed no signs of them. As far as I know, I did everything properly. I know his surgery was longer and more involved than anticipated. I really didn't think such a strong young chin would have trouble with it. I can hardly believe he is gone.

 

[Claire D]

I am so very sorry for your loss.

One possibility is that Alfie was septic (infection in the bloodstream) - in small furries it is hard to treat & chins don't always show just how poorly they really are. Coupled with a longer than expected anaesthetic, it could have just been too much for his little body to cope with.

From your description you did everything possible for Alfie - sometimes chins are just too fragile.

 

[mercynursie]

I am truely sorry for your loss.Your baby had a very traumatic surgery esp when the intestines are involved so many more complications can occur.You did wonderfully to catch the problem and you had hime taken care of by a good vet too.Bowel tumors and abcesses are often a sign of other diseases that cannot be seen and also very suscepitble to infection not from poor/bad care but just as a complication,You and your vet did your best ,he just needed a higher healer to cure his body.Now he is free of pain and waiting for your happy reunion.Take care and know that you did all you could for him.

 

[Cinder and Me]

Oh no! I'm so sorry about your loss. You did everything you could and he knew that. Have you spoken to the vet about him? <hugs>

 

[Almostperfect10]

Thank you for your thoughts. I put a call in to the vet, but have not yet heard back. I can only think that my Alfie was much sicker than he let on. I wish they weren't so good at hiding that...