Please use proper terms...

[Riven]

Okay, I know that I'm really anal about this, and for some reason society makes it seem wrong a lot of the times, but please use proper terms when describing your chinchillas anatomy...

I mean what one person thinks "man parts" refers to, may not be the same as another's idea. No one is worried about saying my chin hurt it's foot. Or it's ear is bleeding.

A male chinchilla has a penis, it can be in his cone or sheath or out of it, such as while doing a hair ring check. He also has an anus, and sometimes on either side of it you can see his scrotal sacs.

A female chinchilla has a penile cone and an anus. The penile cone has a slit and it may be open or it may be closed. Either way technically this is not the vagina, but most people will understand what you mean if you say that.

Using proper terms can help people more clearly understand what you're saying, especially if you're asking a question regarding medical situations.

If I say something like "she had bleeding down there", no one knows if you're talking about bleeding from the anus, the surface of the cone, or out of the vagina. Which means we can't really help answer your question properly.

*For those wondering, technically the vagina is the the section that internally connects the uterus to the labia by way of the vaginal orifice.

 

[Claire D]

Since we're getting into semantics - according to veterinary textbooks on the anatomy of chinchillas:

Males have a penile sheath, females have a urinary papilla (commonly referred to as the 'urethral cone') & the 'slit' is referred to as the vulva.

 

[Riven]

I have no problem with that.

I don't know if it's because I worked for so many years at the vet or what, but never once while assisting in embryo transfers did I have Dr. Buhman say " Could you clean then open her bottom" and never during a neuter did I hear anyone say "I need you to hold this ball or man part over so I can get in there..."

 

[Claire D]

But they are veterinary professionals ....... I would not expect them to use colloquial terms but then I do not expect the members of the forum to use correct veterinary terms either - which is why I try to give an explanation if I use anatomical or physiological terms. *shrugs*

I think you need to cut people some slack, TBH - as long as they are not using childish terms like 'peepee' then there's no harm being done.

 

[lauralynne]

Although you have worked in a vet's office, 99% of people here have not. Nor is this a vet's office. It is a casual forum and if people feel odd using textbook terms for chinchilla genetalia, not a huge deal, IMO. As long as we get the gist, we are able to offer advice or ask for further details.

 

[Riven]

Actually, when someone says, like a current post, that there is something on their chins bottom, that's pretty wide open for interpretation. Is it an anal discharge, vaginal discharge? Do they know, maybe they don't, but if they could tell it would help with suggestions of what might be happening and the urgency of the issue.

 

[RDZCRanch]

Honestly, that gives you the general area...why does it matter if the first post specifically says urethral cone (not penile cone...) or anus or vulva? Obviously joe schmoe is not going to know the different parts of a chinchilla's anatomy. Telling us there is fluid on the bottom narrows down where it came from quite a bit. Would you rather someone say "There's something on my chin." THAT would drive me crazy, not saying there is something on the chin's bottom.

 

[Lynn & The Chins]

If it's not a medical emergency, may I still refer to the scrotal sacs as LPCBs??? :tease:

 

[cindyv3737]

If it's not a medical emergency, may I still refer to the scrotal sacs as LPCBs??? :tease:

Yes you may.


I agree with Tab. I don't care what term you use as long as the poster tells us where the issue is. Most people here do not work for vets or are vets. If I get the gist of the question then all is good. Why the need for textbook terms?

 

[tunes]

My big thing is people who say stupid things like hoo ha or vajayjay (sorry Laurie). I'd rather they say "down below" than come up with these incredibly stupid terms. I am also going to assume when someone says down below, they mean genitalia. Most people don't hesitate to say butt or (my all time favorite) butthole if that's what they mean.

The use of the word balls now, that's not a huge favorite of mine given that this is a kid friendly forum for those over 14. I would prefer someone say down below, genitalia, genitals, testicles, etc.

 

[Riven]

I don't think that the words genitalia or genitals should be that offensive, but yet it gives a good idea of what is being talked about. For a female since there are very limited visible parts even saying "female parts" tells you exactly what is being talked about. For males, they have more options, so someone might say " his male parts are red and swollen" but that doesn't tell you if it's the penis or the scrotal sac, etc.

I never said that everyone should use exact terminology, you may say medical, but it's actually just terminology. My name is Nicole, that's my name whether you're talking about me personally or medically, my hand is still my hand either way. It's not like saying hepatic system instead of liver ( I know that the hepatic system refers to more than just the liver). That is the name for the areas.

Peggy, vajayjay is one of the most annoying things I've ever heard, in fact there were people in my CNA class who would use that and it made me and the instructors insane. In fact we had a discussion about proper wording.

I did not make this thread to come here and command every one to become a surgical specialist, I'm simply trying to make the point that using proper terms or at least terms that can be more specific can be very helpful and I know for me personally, at the sake of angering and annoying even more people today, I have a hard time thinking of someone who can't get it a little more specific as someone who is very not knowledgeable. I know that's not necessarily true, but to me it's kind of the same as people who can't spell well and use grammar. I think most of us have seen that sort of message on our phones, internet, or else where that just makes you wonder about the intellectual capacity of some people.

And yes Lynn, you're safe, lol. I think if you're having a casual conversation, because this is obviously a causal forum, and want to use pet terms that's fine, but if you're asking for medical help or information ( even though this is not a medical forum ) then it's a little better to be more specific, even if it includes the term butthole.

ETA:

why does it matter if the first post specifically says urethral cone (not penile cone...) or anus or vulva? Obviously joe schmoe is not going to know the different parts of a chinchilla's anatomy.

Because it does make a difference, it is normal for a female to have a whitish discharge from her vagina during a heat cycle, it is not normal for a chin to have a whitish discharge from their anus. By saying this are you basically assuming that Joe Schmoe is not capable of knowing basic anatomy? It's not difficult to know that in almost all species a male has a penis and a female has a vulva, or even as Peggy said use the word gentilia to describe any outer parts used for reproduction.

 

[Claire D]

I think that most people post in a panic when there is something wrong with their chin & they are naturally worried - sometimes they don't use the same terminology as we do & sometimes, in their panic, they don't post specifics. IMHO our job as forum members is to help them be more specific so that we can help them - sometimes that means using different terminology - in exactly the same way that we (those involved in the medical profession) explain medical terminology in layman's terms......

Also, if we're being pedantic about posting - what about abbreviations? Some people take chinchilla-specific abbreviations for granted but not everyone knows what CC (Critical Care) is or LL (LifeLine) ....... it is helpful if people replying post the full description as well as the abbreviation.
Here in the UK, for example, we have two types of Critical Care. One is OCC (Oxbow Critical Care) & the other is a completely different product, VCC (Vetark Critical Care). You really wouldn't want to confuse the two.


Speaking of which, what is a CNA class?

 

[tunes]

CNA is a certified nursing assistant.

 

[fanofdmb84]

Coming from a medical background myself, I know and understand the "medical" terminology. However, I am also aware that many pet owners have NO idea of their pets anatomy. It is hard to imagine for those of us who examine every inch of our pets, but some people just are not that way. Some people were forbidden to use words like penis or vagina growing up and it is not something they are comfortable with, so who are we to force people to do what we think is right? Furthermore, even if someone sees this and decides to try to use the correct terminology in a post, who is to say they get it right? At least if they say "bottom", other members can guide them in deciding which part it is actually coming from. If the person is misinformed about their pet's anatomy and they are afraid to use general terms and instead use the wrong anatomical term, most other members will assume they know what they are talking about. Any advice will be incorrect based on that first assumption.
I know people who are dyslexic and have seen how hard it is for them to convey a message with written words; it would be pretty unfair to get on their case about it without getting really personal. Chastising people about the words they use will only put them off and in the end their chins will suffer.

 

[Riven]

Yes it is. I guess I usually write critical care, to me when I see CC I think carbon copy, lol.

 

[Christina Noraas]

Also, since this is a forum with many age groups and you never know how old any one really is over the internet, they may just not feel comfortable with saying penis and vagina. I know adults that don't feel comfortable saying them.

 

[starleomach]

I understand not using some terms. As we are conditioned by society that saying words like Penis is somehow dirty. There are some ways to say things but what is really annoying in my opinion is terms like weewee and such.

 

[3CsMommy]

Considering Eve Ensler's most famous one woman show has to have alternative marketing options because of the number of people who object to publishing the word "vagina", I'm willing to tolerate a little slack in the wording of web posts.

Now if you're talking to your doctor about your who-hoo-dilly or tallywhacker, you've got bigger problems.

 

[Sycamore Chins]

I think it is slightly unrealistic to expect the majority of the population to use the correct detailed medical terms. Heck even with my bachelors degree I had a very limited knowledge of medical terminology, let alone proper anatomical terms. The majority of what I know of human anatomy is inferred from canine/feline/equine/bovine anatomy because I had little education when it came to human anatomy.

I know I wasn't the only adult feeling slightly awkward talking about penises (and cutting them open into cross-sections) to my male professors but we all got over it real fast!

We are often told in vet school that we will be learning all this jargon just to have to forget it all when we leave because joe-shmoe is going to have NO IDEA what we're talking about unless we super-simplify it down. (Like what I'm learning right now: the neurohypophysis is linked to the hypothalamus via the infundibular stalk and the median eminence within the sella turcica - ICK)

I guess what it all boils down to is I don't really care what you call it as long as I know what you're talking about. I'll be okay if my clients just point and mumble - of course, I'll try to educate them as much as they're willing.

 

[Riven]

Genitalia is pretty specific without having to any particular terms that relate to different animals or sexes. It in fact may be one of my new favorite words, so versatile.

What my thought is, if you can't tell the different between an anus ( butthole for Peggy) and genitalia ( va-jay-jay for Laurie ) then I'm concerned about the general health of the chin as well. Even a 13 yr old should know poop comes out of one, and not the other. Even if it's not a perfectly medical term, although that just makes more sense using the proper name for it, at least letting people know exactly what you're talking about I feel is helpful. Obviously I'm alone in this aspect, but personally if I'm trying to help someone, be it on the forum, phone, or email, I don't like to have to waste what might be valuable time for the animal trying to decipher what might actually be wrong. Especially via emails and forums you don't know what the response time will be. With new members on the forum they are usually moderated, depending on the time of day it can take quite a while for their replies to come up. Just saying...

I can get a better idea of what it will cost and how long it will take more quickly if I can call my mechanic and say hey, I need my tie rod or U joint replaced, instead of saying hey my car's making this clunky noise somewhere in the front somewhere. Not everyone is a mechanic, but if they can at least narrow it down to a noise coming from the tire area when they turn... the mechanic can usually figure it out pretty close. Not to pick on the OP of the thread but like the thread about the brown/blood colored mucous from the chins bottom. It just makes things easier for someone trying offer suggestions if they have more information, and it's easier to have most of the pertinent information in the first post instead of sprawled out over 4 pages. It gets a result faster and it makes it easier to read. I understand that in emergencies some people don't process everything well, but trying to include as much detail as possible can make a huge difference in the outcome sometimes and although myself or anyone else on the forum might not be the person's doctor or vet they are asking for suggestions and advice on medical issues, so why not use the same terms you would use with a vet. It's not the same as being at the club with your girlfriends taking about your personal life or something, it's referring to medical advice.