Rocket's finger is bleeding

[Jovi]

Rocket got his finger bit while attempting an intro and there is blood on his paw and he is holding it up. Obviously Rocket and Thunder can't be together now but i am worried about his finger. He keeps putting it in his mouth and i am worried he will make it worse. I cant really see the exact bite spot. How should i clean it? Does this require a vet visit? I feel so horrible. All i wanted to do was give him a friend since his cagemate of 6 years died and now because of me he is hurt. :cry3:

 

[Rickman]

Don't be upset! It happens all the time! Just like you or I cut a finger, it'll heal!
Some loose digits, and heal fine. Just make sure it's a clean cut!

 

[Chinniechantel]

Since he is holding it up, I would bring him in for an x ray. Usually if it is just a small cut, it would not need a vet, but since he is holding it and obviously in pain, I would really want to make sure it is not broken. They may want to give him antibiotics too. If it is broken, or gets an infection and is not treated, he could start eating his own foot.

 

[Jovi]

I got metacam for him tonight and will see how it feels in the morning if he is still holding it up. also vet said to use neosporin plus on it. I am so upset .. not gonna be able to sleep tonight.

 

[Chinniechantel]

Do not use neosporin, it is not good for them. You can use some blu kote, they have it at most feed stores and tractor supply stores.

 

[Tanya]

When you apply something on the wound, chins usually lick it off right away.
The thing that really speeds up healing and stops bleeding is dust bath. Just put new dust in the container.
If you use shaving you may want to use fleece liners now and change them daily. Remove the wheel if you have one. And sand the wood if you see sharp edges left after chewing.
I wish your baby complete and speedy recovery!

 

[Jovi]

The vet is the one who told me to use neosporin. Also if his finger is broken what can they do for that ? or just has to heal? he is still holding that paw up ... has anyone had their chin do that just with a cut?

 

[BooBoo*TheKiddo*]

As Chantel said, don't use it. Use blu-kote.

 

[aznmexaggie]

I have had chins get their fingers bitten during playtimes by aggravating other chins who had to wait their turns inside their cages. The worst one was Reepicheep who got all the "meat" of his finger bit off by Pericles. There was exposed bone and the vet had to snip it. We had to do metacam, antibiotics and epsom salt soaks until it healed. He didn't really put any weight on that paw for about a week or so as it was pretty tender.

The other digit bite instance was only minor. It was with my mosaic girl Gizmo. A chin was out running around and Gizmo was inside her cage. She got bit through the bars. I took her out, cleaned the bite with a chlorhexadine solution, and put a little Blu-Kote on it. She didn't put much weight on it for a couple days but it healed pretty quickly... she just had a purple paw for quite a while!

 

[Jovi]

He is using it when he runs about his cage but as soon as he stops he is holding it up . Called another vet that said to give it a few days and see how it heals.I cant really even see where the blood was coming from but it obviously hurts him. They gave me 5 days worth of metacam. I will stop the neosporin. Thanks everyone. I can't even explain how horrible i am feeling over this. Set out to help Rocket and ended up hurting him .

 

[Megan]

Get some betadine(local drug store), clean the wound out with that. GRab some Blu-Kote(feed store), and put that on it...Then throw in a dust bath and let him be.

I have used neosporin(and other triple-antibotic ointments) in the past on several occasions, depending on the wound with no ill effects. You just need to watch closely, and if the chin is constantly after it switch to something else.

IMO(and for the future) as long as there is no bone actually sticking out (where the chin just ripped off the skin, leaving the bone intact) you shouldn't need a vet. X-rays can't do a thing for a small bite on a toe, and they can't splint it even if it is broken. Just like a human finger--it will heal on its own. Now if there is bone showing, it's possible they'd have to cut away the bone, or if the area looks very swollen and infected.. Minor nips and cuts here get treated at-home .

 

[fluke]

I actually have a horror story about bitten fingers. At one point, I had three male chins, but they all played separately. However, I wanted them to get used to each other so I let each one play around the other two cages. Well, one night Binkie was holding onto the bars and Fatty (the new boy) bit one of Binkie's little fingers. I tried to keep it cleaned but figured it was minor since it didn't seem to bother him. I went out of town for like a day and a half and had a friend check on them. When I came back, Binkie had chewed his hurt finger off and his whole hand was purple and swollen. So we went to the vet who wanted to amputate his hand because she thought the infection might spread to his bone (Now having worked around that particular vet, I knew that on occasion she could be a little quick to amputate) I asked if antibiotics would have a chance at healing it and she said yes. So I gave him IM baytril for a week or two. He seemed alot better. Two days after we went for a check up and stopped the baytril (vet said he was fine), i came home to Binkie gasping (or rather breathing like an animal thats dying). We rushed to the ER and they said he was septic. Now I don't know if that came from his hand or from the fact that he had a permanently prolapsed penis (which I always worried), but still. he didn't make it.

The point of that story is to say just keep an eye on the finger for swelling and redness because unfortunately, it seems like infection can spread very quickly in chins (well probably in general but chins are so small).

 

[nicky]

Like Fluke said, just keep a close eye on it for now. He might heal ok and he may not. My chins have bitten each other through cage bars numerous times. It all depends on the severity of the bite. They usually will heal fine without any complications. But, make sure that you're watching for signs of infection: redness, swelling and lack of appetite. Out of probably 30 bites, only one of the chins injuries was so severe that it caused infection, leading to amputation. And through it all, she still ate and hopped around on it like nothing. They are very good at hiding their pain and illness. As long as you keep a close eye on it she'll be fine. More than likely it will heal ok.

 

[Siylvat]

How's the little guy doing?