Specter's Pad Saga

[gella]

Tonight during her run, Spooky got too close to Specters cage and before we could grab her had bitten Specter through the bars. She ripped the pad on her right hand off in a place and Specter immediately started biting at the loose end. We just got back from the emergency vet where they tried to stitch it back on, got a prescription for baytril and metacam.

They were debating putting a collar on so she wouldn't mess with it but the vet decided it would be a lot of trouble and to monitor her without it. I'm worried she'll still chew and do more damage/lead to amputating the pad.... Is there anything I can do to prevent/lesson the chances of this or is it just a matter of close observation and bringing her back in at any signs of further tearing?

Here is a pic of her after the procedure. She is eating and drinking and right now is attempting to groom all the vet 'cooties' off.

 

[Sandi]

I'm sorry I can't help, I just wanted to say that I hope she heals ok and that nothing more serious has to happen to her.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Other than the things you have already mentioned, the only thing I can think of is to make sure that her cage stays really clean to lessen the chance of infection. You may want to use paper towels as bedding until it heals. that way you can monitor if there is any drainage from the wound. It will also help you to keep track of her urine and poo output since baytril can cause porblems with the appetite.

 

[gella]

Thanks for the advice - she uses fleece liners and a litter pan so I think I'm just going to clean/change every day or so to keep extra cleanly. I may be taking out her flying saucer tonight because she has been running on it and I don't feel like that's a good idea for the wound, even if she feels okay enough to put weight on it in that way...

 

[AZChins]

These types of wounds happen, they are annoying and they tend to bleed like crazy if the scab comes open. But, I wouldn't worry. It will heal up on its own. Chins have an amazing ability to heal up from bites and scrapes.

Just keep an eye on it and make sure that there are no signs of infection, which probably won't occur because of the Baytril of course. It may take awhile, but it will heal. She won't chew on it for long, but she may scratch at it if it becomes itchy as it heals.

Anyway, I am sure she will be fine. Poor little girl, what a horrible thing to happen to such a darling little baby.

 

[Sasha]

If you are really worried about infection and her biting it I'd say go for the cone. We used one with Loki when he had his eye infection and it healed up so much faster. As long as your willing to syringe feed and obviously mobility would be reduced which may help the healing process as well. I don't know how extensive the wound is so... I mean if it's something like a bitten toe you should be okay without it but if it's more serious I'd consider it if it doesn't seem to be getting better and she doesn't leave it alone.
I hope she recovers quickly. Best wishes.

 

[cintistatern2005]

Aww poor baby. I hope it heals up ok!! I would take the wheel out like you said just because her running on it could make it worse and keep it from healing.

 

[Carol~Anne]

Ouch. Hope she heals up quickly for you.

Question: Is it common for vets to prescribe Baytril for something like this considering it is known to cause decreased appetite, or are there other antibiotics that would just be as effective but wouldn't cause the eating problem?

My boy Feeney was diagnosed about a week ago with a URI and I thought the vet would prescribe Baytril but she prescribed Chlor Palm instead. I still have to hand feed him though b/c he can't smell his food so he won't eat it.

 

[AZChins]

The Chlorpalm would be good.

 

[Carol~Anne]

The Chlorpalm would be good.

Do you mean good for Specter? I was wondering if the Chlor Palm would have been a better choice for her b/c it's not supposed to cause loss of appetite to the same extent that Baytril does.

I've had a very tough time with hand feeding this particular boy. I have hand fed two other chins and they were not nearly as difficult as this guy is. It's a bit better now but it is NOT fun. He still has four more days on it. *sigh*

 

[AZChins]

Yes, it is good for abscesses and wounds, it would definitely help in keeping an infection from forming.

Most of the time when handfeeding is necessary it will be because a chin is on oral baytril for a few days to a week. They just lose their appetites with it. Load Feeney up on acidophilus because that seems to really help with preventing any long term problems.

 

[Carol~Anne]

If Chlor Palm or something else that's effective but doesn't cause the appetite loss like oral Baytril does then I'd definitely use that. Maybe I've just got force feeding on the brain lately b/c I'm dealing with it right now and I find it very stressful, time consuming and messy messy. Speaking of such, it's 'that' time again. :hair:

 

[gella]

When everyone talks about going off feed/losing appetite does that apply to everything or just going off pellets? I'm having a hard time determining if I need to hand feed Specter because I don't usually pay much attention to how many pellets she eats per day (what's the average?). I am now weighing her bowl for changes, it was down a gram from this morning but is that a good amount or should I be worried? She is still eating hay and pooping (though smaller than usual which could just be stress).

 

[EnslavedByNinjas]

When I was monitoring pellets by weight, there were days where about a gram was missing, up to days where 4 grams were missing, if memory serves me right. I'm no chinniexpert, though. Is your hay disappearing at the usual rate? Chins can eat just hay for longer periods than they typically eat just pellets. As long as hay is disappearing I wouldn't worry too much - unless you think it's an issue with your wee one not being able to pick up the pellets because of the injury.

Also, do you have a scale? Keeping daily tabs on Specter's weight would be the easiest way to determine if there's a problem with her eating habits.

 

[gella]

She's eating hay fine - we had some bonding time where she was taking it right out of my hand yesterday too, so she seems to not be too mad at me about the burritoing medicine time.

I've seen her eating pellets, she just uses her other hand - I'm hoping the dreaded Baytril appetite change doesn't happen. The vet did put a flavoring in it so do you think that would help or is it more that it makes their stomach feel gross in addition to a bad taste?

I'm hoping I can get her on the scale without too much stress but she hates to be handled and is soooo squirmy. I will give it a try when she is sleepy/lazy during her noontime medicine time.

 

[EnslavedByNinjas]

My understanding with Baytril is that it messes with the gut flora - the good bacteria that breaks down the food. Are you giving acidophilus or another type of probiotic in between doses of Baytril? (Note that you have to spread it out, because they counter one another, i.e. baytril, wait 2 hours, acidophilus, wait 2 hours, repeat) Don't know if that's an accurate breakdown of how long to wait, it's just the theory.

 

[AZChins]

It isn't even just the gut flora suffering. Baytril is very basic and it can actually irritate the walls of the intestines as well. What happens is that the intestines may end up with little pockets of inflammation AND the gut flora is off. So, you end up with the chin being in discomfort. Discomfort in the digestive tract will keep the chin from eating. The acidophilus will help in restoring the balance to the digestive tract, however, it can take awhile. I will give them acidophilus for a couple weeks after a course of antibiotics is over to help with this.

There was a girl that had a c-section here a few months ago. It took me seven weeks to get her to eat normally again. That was a combination of the surgery and the meds that caused the drop in appetite, but still, when giving out antibiotics be prepared for a few weeks of possible hand feeding.

Another thing - load up any chins getting Baytril or other antibiotics with hay. Hay is one of the best things for the digestive tract, it makes things move along and it tends to help the chin return to normal more quickly. The best way to keep a chin healthy is to keep him eating and pooping, gut motility is exceedingly important.

 

[gella]

I just weighed 2 tablespoons of pellets and it is about 1 gram so seems she is on track for eating still. I have acidophilus and will give her some in between doses of Baytril. She has a follow up appointment on Saturday with our vet so we'll know if she's on the right track for healing and a timeline. Thanks everyone for your advice.

 

[AZChins]

I'm glad she's still eating. Poor little girly. That little paw...owww, I feel so bad for her. Although, she will learn to milk her injury probably. "Ow, mama, it still hurts!" <--- Ingrid makes this face at me! She hurt her toe 10 years ago, 10 years, and she still remembers how to make me feel so bad for her. She's been healed up and had no problems with her toe even though it sort of healed a little tilted to one side.

I hope that Specter heals up quickly and feels better soon.

 

[gella]

Just got back from a check up with our vet and she seems to be healing up great. She didn't end up chewing out any of the stitches and is still eating and drinking (though poos remain smaller than usual). We have an appointment to get them out next week and got the ok for dustbaths (we refrained for fear that it would upset the healing). She's so much happier after a bath and a short romp around the room, hopefully she forgives me for having to give her meds all the time.