White spot on Anus/Rectum?

[LilanChilla]

I have a 1.5yr old male who just developed a white spot on his anus. It doesnt go all the way around, just on the "top." I tried to get pics, will post, they didnt come out very well. I just noticed it last night when I checked him for a hair ring. It has a grainy appearance, but you can see a definate hole behind it which is his anus.

It doesnt seem to bother him in the slightest. I thought it was like a piece of bedding or something so I tried to wipe it off and it didnt phase him. I have a vet appointment set for thursday for my 3 new rescue babies and I might have him tag along.

P.S. am having trouble uploading pics if they are not on here yet

 

[RDZCRanch]

Are you sure it's not the anal gland? Every chinchilla has a small white gland located just inside their anus. When stressed or scared the push the gland outward, exposing it and releasing a smell many people say is like burnt almonds. Sometimes the gland will get backed up and has to be expelled, but it's rare. Chances are it just got stuck in the out position and you just need to roll it back in. Pictures would definitely help.

 

[LilanChilla]

That is probably what it is, I didnt know that they had anal glands. I havnt noticed a smell, this is the first time I have ever seen it. It kinda sticks out from his anus.

"Your submission could not be processed because a security token was missing.

If this occurred unexpectedly, please inform the administrator and describe the action you performed before you received this error." is what it says when I try to upload pics.

EDIT: putting them on photobucket:
http://s754.photobucket.com/albums/xx182/lilanchilla/My Chinchilla Babies/

 

[RDZCRanch]

Yep, that looks like the anal gland. You may want to squeeze gently and see if anything comes out. It's a bit large, but don't squeeze it really hard...just apply a small amount of pressure. If nothing comes out I would roll his anus to the point that the gland is hidden again. If it remains visible, there is a problem and he will need to be seen by a vet.

 

[AZChins]

I've never seen a chin with a clogged anal gland myself. Because there is an anal gland that means that it could get clogged up or infected. Watch it closely...most of the time everything goes right back to where it should be, but it isn't out of the realm of possibility that something could go wrong with it.

I wish I could say that it would be easy to express the anal gland in a chin as easily as it would be with maybe a dog.

In the pictures it looks a lot larger than what I am used to seeing in the chins. Most of the time it isn't at all visible.

 

[LilanChilla]

I gently squeezed, which he didnt much like, and some yellowish gunk came out. It then rolled back in by its self. I thought it smelled kind of like mineraly or vitaminy. He was acting normal before it and still is.
Before this I had never seen it before(even when checking for hair rings) on any of my males or females for that matter. Thats why I was so concerned. Thanks for everyones help.

 

[aznmexaggie]

I've always thought it smelled like my multi-vitamins!

 

[RDZCRanch]

Sounds like it was clogged then! I've found clogged anal glands on a few of my chins...basically the gland swells and won't retract. It usually happens in my calm chinchillas that rarely, if ever expel their anal gland. Just keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't clog up again.

Usually people don't see it because it's located right inside of the anus and only appears when they're stressed. If you pick your chins up by the tail, you notice it a lot. When grooming for shows, it is VERY apparent, lol. Most pet owners don't hold their chins by the tail though, so it's not as noticeable.

It's always smelled like "musk" to me...close to the smell of ferrets. I don't smell burnt almonds or vitamins.

 

[kathiva]

What is the anal gland for? is it for lubricating the poops or something?

 

[AZChins]

Tabitha...how often do you run across the little clogged glands? Is it often? I've never seen one get clogged like that. So, the treatment for it is very similar to what would be done for a dog?

Have you ever come across one that is truly infected?

I'm going to have to look more closely now. When they get mad when I am handling them to check on other things I see the gland when they release their scent, but that's about all I have noticed.

 

[tunes]

I've seen them quite a few times, especially if I snatch a chin up after it has escaped it's cage or if I step in and separate cagemates who fought. I haven't had to deal with an infected one yet, thankfully.

 

[aznmexaggie]

I've never dealt with a clogged anal gland in my chins. My cocker spaniel on the other hand...

I normally smell it when I am grooming my chins or if I am holding a new frightened chin or if I have to take a chin out of the cage when he/she doesn't want to come out. When grooming, I see it protrude out.

 

[RDZCRanch]

Susan, I've only seen it once on about three chins. When I express the gland, it usually comes out thick and either white or yellow. It looks like puss but smells very strongly of the musk they would release normally. I've never found one infected, after the expression the chins usually don't get a blocked anal gland again. You don't have to actively look for a clogged anal gland. Like Lilan, you would notice the white bump protruding for apparently no reason. If the anal gland retracts, it's not clogged.

 

[ticklechin]

Thanks for the pics, I have never seen one before!