Health
Bumblefoot a.k.a. Ulcerative Pododermatitis
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(Photo provided by Debbie of Azure Chinchillas)
If you recall, when I was describing the types of cages suitable for chinchillas I mentioned that wire bottomed cages had their good sides and their bad sides. Well this is the bad side of wire bottom cages. The wire is very hard on the soles of the chinchillas feet, and continual exposure without an alternative floor surface i.e. shelves or nesting boxes or short pieces of wood on the cage floor can cause damage to or abrasion of the surface skin on the feet, this in turn will lead to the entry of bacteria.
Under normal circumstances the chinchilla will develop hard callouses on their feet that will prevent hard surfaces causing them harm (this is true in the wild and captive form) and should not be worried about, but in bumblefoot the foot appears to have what initially looks like small reddish lumps. Inside these lumps or bumbles is a closed abscess. As the condition progresses the lumps grow, break open and bleed often severely in advanced conditions.
The causative agent is a bacteria we have all probably heard of, Staphylococcus aureaus, also referred to as Staph. aureaus, and S. aureaus, or simply as Staph. This bacteria is what we call a commensal bacteria in that under normal circumstances it lives in or on another organism deriving benefit, but without harming or benefiting the host individual. Now in bumblefoot the bacteria finds itself in a location that it normally would not be in i.e. inside the tissue of the foot due to a cut or lesion. In this situation it can not be described as harmless and becomes a pathogenic infection. If left untreated it will eventually spread to the bone and also the blood stream, both of which can be fatal.
Should your chin develop this condition take them to the vets as soon as possible. The treatment regime should include :
· cleaning and disinfecting the cage,
· increasing the number of solid surfaces for the chin to stand on to give their feet a rest from the wire, alternatively transfer them to a solid bottomed cage with plenty of fresh bedding and saw dust/flakes/shavings (change this daily),
· antibiotics to be prescribed by your vet (usually Baytril). If the infection is deep seated the vet may need to give antibiotics by injection rather than orally.
· application of an antiseptic/disinfectant such as Blu-kote that you can buy from the States (try eBay they often have it for sale in the horse section), be warned it will stain the chin’s foot (and your clothes !!!) blue. Use this only once each day as too often can cause irritation to the skin.
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· clean the foot between application of Blu-kote with a chlorhexidine rinse such as malaseb or hibiscrub. If you buy these as a concentrate make sure you dilute them before use.
· if you cannot get hold of Blu-kote in the UK try Purple Spray. Again this is an antiseptic/disinfectant but it is thought to be less effective than Blu-kote, and is often available on eBay or an on-line pharmaceutical site.
Remember that with long term antibiotic usage you may want to consider using a probiotic to prevent any upset stomachs that will complicate treatment.
You may need to treat your chin over a couple of months before there is any improvement. Please note, I am not promising that the above will work for you, but this has worked for me in the past when I've had rescue chins staying here before re-homing.