Question:
I'm hoping this might help someone else who has the bad luck of running into a chinnie with a broken leg...
As most of you know, our 6 month old black velvet, Tinsel, broke her leg during playtime two weeks ago. I was really panicked when it happened, but she seems to be healing incredibly well. Part of it I'm sure is due to our vet but it's also thanks to the advice and help I got from members on this board. Here are the basics of what we did with Tinsel:
- The vet anesthetised Tinsel. He then set the bone and wrapped it in a metal sling with lots of bandage material. He also put a cone around her neck to prevent her from chewing her bandage. We were told it would take anywhere between 4 to 8 weeks for the bone to heal. The vet told us he wanted to see Tinsel every other day for a bandage check until her wound started healing. After a week, we went down to weekly visits and then to once every 2 weeks.
- At home, we transferred Tinsel to a smaller cage (less walking around to be done) that had no platforms. We also changed her bedding from wood shavings to a clean bed sheet. This prevented wood slivers from getting into her bandage, made daily cleaning alot easier, and provided a soft, cushy surface for her to walk on. At the suggestion of neuro, we added Rescue Remedy to her water as well.

- On a daily basis we: started the morning by feeding her antibiotics (Baytril), Check her bandage for any moisture or weird coloured liquid, smell the bandage to detect any sign of infection, vacuum her whole cage to minimize the dirt particles/poops/food bits that she walked in (this is where a bedsheet came in REALLY handy). We also made sure she had a few treat sticks (calcium sticks) to chew on in case her cone prevented her from reaching the food in her bowl.
- If we were at home for an extended period of time, We would take Tinsel's cone off so she could groom herself and eat like a normal chin (the cone restricts their front paws a lot). We would always put the cone back on at night when we couldn't keep an eye on her.
- Tinsel was also not allowed any dust baths for the first two weeks. However, I cheated a bit and gave her good brushing every night and then a "mini dust bath" once in a while where I'd pour a little bit of sand on her and rub it into her fur. It's nothing close to a dust bath, but it helped her fur a bit
This is everything I can think of at the moment. I will add more about her care as I think of other things.
hope this can help someone!


Answer:
Great idea, thanks for posting your experience, Sophie


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