SICK BABY CHINCHILLA

[dawn814]

PLEASE HELP I just went and picked up a 3 month old chinchilla.  The lady didnt want it, the poor baby stinks something awful his bottom is a mess and his genitals are swollen and he has puss under there.  I took him one place and they said it was wet tail so I got the medicine dri tail for him, and it is not working. I wash his bottom with warm water 3 times a day trying to clean him up but its not helping.  You can smell the stinch as soon as you walk up by the chinchilla.  I asked the lady that I got it from what was wrong and she said he was born like this she didnt know if he had a ui infection or what. He is eating and playing just fine though.

[Aleda M Cheng, D.V.M., C.V.A]

Wet tail is just a diarrheal infection, which can be caused by parasites, bacterial , or other infectious disease colonizing the GI (due to inproper diet and malnutrition, or even poor husbandry).  

If the infection is extensive enough it can ascend up the urinary tract and cause a secondary urinary tract infection.

You really need to go to a vet who has exotic pet knowledge and have your chinchilla examined, and have the appropriate tests performed, such as a culture and sensitivity of the stool, skin scraping of the affected area, parasite check and urinalysis, and whatever other tests the vet deems necessary.

There are also congential disorders that can cause the problem that you describe, and this can be diagnosed during the physical exam.

[Jaybay]

I'm not the vet, but I don't think you should wait for a response here before taking action. If the "place" you took the chinhilla was not a veterinary clinic, then that's where you need to go. If it was, you need to go to a different one that can handle exotic animals.  With the presence of pus, he obviously has an infection that needs antibiotic treatment.