Davidson Chinchillas - Specialising in Charcoal Chinchillas

Poppet viewed the world "sunny side up"

Poppet is a big, beautiful black velvet chinchilla who Debbie (Azure Chinchillas) took on because she had severe chronic inner ear infection and head tilt problems.

Poppet had chronic inner ear infections for some considerable time. Constant abscessation led to a pronounced head tilt and severe circling when stressed. She had not been handled much and was very wary of anybody - she was in pain due to the abscess which covered the whole side of her face and head.

I offered to take Poppet on at The Manor because I could offer 24 hour care and would be on-call if Poppet needed overnight treatments. The Manor also provides an indoor environment which is often beneficial for sick chinchillas.

 All treatment options for Poppet were discussed and agreed by both Debbie and I - our first priority has always been for Poppet's well-being and quality of life.  

Poppet was taken to the vet for assessment and treatment. Her ear infection was deep seated and the abscess affected the whole side of her head, from her ear right down to below her chin. It was obviously very painful too, probably due to the pressure from the infection which had built up, forming the abscess.

She saw a very kind and gentle vet who said Poppet viewed the world "sunny side up" - I like that because it summed Poppet's condition up perfectly.

Poppet was given a longer-than-usual course of Baytril due to the severity of the infection and Metacam (for pain relief and anti-inflammatory properties). Poppet did not appreciate being medicated but both drugs proved effective for a while. Unfortunately, after a few weeks of respite, the abscess built up again and another visit to the vets was necessary.

Poppet was examined by a vet who performed surgery on dogs for similar inner ear infection and abscessation. The operation (called a  Total Ear Canal Ablation (TECA) and Bulla Osteotomy ) can be performed on dogs and sometimes cats. It is a radical operation but has a good success rate in dogs.

In view of the severity of Poppet's condition and the long-term prognosis if no surgery was performed, Debbie and I decided to allow this radical and major surgery. We are not sure if the surgery has been performed on a chinchilla before but the alternative for Poppet would be constant infection and eventual euthanasia.

"Mum, it itches!!"

The surgery involves taking away the entire ear canal, middle ear (bulla), and opening up the inner ear, scraping out the infected tissue and closing the wound completely. The difficulty in attempting to do this surgical procedure on such a small animal is that the ear cavities etc are tiny and to clean the inner ear properly will take very a delicate and skilled surgeon.

Poppet underwent surgery on 6th June and Debbie and I both waited anxiously for it to be over. Poppet sailed through the surgery and returned home to The Manor fairly alert and active. She ate revenously and settled down to sleep off the anaesthetic with no problems.

Poppet just after initial surgery:

 After several days it was clear that the fluid inside the abscess space was building up again and pus could be expressed from the suture line. A further (very eventful) trip to the vets led to discussions of further surgery, including the possibility of removing the redundant outer ear (pinna).

Poppet underwent further surgery on 18th June to remove any remaining abscess capsule, the pinna (which was just getting in the way really and served no purpose), and insertion of a drain to allow fluid to flow from the tissue/cavity left by the abscess.

Again, Poppet recovered from the anaesthetic incredibly well and was soon bouncing about her cage happily. She did not bother with the excess drain tubing at all and was very tolerant of my examining the wound/drain and giving her Baytril twice daily.

Post second surgical procedure:

Almost "tilt-less"

Poppet is doing well. Since the second round of surgery there has been no sign of the abscess filling with fluid or infection. Whilst this is excellent news, it is early days yet and Poppet still requires close monitoring.

In herself, Poppet seems happy and healthy. She is almost tilt-less and bounces about her cage with vigour and an agility  which she did not display previously. It is clear that without all the pain, infection, and pressure in her head, she has once again become a real "poppet".

Debbie and I have agreed that, for the time being,  Poppet will stay at The Manor with her friend Sula since they are both so content with each other's company. They are usually found snuggled up together unless Poppet is showing off by bouncing on and off her sleep 'n' ledge. This is a feat she could not accomplish before the surgery because her balance was so affected by the inner ear destruction.

There is no guarantee (sadly) that, in Poppet's case, the surgery will be 100% successful. There is still a possibility that the abscess may recurr - this is one of the reasons Poppet will stay at The Manor. She may need further antibiotic therapy if any signs of infection appear again.

Again, I must stress that, although Poppet's treatment was radical, expensive, and time-consuming, the benefits to Poppet have been enormous - that was our priority - that Poppet have a better quality of life.  Her quality of life has improved dramatically since the surgery and she no longer has to face a life of pain and deep-seated infection which would have (undoubtedly) killed her in the end.

Poppet & Sula 14/07/05