This morning we unexpectedly had to euthanize our Hermes, who had undergone surgery to remove a very large bladder stone the night yesterday. The surgery had gone very well, the vet said that he had been active and jumping around after the anesthetic had worn off, and that he was good to go home. We asked if he would be fragile for the next few days and the vet said no, not really, and that chinchillas typically leave their wounds alone but if he started bugging it that we should bring him back in. Last night Hermes was somewhat active, though probably in pain. We hand fed him, which he cooperated with, and gave him some antibiotics which had been prescribed for him. Before we went to bed, he seemed to be doing fine. He had survived the surgery and we thought the worst was over, and that he would now be on the road to recovery.
This morning my husband found him lying by the door of his cage, still breathing, eyes closed, obviously waiting for us to come help him. He was bloody and his incision was gaping open. We still have no idea what happened to the stitches, but they had come open sometime during the night. We called the emergency pager for the vet who told us to rush him in. My husband brought him to the doctor and he says Hermes was still alive when he got there. But there was nothing the vet could do to help Hermes except end his pain.
According to my husband, the vet was extremely upset too and he could not explain why the stitches would have opened up. I don't blame the vet, he has been in the business for years and has a lot of exotics experience. I think Hermes was in the best hands possible, but none of us expected this to happen.
The bladder stone was sent to a lab to be analyzed for cause... I will share the results with everyone when we get it back in hopes that no other chinchilla has to endure a bladder stone or potential complications from a delicate surgery.
Hermes was a great chinchilla. His passing is extremely upsetting to us, especially because he was not very old, less than 2. He was very fast and loved to zoom up and down our basement stairs. He also loved climbing into our book shelf and nibbling at the page edges. We only had him for a short time but he quickly wiggled his little nose into our hearts and became part of our family. I will miss him dearly.
