Mr Otto – What The Initial Vet Check Missed

I’ve been watching Mr Otto closely since he arrived at The Manor and it’s pretty obvious he has some problems.

Taking in rescues is never easy, especially when one does not know the chin’s history – it is always a risk. Sometimes problems are not initially apparent and a quick veterinay check is not sufficient to identify all the underlying problems/issues – although Otto was apparently initially veterinary checked when dumped he has several potentially serious problems – these really should have been spotted because they are fairly obvious - it’s a bit frustrating that they were not since he could have started treatment sooner. 

Anyway …………. I noticed that Otto had dark urine when he arrived (easy to spot because he has his cage lined with soft light coloured towels). Initially his dark urine could have been attributed to a little dehydration because he did not have access to water during ther show day (not normally a problem since chins don’t tend to drink much during the day anyway) but the dark urine has continued to be present. He’s not obviously dehydrated – the rough test for this is if you gently pinch the skin on the back of an animal’s neck and it remains in a tented position the chances are the animal is dehydrated. If the skin immediately returns to it’s original position (ie. flat) then the animal is considered to be sufficiently hydrated. 

 Also he continues to throw his weight a little onto his front feet while resting and is somewhat awkward when he mobilises (he looks like a clockwork toy when he runs and throws his right hip out).

So he went to see Jade today and he’s definitely got arthritis in his back legs – he’s been started on Metacam daily for that.  He’s also got signs of bumblefoot and a fluctuant /squishy (meaning there is fluid under the skin - i.e. a hidden ulcer) rear left foot which will need treating if it breaks open – If necessary I’ll be dressing that on alternate days to help with healing.

In himself, Otto is bright and seems perfectly happy – he’s a real sweety and he is bouncing about like a spring lamb at times and is obviously enjoying his heat mat, exercise (within limits) and the Manor life in general.  He looks like he’s probably been a breeding male at some point in his life – he has only a few digits on his front paws.