The first vet (who's name will not be listed until appropraite action have been taken) had pinned her foot and was offering free veterinary care to whomever adopted this chinchilla. Maureen Mesi contacted me asking if I would rescue this chinchilla. Her email to me and Furry Animals Oh My! was based on a whim since we lived in the area. I told her I would take the chin after my graduation on May 27th. This did not go as planned. Ryan, from Furry Animals Oh My!, agreed to look after the chinchilla until I got home from college. Not only was she an hour late, the previous owner had delivered her to Ryan in a shoe box with her food mixed in with her. I got my first phone call from Ryan on May 23rd. The chin was tiny and under weight, he did not believe that she was 9-10 months old as the previous owner had told us. We decided to call his chinchilla vet in Princeton, NJ, Dr. Goode, while I called the previous vet and tried to get medical records on this chinchilla to find out just what happened.
The receptionist at the previous vet office told me all I needed to hear to know that Papaya was definately going to Dr. Goode. The vet had put three pins in her foot trying to salvage her foot that Dr. Goode later called "road kill". According to the office, post surgery NO PAIN MEDICATION OR ANTIBIOTIC was given to this chinchilla. To top that off, she spent a week post-op in the vet's office, all without medication. According to his office they "kind of wanted the chinchilla out of their office". Enough had been said, I was not going to take his free veterinary care.
Thursday May 24th: Papaya saw Dr. Goode for the first time. She was immediately given antibiotics and pain medication. Less than a week later, a large portion of her foot was removed. Dr. Goode then folded a piece of the foot pad over the stump so that Papaya could eventually (this was the hope) use it as a partly functional leg. So far the outcome has been very successful. While she is still in a bandage, the leg appears to be healing well.
Matilda's Mission out in Michigan. Thank you for the financial support in saving Papaya's leg. You have helped to save a chinchilla who is happy to be alive. Without your support, I don't know what I would have done.
Maureen Mesi- Thank you for all the moral support and encouragement you have given me. And of course Papaya thanks you for the supplies you sent her.
Ryan and Corey from Furry Animals Oh My!, thank you for taking care of Papaya until I could graduate from college. And of course introducing me to Dr. Goode.
Dr. Goode- Thank you so much for all you have done (and I am sure will continue to do) for this little fuzzball. Without you, I am convinced she would not have made it.
To all those in Chinchilla rescue, you are much needed and I now fully appreciate all that you do!