# bruise? or worse?



## QuinntonsMom (Aug 11, 2010)

I noticed a black patch on Quinn's neck fur last night. We thought it might be poop or dirt but when we tried to wipe it off, it wouldn't wipe off. He doesn't seem any more fussy than usual, is eating well and exploring. When Quincy got him up tonight, he said it looks like a lump has formed, and the discoloration has spread. He thinks he has seen Quinn scratching at it. Any ideas about it?i can post a picture later. His vets office us closed until tomorrow morning and Quincy has me worried it's cancer. Cancer wouldn't just show up over night right?


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## Tabi (Jun 24, 2012)

Oh noes  I hope all goes well at the vet.  poor little guy


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## QuinntonsMom (Aug 11, 2010)

so, after giving quinn a good bath, it is clearly very irritated skin and bruised. I don't see the lump my husband claimed was there (i think it was just quinn's double chin). I think he got semen or something on his neck and has been chewing on it. What can I do to soothe that skin and get him to leave it alone so he won't chew on it and get it infected or make it worse?


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## shmurciakova (Sep 7, 2008)

You could try putting a bit of Neosporin on it. If he continues licking though that would not do much good. The only thing I can think of is bitter apple which comes in a spray from the pet store, but I don't know if you can use it depending on how irritated the skin is. Plus you'd have to just use a little bit with him being so small. Poor guy!
Maybe someone else will chime in with more ideas. Can you post a picture of it?
-Susan H.


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## QuinntonsMom (Aug 11, 2010)

Poor Quinn has a bad case of moist dermatitis. His skin is infected and he is so miserable I want to cry. Thank good for our vet.


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## Lilysmommy (Jan 7, 2009)

Oh poor guy!  That looks so uncomfortable...Did the vet give you medicine to help with it then? I'm sorry you didn't get many answers before, but I'm glad you got him into the vet. Hopefully it'll heal up quickly!


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## QuinntonsMom (Aug 11, 2010)

We got a topical ointment to ease the itching and an antibiotic and probiotic for the infection. He will not stop chewing it, so it looks worse every time i see it. 

I wish there was a tiny cone for him like what dogs wear.


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## Hazesti (Jan 19, 2010)

Aw man, poor guy! I'm not sure how he can reach that with his mouth, but maybe the picture is giving me the wrong impression of where it is.

Hopefully the ointment will each the itching and he'll stop picking at it.


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## QuinntonsMom (Aug 11, 2010)

unfortunately, he can reach it with his mouth and with his back paws . I'm hoping it will get better soon


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Our girl Zombie gave herself a similar wound - she chewed at herself, most likely from the itchiness of mites (which we were having to treat everyone for at the time). We moved her from the hedgehog room into a smaller bin next to our bed - big enough for her wheel and bag and a few toys, but cramped by normal standards. It let me check in on her during the night, so we were monitoring her closely for several days. We also used children's benadryl several times a day - a very small dose, which was easiest to give her by soaking pieces of RC babycat in a little bit of the liquid medicine. Not so long in it that they got soggy, basically just dipped in so they had the stuff on them. She ate them without a problem. We gave her about 5-6 pieces at a time, three or four times a day, to deal with the itching. The amusing side effect was that it would make her kind of spazzy and hyperactive for a little while (completely normal - "hyperactivity" is listed on the label as a side effect when it's given to kids), but then it would also make her crash out for a few hours at a time because of the drowsy effect. She would still occasionally try to bug at it, but since we were watching her closely (pretty much constantly for the first day; either carrying her around or having her bin right nearby and in view) we'd just reach in and make her stop before she did any more damage. Once it started to scab over she kind of forgot it was there and left it alone. The scab at first was weird and moist looking and whitish (kind of like how scabs look when they get wet from taking a shower) and then it turned into a normal scab, eventually healed and fell off. So, if he's not leaving it alone, I definitely suggest benadryl. The dosing I described was for a 400g female - if your boy is much less than that, I'd say start by trying with only like 3 pieces, then see if that's effective, and increase by a piece or two if necessary. For Zombie it took maybe 25-30 minutes from when she ate it to when she started acting like a spaz, and then the drowsiness would kick in within an hour.


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## QuinntonsMom (Aug 11, 2010)

Ok, cool, I'll keep that in mind. Quinn is almost 600 grams lol, fatttt hog. The dr said the next step if it doesn't get better will be a mild sedative so he can sleep instead of itching. 

An updated pic after a day of ointment.


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## moxieberry (Nov 30, 2011)

Yeah, the benadryl more or less acted as that. The primary purpose was to make it less itchy and bothersome, but it reeeally helped that it zonked her out for part of the time - she'd either get drowsy from it and just kind of chill, sort of half awake, or just fully go to sleep from it for an hour or two. The sleepy part would wear off after a few hours and she'd be active again, but it did help give it time to heal.

At 600g I'd go with 7-8 pieces if you decide to try it, that should be about the same ratio of meds to body weight that worked with Zombie.


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