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Author Topic: Update on 13-year-old Linda  (Read 1712 times)

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zukitchi

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Update on 13-year-old Linda
« on: January 12, 2010, 11:41:43 PM »

Linda has improved since I took her to the vet on Saturday, however, it seems like she only improved to a certain point and then stopped. Her droppings have doubled in size from when they were at their worst, however, they're only 1/2 - 3/4 of the size of my healthy chinchillas' droppings. The color, moisture, and texture of her droppings are perfect though. Also, her energy level has improved from when she was at her worst, but it's nowhere near it used to be before all of this happened. She still spends most of her time resting, although she doesn't seem to avoid her cagemate anymore like she did when she was really bad. She still loves her dust baths, and takes them enthusiastically. But she doesn't run in her wheel or bounce off the wall for hours on end anymore. Also, she still doesn't eat as much hay and pellets as she used to, especially the pellets, it seems. I don't know if this is because I have been filling her up with the pineapple/papaya treatments that the vet recommended or what. Don't get me wrong, I do see her picking at her timothy hay and timothy cubes throughout the day, it's just not disappearing at nearly the rate it used to. Also, this afternoon I noticed she had been sneezing a lot. I think it's possible that something went down the wrong way when I was giving her a treatment with a dropper, as I didn't notice it until after her last treatment, and it seems to have calmed down now that it's been several hours since the treatment. I'm just not sure what I should do at this point. Should I take her to the vet again? Should she go to a different vet or the same one I took her to on Saturday? Could she be dying?  :'(
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zukitchi

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Re: Update on 13-year-old Linda
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2010, 01:55:52 AM »

Come to think of it, it seems like she doesn't want to chew. I let her run around in the bathroom for a good 30 - 45 minutes after her treatment tonight, something I don't normally do because she chews on the paneling in there. She did not attempt to chew on a single door frame, cabinet or even magazine. Also, I put one of those softwood chews in their cage a couple days ago and it only has a few bites in it, which were likely done by her cagemate. Usually she would have devoured that within a couple hours. I know the vet examined her teeth on Saturday and said there was no spurring/malocclusion, but I wonder if maybe it's the roots of her teeth giving her the problem. I assume something like that could only be seen on an xray. Do chinchillas always need to be sedated for an xray? I had a chinchilla die during a procedure to correct his teeth spurring a couple years ago. He was 12 years old and had a reaction to the anesthesia. He began aspirating, and they had to do a tracheotomy, but he basically went brain-dead and could only survive on life-support, which of course, we pulled and he passed away. I am just so terrified of this happening to my poor little Linda.  :'(
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Debbie.nl.ca

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Re: Update on 13-year-old Linda
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2010, 11:04:59 AM »

I know it's some hard. :hugs:

It does sound like teeth problems, but I have a 15 year old that for the last couple of years has really mellowed.
Some days she eats more than others, she doesn't do much running around any more. She gets out has a little hop around and gets back in her cage. She's alone. She will never refuse a dust bath though. But treats she has gotten picky over, more moody I think.Some days she hardly touches her hay. Other than that she seems fine.
If you are worried I would check with a different vet.
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