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[Elvisthechinchillasmom]

I noticed that Elvis's poop was very very small, and very hard so I took him into the vet today. I thought the change in his habits were due to an added cage mate, but after watching it a bit more, and the poop I had to take him in. The vet thought maybe it might just be constipation. She suggested some Oxbow critical care. Of course none of the pet stores had it, so i ordered it online. Should be here in a couple days. She also said to put some apple cider vinegar in his water. I was given Cisapride Liver 5mg/ml to give him every 8 hours, and metacam oral .5mg/ml for the pain. He's been sleeping a lot today. I encouraged him to run a bit today in my bedroom. He did a little bit, but not like he used to. I've noticed that he ate a small bit of hay,some water, and a couple pellets. But seems to still be under the weather. I'd say that this started about 2 days ago, but wasn't this bad until today. Did I make it in a enough time? I will see how these antibiotics do, and need to call back on Tues to see if we need more, or different ones, or just what is going on with Elvis. Can anyone tell me if they've been down this road before, and what to expect, or watch for? Maybe how long it takes for the antibiotics to start helping? I haven't noticed any poops today. I've been watching them. This is my first sick chinchilla and I'm pretty freaked. So worried about him, and really hope these antibiotics help him get back to my normal energetic chinchilla. Thank you kindly for your time!

[dianah]

i suspect this is due to the added cage mate. stress affects gut greatly and it is very possible he wasn't eating properly when the new boy was around.

now.. while antibiotics are perhaps a good idea just in case there is something more sinister going on, they don't exactly help the gut. antibiotics kill the gut bacteria as they don't care that that's the stuff they should leave alone - this means that they effectively cause constipation. this doesn't always happen but from my experience, it usually does. however, there's something you can do and that's add probiotics. there are probiotics in critical care so once you've got that, it may be sufficient. in the meantime, you could give him plain probiotic yogurt. there are also probiotics you get get from the vet.

my rescue girl mae has to take antibiotics (often two different ones) on a fairly regular basis and she has gut problems to start with. however, i have 'developed' a combination of drugs etc i need to give her when she's on them that works well. this is simply lactulose (you get that from the vet - it helps to lubricate the gut) and lifelife from chocolatechinchillas. she also gets critical care if she needs hand fed.
she also gets a heat pad and absolutely loves it - it's a pet microwave one with a fleece cover. you can also massage his tummy in a slow clockwise motion.
also, you can give him a liquorice root stick, see if he eats that.

the most important thing is that you get food into him. and the probiotics especially because of the antibiotics.

[dianah]

oh, it's also a good idea to encourage him to do gentle exercise, walk around a little - like you did, or i find that dust bath is something they always go for even if they don't want to do anything else.

important thing is to keep the gut moving. if the poops are small, they're small. main thing is they're coming out!

[Elvisthechinchillasmom]

He's been moving around a bit in the cage. Back and forth he will sleep in the pigloo, and then sit on his wheel lol. He will take pellets from my hand. Not more than one or two usually, and some times hay. He's eating and drinking, but very little. Our nearest vet is a hour away. Do they sell the probiotic yogurt in the grocery store? If so I will grab some from there asap. I've been reading a bit now, and I do think the stress was from the other guy. I'm going to just keep them in different cages for now I think. With the issues going on now I don't want to do that again. I don't mind having them like that. I can still love them both Main thing is to get Elvis back to good health. I'm so mad that the pet stores don't carry that Oxbow critical care. They didn't even have it at the vet. She said they don't sell it often enough. It's been a long day and I'm just thankful that there was a vet open today. Thank you so much for your response!

[dianah]

that's fab that he's eating! that really is the main thing. oxbow critical care is a vet supply rather than a pet store thing so it's understandable that stores don't carry it (even if it's annoying!) - my vet doesn't carry it either, they have the supreme science recovery food though but i find that critical care is much better. it's always good to have in!

you can always let them have play dates!

[dianah]

sorry, forgot the yogurt. yes, you can get it in a normal grocery store, just double check that there's no added sugar or any artificial stuff as that can make things worse.

[Elvisthechinchillasmom]

I didn't now that the pet stores don't carry it. lol!! I feel bad for cussing out the stores  I did order a bag of it, and will keep it around. Can you have it for long periods of time? Or does it go bad fast? I know most foods, and hay can be kept a long time if stored right. I really think that he's getting a bit better each day, and I think we caught it in time. It hasn't been more than 3 days since it's been going on, and I spotted it right away. I only put the vet off because my husband said he seem him eating and drinking the day i noticed it. But we've got it started, and keeping positive thoughts! I will keep posted on here though. For anyone that is interested on how he's doing  

[dianah]

it keeps! it's a powder you mix with water and it's in a resealable bag. it does have a use by date because the probiotics get less effective with time but you can still use it as a food replacement.

once you get it, it does give you the ratio of water/critical care but you'll find that they have a preferred consistency mine like it best when you mix it so it's a paste rather than liquid but it's quite moist rather than dry. and they eat it off a spoon, you just need to be careful that he doesn't bite into the spoon. they can eat it off your finger if you prefer but it's tasty and they may bite you by accident!

mae suffered from gi stasis several times - no poo whatsoever - and it was shirty the first time especially but she. i am somewhat confused that the vet didn't give him any gut movement drugs or lactulose but... anyway, you caught it early, he's still eating and pooping, even if less. and that's very important!

[Elvisthechinchillasmom]

I haven't noticed him eating or drinking, but I noticed this morning there were lots of poops. Very little again or course, but still a good handful. Does that mean he's still eating and drinking? Maybe he's doing a lot while we're sleeping. I did stick a pile of pellets in his pigloo and thought maybe the pile did get a bit smaller. I tried to get him out for a run today, and he just sat in the corner for most of the time. I'm just so lost and don't know what to do. I've tried the crushed up pellets and water. I also mixed in a bit of that yogurt in it, and he wont' take that. Tried a small rasin and he wouldn't take that either. I found him on the side of the cage this morning sleeping on his side. I'm so angry at myself. All this is my fault, and I just want to do what's best and what's right. Should I take him back in? Is there more they can do for him besides these meds? Anyone that can help I could really use some thoughts here! Thank you so much!

[dianah]

lots of small poops is a very good thing. in fact, i'd say lots of small poops is better than a few large poops. to me it shows that the gut is moving. and given that the digestive process takes 12-15 hours, i'd say it suggests that he's eating.

don't give him raisins or anything sweet, this would be counterproductive as it would create gas in the gi tract and given it's not moving as it should, you can create pockets of gas that are not moving and then you have a much bigger problem.

don't be angry with yourself, you couldn't have known. besides, from my experience, they very much appreciate having a friend once they accept one another so you really cannot blame yourself for wanting to do that.

now, don't panic. he's pooping. that's good. in fact, very good. he's having lots of little poos. that's very very good. the fact that he's not eating or moving around, imagine a child with flu. do they want to eat or do anything? no. chinchillas, regardless of what's wrong with them, stop eating and moving around if they're not feeling well.

i would ask your vet for lactulose. this is an artificial sugar liquid that helps lubricate the insides. it works very well, especially if the poops are dry, it helps it along. you also absolutely need to get food into him. i had to force feed mae on numerous occasions and it's not pleasant for either of you but it's important that his gi tract keeps moving. you could mash up pellets and put a bit of yogurt in it (he really needs the probiotics) - get a 2.5ml syringe and stick in in the side of his mouth rather than the front so you're not forcing him to swallow as if he accidentally breathes in, it could end up in his lungs. so if you just put a bit in his mouth and let him swallow it in his own time, that's super. when you're making the mixture, use warm water, they prefer it warm for some reason and when you're getting it into the syringe, make sure there are no air bubbles as you don't want to pump air into him.

as for taking him back.. i would hold off if he's still pooping as a visit can be stressful for them. they can give him gut moving medication but given that he's producing poops, it would appear his guts are moving. the reduced size and amount is probably due to the fact he's not eating as much as normal. this can take a while to get back to normal.

so, to sum up, lactulose if you can get it from the vet (it's very sweet and they love it!), force feeding and probiotics!

[dianah]

how is he doing? any news?

[Debbie.nl.ca]

Yes waiting to hear he his happy pooping self 

[judyg]

It is disappointing when the vet doesn't carry what you need (Oxbow critical care). After all the reading I have done and found out when chins get sick they can go down fast or even have gassy bellys or their eyes are irritated etc....I have made my own first aid kit for my chin including the critical care from Oxbow. I feel better knowing I have things on hand I may need...hopefully not!! Good luch:)