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[chinchillagigi]

Hello everyone I joined this forum to seek help from other owners. I'm gonna type a lot but I want to include as much detail as I can and I hope I can get help with our chinchilla. You can skip to the last paragraph for my main questions though.

   We got our chinchilla back in 2006. When we got her she was on the small side,I'm guessing she was very young because through the years we have had her she did grow to the size she has been. The problem is every year around spring her fur gets matted and she starts pulling at it. All around she starts to look to look horrible and she tends to not want to eat as much and just doesn't act herself. Past years we would take her to the vet right away when we noticed this happening and it was the usual occurrence at our vet. They would do the usual checkup and say they think she has mites. Then they would do a mites test,after that they tell us she doesn't have mites but they would give us formula to give to her in a syringe. Every year a week after we give her the mite formula she is completely fine. Not understanding why they would give us mite formula when she didn't have mites was something we though about but if it helped her we didn't really look too much into it. After trying to contact the vet this year just to see if they could refill her formula because it obviously worked they told us they couldn't and we would have to bring her in a pay for the visit. Then we thought maybe that it wasn't the formula that helped her,maybe every spring she just goes through a rough time and giving her the formula the same time every year only made seem like it was working. So we decided to wait on taking her to see if she would get any better. After maybe a month and a half we finally just took her to the vet. She didn't look too bad until the past week and we didn't want to chance anything. we also agreed that it was the formula that helped her because she would have already been better if we had given it to her.

   The doctor checks her out,they say she seems skinny and that she can feel our chins bones. Checks her ears,checks her mouth and then we chat about the whole not having mites,but the mite treatment working. After taking our chins heartbeat she says it sounds irregular because shes in a stressful environment but it wasn't racing. They give us medicine thats in a syringe,medicine you put in a syringe,and food you mix with water to help her eat. Then they weighed her and compared it from last year. She lost a tiny bit of weight the doctor said then she drops a bomb. Holding our chinchilla she says that,its around that time where,she might not make it and that she is close to the end of her life and there may not be anything they can do. Totally confused we listen to the directions for what they had given us and then we ask about the formula they gave us for the mites  past visits. They say that we cant give her that because it would be toxic to her the condition she is in right now. So then we leave. My mom was totally upset but all i felt was anger. I didn't understand and still don't because it does not make sense.

How come last year it wasn't her age? What difference does a year make? I also didn't like that fact that she just said our chin was dying but gave no details,how much time is left or what not. We need to know what to do now. I don't want to totally disregard what the vet said then be surprised if something does happen but I also don't want to be so worried about our chinchilla constantly that she is gonna die soon when shes not.

[GrayRodent]

It might not be too late to save your chinchilla. This sometimes happens with certain types of medication which results in digestive upset and a chain reaction that causes a condition called GI stasis. This is when the stomach and intestines shut down and stop flowing. This causes a lot of problems with the balance of microbes in the system that are necessary for digestion. It is not always reversible and there is a chance your chin is too far gone to recover. Digestion stops and this causes wasting which leads to organ failure. It could be something else but this is my last post for the night. I think you'll find this to be the case.

If your chin has stopped eating the important thing is to get food down your chin. A big symptom of this is little or no fecal output compared to usual. See if your chin will eat alfalfa pellets that are soaked with water and mashed up into a paste, not watery, soft enough that it's easy to chew. If you have a feeding syringe you can try to use this as well. Remember to feed through the side of the mouth and don't let the animal suck it straight in. Start with half a teaspoon of mashed pellets and repeat every two hours. I am not an expert and this is the best I know to recommend. I hope someone can provide more info.

This should at least get you started and may get your chinchilla eating on its own again. It could take a few doses of this. I am basing this on a regular diet of estimating 4 tablespoons (8 teaspoons) by volume of food per 24 hours which I suspect is not accurate. 2 tablespoons per day by volume is their normal pellet consumption but they should be eating more hay than pellets. (See next post)

The idea is to get food in so the guts can work on it and also at regular intervals.

Also check for abdominal distension that could be caused by gas. If there is significant distension then medical treatment will be necessary. Avoid sugars or treats to help prevent this problem.

There is a powder available the can provide more nutrients called Oxbow Critical Care. You can try to get this from a pet store or veterinarian. It is easier to digest than pellets. It is mixed with water which is also a critical nutrient if your chin has backed off of this as well.

I am sorry this is happening to you but I have seen other chinchillas on this board pull through after similar situations but usually they start out healthier than this. Please give us an update on how your chin is doing.

Here are some questions that may help others assist you:
Has your chin stopped eating? If it is eating normally then don't hand feed like the way I outlined but also supplement the diet with critical care to help get some weight back.
What medication was it that was given to your chin?
Do you know if your chin has stopped eating and defecating? What is the condition of the feces in the cage and have you noticed any changes there?
Do you know how much your chinchilla weighs now?
A year of age doesn't make any difference. Is your chin a standard grey or a color mutation? Usually the mutations are smaller.

[ABC Chinchillas]

You need a new vet....chinchillas do not get mites.  They also can easily luve well into their teens. I have had several live to be over 20.

That being said there is something wrong with your chinchilla have you ever had the teeth examined and what do you feed. A poor quality diet, treats, no hay and water issue can all lead to what you are describing.  If you are on well water that can account for springtime issues. 

You will need to hand feed your chinchilla. Grind up pellets with a coffee grinder and add water to make a mush. Use a syringe and burritos wrap your chinchilla and feed her.  Order lifeline from chocolatechinchillas.com. is the chinchilla popping? Is she.bloated? If she is having GI issues you will need to massage her stomach and gut in circular downward motions

[lilchinchilla]

I would recommend a new vet and having her teeth checked. What diet is she currently on? The diet can play a key role in her health diminishing, if it is not a good quality diet. Chins can go downhill slowly over a period of time if the diet isn't the best. A quality diet often times is not as expensive as a poorer quality diet (surprising as it is!) can be on store shelves. Diets like mazuri or tradition (to name some American ones. I personally use Alderpark pellets myself but I am in Canada.), are quality diets and do not cost as much as many lesser quality diets do.

[chinchillagigi]

Thankyou for all the replies everyone.

Since I posted on this forum our chin has been doing good. Even though I totally disagreed with what the vet said,the medicine seems to be working. She is eating the formula from the syringe,she no longer looks weak and sprawled out,she has her usual stance about her. Her fur has gotten more fluffy and she will even get on her wheel for a couple seconds at a time. A raisin we put in her food bowl is no longer there also. She is a standard grey chin. The diet she is on hasn't changed since we got her.(Is it bad that it doesn't change from time to time?) The usual pellet food,we use to have a hay dispenser but changed to the hay blocks a while ago.  Every now and then we get new chew toys such as the alphabet blocks and apple sticks. I also rearrange accessories in her cage so it is always a new environment and she doesn't get bored.

As far as the vet goes they really aggravated me. When they said our chin was gonna die I didn't feel sad,I felt anger.Watching my mom cry and I had a suspicion it was for no reason really angered me. The vet asked no questions that I think she should have answered. In the past I have done my own research on chins,making sure what they can't have or shouldn't have so on and so forth because at any pet place around me the people there only know how to scan bar codes and have little to no experience with chins. With my small knowledge of chins even I knew what the vet was saying wasn't true. They did check her teeth and they said she had a slight over bite and her teeth weren't lined up. Which brings me to my next question. In a years time can a chins teeth get that bad? The last time we had her at the vet they checked her teeth and saw no problems.

Sorry if I forgot to answer any questions and thank you again for the help. I will definitely be coming back to this forum in the future.

[GrayRodent]

I'm glad you were able to pull your chinchilla through that mess. There is no excuse for a veterinarian to not identify and treat GI status in your chinchilla and no excuse for such poor treatment and service. Unfortunately your case is not isolated and there are horror stories that you can find online when looking for reviews on a new vet. No vet will have perfect reviews but some are obviously incompetent. I'm sorry you had to endure that.

Although improvement is fast when this happens watch carefully for signs of constipation or diarrhea which can occur until the microbes in the gut are re-established. It is also possible your chin will stop eating again just because the guts are still messed up so monitor carefully.

It is actually good to have a consistent diet of hay and pellets is what most consider to be an ideal diet. A raisin a day makes a nice treat but is not necessary. Two raisins a day is maximum. I wouldn't use it as a supplement but as a treat for your chin to take from your hand for interaction. Until your chin is pooping normally I would hold off on that to prevent gas and more problems.

Changes in diet can actually cause digestive upset like what you are seeing if the diet is not changed very gradually so if you decide to get different pellets mix them with the existing ones over two weeks. There are many kinds of pelleted diets marketed for chins and most of them are not healthy because they have too much sweet stuff that can cause tooth decay or other the wrong diet which causes health problems. Having constant access to wooden chew toys or wood surfaces to chew is important to keep chins' teeth properly trimmed. A misaligned tooth can cause serious problems in a few weeks time because the teeth grow very fast. Spurs develop next to the area that is partially ground and curve away from the center growing into the jaw or tongue. Roots grow as well and can grow into the skull and eye sockets if left unchecked. Tooth spurs usually result in an abscess. The pain from this causes symptoms like what you are describing.

There were no visual confirmations of mites and it is a very rare almost non-existent problem with chins. Standard grays usually have a high fur density and are highly resistant to mites.

I think the best thing to do is get x-rays of the teeth and root alignment by someone who knows what they are looking at. If it is a tooth problem this will happen again soon. If your chin is not chewing properly because of it the problem will become compounded. If it is structural malocclusion (of the jaws) then it will need to be managed. I hope it's instead a simple problem that can be easily corrected.

Here are some new questions: Does your chinchilla appear to be drooling? Could the fur matting be caused by drooling? Is there an odor present? If it is then it is very likely a tooth abscess.

Is your chinchilla getting a regular dust bath? What kind of dust are you using? Do you leave the dust bath in cage or are you providing it in timed intervals?

Also could there be any changes in the water? Are you using tap water or bottled water?

I hope everything works out well for you.

[chinchillagigi]

Thank for the reply.
 Just a quick update:She was looking okay as I said In my last post but tonight she seems to be having a rough time again. She was jumping up on her house,running on her wheel,moving her food bowl but shes acting the same way as the day we took her to the vet.

Answers to your questions:
When we took her to the vet her fur from her throat down to mid belly looks wet or matted,she also started pulling. I am not sure if this was caused by drooling or not. The vet did say she had discharge from her nostrils and at one point she sneezed when she was on the table.

Yes,she does have an odor about her,we noticed when giving her the medication.

We use "Kaytee Chinchilla Dust bath" we purchased at Petco. When I put her dust bath in I let her do her thing for maybe 5 minutes,I remember reading that they cant be in it for a long time,although other people in my house do put it in and sometimes it is left in the cage,It doesn't happen often though.

For water we use bottled Poland Springs water.

The vet also said after checking her teeth that the only real way to see what was going on was to put her under anesthesia. The vet never asked any of the questions you are asking,which is why I got angered so much,I knew there was so many questions to be asked and they just said it was old age.

Since all signs point towards her teeth I suppose we should find an exotic animal vet?

Call me silly but I would assume she has an allergy of some sort. Its every year she got this way. Would it still be her teeth or maybe its just a coincidence this year?

[GrayRodent]

It sounds like your chin is in really bad shape. Please don't be overly optimistic. This could be end stages of malocclusion where the sinuses become involved. This is certainly a severe infection and I'm pretty sure the matting is from drooling. See if you can get a positive diagnosis from a decent vet.

[chinchillagigi]

My mom just woke me up crying. Our chin is now on its side. She keeps bringing her head back a little and her ears pin to her head as if she yawning. She mostly only does it when you try interacting with her. I don't think she is going to make it at this point.

[GrayRodent]

I'm feel sorry for y'all. At least you know you've done everything you could. 
It may be time to put this one down. It is having seizures.

Tooth problems like these can be inherited. If you got this one from a breeder they may want to  be notified.

[chinchillagigi]

Well she passed. I felt really helpless and I didn't want her to suffer. I am glad she wasn't like this for a long time.

I looked up "malocclusion". You mentioning it was the first time I ever heard of it. I knew they could have teeth problems but never knew that could happen. I also never looked into it that much because the vet visits never threw up red flags. She was our first and may be our last chin. It was a great experience and we enjoyed her for a long time.

Thankyou for all of the help. If we do get another chin I will definitely remember this forum.

[GrayRodent]

I am glad you enjoyed your chinchilla and I'm glad we were able to help. I'm sorry for your loss.

6 years is a short life for a chin. I think most of the time they'll live to between 10 and 15. Like starleomach said, she had some some that lived over 20. She is a breeder. I imagine age-related health problems probably won't start showing up until at least 10 years so your vet was way off.

Getting a chin from a reputable breeder will greatly reduce your chance of malocclusion or heart defects which are the two biggest genetic illnesses that chin owners seem to complain about. Especially a breeder with an established line.

It sounds like you did everything right. A competent vet may have been able to make an early diagnosis but even this might not have changed the outcome. I hope you and your mom feel better soon.

[lilchinchilla]

Sorry that girl your passed away. 

[AnnieHank]

I'm so sorry to hear that, I was hoping she'd pull through. You did a very kind thing for her and you should take comfort that you gave her a good life. My thoughts are with you and your mom.