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[Beckyclarkie]

WARNING: GRAPHIC PICTURE OF INFECTED EAR.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some help in finding an easier and healthier way to feed my chinchilla his antibiotics. He refuses the syringe method and we currently have to pump a raisin with the medicine, however this is not a healthy option. I'm also looking for anyone with similar scenarios and how they have managed to overcome them.

A backstory - Pico is one year old and was one of three chins born to a first time mum. He was the runt of the litter and as a result, we had to hand feed him every four hours for months. He's had medical issues which have resulted in the administering of antibiotics, such as a scabby nose and his 'distressed' ear. A chunk didn't form at the top of his ear and it eventually became infected when he was about 5 months old. We were given antibiotics for weeks and then eventually, a cream that would cause the infection to scab over and for new skin to form underneath. Unfortunately, he had to undergo an operation to have the top part of his ear cut off in the end.

His ear had healed perfectly and he became happy and chirpy, when before he was very reserved. However, 5 days ago, my partner noticed his ear looking slightly red and sore again. We made an appointment with our vet straight away, but the next day his ear was weepy and bloody (however, this may be due to his brother, Luiz, grooming his ear). Our vet prescribed a slightly larger dose of antibiotics, however Pico will refuse to take them and I don't blame him! Due to his horrible start to life, I'm sure he hates the sight of a syringe! I've tried holding Pico the tightest I could, however he will turn his head every time the syringe comes close to his mouth. I have a very close bond with my chins, one that I don't want to break through tough loving! Most of the time, we can get the majority down him through raisins, however this is a very unhealthy way to do so. Our vet said, as long as we can get the medicine down him, then do it, but I'm worried of long term health, especially if this is going to be a recurring problem. Although Pico loves raisins, too many of them will not be good for his gut, as I'm sure many of you are aware. I'm very keen to ensure Pico gets the correct dose of his medicine twice a day to guarantee he doesn't have to have another operation and therefore would be looking for another way of doing so.

Are there any chinchilla owners who have any tips for administering medicine a better way? Will appreciate all ideas and methods.

I was also wondering if there are any similar cases out there and what could have caused this infection? Our vet believes it may be a case of bad circulation as the ear either didn't form correctly or was damaged at a very young age.

I have included a picture the vet took during the original operation so you can see what the infection looks like. His current infection is similar, however just scabbed over.
Thanks in advance for your answers.

[GrayRodent]

I'm sorry to see you are having so many problems with your pet. I pray everything will clear up soon.

Chinchillas can have two raisins a day without problems. If their digestion is working correctly I don't think 3 will hurt. If it becomes a problem you'll see changes in the fecal output. Long term health effects I doubt will be a concern. The biggest concern is soft stool which can cause diarrhea which causes malnutrition and dehydration if it occurs and does not stop. This won't happen if you are careful. The second greatest concern is malnutrition if not enough regular food is not consumed. Rodents will naturally eat a given volume of food for day and are self regulating that way so if they don't get enough healthy food they'll loose weight and develop nutritional deficiencies. 3 raisins won't do that unless your chin is very small. Unfortunately with antibiotics there is an additional risk of problems because they are irritating to the chinchilla's intestines and can cause their whole system to shut down requiring syringe feeding if that happens.

Have you talked to your vet about methods? You might could get a demonstration on proper technique. When my chinchillas was sick and I had to give him antibiotics I always had someone there to help. Usually I would hold him and my mom would dispense the medicine. With rabbits or rodents you go in from the side behind their front teeth. There is a gap there before you get to the molars in the back. Care should be taken to not aim the syringe at the back of the throat because if the medicine squirts out hard enough it can cause choking and aspiration of contents into the lungs. This can be fatal.
For food such as critical care the chinchilla will typically lick it up and few seconds to swallow it down, we would dispense about 1cc at a time to allow for that. Of course syringe feeding takes longer than just a dose or two of meds.
When we did it we would have everything set up in advance to make everything very efficient. That way we would only have to restrain him for less than 20 seconds. We pre-loaded the syringes and had all the supplies and lighting set and had a system to keep it quick.

[myjohni]

Hi. Thanks for useful and helpful topic , I didn't know about this .

[Beckyclarkie]

Thanks for the answers. I've had a few people tell me to stick with the raisin method as it is working. I've also been told of the 'burrito' method, in which you wrap your chin up on their back and feed them the medicine. We visited our vet for a week checkup the other day, the ear is healing well and scabbing over, however she has asked us to carry on with the antibiotics for two more weeks to ensure it heals completely.

Pico is very lively and cuddly compared to the first time he had his infection, so hopefully this is a good sign!

[Jasonred79]

hmm, not sure what method you're using... but are you using a whole raisin? Maybe cutting in in 1/4 and using that would be better?

for my little guy, I suspect anything that smells or tastes sweet will get him, so I think adding anything sweet like a dab of honey or sugar to liquids might be effective.

Anyhow, glad things are working out so far!!!

... if you don't mind, could you also post a picture of him AFTER the operation, and what he looks like now? I assume he's well now? I like to see "happy endings" to make me get over pictures of unhappiness... thanks!!!