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[testudo]

Hi all,

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I have a 2yo male standard grey (named Splash) who has been losing some weight over recent weeks; most notably down from 485 grams three weeks ago to 430 grams yesterday. I've also noticed some discharge from both eyes in the last few months. He has been seen repetitively by two vets with no obvious abnormalities noted.

At the weekend I noticed him having particular difficulty in chewing food, with some damp fur on his chest. All of this indicated a tooth problem to me. Given his drastic weight loss (worst in the past week) and  his other symptoms, I requested that his teeth be examined under anaesthetic. This was done yesterday, and significant bilateral spurs on his premolars were clipped and smoothed. I assumed this was the problem and assumed he would get better. No other oral abnormalities were noted on examination.

Today he has lost a further 5g since yesterday, and his appearance on chewing food is the same - he seems to be having great difficulty. He seems exactly as he was earlier in the week. I have discussed his appearance today with the vet who performed the procedure who was expecting normal behaviour by today and advised that I travel for an exotic specialist to review him. He is receiving daily meloxicam for pain relief.

I was wondering whether this could be considered normal, and if not, how likely is it that the exotic specialist would diagnose something treatable? I have spent several hundred pounds on vet bills so far and was relieved that everything seemed to have been sorted out yesterday - if I spend much more, I would like to know that there's a reasonable chance of a full cure.

I appreciate that this isn't a veterinary advice forum, but I would be grateful for any input or experiences. After all, if he's not got much longer to go, I'd like to be as well-informed as possible.

Thanks!

[GrayRodent]

This isn't that unusual after the teeth have been filed for a chinchilla to be in pain for a few days. You must immediately syringe feed your pet. Call your veterinarian and get the proper supplies and instructions. For now mush up some alfalfa pellets with water and see if you can get him to eat it off a spoon or he could die in a matter of hours depending on how long he has not eaten.

I hate to say it but the outcome for cases like yours is not good. The eye infections in cases of malocclusion occur when the roots of the molars grow into the skull and obstruct the tear ducts. These cannot be trimmed but may improve some if your pet starts eating again and that is going to depend on the severity of the problem. Filing the teeth is a temporary fix. The teeth have grown in wrong and will continue to grow at a wrong angle which causes those spurs because the skull is deformed. This is a known genetic condition in pet chinchillas that can be bred out but not all breeders are meticulous in doing this. I say this with confidence because it is bilateral.

If your pet survives over the next week its condition may improve but several months from now you may be facing the same problem. Some pet owners will opt to have the teeth filed as needed. This may buy you a few years but eventually it will become unmanageable as the roots overgrow. Others will opt to have their pet euthanized. I hope this helps with your decision.

[Chinsight]

Our female chin has the tooth problems. Her chest was wet all the time and she couldn't eat and was drastically losing weight, pawing at her mouth. We took her to an exotic specialist who did the same thing with her teeth as your chin. We had to take her every 3 months to have her teeth re-shaved and now this last time its been 4 months and she's putting on weight with no problems as of recently. Your vet may not be finding all the spurs. When you got the tooth shaving done were you given antibiotics? We had to give ours antibiotics for about 2 weeks every time she has her teeth redone. Also, what we noticed is that it took 3 spur shavings over 10 months for the vet to find all the spurs so even though she was better she wasn't 100 % until this last shaving. We paid $65 for each tooth shaving visit. This is why we decided not to mate her because we don't want to pass on her tooth spurs to her offspring. Note to all chin owners: Please do not ever mate chins that have health problems.

[Chinsight]

Our exotic vet told us that the roots can grow into the skull if left untreated but that's not usually what she sees. Most owners just shave the teeth every few months and the chins live a good long life. This is our exotic vet. She's wonderful with chins.

Parker Animal & Bird Clinic -

Jennifer E Thedford DVM
 
2129 W Parker Rd, Ste A, Plano,TX 75023
(972) 985-0036

[BLS Chins]

Have xrays been done? Any chin with teeth issues needs xrays to check the roots, especially if the eyes are affected. Malo comes in three forms, misalignment, over growth and roots. It can be one or any combination but you need an experienced vet to check. If you are only addressing one issue and not all of them (roots can not be treated) then the chin will not do well and continue to do poorly.

[Chinsight]

Yikes! Yes, he needs to go to an exotic animal specialist.