Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[NatalieP86]

Hello

I am new to this forum and looking for some advise about my chinchilla.

Lex is 7 years old and over the past week has become very constipated, he is barely doing any droppings and what is there is very small and thin. He is off his food, lathargic and just sits looking very sorry for himself. We had him to the vets on Saturday who gave us some emipride, loxicom, critical care food and some electrolyte sachets. The loxicom has helped his pain and he is no longer pulling out fur and grinding his teeth.

I spoke to the vets again yesterday who added in lactulose and Cisapride. Lex's tummy feels quite hard and he makes a horrid little squeaky noise when you press down on his tummy on one side.

The vet has said he thinks he may need an x ray to check for a blockage, but I am worried about sedating him for this. We are giving his tummy massages and using a sock filled with rice warmed on his belly to help him.

Not sure what else to do to help him, can anyone suggest anything the vet hasn't?

Thank you in advance for any help.

Natalie and Lexi

Please if anyone can help please do. I can't have children and he is my baby I am so heartbroken that he is so ill. 

[GrayRodent]

I'm very sorry you're having this kind of trouble. The prognosis is poor. It sounds like you're doing everything that can be done plus some. If I were in this situation and my goal is to save the animal I would get the x-ray done. It's risky but may help you get a better assessment of how to treat it and let you know if it's curable or not.

Of course the best treatment right now is to manage GI stasis, make sure to break the critical care up into small feedings and make sure the dosing is precise. This may require feeding at night as well to try to get the feeding evenly spaced as possible.

I know you probably don't want to hear this but if your chinchilla doesn't make it I strongly recommend a post-mortem exam to determine the cause. If it was caused by ingesting something unsafe you can learn from it and prevent other pets from being exposed.

Bowel obstructions in chinchillas seem to be caused by improper diet, giving excessive sugary treats which can cause bloat, or the ingestion of plastic, fleece or paper bedding. Paper bedding seems to be a significant risk that isn't discussed very often. It can also be caused by a parasitic infection such as giardia that has been left unchecked. Most animals diagnosed with obstructions do not survive.

The most common problem reported with sick pet chinchillas is tooth problems. If you have an x-ray done make sure to get a good image of the teeth. This can indirectly cause these symptoms. If you have significant tooth problems my recommendation is to euthanize as there is no cure although some people have reported prolonging their pets life for a few more years with regular dental work. It will depend on the severity of the problem. These problems are very infrequent with chinchillas from reputable breeders. Improper breeding practices seem to invite dental malocclusion.

I'm very sorry you are going through this. Only time will tell what the outcome will be. I'll pray for the best for you.

[BLS Chins]

Make sure to add probiotics to your hand feeding. That also helps to keep the gut moving. Your vet should be able to do xrays awake if your chin is calm. This cant be done with every chin but i know of several cases where they were able to do it without anesthesia.You can try to encourage exercise which can move the bowel. Are there any stools? You may want to ad baby gas drops. You can get them at any local drug store

[NatalieP86]

Hello

When I got home last night he was so ill, I thought he was going to die. We spoke to my vet who referred us to a specialist vet. We took Lex there last night and they immediatly admitted him as he was dehydrated. They are giving him strong painkilers, intravenous fluids and are going to perform a CT scan as they think the under lying issue is his teeth or ears.

All we can do is leave them to it, he is in the best hand and the best care and we are doing all we can for him.

Thank you both for your replies.

Natalie and Lexi

[GrayRodent]

I hope whatever they find is curable. Let's see what happens.

[NatalieP86]

Hello

The ct scam showed Lexs ears and teeth are fine but lots of gas in his tummy and two enlarged lymph nodes. On Saturday they put a tube down his throat and drew off 20ml of gas, then they did it again later and got 5ml out. They have said it is bloat  but he's not in stasis yet. They said there bloat could be caused by an infection hence the two enlarged nodes or cancer. They have us two options one was to open him up and take out the nodes test them and see what's going on, if it's cancer then that's it but if it's infection they will know what to treat him with. The other option was to give anti-biotics and wait and see if they worked. I decided to try the anti-biotics he had been on them since yesterday and they have said we should see if they are working by Monday night \Tuesday morning. Today he had taken a turn for the worse he is not wanting to take the critical care and he became very bloated. They tried putting a tube down again but they just drew back 12mls of critical care so he's not been digesting properly.
I don't know what to do he is miles away from home, I rarely leave him for this long I take short holidays so I can get back to him. I'm really worried about him thinking I've just left him abandoned him whilst he's really poorly, I'm worried he's ill, confused and sad that I've left him. I'm crying writing this  maybe that's why he's not getting better. I don't know much about bloat can anyone tell me anything about it? I'm so scared he's going to die without me there thinking I don't love him 

Nat

[GrayRodent]

I'm very sad to hear that. It does sound like there may be hope still but your pet is in a precarious position. A foreign object obstruction still cannot be ruled out but the absence of stasis is promising. I think treating with antibiotics is the best situation at the time but keep in mind those will compound the digestive problems so there's a possibility it can get worse before it gets better.

Bloat is a condition where the bowels fill with gas, usually because digestion has been disrupted or slowed. The enlarged segments of the intestines press against the rest of the organs and can put kinks in the intestines that obstruct the bowels if it's not properly managed. The microbial organisms in the intestines must exist in specific ratios to ensure proper digestion. An infection in the intestine can change that ratio and account for the problems. It can be caused by feeding sugary substances, being poisoned by something, and some cases it can be brought on by extreme stress.

Have they done a fecal culture yet to check for parasites?

It sounds like your pet is in the best place right now. If he was at home you'd be hand feeding every few hours and not being able to measure the effectiveness of the treatment. It's a lose-lose situation in that regard.

[NatalieP86]

Hello

Alexei died this morning at 10.30am Uk time. He was 7 years old and my beautiful baby boy. We are devestated.

We saw him last night and gave permission for the vets to operate this morning. When they opened him up they found that he was riddled in cancer. They called us and asked us what we wanted to do and we told them to let him go whilst under anesthetic which is what they did.

We are at peace in the knowledge we did all we could for him and that he knew he was adored. We are going to get him and bring him home for the night, we are going to take clipping of his fur and prints of his feet so we always have a part of him with us. We will then take him to our vets and have him cremated.

Thank you for all your well wishes and advice.

Natalie

[GrayRodent]

My condolences. You really did everything you could do.