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Memorials / My chinchilla just passed away
« on: August 13, 2013, 10:01:28 AM »
Hi everyone. I am new here. I have a chinchilla named Spike, and my other chinchilla Diesel just passed away this morning 
I am having such a hard time with it. We noticed he was being weird the other day (Saturday night), so we called and made an appt (Monday) with a vet who was 45 minutes away. We don't have any vets close to us that specialize in these little guys. We drove sooo fast, because at that point he wasn't doing well at all. He was panting very heavily, kept making a hiccuping motion, lethargic, could barely move. We couldn't get him in a day sooner cuz it was a Sunday, and no one was open, or had emergency weekend hours. He wasn't eating or drinking. He didn't poop at all. I knew it was bad, and the vet said it was a respiratory infection and an infection in his stomach. They told us in a nice way that it might have been to late to help him get better. They gave us the Oxbow food to force feed him with, and 3 different medications. I was starting to feel better, because he seemed more energetic and his color looked better. While at the vet, he was in an oxygen tank thing, and got an IV full of water. When it was time to feed him again, he completely fought it and spit it up. When it seemed like he did swallow some of it, he made a gagging motion, and it was horrible to watch. He was able to take his medicine alright, and swallowed it, but still seemed to struggle. His body looked bloated from the gas buildup, and he still didn't have a single poop in his cage. When my dad woke up this morning, he went to check on him and give him more medicine. Diesel freaked out, and when the medicine went into his mouth, he just passed away in my dads arms. It was like he couldn't handle anything going into his body. Even liquids. I just wonder how long this was going on for, and we just noticed the symptoms by the time it was too late.
I keep blaming myself, and my dad does too. Even though I know we shouldn't. My dad was saying that if he didn't give him the medicine, he wouldn't have passed away. But I keep telling myself it would have happened eventually, especially since he couldn't drink anything. We did everything we could, and did what the Vet told us. Has anyone else's chinchilla gone through this problem? My other chinchilla is perfectly fine and full of energy. It's so sad and I can't stop thinking that if I did something differently, that he wouldn't have gotten so sick. But we have no idea when his body started breaking down. So many questions, I am just thankful that he is not suffering anymore.
I don't have many people to talk to, especially since they don't understand the bond that chinchillas and their owners have. People are making fun of my brother because he is upset at work. It's horrible. It's the same as having a dog pass away, but people don't understand.
Thank you guys for being so understanding!
I am having such a hard time with it. We noticed he was being weird the other day (Saturday night), so we called and made an appt (Monday) with a vet who was 45 minutes away. We don't have any vets close to us that specialize in these little guys. We drove sooo fast, because at that point he wasn't doing well at all. He was panting very heavily, kept making a hiccuping motion, lethargic, could barely move. We couldn't get him in a day sooner cuz it was a Sunday, and no one was open, or had emergency weekend hours. He wasn't eating or drinking. He didn't poop at all. I knew it was bad, and the vet said it was a respiratory infection and an infection in his stomach. They told us in a nice way that it might have been to late to help him get better. They gave us the Oxbow food to force feed him with, and 3 different medications. I was starting to feel better, because he seemed more energetic and his color looked better. While at the vet, he was in an oxygen tank thing, and got an IV full of water. When it was time to feed him again, he completely fought it and spit it up. When it seemed like he did swallow some of it, he made a gagging motion, and it was horrible to watch. He was able to take his medicine alright, and swallowed it, but still seemed to struggle. His body looked bloated from the gas buildup, and he still didn't have a single poop in his cage. When my dad woke up this morning, he went to check on him and give him more medicine. Diesel freaked out, and when the medicine went into his mouth, he just passed away in my dads arms. It was like he couldn't handle anything going into his body. Even liquids. I just wonder how long this was going on for, and we just noticed the symptoms by the time it was too late. I keep blaming myself, and my dad does too. Even though I know we shouldn't. My dad was saying that if he didn't give him the medicine, he wouldn't have passed away. But I keep telling myself it would have happened eventually, especially since he couldn't drink anything. We did everything we could, and did what the Vet told us. Has anyone else's chinchilla gone through this problem? My other chinchilla is perfectly fine and full of energy. It's so sad and I can't stop thinking that if I did something differently, that he wouldn't have gotten so sick. But we have no idea when his body started breaking down. So many questions, I am just thankful that he is not suffering anymore.
I don't have many people to talk to, especially since they don't understand the bond that chinchillas and their owners have. People are making fun of my brother because he is upset at work. It's horrible. It's the same as having a dog pass away, but people don't understand.
Thank you guys for being so understanding!