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[GretuskaLT]

About 8 days ago I noticed that my 4 year old chinchilla, Pukis (male) started acting ill - sneezing, breathing strangely. He was still running around, being active as always, eating food, drinking water. I got worried about him and asked my father to take him to the vet.
When my dad came back from the vet, he told me the news. Bad news. Upper respiratory tract infection. The vet had given Pukis antibiotics (don't know the name) and told us to come every single day for the shot.
However, from that day, Pukis' condition had only been getting worse  . He completely stopped eating (and drinking), his energy levels were just going down...
It's been a week from the first vet visit now. Yesterday, the vet said that Pukis won't be getting any more antibiotics (since they're not helping and it's been a whole week) and he has to start eating. If he doesn't, he'll die... That whole week we tried offering him food, but to no avail.
Today I tried force feeding him. At first I tried it with some yogurt, then, with water. He fights and pushes the squirt out of his way. And when I do manage to put some of the content into his mouth, he swallows it very hard - he is choking, coughing...
I noticed that he cannot breathe through his nose anymore - it looks like it's blocked. He can only breathe through his mouth now (that explains the choking)... It is really sad and painful for me to watch him  .
I am currently crying my eyes out. I don't want to see Pukis suffering, but I also don't want him to die! 
I'll be going to the vet today. I'm not sure what she'll do, but maybe she'll think of something.
Maybe I can help Pukis in some way? Is there a way to unblock his nose, make him eat? Or could I suggest something to the vet?

I don't want to euthanize him... Please help, this is my last resort  ...

[GrayRodent]

I am very sorry to say this but I think your best option is euthanize him at this point. I think he is too far gone. I do not normally advise pet owners to do this.

When chinchillas stop eating they must be force fed within 48 hours of when that happens or there will be complications. They must be fed at least three times a day to keep the bowels flowing and to keep the immune system working. At this point you will have to overcome GI stasis, severe malnutrition, a compromised immune system, and a serious respiratory illness that is not responding to antibiotics. A last resort for this will have to be hospitalization in the hands of highly skilled staff but even at that recovery is very doubtful. Respiratory infections even in otherwise healthy animals can be very difficult to treat.

[GretuskaLT]

GrayRodent, thank you for your reply. You may have a point there... My family is still overthinking the whole euthanasia thing.
I recently asked my mother what her opinion on euthanizing Pukis was. She responded that we should try to help him, not kill him. I got the same response from my father... I just don't know what to do  . My mind is yelling at me for not helping my pet get to a better place, but my heart is quietly saying 'wait and see'.
I just got back from the vet. She said that the only thing she can do is give Pukis shots of vitamins. She said we must try to save him (keep force feeding). I am very grateful to her for being so sympathetic and optimistic about this illness. I, however, lost all hope and entered depression the moment I heard he has URI.
I know it is best to put him to sleep, but my family won't let me do it. They'll keep on fighting for the little guy. I wish I had that much optimism.
Anyway, I just noticed a few droppings (feces) in the bag in which I carry Pukis to the vet (don't worry, the bag is spacious). They are small, dry and blackish - brown. Is this a good sign? I hope it is.
I'll try feeding him soon. The vet suggested that we use Bio-Lapis and don't give up on him.
I'll update as soon as possible.

[GrayRodent]

Seeing the presence of poop is actually a very good sign even if it is small and hard. It means something is getting through. Having the antibiotics injected instead of administered orally may have made it so his bowels are in better condition than usual.

I would say just keep doing what the vet prescribes. It may be helpful to break up the feedings into four or five small ones as evenly spaced over 24 hours as possible if that hasn't been discussed. A chinchilla that gives up is not going to swallow any food so I'd just keep at it until he gives up if it comes to that. There is still a chance he can recover although it is very small. It would be wonderful if you can get him through it.

[ADGphoto]

Have you tried the Oxbow Critical Care?  I just adopted my chin and he was very ill - sneezing & coughing, hard time breathing, very under weight.  This is his 4th week on Baytril.  We see him getting better.  I started out feeding him the Critical Care every 6 hours (I mix it with warm water) by syringe.  He just started taking it without us holding him.  I also give him baby gas drops, Benebac (mixed into the Critical Care) and an occasional cheerio.  I get the Critical Care from Pet Supplies Plus (Michigan).

I hope he gets better for you.  We were prepared to euthanize also.  His cage mate did not make it 2 days with us.  Her gut was completely empty on the x-ray and gas had filled her.  We had to euthanize her.  Very sad!

You are a very brave young man!

[GretuskaLT]

ADGphoto, thanks for suggesting this. One problem - I don't live in America and highly doubt that here, in Lithuania (Europe), we have this product... I'll be taking my chinchilla to the vet today so maybe I'll ask her about it.
Could it be that Pukis isn't eating because of some other problem (not URI)? Like, maybe teeth problems or even bloat? He stopped taking antibiotics and the vet said his appetite should have gone back by now. I suppose I'll ask my vet about that too.
Pukis is still really weak - he barely moves, his breathing is shallow... I know that what we are doing to Pukis now can be considered torture (force feeding, he hates it), but I believe this is the right way to go - I want him to live...

Any more suggestions are welcome. Any help is great.

I'll keep this updated.

[GrayRodent]

You can try to do an xray of the skull or a visual tooth exam. If there is malocclusion (tooth problems where the teeth do not meet together properly and overgrow) it is usually pretty obvious. The teeth can be filed flat but sometimes an x-ray is the only way you are going to know if there's damage to the skull from overgrown roots.
An x-ray will also give you a picture of the condition of the intestines.

Like I said, an animal that gives up completely will not swallow its food down, even when force fed. So there may be some hope still although your pet is still critically ill.

What is the diet he is getting now if you don't have critical care? That is usually what a vet will prescribe.

[GretuskaLT]

I feed him 4 times a day: 2 PM, 4 PM, 7 PM, and 10 PM. He gets peach flavored BIOS yogurt (I'm sure you haven't heard about it, they only sell it in Lithuania.), about 2 ml in one feeding, and a same amount of water mixed with Bio-Lapis food supplement. He has to drink 50 ml of it per day, but I just cannot get him to drink it all!
I know this isn't a lot, but I don't know what else to do - he fights and pushes the squirt out of his way when I feed him. I've seen a few tutorial videos on force feeding chinnies, so I pretty much know how to do it.

I should definitely give him more food daily, because at this rate he won't make it  .
How many ml of yogurt does he really need (for the whole day)? Do I need a bigger squirt? Will it make things easier?

[GretuskaLT]

I took Pukis the vet.
She examined him and said that 'there is something in his belly that shouldn't be there'. She guesses it's poop that cannot get through. Didn't recommend anything though.
She also said that if we cannot make him eat by himself, he might die soon. When my mother heard this, she got scared - after that, she suggested euthanizing him if he doesn't start eating (by himself) by the end of the week. I asked the vet how much food/day he really needed - '10 ml is good, but he could get more than that'.

If he does survive until Sunday, I'll have to euthanize him if he doesn't start eating 
When me and my mother were feeding him just now, we managed to feed him 4 ml of the Bio-Lapis mixture and just 2 ml of yogurt.
Another thing: while I was holding Pukis and my mom was feeding him, he kind of peed all over me... I guess it's just water passing through his system and it means nothing. Anyway, his pee smelled like burned popcorn or something like that. I didn't see the colour because he urinated on my pants and they soaked it up really fast. Didn't see any droppings though.

This is looking grave. I do not think he'll start eating by Sunday. I really don't want to lose him, but I guess I have no other choice...

[GrayRodent]

The intestines probably have gas built up in them from having gone several days without eating and has GI stasis, which is to be expected. If you can try to feed a drop of symthicone with each feeding and after feeding rub the abdomen lightly and massage it for a minute or two. That can help.
I don't know what to say about the pee. It could be the vitamin mixture. I am not familiar with the diet your vet has prescribed. Usually we use Oxbow Critical Care or some kind of herbivore recovery diet mixture that has hay in it.

[GretuskaLT]

I forgot to mention this - the vet said it is not gas. Whatever it is in his intestines is not gas.

[Jasonred79]

What's your vet think about an enema?

[GretuskaLT]

Jasonred79, I honestly don't think that it's a good idea to have an enema performed on a chinchilla. It looks really painful and might not even help (I don't want him to suffer more than he is suffering now)... But maybe some kind of laxative can? Are there any other good ways to clear out his system?

[GrayRodent]

For chinchillas an enema really isn't an option unless there is an impaction specifically in the colon. A laxative (in the traditional sense) probably isn't the best thing since they can have serious side effects but some vets do prescribe medications to increase gut motility.

[Jasonred79]

Thanks for the info, grayrodent! Dont do it then!

... For humans though, enemas are not really uncomfortable. Or, at least, they are practically discomfort free compared to the problems that they solve!

As noted though, totally different biological systems.