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[Jessica T]

I am hoping that someone out there will have had a similar experience to mine, (preferably one that ended happily) and can tell me how they remedied the problem.

We have a 6 year old chinchilla named Gus.  He's had a very happy and healthy life.  A few weeks ago I noticed that he wasn't eating as many alfalfa pellets as usual and that his poos were smaller and less abundant.  I took him to the vet, who did a thorough check-up and concluded that perhaps he needed to be on a drug for "motility" (gets the bowels going but doesn't loosen them) and an antacid to help with tummy trouble.  We gave this to Gus for the recommended 3 days and he did begin to eat and poo more. 

But shortly after, his feeding dwindled again.  The other odd thing was his lack of interest in chew toys.  He is always seeking out bigger wood chips in his shavings and loves when we leave him edible products to gnaw, but for the past couple weeks he has not been chewing them.  He was also grinding his teeth more than usual.

Naturally, this made us think he had a problem with his teeth.

This week I took him to the vet again.  She did a thorough check-up before deciding if it was ok to sedate him for the exam.  In doing so she discovered that he has a heart murmur.  Because this can greatly increase a chinny's risk under anesthetic, we had an ultrasound done to figure out the nature of the murmur.  It turns out he has a mild degree of cardiac disease, specifically "mitral valve insufficiency".  It's caused a thickening of one of his valves, but not of the heart itself.  He has a good heart rate despite this and is pumping blood well, his body is coping and we're in the very early stages of this problem.  For now no medication is required and the specialist did not think that his lack of interest in pellets and chew toys was due to this. 

They then did the mouth exam, which turned up nothing!!  Even the xrays were fine.  Turns out he has nearly perfect teeth.  So now we (including the vets) are somewhat stumped as to what is troubling him.  He is back on the motility drug and antacid, along with a painkiller that I was told is similar to Tylenol for humans.  I am giving him Critical Care to supplement his eating, as he's still eating fewer pellets and less hay than usual.  He is drinking, peeing, is alert and happy to come out of his cage, makes happy sounds, jumps around, looooves his dust baths..... The hope is that whatever is bothering him will go away while he is taking these medications that are helping him continue to eat.  But, I'm a worry-wort (and also 5 months pregnant), so of course am thinking ahead and wondering what we do next if this doesn't work.  He's to be on the meds for another 10 days, so we still have a lot of time to tell the tale...

I was hoping that by posting this story someone may have encountered a similar problem.  If so, I'd love to hear your experience - was it a weird pathogen causing the illness?  Did it just go away on it's own?  Were you told it might be a temporary problem with something undetectable in the mouth/gut??  IF we need to go back to the vet, I'd love to have a few ideas in the back of my mind to throw out as suggestions of what it could be based on my observations of him and on what I've heard of happening to other chinchillas.  Every sign we've observed points to a problem with his mouth.... Yet nothing wrong can be seen.

Thank you very much!  Gus thanks you, too.

PS  I am feeding him critical care, which he has been eating well.  He has the will to eat, just can't seem to do the harder foods...

[GrayRodent]

I'm very sorry you're struggling so much with this one. You are doing well to make the observations you did and were able to catch the illness early enough to prevent extreme digestive problems.

Would you mind posting the x-rays? If you're having a problem with the file size settings feel free to send them to me and I'll make sure they get attached. (admin@chinchillaclub.com). I have someone who visits regularly who is experienced with this and she may be able to pick out anything that may have been missed. The most common culprit for these symptoms is dental problems and unfortunately it's not uncommon for a problem, such as a tooth spur, to get missed.
I recommend having the x-rays looked over by others who have more experience reading them.

Heart murmurs (and their underlying defects) are somewhat common with chinchillas as well and usually point to poor breeding practices.

If it's caused by pathogens or parasites it could show up in a fecal culture. I'm not familiar with a condition where things focus in on the mouth and teeth. If it were in the throat it would likely be a respiratory illness that would usually present with symptoms such as drooling, runny eyes, nose, etc.

Also what diet are you feeding, brand of food, type of hay, etc? Any treats or supplements? Has there been any traumatic injury in your pet's past to the head (falling on its face, getting caught in something etc.)?

As far as prognosis I want to be realistic and say stay guarded at this point. Set your limits on how far you want to go with treatment beforehand. I've seen cases where something like this can happen for no apparent reason and clear up without explanation. If the teeth are found to be involved it's something that will have to managed long term as problems there are rarely curable but procedures such as floating the teeth on a regular basis can sometimes buy some time.

I pray the best for you and hope all goes well.

[Flint]

I have a chinchilla who has gone through a similar situation to what you describe in your post. To encourage eating and weight gain, have you tried lightly soaking his pellets in hot water as this makes them more palatable? I find that offering a wide variety of dry forage may help also, as this will help with teeth grinding. Alfalfa hay offered s couple of times a week may help. Oats offered a couple of times a week will also help with grinding molar teeth.

[Flint]

Has any other member ever experienced a situation like this before? I would be interested to know how other chinchilla owners have dealt with a chinchilla that refuses to eat, and possible causes when nothing medical or dental is apparent.

[NatalieP86]

Hello
When my chinchilla Lex stopped eating we fed him with critical care and took away his treats as to much sugar when they aren't eating can really upset the guts. We gave him lots of hay and dried chinchilla herbs, plenty of water and we have him lots of toys with bark as that was his favourite thing to chew on.
I would take your chin to a vet that specialises in chinchillas, they know so much more than usual vets and can run more tests.
Good luck and I hope he picks back up asap.
Nat

[Jessica T]

I tried the soaked pellets once, he did eat a few but didn't seem to love them.  He'll eat his dry pellets in the night, but not many.  I'll start leaving him a bowl of soaked ones, too.  What other dry forage is safe to give him?  When you say oats, like oatmeal flakes??  Other than keeping him well-nourished, my biggest concern is keeping his molars ground, so your suggestions are very appreciated   Thank you!!

I have a chinchilla who has gone through a similar situation to what you describe in your post. To encourage eating and weight gain, have you tried lightly soaking his pellets in hot water as this makes them more palatable? I find that offering a wide variety of dry forage may help also, as this will help with teeth grinding. Alfalfa hay offered s couple of times a week may help. Oats offered a couple of times a week will also help with grinding molar teeth.

[Jessica T]

Hi there,

I don't have a copy of his xrays, but we'll probably be at the vet again soon and I will certainly ask for them.  Thank you!!  On another site I posted the woman suggested he may have an incisor crack, which apparently wouldn't necessarily show up on an xray.  This sounds logical to me in terms of what we've been observing with his chewing habits. 

In terms of food, we are feeding him Oxbow alfalfa pellets, Oxbow Timothy hay, and water.  He gets Cheerios or dehydrated strawberries as a treat here and there but that's about it.  We are sensitive to the fact that they have finicky digestive tracts.  I've been giving him Critical Care for the past 4 days, and the vet gave it to him for 24 hours prior to that.  He eats 4-5 tsp/24 hours.  So I know he's got an appetite and isn't eating what is in his cage as much as he could be.

No traumatic experiences that we know of!

Thanks so much for your reply!!

I'm very sorry you're struggling so much with this one. You are doing well to make the observations you did and were able to catch the illness early enough to prevent extreme digestive problems.

Would you mind posting the x-rays? If you're having a problem with the file size settings feel free to send them to me and I'll make sure they get attached. (admin@chinchillaclub.com). I have someone who visits regularly who is experienced with this and she may be able to pick out anything that may have been missed. The most common culprit for these symptoms is dental problems and unfortunately it's not uncommon for a problem, such as a tooth spur, to get missed.
I recommend having the x-rays looked over by others who have more experience reading them.

Heart murmurs (and their underlying defects) are somewhat common with chinchillas as well and usually point to poor breeding practices.

If it's caused by pathogens or parasites it could show up in a fecal culture. I'm not familiar with a condition where things focus in on the mouth and teeth. If it were in the throat it would likely be a respiratory illness that would usually present with symptoms such as drooling, runny eyes, nose, etc.

Also what diet are you feeding, brand of food, type of hay, etc? Any treats or supplements? Has there been any traumatic injury in your pet's past to the head (falling on its face, getting caught in something etc.)?

As far as prognosis I want to be realistic and say stay guarded at this point. Set your limits on how far you want to go with treatment beforehand. I've seen cases where something like this can happen for no apparent reason and clear up without explanation. If the teeth are found to be involved it's something that will have to managed long term as problems there are rarely curable but procedures such as floating the teeth on a regular basis can sometimes buy some time.

I pray the best for you and hope all goes well.

[GrayRodent]

Sounds like you're doing everything right diet-wise. I find it very odd you're having symptoms of dental problems

I got your x-rays and they are attached here. Brea Shearer please have a look. Thanks.

[GrayRodent]

Do you have any lateral x-rays? This series is really not appropriate for diagnosing dental problems.

Edit: See below. At least one lateral is available now.

[Jessica T]

Do you have any lateral x-rays? This series is really not appropriate for diagnosing dental problems.

Thank you for posting them!  I am quite sure the vet sent me all of the xrays they had taken.  The clinic has at least three vets who specialize in chinchillas so I was trusting that they know what they're doing... Are lateral xrays typically taken?  The vet also did a manual check of his teeth when he was under and could see no issues.  She's the third person to take a look in his mouth this month (and no one raised any concerns) though she was the only one to see him when sedated.  I'd really rather not have him put under again for more photos... Unless we are sure they will turn up something.  On another forum a woman said she's seen cracked incisors that did not show up on xrays and that it just took time for them to grow out.  Would more noticeable issues like spurs be visible in the photos posted?  Or are they really quite useless? 

Thank you once again!!

[GrayRodent]

I fear these may be useless for that kind of assessment. I cannot see the relation of the roots to the sinuses and nasal structures or their alignments to the maxillae and each other. I'm not an expert in reading these though but I've never seen them taken at this angle for anything. A cracked incisor should have been easily noticeable on a physical exam which you've said has already been done. Usually those are caused by being dropped on their face although you've said that hasn't happened.

Let's see if we can get a second opinion today or tomorrow by my vet tech friend. She has experience with this. I am more of a hobbyist and researcher.
You might consider having them looked at by another vet who is experienced with chinchillas and other rodents. If I'm right about what I'm thinking your x-ray tech was incompetent if the aim had anything to do with examining the teeth.

I would be careful with getting another exam for obvious reasons but if you go too long and its weight keeps falling the risks will be compounded. At this point my recommendation is get a second opinion.

[Jessica T]

OK, thank you.  I'll be eager to hear what your friend has to say.  I can ask my vet if laterals were taken or why this specific angle was chosen.  I don't think Gus is losing weight right now, I'm keeping him quite full with the Critical Care (even going home for lunch to feed him, and getting up in the night.... I feel like his nutrition is key if we're going to get to the bottom of this).  My husband and I had decided that a second opinion was definitely on our list of "next actions".  Hate to go through the test again, but hate to miss something, too.  Thanks again for your help! 

I fear these may be useless for that kind of assessment. I cannot see the relation of the roots to the sinuses and nasal structures or their alignments to the maxillae and each other. I'm not an expert in reading these though but I've never seen them taken at this angle for anything. A cracked incisor should have been easily noticeable on a physical exam which you've said has already been done. Usually those are caused by being dropped on their face although you've said that hasn't happened.

Let's see if we can get a second opinion today or tomorrow by my vet tech friend. She has experience with this. I am more of a hobbyist and researcher.
You might consider having them looked at by another vet who is experienced with chinchillas and other rodents. If I'm right about what I'm thinking your x-ray tech was incompetent if the aim had anything to do with examining the teeth.

I would be careful with getting another exam for obvious reasons but if you go too long and its weight keeps falling the risks will be compounded. At this point my recommendation is get a second opinion.

[Flint]

I had three separate dental checks carried out on my chin, both as x-rays, and visuals, which included throat, mouth lining, tongue and nasal cavities, all revealing nothing whatsoever. I also had full blood chemistry carried out, again revealing nothing. My chinchilla can chew as well as my other chins when it suits him, but would rather play me for cc, which he has become addicted to, or soaked pellets which he also loves. He has learned to fad regarding food, and can be a challenge to feed to say the very least. Tonight I caught him eating hay, which as soon as he realised I was watching him, he spat it at me.

[Jessica T]

Thanks for sharing your experience, it's frustrating to spend money and not find a root cause of an issue.  Haha it sounds like your chinchilla may have a bit of attitude going on!  I haven't seen that before in Gus - he can be unruly and chew things he knows he isn't supposed to, but we've never gotten "attitude" from him.  Thanks for your messages.

I had three separate dental checks carried out on my chin, both as x-rays, and visuals, which included throat, mouth lining, tongue and nasal cavities, all revealing nothing whatsoever. I also had full blood chemistry carried out, again revealing nothing. My chinchilla can chew as well as my other chins when it suits him, but would rather play me for cc, which he has become addicted to, or soaked pellets which he also loves. He has learned to fad regarding food, and can be a challenge to feed to say the very least. Tonight I caught him eating hay, which as soon as he realised I was watching him, he spat it at me.

[GrayRodent]

It turns out at least one lateral x-ray was taken. It would be much better to have both sides but here is the "right" side. It is the only one provided at this time.
According to Gus's owner he is eating better and it's getting closer to time to try to wean him off of the critical care to see if he'll eat more hay and pellets. His weight is actually back to normal at this point and condition seems to be improving. If anyone has an opinion on reading this x-ray please feel free to interject.