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Chinchillas => Memorials => Topic started by: glafond on July 07, 2012, 12:13:41 PM

Title: Rambo and Fluffy
Post by: glafond on July 07, 2012, 12:13:41 PM
Hello everyone:

I have had my guys for about a month, one of them started to display back teeth issues, the vet said, even without a diagnosis it is bound to be a genetic defect. Being a responsible and reputable breeder, my breeder has opted to replace Fluffy.

Unfortunately, Fluffy and Rambo have been together for a while so I have elected to give Rambo back too. I think this will be better for Fluffy and Rambo.

I will exchange them on monday for two healthy youngsters (6-8 months I think).

Fluffy and Rambo have not died, but I figured it was appropriate to post a "going away" post for them  :( .

Thanks everyone!

P.S. I will post pictures of my new little guys when I bring them home.
Title: Re: Rambo and Fluffy
Post by: lilchinchilla on July 07, 2012, 12:48:19 PM
Glad the breeder is being responsible about it. Such an unfortunate situation.  :'( It may not be genetic. Sometimes it can be as simple as an abscess, or a cracked tooth or food stuck in the teeth... x rays or a thorough investigation of the mouth can rule those out.
 Most often times, that is what it is... and it isn't genetic. Either way, good luck with your new chins. :)
Title: Re: Rambo and Fluffy
Post by: glafond on July 07, 2012, 12:56:59 PM
He has been doing it off and on for about a month now. It keeps coming and going so we handn't done anything to investigate exactly what it is, but it is more drooling on a more regular basis now. The doctor says the teeth look dark and shorter than  normal, and he suspects when they get in there and look there will be something significant wrong. He is a very experienced chinchilla and exotic vet.
Title: Re: Rambo and Fluffy
Post by: lilchinchilla on July 07, 2012, 02:02:25 PM
An x ray would go the extra mile in showing if it is actually genetic though. I am sure he is knowledgeable, but without x rays or cultures, you can't guarantee it is malocclusion, as abscesses, cracked teeth, mouth infections and even food stuck in the mouth can all cause malocclusion like symptoms.

Did he culture the saliva?

Sometimes chins also get infections in their mouth which can cause the teeth to grow in oddly and cause what appears to be malo with the drooling, tooth troubles, and can even cause their mouths to smell stinky. It mimics malo and without a proper culture with their saliva, one would think it is malocclusion.

With antibiotics however, you can sometimes get rid of the mouth infection and cure the problem if you are quick to treat it. I had one chinchilla many years ago with a mouth infection from his water bottle tip (the only thing my vet and I could find conclusively that could have caused it. Since it was sharp where my chin had bit into the metal tip.). Everything looked just like malocclusion, but the culture of his saliva proved it to be an infection, that eventually set into the bone, and we had to put him down after 6 months of fighting his on and off again infection. :(
Title: Re: Rambo and Fluffy
Post by: glafond on July 07, 2012, 02:15:39 PM
An x ray would go the extra mile in showing if it is actually genetic though. I am sure he is knowledgeable, but without x rays or cultures, you can't guarantee it is malocclusion, as abscesses, cracked teeth, mouth infections and even food stuck in the mouth can all cause malocclusion like symptoms.

Did he culture the saliva?

Sometimes chins also get infections in their mouth which can cause the teeth to grow in oddly and cause what appears to be malo with the drooling, tooth troubles, and can even cause their mouths to smell stinky. It mimics malo and without a proper culture with their saliva, one would think it is malocclusion.

With antibiotics however, you can sometimes get rid of the mouth infection and cure the problem if you are quick to treat it. I had one chinchilla many years ago with a mouth infection from his water bottle tip (the only thing my vet and I could find conclusively that could have caused it. Since it was sharp where my chin had bit into the metal tip.). Everything looked just like malocclusion, but the culture of his saliva proved it to be an infection, that eventually set into the bone, and we had to put him down after 6 months of fighting his on and off again infection. :(

The breeder is taking care of that stuff with the vet. I did not pursue it that far. Since I had only had Fluffy for a little under a month, so I decided to hand him over to her without further investigation.

Sorry to hear about your little guy :(