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151

Health / Re: constipated & won't eat!

« on: November 09, 2009, 01:32:03 PM »

Thanks for trying Harley ... that's actually my old vet! I took Dewey to him once when I first got him (rehoming had made him start barbering himself) ... and this guy told me to buy another chinchilla...a female. I told him I didn't want to breed. He also told me to feed Dewey lots of "roughage"... (although I read you shouldn't offer chins much more than their pellets, hay, water, and occasional treat). So I was pretty sure he didn't really know what he was talking about.

I took both chins to my "current" vet about 6 weeks later. At that appointment he was great. Dewey had a cold, and he gave us some eye drops for him - and it was just a wellness visit for schroeder because he had just been rescued. At THAT time he weighed them, he examined them both completely... ears, nails, teeth, penis's, whiskers, everything! He asked lots of questions about their habits, etc. He was awesome.
I have no idea why he is FAILING ME now!! My mom said he is really over-worked, overbooked, and was probably ready to GO HOME that night I took Schroeder in.... but that's no excuse. =(

I am beginning to think there are NO good chinchilla vet's in my area.

UPDATE:
After the mix & belly rub last night, he seemed to have a little more life in him this morning. He was jogging in his wheel, and drinking from his water bottle on his own. Still pretty slow and mellow, but at least he was moving around and TRYING to play a little. I will get some gas drops in him tonight! Thanks! If nothing else maybe it will ease some of the pain.

152

Health / Re: constipated & won't eat!

« on: November 08, 2009, 11:29:14 PM »

I ordered the Lifeline, it's being shipped early Monday.
I force-fed the mixture of KMR/petromalt/Nutri-Cal/Almond into him tonight...followed by some water....then rubbed his back and his belly for awhile. His belly was sounding weird...I could hear popping and squishing whenever I stroked it. He laid very still while I did this.

I'm just so frustrated because I called his vet weeks ago, and did everything he told me to do. Then I did my own research and did everything it pointed me toward. Then "talked" to experts online and did everything they suggested. Then had his vet physically see him, and have done everything he asked...and still NO CHANGE.
Schroeder is just not getting better.
He's deteriorating before my eyes.

153

Health / Re: constipated & won't eat!

« on: November 08, 2009, 10:18:49 AM »

I will try that mixture & the stroking.
I need to run to the store to get a food processor though because my blender doesn't chop things that small.
Should I use Nutri-Cal for dogs or for cats? or does it not matter?
I would assume for cats since the KMR is also for cats...?

154

Health / Re: constipated & won't eat!

« on: November 07, 2009, 08:49:08 PM »

I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

Upon further inspection, there IS a mucus type stuff coming from his anus.
I'm now getting more and more irritated that the vet didn't do a fecal smear...he didn't even weigh the chin! He just cleaned off his anus (I had been keeping a dust bath in his cage because of the force feedings he was getting all wet around his chin)...and the dust was stuck all over his anus at the vet. So he cleaned off the chin and "felt" him. Told me his intestines were enlarged (clogged).
That's the extent of his examination.

I offered Schroeder some free run tonight, and he just came and sat on my lap and wouldn't run at all. I decided to go ahead and offer him some more of the KMR milk since that is the only thing he takes willingly and he drank up 4 ml's of that! I put him back in his cage and he walked around whimpering for awhile, then fell asleep in his exercise wheel. Poor thing, he is in obvious pain. 

155

Health / Re: constipated & won't eat!

« on: November 07, 2009, 07:37:41 PM »

Well, the bleeding wasn't from the keopectate because I didn't give it to him until after he bled. I only gave him one dose of that stuff. I was also frustrated my vet didn't offer any more medications or suggestions. But this is the 2nd vet I've tried in the past 5 months, and I'm quickly running out of good options. Seems nobody around here really knows much about chinchillas (thus I wanted to join a forum board where people seem to specialize).

The problem with almonds and other solid foods is that he won't eat them.
On his own he will only eat small (very small) amounts of hay.
Anything else I have been force feeding him.

Today I saw a smear of yellow goop on his cage floor (I use fleece blankets as bedding)...I don't know if it came from his rear or if he vomited up some of the petroleum. So far zero poops though. 

156

Health / Re: constipated & won't eat!

« on: November 07, 2009, 09:43:22 AM »

Petramalt, huh?
I will pick up some of that & some alfalfa hay at the store today.
Thank you! )

157

Health / Re: constipated & won't eat!

« on: November 06, 2009, 11:35:30 PM »

After seeing Vet UPDATE:
I wasn't told anything I didn't already know. The vet just said he's constipated.
He told me I'm on the right track, I just need to up the amount of petroleum I'm giving him, and also force feed plenty of WATER. He said to not worry about pellets, but offer lots of timothy hay.

The only other option he had was doing a surgery to push whatever is clogging him up through...but of course surgery on chins is very risky, and the vet was afraid he could rupture Schroeder's gut in the process, and end up killing him. He basically didn't know what else to do besides plenty of water and laxative.

158

Health / Re: constipated & won't eat!

« on: November 05, 2009, 02:33:04 PM »

Okay, he has a Saturday appointment...maybe. If I call by 7:15 AM tomorrow (Friday) they "should be able to squeeze him in for Saturday". Poor baby.

159

Health / Re: constipated & won't eat!

« on: November 05, 2009, 01:55:43 PM »

He IS an exotic's vet... I don't know his actual knowledge of chinchillas. He has seen both my chins once before, and he SEEMED to know a lot. For THIS situation he has NOT seen Schroeder. I had called him and explained what was going on, and the keopectate + petroleum jelly was all he "offered" ...but did not seem overly concerned. He just acted like "oh, that happens...try this" type attitude.
I would like to get Schroeder in to see the vet soon though. It's just such a BUSY place, that his appointment could be days from now - so that's why I wanted to see what else I could do to help in the meantime. Force-Feeding is obviously keeping him alive, but he doesn't seem to be healing.

I guess what I'm most afraid of is driving him the 45 minutes to the vet, waiting in the waiting room a good 30+ minutes to be seen, and then having the vet look at him for 5 seconds and say "let's put him down"...and charge me to do it. Scared of wasting time & money just to have him kill my chin. I guess I feel like IF he is going to die, might as well be in the comfort of his own hammock on his own time.
The sensible part of me says I need to get over it and just get him in before it's too late.

However, like I said, it's a BUSY vet and I can make him an appointment, but it will likely be DAYS from now, and in the meantime....can I give him pineapple or papaya juice? What about the rabbit lax? ....any other options that might help?

160

General Chat / Re: Have you seen this one yet?

« on: November 04, 2009, 06:54:27 PM »

Those animatronic chinchillas have really big arms! Never seen a chin like that! LOL

161

Health / Re: A few concerns...

« on: November 04, 2009, 01:25:26 PM »

I am not a vet by any means... and I'm a fairly new chinchilla parent.
However, my 5 yr old Dewey is also very picky about chews! He won't touch pumice either. He WILL, however, chew on the grapevine wreaths, the "bitty bagels", and those mineral chews. I've offered a dozen types of chew things and those are the only ones he will touch!
My other little guy (2 yr old) chews on just about anything...but especially loves apple wood.
Hope that helps as far as the chewing is concerned. I don't know what to tell you about the rest.

162

Health / constipated & won't eat!

« on: November 04, 2009, 01:18:11 PM »

Hi, I am new here. I joined because I need some help/advice from chinchilla experts.
I have 2 chins, both male rescues. Dewey is a 5 yr old standard gray, and Schroeder is a 2 yr old white mosaic.

2 weeks ago Schroeder got diarrhea...it was everywhere in his cage! I have no idea what caused it! He has not been given any excessive treats, nor has anything changed around him to cause stress. I had to bathe him in water to clean him up, he was such a mess! Well the diarrhea stopped after just that one day (a Tuesday)... he seemed tired and not hungry after that, but I figured he'd be okay after some rest and a few dust baths.  Well he wasn't eating much, and then the following Friday, there was blood all over his cage, he'd began bleeding from his behind! I called his vet who told me to give him keopectate to calm his stomach, as well as "cat lax"/petroleum jelly to get his bowels moving. I did this. The keopectate certainly stopped the diarrhea (only gave him 1 dose). But the jelly wasn't doing anything.
Schroeder hasn't eaten or pooped in 2 weeks now.
He refuses even raisins, which he used to love on the rare occasion. He sort of nibbles at hay & drinks from his water bottle maybe a single lick a day. I have been force-feeding him. At first I was just force-feeding watered down/mashed pellets. (We use Mazuri). Then I read that orphaned kits should be fed KMR (milk suppliment for kittens) with gerber rice cereal mixed in. So now I force feed a mixture of water/kmr/mashed pellets/rice cereal. He willingly drinks about 3 syringe-fuls (2 ml syringe) a day. But that's it, and he still won't eat anything solid offered to him.
I offered him some yogurt last night and he refused it.
I read I can give pineapple or papaya juice to a chinchilla to help with constipation... figured I could do that through the syringe.... is that okay?
I saw some rabbit lax at the pet shop and considered that as well, but didn't want to buy it/try it until I knew it was safe. Schroeder has been sleepy/lazy...but he DOES get active for a few minutes here and there. On Sunday night I thought he was going to die over night because he was looking so awful...but then early in the AM hours he was running in his wheel! I have been giving him his free run, but he doesn't RUN as much, he just sniffs around and squeaks at me. He also grinds his teeth a lot lately (I've read this can be a sign of pain?)
Help!