Unexplained Weight loss

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TnkTaingTal

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Nov 24, 2010
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I was wondering if anyone has experienced a heavier chin loosing weight on their own without illness? My vet said my chin seems healthy, but she keeps loosing weight. She is a little on the heavier side so it could be a good thing. My concern is why is she loosing weight? There have been no diet changes. She is down to 800g. This time last month (8/13) she was 829g and the month before that (7/9) she was 866g. She has no other symptoms and actually seems to have more energy and bigger poops. Should I bring her to another vet or let her be and just keep an eye on her for other symptoms? Has anymore experienced unexplained weight loss without an underlying illness?

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That is a very strange weight. Long tailed chins tend to reach a maximum of ~600 grams, and short tailed chins tend to weight at LEAST 1100 grams. Do you know which she is?

That said, if she's seeming to have more energy and her diet is the same, it's quite possible she's just been happier lately and burning more calories through exercise.
 
You said no diet change, does that include the chin eating the same amount it always has? Also is this a chin you've had for awhile or did she come to you heavy and maybe you are now giving her better food and less treats then she had before you got her? Has anything else changed? Cooler temps or less humidity, making it more comfortable to play? Or more playtime or a new wheel or new cage? Any new chins or other animals?

Also did the vet just look and weight the chin? Or did they actually do any x-rays, blood tests, or anything like that? Weight loss happens for a reason, and is often the first sign that something is wrong especially if everything has stayed exactly the same. A weight fluctuation of 10-20g is not really abnormal, but since it's going down (not up and down) month to month that is a reason to look deeper.


That is a very strange weight. Long tailed chins tend to reach a maximum of ~600 grams, and short tailed chins tend to weight at LEAST 1100 grams. Do you know which she is?

Are you getting that info on wild chins or domesticated? Most domesticated chins are between 400g to 1000+ grams, (breeders seems to be breeding for bigger) my guys are both over 600g and not fat. I actually consider them to be a little small compared to chinchillas I use to have. The largest chin I've had was over 900g, and once again, not fat.
 
Are you getting that info on wild chins or domesticated? Most domesticated chins are between 400g to 1000+ grams, (breeders seems to be breeding for bigger) my guys are both over 600g and not fat. I actually consider them to be a little small compared to chinchillas I use to have. The largest chin I've had was over 900g, and once again, not fat.

Domesticated chins, and got that info from Wikipedia, though I only read the thumbnail when I posted. Deeper in the entry it does state that females can reach up to 800g, males up to 600g. I've only had males that are around 550g, so over 800g just sounds like a lot to me :p

"Males typically weigh 369–493 g (13.0–17.4 oz) (mean: 412 g (14.5 oz)) and females weigh 379–450 g (13.4–15.9 oz) (mean: 422 g (14.9 oz)).[5] Domesticated animals are larger than wild ones and more sexually dimorphic, with the female weighing up to 800 g (28 oz) and males up to 600 g (21 oz). "

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-tailed_chinchilla
 
You said no diet change, does that include the chin eating the same amount it always has? Also is this a chin you've had for awhile or did she come to you heavy and maybe you are now giving her better food and less treats then she had before you got her? Has anything else changed? Cooler temps or less humidity, making it more comfortable to play? Or more playtime or a new wheel or new cage? Any new chins or other animals?

Also did the vet just look and weight the chin? Or did they actually do any x-rays, blood tests, or anything like that? Weight loss happens for a reason, and is often the first sign that something is wrong especially if everything has stayed exactly the same. A weight fluctuation of 10-20g is not really abnormal, but since it's going down (not up and down) month to month that is a reason to look deeper.




Are you getting that info on wild chins or domesticated? Most domesticated chins are between 400g to 1000+ grams, (breeders seems to be breeding for bigger) my guys are both over 600g and not fat. I actually consider them to be a little small compared to chinchillas I use to have. The largest chin I've had was over 900g, and once again, not fat.
I have had her for over 8yrs. She's between 8-9 years old. It's hard to say if she is eating the same amount because she has a cage mate, but her poop is actually slightly bigger than usual (she's always had smaller droppings than my other 3) she has had the same wheel for a few years now. The only change to the cage is the new bungalow (basically a hanging fleece cube, but without corners)No new pets. The vet felt her, looked her over, weighed her and listened to her chest. She was just at the vet in July and her teeth looked good so she didn't do x-rays this time. She did feel a small "hairball" forming so I'm giving her papaya enzyme. The vet said she seemed healthy and she would actually like to see her loose a little more weight.

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I should add that although it's difficult to say if she's eating the same amount because she has a cage mate, if she is eating less its not a noticable amount less. I am filling the food about as much as usual.

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