Chinn not eating after incisor cracked!

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AsianFairy

Guest
Hello everyone!
I need some tips on what I can use to persuade my chin to eat. His incisor cracked earlier this week up by his gumline... the gums were still attached to the cracked portion so it didn't fall out. I didn't notice till I went to trim his teeth that one of them was loose. Ended up pulling the loose part out and putting him on pain medication and antibiotics. The remaining stub of tooth is doing great...

The problem now is, he stopped eating because of the pain associated with it! I'm trying to get him to realize the tooth is gone and he can nibble on some soft foods again (hes still a bit sore)... but for the most part I am syringe feeding him critical care and water about 3 times a day... hes refusing to drink or eat anything...

He's not lethargic...a bit sleep from the pain meds... but if I give him the chance to run around hes still ready to cause trouble...

He bit my husband earlier when we were about to syringe feed him and I did manage to get him to accept half a soft blueberry from me (which he gummed on, then promptly made a face and dropped)... the vet pretty much said to offer him whatever he will eat because at this point his gut has stopped and hes no longer producing feces so we need to get it started again... the syringe feeding is helping that but we need to get him to start eating ANYTHING on his own...

So I am here for tips/suggestions/anything you guys think a picky chin will be so enticed by that he will start munching... I think once he figures out his mouth doesn't hurt anymore when he chews he'll be fine...
 
You will need syring feed him every few hours as much as you can get in I believe their is a FAQ on here about handfeeding a chinchilla get some critical care from the vet if he is not pooping you are not feeding him enough
 
Have you been trained to trim teeth properly? Mostly it is done by a vet with special tools. Improper trimming of the teeth can cause cracks...


Do not offer him anything he will eat..the vet is wrong there. That will only make things worse. He needs Critical Care, at least 60 mLs every day to keep his gut going. You can add canned pumpkin or baby food squash for a bit of flavor. I mix my CC with Dawnna's Chinchilla Life Line which they seem to like the flavor of.

You may need to forcefeed- you can wrap the chinchilla up in a towel in a sort of buritto, stick the syringe in the side of the mouth, and squirt a tiny bit at a time. Usually once they learn it's food, they settle down a bit and will eat more willingly.

It sounds like his tooth is causing him some pain, so I would want to look into pain medication as well. That may help him want to eat more if his tooth is not hurting him. Motility drugs wouldn't be a bad idea either at this point if he is not pooping.
 
If the gut has stopped you need motility drugs to get it moving or he will die. You should not trim a chins teeth yourself-a high speed handpiece is the appropriate tool to use, not clippers or a dremmel. The tooth shattered and if it has shattered vertically the only thing you can do it wait to see if it survives and wait until it grows down. Unitl then you need to handfeed the chin several times a day using Critcal care, 60-100ml depending on the chins weight-do not feed him anything else. This chin is in stasis and you need to get him to a vet who knows the grave situation he is in. Reglan and propulsid to get the digestive tract moving again, simethicone for gas, several feedings a day, massage of th tummy to help things move, and exercise outside the cage for the same reason, metecam for pain. Stasis is one of the most painful things a chin can have-think hot sharp knife in the gut, that is what my vet told me stasis feels like so please get him the vet help he needs ASAP.
 
Please do not feed your chinnie blueberries, even a little bit, chinchillas are not made to digest such a rich and lush food. If you don't think blueberries are "rich and lush", please remember that, naturally, chinchillas eat tough grass that can grow at high altitudes (very hardy plants!) and... that's about it. Fruit of all kinds is pretty much a no-no for chinnies.

Your chinchilla needs to go to a vet now. If he's not in stasis already, he will go into it soon enough, and then everything will suck because stasis is one pain in the butt you will NOT want to deal with.

Please take the advice given here! Good luck!

(As always, if I've said something wrong, someone please correct me.)
 
I had a chin, who also had a tooth cracked down the middle, and the rest of the tooth had to be pulled. As I took her to a vet who did not understand chins, she ended up going into bloat and stasis. I found this site and got in touch with a good chin vet and After many many weeks of meds, she made a full recovery. She had also stopped eating after the initial crack and once we pulled the remnants of the tooth, she started eating again. Although we still had to hand feed every few hours. And when I say we, I mean the great vet I took her too after my other vet told me that same thing that yours is telling you. Please do not wait until it is too late, stasis is nothing to sneeze at and can be fatal if not treated promptly and effectively.

But I digress, what you can do to help him get back on feed, after taking him to the vet of course, is grind up some of him pellets along with the Critical Care and feed them when you feed the CC. But please, listen to the advice given here and get him to a knowledgeable vet ASAP. And keep us posted on how he is doing!

Me and my chinnies are sending you good vibes that your fur baby makes a speedy and full recovery!
 
Thank you for all the advice everyone. For the record I am a registered veterinary nurse and have been trained properly on how to trim chinchilla teeth. I also have the necessary tools to do so. The tooth did not crack due to the teeth trimming(that is when I noticed the tooth was loose), it most likely cracked due to trauma from jumping into something (he doesn't like to use the ramps in his cage and is constantly colliding with things!). It did not crack vertically, it cracked horizontally but was still stuck to the gums towards the upper part of the tooth.

I have been wrapping him in a towel and syringe feeding him critical care three times a day... 6mls a time (this is calculated based on his weight... he is 1/2 kg... calculations are 3tbsp per kg... so he needs 1.5tbsp per day... I am giving him 1/2 a tbsp at each feeding) and well as 3mls of bottled water to keep him hydrated (in addition to the water being used to mix up the critical care)

I have him on injectable buprenex for pain. It goes in under his skin and is a bit stronger than simply giving him oral metacam.

He has been to a vet and I have consulted with the vets I have previously worked with as well via phone (we just moved to the area so I am unsure which vets here are credible)... I vets I worked with previously are amazing when it comes to small mammals and I highly value their knowledge from having seen their work firsthand... they have all pretty much agreed with what the vet that has seen my chin told me... we all understand sugar is bad for chinchillas and that they shouldn't get fruit but the point of offering him a little something is to make him realize he can chew on his own...

He is already in stasis, that is clear, it takes a few days for the GI tract to start back up if he is being cared for properly... if there is no feces by tomorrow (tomorrow is day 3) the vet and I are going to try some mobility drugs as well. I more than understand what a fatal situation this is for my chin which is why I came here to see what other suggestions anyone had... I've exhausted all my textbooks and need some suggestions from firsthand experience...

As of today hes still the same... active (which is good)... curious... still not eating or drinking on his own tho :(... I'm thinking the pain in his tooth is gone now cuz he took a nice chunk out of the syringe I was feeding him from when he got angry at me last night... and then proceeded to bite me lol

Goal #1 now is to get him eating, drinking and pooping again!! :)
 
I have been wrapping him in a towel and syringe feeding him critical care three times a day... 6mls a time (this is calculated based on his weight... he is 1/2 kg... calculations are 3tbsp per kg... so he needs 1.5tbsp per day... I am giving him 1/2 a tbsp at each feeding) and well as 3mls of bottled water to keep him hydrated (in addition to the water being used to mix up the critical care)
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Not even close. According to Oxbow, you need a minimum of 45 mL just to maintain weight. That isn't enough to get anything moving. Most of the people who are giving advice in this thread have been there, myself included. That is not enough critical care.

Please, with a chin already having gut problems, do not offer fruit. You will just compound the issue. I am glad you trust your vet, but in this, you need to trust people who have dealt with this at home, over weeks of time to pull a chin through stasis.

Have you been doing subcu fluids? If he's in stasis, and there is a blockage, he is going to need the fluids to get moisture into that blockage and get it moving.
 
"Mix 3 Tbsp per kg of body weight daily"... that's the calculation I got off the bag and the website but you are right it may not be enough... I can increase how much I am giving him that's not a problem... What else would you guys suggest I give him to get him to start eating?

I am not doing subcutaneous fluids because he is taking oral fluids from a syringe just fine, if he starts having a problem then I will switch to subcutaneous fluids
 
Has he been xrayed to rule out an obstruction or any issue going on with his teeth?

I agree with Tunes, he is not getting nearly enough CC or fluids. Here is what I did when Sparky was in stasis. The last thing you want to do is introduce fruit as it will further complicate his GI issues. You need to get him on motility drugs right away and subcutaneous fluids.
 
we used a scope to check out his teeth, a few spurs we are gonna file down once he is back to normal but nothing causing any ulcerations or uncomfortably... xrays will be done friday if he is not pooping by then.

I will increase his oral fluids for now... how much CC do you think I should be giving him? I saw you were giving sparky 7cc? I am giving 6cc 3x a day but am being told it is too little?

I will talk to to vet about getting some motility drugs into him as well as SQ fluids... I'll try warm compresses... he's def not in any pain, not hunched or looking off... just not eating or pooping :( and his stomach is not hard or bloated... quite normal feeling and looking actually... when I palpate him nothing seems off...

thanx for all the tips everyone, I will def keep you updated
 
He may still be in pain and probably is even if he doesn't look it. Chinchillas hide pain very well. This is one of their survival tactics in the wild to keep from predators picking up on their weakness.

Like previously stated you should at least be getting 45 mLs in him, but I always get 60 mLs in chins that aren't eating. I divide this up into several feedings through out the day.

He definitely needs motility drugs ASAP and I would still get him some pain medication. SubQ fluids will definitely help as well.
 
AsianFairy said:
we used a scope to check out his teeth, a few spurs we are gonna file down once he is back to normal but nothing causing any ulcerations or uncomfortably... xrays will be done friday if he is not pooping by then.
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Spurs could be making it uncomfortable to eat. I would have dental xrays done whether he is eating or not. You can't see what is going on with roots without an xray.

AsianFairy said:
I will increase his oral fluids for now... how much CC do you think I should be giving him? I saw you were giving sparky 7cc? I am giving 6cc 3x a day but am being told it is too little?
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Sparky was getting 7ccs in the beginning but he was getting it about 6 or 7 times a day. When he started eating larger amounts the frequency of feeding was cut back.
 
when i have handfed, my chin would take between 60 & 100 cc's a day. i belive i rememer tunes says that 60 is the minimum in most chins just to keep their weight steady, for weight gain more is needed.

my chin has spurs and was not eating and he had them filed under anethesia. personally if it were my chin, i would try & get xrays tomorrow or friday no matter if he is eating or not. i will be a much better indicator of what is going on in his mouth AND gut.

oh one other think i learned to help get the gut moving besides administering Cisapride was to give your chin some extra playtime.......the moving around may get the gut moving.
 
I managed to give him 12cc just now. He's started just holding it in his mouth and refusing to swallow... 10cc of bottle water as well. I'm going to try again in an hour or so and see if he will take more. He's fighting me like nobody's business which I am hoping is a good sign?
 
If you are a nurse then you know that buprenex is a opiod and that is slows gut action and in itself can cause stasis-You ALWAYS use motility drugs when using buprenex, to use this drug on a chin in stasis without the motility drugs is I am sorry to be blunt but insane.

Also, a chin in stasis can be crazy, they have cage rage, insane chewing and agressive behavior-its not a sign of the chin getting better, its the sign right before lethargy and death. I have treated several stasis chins successfully and know the treatment very well.

AsianFairy said:
Thank you for all the advice everyone. For the record I am a registered veterinary nurse and have been trained properly on how to trim chinchilla teeth. I also have the necessary tools to do so. The tooth did not crack due to the teeth trimming(that is when I noticed the tooth was loose), it most likely cracked due to trauma from jumping into something (he doesn't like to use the ramps in his cage and is constantly colliding with things!). It did not crack vertically, it cracked horizontally but was still stuck to the gums towards the upper part of the tooth.

I have been wrapping him in a towel and syringe feeding him critical care three times a day... 6mls a time (this is calculated based on his weight... he is 1/2 kg... calculations are 3tbsp per kg... so he needs 1.5tbsp per day... I am giving him 1/2 a tbsp at each feeding) and well as 3mls of bottled water to keep him hydrated (in addition to the water being used to mix up the critical care)

I have him on injectable buprenex for pain. It goes in under his skin and is a bit stronger than simply giving him oral metacam.

He has been to a vet and I have consulted with the vets I have previously worked with as well via phone (we just moved to the area so I am unsure which vets here are credible)... I vets I worked with previously are amazing when it comes to small mammals and I highly value their knowledge from having seen their work firsthand... they have all pretty much agreed with what the vet that has seen my chin told me... we all understand sugar is bad for chinchillas and that they shouldn't get fruit but the point of offering him a little something is to make him realize he can chew on his own...

He is already in stasis, that is clear, it takes a few days for the GI tract to start back up if he is being cared for properly... if there is no feces by tomorrow (tomorrow is day 3) the vet and I are going to try some mobility drugs as well. I more than understand what a fatal situation this is for my chin which is why I came here to see what other suggestions anyone had... I've exhausted all my textbooks and need some suggestions from firsthand experience...

As of today hes still the same... active (which is good)... curious... still not eating or drinking on his own tho :(... I'm thinking the pain in his tooth is gone now cuz he took a nice chunk out of the syringe I was feeding him from when he got angry at me last night... and then proceeded to bite me lol

Goal #1 now is to get him eating, drinking and pooping again!! :)
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I would not be giving any water, he will get water through the CC, the fiber is more important. That 10 cc's of water, could have been and extra cc's of CC.

I'm going to guess you don't live in the US? Usually we call them tech's, not nurses. If you know he's in stasis then he should have motility drugs now, not in three days, because in three days his gut will be dead and there will be no chance of repairing that tissue.
 
AsianFairy said:
I managed to give him 12cc just now. He's started just holding it in his mouth and refusing to swallow... 10cc of bottle water as well. I'm going to try again in an hour or so and see if he will take more. He's fighting me like nobody's business which I am hoping is a good sign?
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The chins gut is not moving, any food being out in is not going to come out and you are risking impaction, that is why he is fighting you. PLEASE, get him started on the motility drug NOW, you have access to them use them!
 
I actually didn't know opiods would effect his gut... unfortunately as a nurse they don't teach you much about the effect of pharmaceuticals on exotic animals... the vet had prescribed it for the pain with no mention of giving any motility drugs...

I don't believe my chin is going through the crazy right before death stage (I have seen that)... he's acting like he usually does... he came from a rough home so he's always been a bit aggressive/disagreeable

I had given more water due to the suggestion that he needed to be hydrated more... I will be putting him on subQ fluids tho... this was just an "in the meantime" type deal

I am technically a "tech" but we prefer to call ourselves nurses as that is what we truly are... a technician doesn't do a third of what we are trained/capable of doing...

I have taken everyone's suggestions on here and discussed it with the vet... as well as did what I could on my part... unfortunately I am unable to prescribe medication and my vet wants to wait before prescribing them... I've done what I can with over the counter remedies... I'm going to see another vet to get a second opinion tomorrow (earliest i could get an appointment with an exotics doctor... can u believe they wouldn't let me come in as a walk in with an emergency??... and yes I contacted emergency clinics... I work at one that supposedly sees exotics but they weren't sure what to do... I don't want to risk him being given something that is going to make this worse again)

He seems perkier... I chinchilla proofed my bedroom and am giving him supervised play time so he can run around (to help get the guts moving)... I am also doing tummy massages as often/as long as he will let me and putting a warm rice sock in his bed that he is lying on top of... tomorrow I am going to ask for metacam for any pain, gi motility drugs and subq fluids... I am giving him benebac (contains acidophilus)... he is willingly eating that from a syringe for me (giving him 0.1mls once a day)...

I am really ticked that none of the vets in this area would see him immediately... I literally called the next morning as soon as they opened and they all told me I needed to make an appointment... I am new to this area (Baltimore/Annapolis Maryland) so if anyone has any suggestions on better vets up here please let me know... I will keep you all updated and please keep the good tips coming... as a nurse I am only taught limited information on exotic mammals... the basics I have down... everything else... not so much...
 
alright I give up...

I've tried timothy hay, orchard grass, pellets, critical care... not interested (although he munched on a teeny tiny bit of orchard grass)
Then... as I am letting him run around tonight... he gets ahold of a plain bran flake (my mistake I accidentally dropped it on the floor and didn't notice) and STUFFS it in his mouth... he was the happiest chinchilla there for like 5 seconds... then looked at me for more...

Is he just messing with me?!?! lol... I still plan on taking him in to the vet for full diagnostics tomorrow, I'm not gonna risk his getting worse but I mean... he's eating!! Just not what I want him to be eating...

Any chance I may have a super picky chin?? If so what can I give him so he starts eating that will be safe besides the above mentioned that have already been tried? Or is it common for them to go for things like that even when they are sick?
 
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