Cora's Necropsy

[Peep_erz]

I won't get the fecal for a day or two but the vet called my boyfriend with the Necropsy (my phone wasn't getting service for some reason).

Her upper intestines were inflamed and liver was slightly inflamed. He said her intestines ruptured from toxins causing her to die. He suspects that maybe her food or something she ate was contaminated.

She has been eating Mazuri, hay, and Lifeline + acidopholus every other week. Her weight was consistent and her poop (to the naked eye) looked normal. Should I throw all of my stuff out and start over? All of my chins eat from the same stock of stuff.

 

[Stackie]

I know you said she was a rescue...how long have you had her in your care? Do you know what type of diet she was on before you took her in?

 

[Peep_erz]

I've had her about 6 months. She was bought from a farm auction with her cage mate. Her cage mate passed away a month ago. I thought she passed away from a fight because her fur was all messed up and she had bite marks on her legs but maybe she was struggling with the same thing too? I didn't get a necro because I assumed it was trauma from a fight.

 

[Tanya]

I'm so sorry for your loss

Pellets can contain toxins. One commercial guinea pig diet actually contained 77.8 parts per million of aluminum (10 times the tolerated level of a horse).

Of course, I do not know the source of toxins in this case, but here are some possibilities. As I understand, you do not know what her diet was before you took her in. Maybe she was not getting fresh pellets. Rancid fats are vary dangerous. In addition, if she did not get fresh hays and herbs, her diet was deficient in nutrients. Synthetic nutrients were putting stress on her liver. For example, menadione (synthetic vitamin K) can cause severe damage to the liver ( liver cell necrosis, loss of liver function). It has been banned by the FDA from being added to human supplements. Unfortunately, it's still used in animal feeds because it's cheap.

Chins who do not get organic herbs and alfalfa are more likely to develop liver problems as they do not get liver protecting elements. For example, alfalfa induces liver detoxifying enzymes that can destroy toxins. Pellets can not replace fresh, loose alfalfa hay. When herbivores get various organic hays, herbs, bark, they can better meet their need for nutrients and regulate their intake of toxins (all plants contain toxins). Chins who constrained to a singe food, do not get this chance, even if the food they get is "complete" and "balanced." It's always best when chins get nutrients from unprocessed, plant sources.

 

[Laurie]

Leah as the fed said it might have been something she ate I would err on the side of caution and toss out the food and hay you have and buy new. I'm not a huge fan of Mazuri as it caused soft poos in my chins. Perhaps you could look into some other type of feed for them tradition, oxbow or the Purina or Nutrena Rabbit feed.

 

[Peep_erz]

I haven't had any soft poo issues from the feed yet but I think i'll switch just knowing others have had issues.

The vet just called back to answer some of my questions. He doesn't recommend sending out a smear because she has been deceased for too long and I would have results that wouldn't mean much. Judging by the other tissues she was perfectly healthy and there was no other distress so it happened very suddenly and wasn't from long term neglect or malnutrition.

I also asked if it could be something going around in my house since Mayo had pneumonia. the vet said it couldn't be related because her lungs were perfectly clean. It was just an intestinal thing.

I do feel better knowing it was a sudden thing but sad knowing she died from her intestines rupturing. It just sounds so painful.

Should I throw out my hay too? What do I feed my other chins while waiting for new feed?

 

[addictedtochins]

I would throw out the hay, maybe it was sprayed with pesticides. Maybe buy organic hay? idk