Hunchback

momenteller · Oct 5, 2010

I have a chin, Cleo, whom I adopted off of Craigslist a few months ago. She seemed pretty seriously underweight and had a hunched back. (See original thread here) In my searches on the forum, it said it can be a sign of malnutrition, and might go away with time. The mention on another thread of hepatic lipidosis got me worried... Do I need to take this girl to a vet? She is doing better and starting to gain weight, albeit a very small amount. But she smells... funky. Like Cheerios. I've been wondering if that's just her or if that's indicative of something off in her urine. Advice?

Spoof · Oct 5, 2010

I'd take her to a vet that is knowledgable. Likely she's got some severe underlying issues. My cases of hunchback have been from kidney/liver problems, all feed related. All went away between three months and a year.

Sandi · Oct 5, 2010

I agree to take her to a very knowledgable vet. They can run tests, blood work, etc. She just doesn't sound right as you say.

AZChins · Oct 5, 2010

I run into this all the time with rescues. Normally as they gain weight and muscle they will start to look normal again over time. Very underweight chins can take awhile. But, damage to the liver is a very real possibility and there's not much that you can do except to keep her clean, feed her well and give her fresh water.

The smell sounds like she is probably getting some urine on herself. More dustbaths help with that, usually. Maybe it could be a urinary tract infection? If she's had an ongoing infection, that could be the cause of her weight loss and slow weight gain. A week on antibiotics could solve the problem.

Definitely take her into the vet just to see if you can diagnose what the problem is or what it could be so that you can maybe treat her for it and get her to recover.

ticklechin · Oct 5, 2010

The vet needs to diagnose hepatic lipidosis, not the net. Supportive care is all that can be done such as supplementing Vit B and K in the correct doses and there has been some success in using tea polyphennols to increase hepatic enzyme activity and protect liver cells from further degeneration. Without diagnosis you will not know if you are dealing with a life threatening situation or if the chin is just skinny and looks hunched.

momenteller · Oct 5, 2010

Thanks for the replies. I am wondering if this is something that needs to be seen by a forum recommended vet, or if it would be okay to try our vet in town who "sees" chinchillas. Currently, we have an appointment with our local vet for this Friday. The nearest forum recommended vet is hour or so away (the one in Albany).

Brittany · Oct 5, 2010

Are you able to post pictures of the hunchback? I'd be interested to see what you're talking about. I've seen drawings but never photos of an actual chin.

momenteller · Oct 5, 2010

Hi Brittany. If you click on the link I attached above, it directs you to my first thread about Cleo. There's a pic in that bunch where you can see it. I have a more recent pic that shows the hunch but for some reason I was unable to attach pics today. I'll try again later.

I'm feeling a little bad because I did ask about the hunchback issue in the earlier thread, but it wasn't addressed and I didn't pursue it. The few threads I found referring to hunchbacks sounded as though it wasn't a big deal. Now I'm worried its something more serious and I've been neglectful by not taking her in. I was her third owner that month and I didn't want to cause her more stress. I guess I made the wrong choice.

Hopefully all goes well at the vet; wish me luck!

AZChins · Oct 5, 2010

Don't feel bad. The best thing you can do for chins that have been neglected is keep them as stress-free as possible and get them to eat well. Honestly, the majority of the time the chins start gaining weight and seem to be all better within a few months. Chances are that the vet would have told you the same thing and you'd be in the exact same situation you are in now.

Even if you had taken her in, there may have been nothing that could have been done more than what you have already done for her. With cases of liver disease there's not too much you can do except for wait it out - there's not all that many treatments for it that will be too terribly successful...

Don't feel bad!

momenteller · Oct 5, 2010

Thanks Susan! I appreciate the reassurance. I guess she has gained quite a bit, if you take into consideration the fact that she lost a lot after she moved in. When I adopted her on July 11th she was 503 grams. By the end of July she had lost 40 grams and was down to 463. As of today she is 516! I feel good that she's gaining weight but her hunchback is still pretty evident and her scent has always concerned me a little.

Spoof · Oct 5, 2010

The scent would concern me too. The hunch isn't permanent - it's the contraction of the abdominal muscles from pain and/or discomfort. Once you alleviate the underlying cause they quit holding themselves in that position.

ticklechin · Oct 5, 2010

I disagree with the "feed em and they will be fine", especially since this chin has hunchback according to the owner and it has been skinny. Its not for members on the net to tell people chins will be fine when they have obvious symptoms, and there is treatment for hepatic lipidosis not just feeding them. Its up to a vet to make the decision, not members on a forum. JMO that I am seeing more and more self-vetting advice which does not replace vet care and it bothers me.

momenteller · Oct 5, 2010

Hi Dawn, we do have a vet appointment and it was my understanding that the other responders to this thread were recommending that as well. I appreciate everyone's advice and responses.

AZChins · Oct 5, 2010

Well, of course she needs to go to the vet! The problem is that most of the time when you take a chin to the vet you will just be told that the chin needs to eat and to come back if the chin doesn't improve. Hopefully the vet will have ideas for treatment because many times they don't or they will not be able to tell what is even wrong.

ticklechin · Oct 5, 2010

AZChins said:
Well, of course she needs to go to the vet! The problem is that most of the time when you take a chin to the vet you will just be told that the chin needs to eat and to come back if the chin doesn't improve. Hopefully the vet will have ideas for treatment because many times they don't or they will not be able to tell what is even wrong.

Saying this gives newbies the idea that they are wasting their money on a vet, which may or may not be true but all chins deserve a chance at a vet visit, and not just a diagnosis over the net because "vets won't be able to tell what is wrong".

tunes · Oct 5, 2010

I have to back Dawn up on this one. There has been an awful lot of "vets don't know what they are talking about" lately, which is true in some cases, but not in all. There ARE good vets out there, it takes the owner being willing to interview them and give them a trial run to know. It also takes a vet willing to research into proper treatment of chinchillas.

When someone posts something their vet says to do, i.e., pump their chin full of steroids, we are of course free to debate that because we know from our own experiences that it's not safe. We also need to realize though, that in a case like this with hunchback (which is, IMO, always a big deal) that a vet needs to be consulted to find out what is going on.

Yes, there are many things I will treat here at home. I am not one to run to the vet because my chin got a toe gnawed on or for an eye infection. I also don't run to the vet for every cut and scrape, and I've lanced pus filled abscesses here at home, cleaned them out, and administered antibiotics. I've also done that on dogs, cats, and rats that I've owned for a ton of years. But when it comes to lab work, sutures, surgeries, or ANY questionable thing that I can't feel completely comfortable in what I'm working with, we go to the vet.

We might all just step back and think a bit before we post. If newbies keep seeing "you don't need a vet" then they may decide that they don't EVER need a vet.

AZChins · Oct 5, 2010

Of course...she does need to go to the vet. If anything, she waited too long for it. That's not what I was saying. I was saying that most of the time the vet doesn't do anything in a case like that. But, YES, anyone with a chin that is sick or they have the slightest inkling that the chin is sick needs to go to the vet.

That's not what I was saying - vets are necessary, I go to my vet pretty much every other week if not every week with a new problem with a rescue or one of my chins. I was talking to the person posting about her hunchback chin and feeling bad. She is going to the vet and that is all that is important right now.

Spoof · Oct 5, 2010

I disagree with the "feed em and they will be fine"

?? I didn't see anyone post that.

AZChins · Oct 5, 2010

Spoof...I think that she just meant that someone could get that idea. You don't want anyone to get the idea that just feeding a chin is a good substitute for vet care when there is a problem.

ticklechin · Oct 5, 2010

"feed em and they will be fine"

Spoof said:
?? I didn't see anyone post that.

These were the comments I was talking about, newbies could read this and take the above attitude.There is treatment for hepatic lipdosis and the comments leave the question if there actually is.

I run into this all the time with rescues. Normally as they gain weight and muscle they will start to look normal again over time. Very underweight chins can take awhile. But, damage to the liver is a very real possibility and there's not much that you can do except to keep her clean, feed her well and give her fresh water.

Honestly, the majority of the time the chins start gaining weight and seem to be all better within a few months. Chances are that the vet would have told you the same thing and you'd be in the exact same situation you are in now.

The problem is that most of the time when you take a chin to the vet you will just be told that the chin needs to eat and to come back if the chin doesn't improve.

Hunchback

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