Advice please?

[chiichan]

I am probably putting this in the wrong forum but I'm not sure where it would go. I'm not sure if I even have a question except for how do you cope with losing a young chinchilla?
My chin went in to have tooth spurs removed last week and the vet seemed pleased with him but since then he has gone downhill rapidly. He has lost weight and he goes from being drowsy to being his usual self but he is right off his pellets and only eats his hay n occasional treats. He's only gone to the bathroom 6-9 times yesterday and he isn't drinking as much as he should.
He is on pain meds and gut stimulant but I know he is seriously ill and will need to be put to sleep. He either has root elongation or malo. I'm not coping well knowing that my time with his is limited. Again I apologise if this is the wrong forum but I just wondered if anyone could give me advice on how to deal with my upcoming loss? He is only 4 and he was in good health, only having tooth spur issues once before, 15 months ago and it feels like I am losing him way too soon.

 

[Smidgeyy]

Did the vet do x-rays?
It's possible to just have spurs and not malo/RE.

Are you hand feeding him? You need to get him some Critical Care, Lifeline, etc... You can even grind up his pellets and use those. What treats are you giving him?

He may not need to be put to sleep. You need to start force feeding him and get x-rays to rule out other dental issues.

 

[chiichan]

They didn't do x rays, they did find spurs and file them down. They weren't as severe as last time. I'm not 100% sure what meds he is on (I'm at uni, I'm going home to see him tonight) but he is on pain killers and 2 gut stimulants due to illium, he might be on critical care already but I don't know exactly. My mum has been hand feeding him but he goes from being interested to not wanting to touch his food. She ground up pellets and he didn't want to know. He has rusk (the vet said at this stage, it's fine) cracker and raisins (not loads of treats, just a tiny bit a day) He is also going mad chewing everything and my mum said its like having 2 chins, one is normal and the other is dopey and very ill.

 

[chiichan]

I have just come home. He ate a bit in front of me (breadstick, hay, 2 tiny pellets) and he drank from his bottle and he went to the bathroom a bit. The vets are all convinced its his roots or malo and it's scary to think I will lose him.

 

[Cuddlebug]

If he had malo, he would not be chewing like crazy. He would stop chewing. He needs to be force fed. That means to feed him even if he does not want to eat. Also, ALL of those treats you mentioned are bad for him. Stop them immediately and only give him pellets and hay until he is better. After that, you can give treats that are healthy for chins some of which are plain cheerios, plain shredded wheat, rosehips, and old fashioned oats.