At the vet...

[Laurie]

Abigail lost a front tooth due to some fighting with Bobo, we did have to have the bottom tooth filed down a couple of times until her top tooth grew back in. But she took it all the champ and fighter she is! I'm glad your chin is doing better!

 

[nibblesmama]

Thanks everyone so much!!
She was up and ready for food this morning. She ate 15CC's !! WOW! She loves that stuff. It smells like apples. The cats wanted some of that too...
She was nice and squishy this morning, no air that I could feel. Some poops from last night, they were sticky, but I was just glad to see them. I went to give her her meds and she held her hand up like "step off!"... so the attitude is back.
I'm going to give it a few days before I start digging around in her mouth. Her vet papers said it was a "premolar" that fell out, I'm going to do some research on what to look for. She's not afraid to 'nibble' - ha!
The vet was really good about reassuring me that I didn't do anything wrong and that this sometimes happens. She's got the Oxbow food, the best hay, appropriate chews only a 1/2 a dried cranberry maybe 2x a month - so no over-treating.

 

[nibblesmama]

UPDATE:

Nibbles was doing so much better....was. Now she's go the head tilt on the side of the missing tooth. Her congestion is gone, she's breathing so much better. She's a little poofy in the gut this morning, yesterday she was fine. The baytril is doing it's thing, but I think we are now dealing with an ear infection. Poor pumpkin!!!
She's still eating and drinking fine, poops today are normal looking, but is freaking herself out when she's out, so she's holed up in her house. She's eating her CC just fine and has eaten more hay in the last 24 hours than I've seen her do in a while.
The ER vet said on the phone to keep her calm, quiet and keep with her baytril and CC. I'll call the normal vet first thing Monday if she's still twisting her head.
SIGH. I just want her to be OK.

 

[Jenn]

You're doing great, just hang in there! You are keeping a close eye on her and you are doing what you can to get her through this. Hopefully she gets through this quickly and you can relax again and enjoy your baby. Please keep us updated.

 

[Laurie]

Make sure her poofy in the gut isn't bloat, keep an eye on that and make sure it's not getting bigger. Also make sure she is definitely pooing. If she isn't you'll need to massage her belly to get her to poo.
Just keep a close eye on her and if you think something is wrong get her to the vet right away.
But on the baytril whatever she has should clear up in a few days. I'll keep you guys in my thoughts!

 

[nibblesmama]

Thanks so much guys. She's on the gut mover meds and we've be belly-rubbing (which she loves) every 6 hours or so.
That ear-tooth-eye stuff is just nasty for these critters.

 

[nibblesmama]

Make sure her poofy in the gut isn't bloat, keep an eye on that and make sure it's not getting bigger. Also make sure she is definitely pooing. If she isn't you'll need to massage her belly to get her to poo.
Just keep a close eye on her and if you think something is wrong get her to the vet right away.
But on the baytril whatever she has should clear up in a few days. I'll keep you guys in my thoughts!

Yep - I've been talking to the ER vet tonight. He said the only thing they can do, since they don't "do" exotics, is keep them stabilized in an incubator and feed CC and do Baytril and then transfer her to the exotics vet (the one we see) Monday morning. I can do that at home. I found another exotics vet that has 24 hr technicians about an hour away, so I'm calling them in the AM if she's still acting weird.
My poor baby. She was all snuggled on my pillow in my neck this afternoon. I had to put her back in her cage before I fell asleep and she didn't like that at all. Dale is moody today without her. He's thrown all his toys that he can out of the cage or onto the bottom. :cry3:

 

[menagerie]

Keep working on her gut. Bloat and stasis takes longer to get over than most people realize.

 

[nibblesmama]

We're all squishy belly again today, gut is doing OK. She left me a pile of good poops in my lap after her CC feeding this morning. I let her out for a bit and she just ran in circles - poor thing. Her eye's weren't goopy (yeah!) but that left ear is really annoying her and she's all tilted to the side.
She bit onto the syringe and wouldn't let go - goof ball!
I'm checking on her every 30 minutes or so - she wants me to take her out, so maybe I'll get her out to hang with me this evening for a bit.

 

[IslandDreamer322]

Glad to hear that everything is going smooth. You are doing a great job with her!! Keep us updated.

 

[nibblesmama]

AGAIN at the vet...

Nibbles is a again at the vet. The baytril did nothing and she was squeeking all night - NOT NORMAL! Puss was POURING our of her ear this morning and she was falling over (dizzy). The normal vet receptionist was RUDE to me on the phone and LAUGHED when I asked for an ER appointment or walk-in, said she could get me in next Monday for an ER or Thurs for a reg appt. Fine. I called my dog vet and they referred me to an exotics vet just 5 minutes from my house - I had no idea she was there! This vet studied exotics under Dr. Fitzgerald. Sweet. They said come over now! Off we went. I left Nibblicious there so they could let her rest and relax before examining her. She has an inner ear infection, sinus infection and get this...that tooth that supposedly fell out...DID NOT. It's just in there and loose. ARGH!!!!
I'm going to need her how to show me to get in Nibbles mouth and check for things like that.
Anyhow, I'm going to go get her in a couple hours and they are going to give her drops and show me how to flush her ear. She's probably going to loose her hearing in that ear. But I'll take a 1/2 deaf Chinnie over a dead one anyday!! My poor pumpkin. :cry3:

The vet was happy with the care I'd given her so far. She also going to have a tech hand-bathe her with dust since she's looking like an overwashed child's teddy bear. They will show me how to do that too. She's also going to get me another bag of critical care.

So send more juju to Colorado for my Nibblicious!!! Thanks everyone!

 

[Cuddlebug]

Poor Nibbles! I am glad you took her back in. It sounds like she is really sick. We've got all of our fingers and toes crossed for her over here.

 

[AZChins]

OH NO! That's awful. Baytril does make a special ear drop that works really well with ear infections. I hope that they are treating it in time for her to not have a permanent head tilt. I am so so sorry that you have to deal with this.

Ear infections are really serious....and you're right, sometimes the Baytril doesn't help them at all. Sometimes you have to get them on different meds that will work better at getting the medication to where it needs to be.

Ask about the Baytril ear drops if you can. They work much better than the oral meds do because it's going right to the infection as opposed to having to go into the bloodstream first.

 

[nibblesmama]

Update

Okie dokie. We're home. I have to flush her ear 2x a day with lactated ringers solution - they showed me how. I have baytril drops for her ear and Bactrim for antibiotics. I'm taking her back Monday for a check. They are there all weekend, so if I have questions or problems she said call. Then she gave me her cell number (!) in case there's an emergency. She only lives one subdivision over from me. VERY COOL!!!! She said her weight is good and she's hydrated so that made me feel good about the care I'm giving her. She gave me more critical care and said to keep giving it to her for the probiotic properties since we're slamming her with antibiotics.
I feel better. Panic subsided. Poor thing is miserable.

Now I'm going to vent. The previous owner said she had allergies. The doc said no....it's probably been this infection and now it's just raging through her sinuses and inner ear - thus causing the eardrum rupture. She said these things don't just turn up overnight and she's probably had infections in her facial area for years that went untreated. I am so close to calling the previous owner and ripping her a new one....but I won't lower myself to that level. I will give the best care we can and thumb my nose at the previous owner by getting her healthy and happy and back to a bouncing chin. :heart3:

 

[AZChins]

Wow, do you really think I chin could carry on with a sinus infection for that long? I don't know if that could be true for sure!

Everything in their little heads are connected through the sinuses - so they can get eye infections and ear infections as the infection spreads. I just don't know if it could go on for more than a few weeks.

Hopefully she will go back to normal, but be prepared to have a chin with a little bit of a tilty head. Those ear infections can cause lasting equilibrium issues. Poor little sweetie...I feel so bad for her.

 

[tunes]

I'm with Susan. I don't think that could possibly be going on for that long without her being severely ill or it killing her. Ear infections are FAST and they are deadly in chins. She couldn't have been walking around for a prolonged period of time with an infection bad enough to rupture her eardrum.

Lucy got an ear infection, and even with treatment, within a few days she was gone. This was a big, strapping, 1100 gm beast of a chin who was healthy as a horse. Chins just don't do infection well and I can't imagine any chin surviving that bad of an infection for that long. .

 

[saphire]

Wow, a ruptured ear drum. This little creature must of been in terrible pain. Happy thing are going in the right direction.

 

[nibblesmama]

I agree with you guys. But she could have had just a continual series of minor infections and they weren't treated. I don't know.

She's in better spirits today. Still dizzy. But here's a pic of her after her ear flush....she said you guys would all sympathize with her. :thumbsup:

 

[Dolyphinm]

Nibbles does not look amused. At least she is in better spirits today. Keep working hard for her sake.

 

[nibblesmama]

Update

Nibbles was bouncing around the cage last night! YAY! She's still tilted and will fall over ever now and then, but just the fact that she got up on the second level and was climbing the sides made me happy. I gave her a "hand-bath" by rubbing dust all over her 2 days ago and letting her shake. She's all nice and fluffy again instead of looking like a grimey overwashed teddy bear. She let's me flush her ear without fighting now, so it can't be feeling all that painful anymore. I put her cage next to Dales and they are snuggling through the bars, so he's happy too.
I think she's on the mend ya'll. She may have a goofy tilt for the rest of her life, but I'll take it considering the alternative!
Thanks again everyone for letting me vent here. It's good to know I have a whole community of peeps who can totally empathize and be my cheerleaders!
:hug2: