Bloat help

[hildatk]

Chili has been recovering from a dental procedure went wrong. We nearly lost him last Saturday and have been slowly nursing him back. Now it seems he has bloat. He's not pooing beyond 15 poos a day. He's stretched out on his belly or his side a lot. It seems to be getting worst.

He's currently on 0.3ml Baytril twice a day for infection, 1ml of Metacam once a day for pain, 0.3ml Metoclopramide 3 times a day to help get his guts moving. I've also added 0.6ml (1 dropper full) of Simetnicone every feeding to help with gas.

Is there anything else the vet can do for him? He get really stressed out by going in. We nearly lost him because he was so stressed out by the last vet visit. But he looks very uncomfortable today. I've been massaging his belly and that seems to give some relief. I just want to know what other options are there. If I take him back to the vet, I want to know what to ask for. I feel like I got rushed into the dental procedure since we took him in for not eating/pooing. And the next day Chili got his teeth extracted/filed. I don't want to rush and make the same mistake twice.

I've been keeping up with critical care and syringing water into him 3-4 times a day. I'm trying to give smaller meal now since he's so uncomfortable. I don't want to lose him just when he started to make a come back.

Thanks in advance for any ideas or advice.

 

[ticklechin]

Here is a good thread on dealing with bloat/stasis

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6553

 

[hildatk]

I called the vet office and spoke to the vet on call, no the one that saw Chili originally. She doesn't sound very hopeful for him. Chili has been laying on his side and grinding his teeth. So I know he's not comfortable and possibly in pain. Maybe the metacam is no longer working cuz his gut isn't moving. They want to see him today just to check if there's anything else we can do.

I asked about inject-able Metoclopramide and metacam for pain. They say they won't do it since it could be a blockage and it'll worsen things. Now I don't know if I want to take him in. If he's going to go, I want him to go around things he loves. Not in a scary vet office.

I'm so sad and heart broken. I was stupid enough to think (for just a brief moment) that he'll pull through. We did everything we could to support him and get him better. I feel like we put him through so much and at the end it's the same result.

If someone has gone through this, please give me your insight. I want to do right by Chili. The vet made it sound so hopeless. If there's any chance he'll pull through, I give it everything I have. But if it's hopeless like they say, then I will stop his pain. It's not an easy choice as I don't know how bad he is. He really didn't look bad this weekend. Just some belly stretching. But today he's laying mostly on his side.

If you read this, please spare a moment and think of my little chin Chili. He has been such a good boy and we love him so much.

 

[ticklechin]

Did the vet not take a x-ray? A x-ray will confirm if there is a blockage and will also locate the gas-if the gas is in the upper and lower digestive tract, he needs reglan and propulsid. If you can drive I would see about getting him to Los Altos, Adobe pet hospital and see either Dr. Jane Johnson or Dr. Nakamura on a emergency basis, just call and ask if one of them are on duty and ask to be seen ASAP, they both have extensive experience with bloat and stasis. 650-948-9661.

 

[menagerie]

I agree with Dawn, xrays should be taken to see if there is a blockage. When I went through stasis with Sparky it was a long road. It's not something that will be cured overnight. I did medicine, feedings, massage, heat treatment and fluids for a full two weeks before I felt we were getting close to being out of the woods. To this day Sparky has a delicate digestive system and I monitor his poops everyday.

As long as Chili is still producing poop, his gut is moving and I would keep fighting. I would ask the vet about putting him on buprenex for pain in addition to the metacam, for right now. He sounds like he is in considerable amount of pain. While buprenex can slow the gut a bit, the gut motility drugs he's taking will counter the slowing and it will give him more pain relief.

 

[Claire D]

I'll second Dawn & Meanie's posts - I have treated several chins for bloating/gut problems/pain (post abdo surgery) & I have also used Vetergesic in conjunction with Metacam. I've had more success using both drugs than one or other alone. A chin in pain will not eat.

I would give him 48 hours on high(er) dose pain relief & see whether that makes a difference. I'd also do the same regimen as Meanie used for Sparky.

Good luck & please do keep us posted.

 

[hildatk]

Went to the vet and they saw no blockage. In fact we got 20-25 regular sized poo from him last night. That's the first good sign we had in a week. So we're continuing our regimen much like Meanie's. The vet want to stay with just metacam since she doesn't want to slow hs guts down more. But we'll be doing subq fluid at home to make sure he's hydrated. I hope things will be better now we're done with the baytril. So there's nothing slowing down the gut.

Chili is looking better. He's stretching less and started to chew on some wood and lava bites. The vet gave us all the meds so we'll keep it up. Hopefully chili can make it too like Sparky.

Thanks for all the input. I know it's a long hard road but I'm pushing on as long as my chin would.

 

[addictedtochins]

Oh that's great news! Go Chili @ Go Chili @ Go Chili @

 

[hildatk]

Giving subQ fluid is hard when you've never done it before. And it's harder when the vet gave you the whole bag and expect you to drip it in. Thanks to Menagerie's advice, I went back and asked for a syringe and extension tubing. We were able to get our first dose in today. We only managed 15ml but it's a start.

Another positive sign is Chili's belly doesn't seem as bloated as before. And definitely less stretching. He's pooing about the same. We're taking it slow and giving him time to recover. Trying to stay positive and hope Chili will be out of the woods soon.

 

[Claire D]

That is sounding positive - less bloating, less stretching & some poop being produced are all good news. I know it's hard but you're doing well with him. Keep plodding away :thumbsup:

 

[ticklechin]

Bloat and stasis always seem to drag on forever, as long as you have poo and you are doing what you say you have a good chance of recovery, good luck and keep us updated!

 

[momenteller]

Crossing my fingers and thinking good thoughts for Chili!

 

[Jenn]

It sounds like you are doing everything right for Chili, and that he is a strong fighter. I'll also be thinking healthy thoughts and a full recovery for him! Please keep us updated.

 

[hildatk]

Thanks for the encouragements, I needed it. I was getting quite overwhelmed by this. But Chili is looking better. We got more fluid in him today and he seems happier. Definitely more feisty during feedings which I take as a good sign. He gets a bit winded when I let him out for exercise. So I keep it short and hopefully that's enough to keep his gut moving. So overall....better but still not there yet.

Does anyone has ideas on how to get him to eat and drink on his own? There's food and water in the cage but he just ignores them.

 

[EMSChins]

As long as he is being fed Critical Care and getting fluids mixed in with that as well as Sub Q fluids, he may not touch his food or water. Keep fresh hay available and as he gets better you can start to wean him off of the CC and he will begin to eat pellets again. Often with bloat and stasis, depending on how sick the animal is to begin with, this can take weeks or months to clear up. Just take it slow and easy.

 

[hildatk]

Chili is getting much stronger. And he's refusing to let me syringe feed him critical care. I got only 15ml in him today. And we were unsuccessful with the subQ today. I don't know if it's good that he's strong enough to fight us or bad that we failed in giving fluid and food.

There are good amount of normal looking poos. So that's a great sign. But I don't think he's eating or drinking on his own. I just don't want to have him relapse because he stop eating. But I tried 4 times today and he just won't eat. Chili does take his meds without fuss though. Just the critical care that he's rejecting. I'm happy to see glimpses of his old self as he's more active. But I'm so worried that his gut will stop because he won't eat.

Is this normal? Do chins start rejecting CC feedings as they get better?
Should I keep trying to force feed him CC? I was planning on cutting back to 2 feedings a day. I hope he'll eat on his own if he gets hungry. There are plenty of food, water and hay in the cage.

Any ideas will be appreciated. I was just getting a bit hopeful about him. But I know how sensitive their guts are so I'm really worried that I can't get food in him.

 

[ticklechin]

15ml IMO will be enough to stave off stasis but he will lose weight pretty quick. Are you using simethicone? Does he like it? You can dip the tip of the syringe in the simethicone and then try to give him the CC, he will taste and want the simethicone and then you can squirt. The more food the better during recovery of stasis and bloat. Also, are you still using motility drugs?

 

[hildatk]

I've cut back on the motility drug, metoclopramide, to twice a day. Should I drop it to once a day or just stop? And I've been giving simenticone (0.5ml) whenever I try to feed him so 3 times a day. He likes it ok so I'll try to dip the CC syringe to see if it'll make any difference. Do you think I can stop with the pain med, Metacam too? He was on 1ml a day.

I was getting around 15ml of CC in him. But last night, I couldn't get more than 3ml in him. He just got really stressed out and angry and started panting. So giving subQ is totally out of the question now. I'll keep syringing as much water as he would let me.

There were tons of poo yesterday (80-100) But this morning it's back to nothing. I know there's not much food going in so nothing coming out. But we fought so hard to get him pooping again, I'm so scared he's going to go back to stasis because he's not eating.

Good news is I actually saw him nibbling on his pellet. He ate about 6g yesterday. I think he ate some hay too but I can't tell since it's all over the place. But still haven't touched his water.

I'll keep trying to feed him CC. I understand that the more I can get in, the better he'll be. He has dropped 10-15g since he stopped eating his CC. So I know he'll get weak pretty fast. If he continues to refuse CC, is there any ways to encourage his appetite and get him to eat and drink on his own?