bloat?

[chinny]

I am wondering if my chin has bloat. I have kind of asked before but it was pertaining to a more different question and didn't focus on this one.
Let me provide some info. I had her on Kaytee food and alfalfa hay. I knew the Kaytee was bad so I was going to switch her. I found another food and I have heard with pellets thisbad that some people will do a cold change. I didn't cause I worried and I kind of mixed it. Well, she was really liking the kind I bought her and she didn't need the other kind so I put her only on the new brand. Everything was fine. I went to buy her new hay and wanted to give her something different so I got oat hay. She would have NOTHING to do with it. So I went out after trying to get her to like it and bought her the beloved alflafa hay. NOW she will eat the hay and wont touch the pellets and the first bit I thought well she is enjoying having the alfalfa back and will get used to it and go back to both foods. Not so much.
She has layed around but I figured she was relaxing like she does. Also, I put in a new hammock and she was rolling around on it like she does when she is dustbathing and I thought she was trying to dust bath since it was larger but maybe it is bloat.
I don't seem to have a clue. What do ya'll think? Also, what can I do to fix it?

 

[Stackie]

What is the new brand of feed you switched her to?

Chinchillas with bloat generally stretch a lot, press their bellies down, and just seem uncomfortable. A bloated chinchilla generally will not eat and have little to no poop. Once bloat gets to the stage that you are noticing it, veterinary care is needed for GI medications. Warm compresses, exercise, and belly massages can also help break up the gas. Simethicone can be used in cases with a small amount of gas, but it is not enough once bloat gets to a certain point.

 

[ticklechin]

Hold her belly up to your ear in a quiet room and listen, you should hear quiet gurgling noises, not loud snap and popping noises, also the chin will feel like a balloon-you can gently tap the tummy and if you hear a hollow noise its bloat or if the belly feels squishy its bloat. Simethicone only works when the gas is up high, once it gets to the intestines it is relatively ineffective. Bloated chins will also lay on their sides and twist, sit up right and hunched with a pinched look on the face and the poo they do have can be slimey and have air bubbles on it or the poo can be hollow.

 

[chinny]

She doesn't have any slimey or hollow poops. Maybe a little smaller every now and then or less frequent but nothing that has stood out to me. I would like to clarify on the rolling because I don't feel like she twists but maybe this is what you are talking about anyway. It reminds me of a dustbath just without the spastic excitement. She will roll on her back and she will rub her face on the hammock but this is only where she will do this at.
I have tried holding her up to my ear but I didn't hear anything and I don't know if that was accurate or because she was wiggly.
I am feeding her Nature's Promise Zupreem as this is all my pet store carries. I picked it because it had no treats or extra bits in it like the Kaytee did and it had timothy hay as the first ingredient. Like, I said she will eat the hay but not really the pellets. I had read somewhere that too much alfalfa can cause bloat but how much is too much???

Can I give her Simethicone as a precaution even if she isn't bloated?

 

[mishellyshel]

you can give her the gas drops.......it wont hurt her. and maybe with the recent food switch she has a little gas. 1 cc full is good.
sometimes my chins roll like they are in the dustbath if A. they have recently dusted and have dust residue or B. if i give them a pumice stone or lava bite..........some reason they think they can dust on it!

usually when i suspect gas, i let my chins out for a different kind of playtime. not in the playpen but in the bathroom. where i can sit and monitor their poops. the extra playtime gets the gut moving a bit and i can inspect the poop for hollowness or any gas bubbles attached to or mixed in with the poop.

 

[chinny]

Yes, she does it after she dustbathes and at other times but I haven't seen a pattern if there is one. I have let her out and she will run and play like she always does. Seen no difference there so I suppose that is a good thing. I bought some drops and will give her some. I guess I will just see what that does for her, for now.

 

[chinny]

Oh, I forgot to ask. How many times do I need to give her the drops? Like once a day or just one time to see what happens or...??

 

[mishellyshel]

you can give her one dropper full 2 or 3 times a day. see how she is after the first one.
let her out for an overly monitored playtime so you can inspect all her poop. if she has gas often the gas drops will work and her poop will come out with little clear bubbles on it.

 

[chinny]

So... are you saying that there should be bubbles when I give her the drops? Or to look for that to know if she does have gas? And if this is what you meant then wouldn't they already have it now? I don't know why I don't understand this but it just went over my head. Sorry. :confused3:

 

[ticklechin]

Not all bloat chins have gas bubbles, its one of many symptoms of bloat. Bloat is a very serious condition and should not be self-vetted especially by a owner who has not seen it nor treated it in the past. Bloat can rupture the digestive tract, it can become stasis, the intestinal tract can twist, its not something to be treated lightly nor is it something that can be ignored, if there is a question it needs to be diagnosed by a vet, motility drugs and pain killers need to be administered and the reason it came about needs to be corrected. Simethicone alone does not cure it. It is EXTREMELY painful to the chin and they can go into shock from the pain, this is why it can be a medical emergency and advice on the net is only for the time between the post and the vet visit, it does not replace it.

That said, based on your description of symptoms it does not scream bloat to me but since you are asking and feel you are dealing with it, a vet visit should take place.

 

[chinny]

I understand and I do take it very seriously but I also don't want to be rash about something until I know if I am even close to the right idea. Many of the symptoms of bloat my chin is not exhibiting. I understand that it can become a large problem quickly but Stackie mentioned that in cases where it is in the beggining stages the drops can help while they won't if it has gone too far. I do not believe based on what others have posted that it has gone to that extreme. She does not have bad poops or no poops at all. She is eating her hay and drinking water. She runs around and plays. She is just not eating her pellets and she is rolling in her hammock. I am going to go home and listen to her stomach to see what I hear when I can.
I do see where this has to be prevented which means changing what is causing it but I don't know yet what that is. I am trying my best to figure that one out.

 

[chinny]

I do want to mention that I was not trying to be rude. I appreciate the advice and I was just trying to explain the reason why.

 

[chinny]

I think I figured out what it was!! I have thought and thought and researched and I kept coming across the reason that she wouldn't have gotten enough fiber and I thought she is eating hay like crazy NOT the pellets. And then it hit me. I had bought oat hay for her to try for variety and she wasn't fond of it at all and wasn't eating it really. I mixed some with alfalfa thinking it was just different and she needed time to get used to it. Well, she was munching down on pellets. NOW, I bought alfalfa and have been only giving that to her and she is tearing the stuff up and not touching the pellets.

I am assuming that she WASN'T getting fiber when she was on the oat hay and now is not eating the pellets and only the hay to make up for the lack of fiber. (which I have heard that they do too. Try to replace the fiber.)

SO does this sound accurate? This could be the reason even though it was only over a matter of two or three days? I am feeling a lot better if I have figured this out.

 

[mishellyshel]

Be careful how much alfalfa you give. It is very rich and typically should not be the main hay for chins. It's okay to offer a few times a week or a small amount daily if timothy is provided & eaten. Timothy grass is the main hay I give all my chins. I supplement with alfalfa, orchard, oat & botanical. There are several other varieties you can try but the staple is usually Timothy.
As for what is causing the issues it's hard to say, any change can affect their tract. Perhaps in the future do some research on some of your observations. Bloat is very serious & many members have lost chins to it at different stages. I would still keep and eye on poop & pee and behavior. And relax. Sometimes reading the forum or checking the Internet for ailments can make you crazy! Information overload I'd what I call it!