Bringing the boys to the vet today

[Woodrow724]

Hello guys,

Woodrow and Jasper are headed to the vet today at 3:30. Yesterday at playtime Jasper barely ran around, he just sat on my arms or laid down by the playpen wall and Woodrow isn't really eating anything. I did my daily poo sweep today and there was less than half of what I usually take out in there, all smaller than normal. I stayed with Woodrow for hours last night and he only pooped 3 times and I had to handfeed him hay for awhile before he'd go over and eat a little himself. The pellets were barely touched and less than half of the hay was eaten. Woody's energy level is still as high as ever, Jasper's is not however. I'd rather be safe than sorry so the vet made us a same day appointment. It's out first time going, wish us luck!
Will update when we get home.

 

[dragongirl653]

Hope Woodrow and Jasper are okay! Keep us updated and good luck!

 

[dragsil]

They are such cute little boys, fingers crossed everything turns out ok!

 

[Twilight Chinchillas]

I'll be waiting anxiously! I know how much those two mean to you!

 

[Rebecca1122]

That's what is happening to Oliver. He barely drinks water/eats his pellets (he hasn't been eating many of the pellets since I did a cold switch to Oxbow). He eats some hay, but not too much. I can make him out at night when I am in bed, trying to fall asleep, and he never really does anything. He might run around once, but for the majority of the time, he just sits in a corner. He also doesn't do much when I take him out for play time. And his poops are still small and less, and I have been putting acidophilus on his pellets for a little while now.
Would you recommend taking him to the vet?

 

[Woodrow724]

If he's getting worse not better I say yes take him. I've been watching these two and the bowls and hay are fuller and fuller every morning and Jasper's activity level is decreasing.

Thank you guys for the kind words! 3:30 isn't coming quick enough :-/

 

[Rebecca1122]

Okay. I might end up taking him to the vet just in case. He used to be more active, so I don't know. He just sits on a shelf in a corner of on his chin chiller, though he is not overheated. He's been this way for a little while, not eating or drinking much.

 

[kerri101]

hope you can get some answers from the Vet thinking of Woodrow and Jasper

 

[Woodrow724]

Well we just got back. Good news is there's nothing terribly Wrong. Woodrow is underweight but other than that he couldn't find any reason for this. He pooped on the table for us and they were small but good. Jasper is perfectly fine. He gave us critical care for Woodrow and told us to weigh them everyday and to come back if they start losing for fluids and reevaluation. Good news also was their weight is exactly the same as what I got on Saturday. We were told two-three times a day for CC until he starts eating more. I also got a different pellet that maybe he will like. I liked this vet, he knew not to give chins fruit or veggies! Thank goodness. I feel a little better but will still be hyper alert. Woodrow jumped right off the table to run around the room! He's still my crazy boy

 

[Rebecca1122]

Yay! I'm glad that your boys are alright
I'm still debating whether I should take Oliver to the vet or not.

 

[dragongirl653]

Happy to hear they are both okay! Its always nice to get good news ^_^

 

[Woodrow724]

Thank you guys! The next adventure is syringe feeding!

 

[Woodrow724]

Well we've given Woodrow about 3/4 of a teaspoon of CC tonight, it's a messy ordeal but we're getting the hang of it. Poor guy is so ticked off. Between being woken up to go to the Dr to me wrestling with him to feed him and clean his fur, I hope he gets over it, he was such a mommy's boy before! He's eating hay and pooping a nice size, he took a couple pellets from me too. Hopefully tomorrow he's a little less grouchy!

 

[dragsil]

Glad to hear that nothing is terribly wrong LOL at Woodrow running around the vet office, chin on the loose!

 

[Chub_Chub]

Well we just got back. Good news is there's nothing terribly Wrong. Woodrow is underweight but other than that he couldn't find any reason for this.

You know, this sounds a LOT like my Dexter.. Twice in this last year we took him to the vet (different ones) and they could find no reason for his sudden disintrest in pellets and resulting weight loss. He got pretty skinny and the first vet did a full fecal and blood that came back all normal.

Then four months later he did it again, dropped weight and stopped eating pellets. The second time it happened his cagemate Sam did so as well, but he was nowhere as small as Dex . The second vet found no reason for his weightloss and prescribed antibiotics to be on the safe side, we were worried at this point that it could be organ failure. He took his meds like a trooper ( I HIGHLY recommend anyone getting a prescription ask for Pina Colada flavor if possible!! He LOVED it!) and took the CC willingly..

Well, Dex is still around and not eating as much pellets as before all of this.. We've been supplementing CC every few days, and he still loves it. I no longer have to burrito or syringe feed either.. he eats it off the end of a craft stick or from the bowl! He is now fatter than he ever has been in the past and even stopped chewing his fur for a little while, which is really odd. I may have to feed him CC for the rest of his little life, but I say its worth it.:kiss:

Glad your furry guy is ok!

 

[Woodrow724]

Thank you! I'm glad that Woodrow isn't the only goober to do this! It makes me feel a lot better. Woody HATES the CC, he doesn't spit it out but we have to wrestle and syringe feed him. I've got some new pellets on the way to try with him, hopefully he'll take to them. If not I'm with you, I'll supplement him CC the rest of his life if I have to! I've also gotten a second kind of hay, hoping he'll start eating more of that. The CC has definitely stimulated his appetite though, there were a lot less pellets than normal when I woke up this morning so either Jasper was a fatty last night or Woodrow ate some! There was a lot more poop too. I wish I could monitor them 24/7! Lol

 

[Chub_Chub]

GOOBER! LOL, glad I'm not the only one using that word still.

It took a little while for our Dex to get used to the CC feedings, and we started with the Apple Banana kind, so that may have helped it along. We are finishing up on a second small bag, this time regular CC. He didn't like it at first either, but now gobbles it up. Once he put a little weight on him, he would get these amazing bursts of energy after eating the CC, made us so happy and relieved.

I hope Woodrow gets used to the feedings. After he realizes how good he feels after the feeding, he may come around all on his own! Makes me think of the Yo Gabba Gabba song! "Does the critical care want to go to the party in my tummy?":mood:

 

[ticklechin]

I hate to be the Debbie Downer here, but no chin should be hand fed critical care for the rest of its life unless diagnosed and frankly I would not give up getting a diagnosis and just hand feed. Any chin who loses weight needs a oral exam under gas at the least with x-rays, but you do not just hand feed willy nilly with no end term. Chin teeth grow 1-6mm a week, you will end up with overgrown teeth externally if the chin does not grind them down themselves, the external overgrown teeth will lead to the teeth elongating internally, which there is no cure and will be fatal. Find another feed, find another type of hay like alfalfa, get a second opinion if that does not work but DO NOT hand feed forever, you are doing the chinchilla a diservice. Chinchillas will also get addicted to hand feeding fairly quick, it will be a bear to wean them off so don't get them addicted unless there is a need to hand feed.

 

[kerri101]

Well we just got back. Good news is there's nothing terribly Wrong. Woodrow is underweight but other than that he couldn't find any reason for this. He pooped on the table for us and they were small but good. Jasper is perfectly fine. He gave us critical care for Woodrow and told us to weigh them everyday and to come back if they start losing for fluids and reevaluation. Good news also was their weight is exactly the same as what I got on Saturday. We were told two-three times a day for CC until he starts eating more. I also got a different pellet that maybe he will like. I liked this vet, he knew not to give chins fruit or veggies! Thank goodness. I feel a little better but will still be hyper alert. Woodrow jumped right off the table to run around the room! He's still my crazy boy

that is very good news to hear that they are both doing well!!!!!! so happy for you

 

[Woodrow724]

I do have another feed and hay coming. Weight has stayed steady since we started weighing, but that was only 5 days ago. We're going back if weight starts to decrease for a teeth exam. He still eats his hay without issue as well. I barely hand feed, vet said to do it for 2-3 days so we're stopping tomorrow and then monitoring.