Can't get chin to eat anything

[Louisechurchill]

When my Chin broke her pelvis, she slowed down on her eating. We gave her the CC, but she did not like it in the syringe at all. I fed it to her on a baby spoon, and let her lick it. She seemed to like that alot better. It was alot easier.

 

[SCchin]

I ordered the EFL, I hope she goes to the post office tomorrow...

He will not eat more than 20 cc a day, if we do more feedings, he eats less, so whether 2, 3, or 4 feedings the total is still 20 cc. He has started eating a little hay and pellets. We have never fed CC long term, by 3 days, he usually is back to eating with CC as a supplement. Last time we went through this, I had to cut the CC so he would eat pellets and hay.

We have about 100 g of weight to gain.... and he eats small amounts. What can you add to their diet, and/or do to stimulate their appetite enough for a weight gain?

 

[ticklechin]

The only way you will get weight gain on the food replacers avaliable is quantity, 100ml plus a day, with Lucifer who is 680gms he needed 120ml a day to stop the weight slide of a 50/50 mix of critical care and lifeline, 20ml you are going to have weight loss. Once they lose it takes forever and a day to gain it back, if they gain it back. Does he just not have a appetite or is he fighting you to be fed?

 

[ticklechin]

The only way you will get weight gain on the food replacers avaliable is quantity, 100ml plus a day, with Lucifer who is 680gms he needed 120ml a day to stop the weight slide of a 50/50 mix of critical care and lifeline, 20ml you are going to have weight loss. Once they lose it takes forever and a day to gain it back, if they gain it back. Does he just not have a appetite or is he fighting you to be fed? Have you tried the dip the tip of the syringe in something tasty like dyne or simeticone before you give it?

 

[SCchin]

I can tell his mouth hurts some, I don't know if its from the filing still or malo (or last paragraph below). He did take 10 cc at 4:00 and 12 midnight yesterday, so we are trying to add another in the morning so we can have at least 30 cc. But, feeding him at midnight satisfied him enough to not eat many pellets. When we wait to feed him (as opposed to feeding every few hours) he is very hungry and wants the CC, but stops right at 6-8 cc and we fight him a little for the rest. When I feed sooner, then he only takes 1-3cc, so the 2-3 times a day gets more in him at a time. He has gained 6 g from yesterday morning before feeding to this morning before feeding. But he was 569 g. Yesterday morning was his lowest weight ever (563 g). For both feedings yesterday, he hung onto 3 g. I have no idea if the trend will continue, though, but 3 g a day for a month would put his weight back.

He usually LOVES the apple/banana CC, but I did order EFL to see if he will eat more of that.

Last night I stayed up and watched him. I was picking mats from his chin (it is so bad), and he darted out of the cage. He was his old (from months/years ago) self, chewing everything in sight, walls, baseboards, attempting cords, shoes.... Bad memory for me, he was such a chewer (new house, baseboards, piano, table and chair legs) that I said he couldn't come out of the cage anymore.... It took FOREVER to catch him. Then he went straight for his pellet bowl, ate a few pellets, then ran from them made a strange sound, his ears went forward, then he retreated to the corner and started to grind his teeth. I kept handing him pieces of stiff hay to encourage him to chew it rather than grind his teeth. He chewed up quite a few, and showed no pain during that. But he didn't eat any. These were the dried out almost stemlike pieces, maybe they don't eat those and just chew on them. He doesn't seem to have any digestive issues, poos in cage, although not as many (there are usually quite a lot).

The vet did say he has a band of scar tissue in his mouth from the ulcer that is not elastic, and his cheek won't expand as much on that side. It might also cause him some pain as well. Maybe that is the ears forward, strange deal?

 

[Magic_FROST]

I have an elderly chin that has almost NO TEETH. He had abscesses and cancer, and they were removed. Since then, he has sort of formed a callus in which he mushes soft pellets and soaked hay side to side with.

He was on CC for an awfully long time after the teeth came out and during the medication saga. We gave up on him taking the syringe--that was a huge battle that required re-stitching

So we started him a warm mash of his normal pellets. He liked the familiar smell of those and the mush he could just "mouth" up. He was so successful at that we got creative with the hay.

We chopped up hay very fine, and then soaked it til it was soft. That was successful too. In the summer, we give him fine, well dried out grass hay.

If you want any directions, let me know. I could even just send you some of our supply if you thought it would help you--I would be glad to.

 

[ticklechin]

The motion he made, could you say it was like he was trying to vomit or looked like a choke motion? He could A: have pain and you saw the pain motion or B: it could have been choke from trying to eat the pellet to fast when it was not chewed up. Chins can and do take 15-20ml of a food replacement at one time so at 8 he is not full, he has just had enough of you and feeding. You just have to hang in there and feed him at least 60ml a day. If than is just a no can do, you can try soaking the pellets to soften them-I will put the pellets in a bowl, put just enough water to coat them and let them sit until soft-they won 't be wet just a slight moist powder, then I mix some LL or CC into them for flavor-malo chins who are not in a ton of pain will eat them along with some oats that have been ground up on the side.

If the scar was the only issue in the mouth the chin could have gingivoplasty
of the scar tissue, I had it done to one of my malo chins for another reason and it took care of the issue, but in this case there is still the root issue.

 

[SCchin]

Wow!

I have an elderly chin that has almost NO TEETH. He had abscesses and cancer, and they were removed. Since then, he has sort of formed a callus in which he mushes soft pellets and soaked hay side to side with.

He was on CC for an awfully long time after the teeth came out and during the medication saga. We gave up on him taking the syringe--that was a huge battle that required re-stitching

So we started him a warm mash of his normal pellets. He liked the familiar smell of those and the mush he could just "mouth" up. He was so successful at that we got creative with the hay.

We chopped up hay very fine, and then soaked it til it was soft. That was successful too. In the summer, we give him fine, well dried out grass hay.

If you want any directions, let me know. I could even just send you some of our supply if you thought it would help you--I would be glad to.

You do know at this point I would like to have all of his teeth out and feed him mush the rest of his life, his teeth have caused him so much trouble. :banghead:

Is he happy? I bet that bill was something..... if I knew it would work, a very small maybe. I have this haunting feeling this chin would just give up since it would be his 4th surgery in a very short time.

Yeah, send on the directions, it sure can't hurt. I have the recipe for ground up pellets and hay mixed with pumpkin and CC. I just have to find the organic pumpkin in a small town.....

 

[SCchin]

Probably -B-

The motion he made, could you say it was like he was trying to vomit or looked like a choke motion? He could A: have pain and you saw the pain motion or B: it could have been choke from trying to eat the pellet to fast when it was not chewed up. Chins can and do take 15-20ml of a food replacement at one time so at 8 he is not full, he has just had enough of you and feeding. You just have to hang in there and feed him at least 60ml a day. If than is just a no can do, you can try soaking the pellets to soften them-I will put the pellets in a bowl, put just enough water to coat them and let them sit until soft-they won 't be wet just a slight moist powder, then I mix some LL or CC into them for flavor-malo chins who are not in a ton of pain will eat them along with some oats that have been ground up on the side.

If the scar was the only issue in the mouth the chin could have gingivoplasty
of the scar tissue, I had it done to one of my malo chins for another reason and it took care of the issue, but in this case there is still the root issue.

Probably B. I don't think he's very bright on the pain meds. You know, eat, then swallow, then, shoot, forgot to chew. I will try softening the pellets, he seems to really want to eat them, he loves the Mazuri, when I switched him cold turkey last fall, it was pretty quick for him to like them.

Hmmmmm, the vet said there was nothing he could do for the scar tissue. He thought the eating thing was because he couldn't expand his cheek on that side because of the band of scar tissue.

 

[Magic_FROST]

Doesnt everybody have a $10,000+ chin? What?! We're crazy? No, he's just special to us.

I stopped telling my husband once the bill got higher than that, honestly

PM coming your way.

 

[ticklechin]

The vet may not have the electrosurgical device to do the procedure or may have never used one. Its a cutting/cautery device that "melts" the tissue and seals up wound.

 

[Magic_FROST]

Im not sure if it was the same device, but with Arthur's surgery, it was done via laser.

 

[SCchin]

The vet may not have the electrosurgical device to do the procedure or may have never used one. Its a cutting/cautery device that "melts" the tissue and seals up wound.

Would have been nice to have that when the ulcer was found, at the filing in October.... you would think that an almost $700 bill would have included that...:wacko:

 

[SCchin]

It is worth having a read of Debbie's web pages on feeding poorly chinchillas - the link takes you to the syringe feed page but if you use the menus at the top of the page there's more info there about feeding, techniques, formulas etc etc.

http://www.azure-chinchillas.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=146&Itemid=144

Claire,

She says 30-40cc/day for syringe feeding. (???)

 

[SCchin]

OK, he just refused a feeding, six hours after this morning of taking 9 cc. My son asked why his belly seemed to have gas in it..... and when they touched it, Quito squacked.

Now, bloat?????

He really won't eat. We just tried Magic FROST and Ticklechin's ideas, he snubbed it both w/syringe and spoon. He just took 2 cc of CC, that's it. So, 11 cc so far. Yesterday, he took 10 cc at two feedings, but we really have to wait (maybe that is why he is gassy) to get him to eat. Shorter times between feedings, he won't eat.

So, we will go get the gas drops, unflavored, how much, and what else. I really won't do this, repeat, really won't, but it is tempting to open the back door.... why are animals so stupid when you are trying to get them better.

They are running him on the stairs right now. Still poos in the cage, but will clean them out and keep a count.

12 poos so far with the run up and down the stairs.

 

[Essentia]

Just get baby gas drops, doesn't matter the flavor. Give him a full dropper every 3 hours. You can't OD on the gas drops.

 

[SCchin]

OK, thanks, he likes the stuff, gobbled it right down. I think I'll try to use that dropper for the food, LOL.

 

[ticklechin]

You should give your vet a call and ask about motility drugs-reglan and propulsid, gassy handfed chins can bloat and go into stasis very quick-give the full dropper of simethicone every couple of hours until at least tomorrow, massage the gut gently-gentle circular motions from the chest to the anus, release and resume, do it for as long as the chin will take it, 10-15 min every couple of hours is good. Also let him run aound, if he won't run around the prod him along-exercise will help with the bloat and keep things moving. If he is not on pain meds resume them now.

 

[SCchin]

He is not that distended, right away we let him run up and down the stairs, got many poos, and my husband ran and got the drops. I don't think he is that bad. The vet is 2-3 hours away... and off from Thursday through the weekend. Even if they give me meds, I really can't go get them, right? (I don't have a lot of vet experience, can't you tell...) If he is bad tomorrow, I guess I can call our local vet. Hopefully he won't mind we went somewhere else. But, Dawn, I am really getting over this..... I talked with my daughter, we'll give him time to recover from the filing (how long is that?) and if he hasn't picked up his eating, I'm not in the mood to nurse a sick chin along indefinitely. Like I said earlier, we are just giving one more try.

 

[Essentia]

If you can get in touch with your vet he can call the prescription into a regular pharmacy even if the vet office is closed. Many animal drugs are the same as the human versions.