Chin. with bad cut

[annes]

1-5-10 female chinchilla very bad cut starting at her anus, going below and to the sides. Took to vet 1-6-10, removed tissue, cleaned it and closed it with sutures below her anus.

since then:

one suture left. Two places opened up but not sure how deep. Some of the wound is pink/red. Some is scabbed over and where the openings are its white.

few days. Syringe feeding 6 - 9 ml/day, most is water, food doesn't fit though syringe. (chin. food with probiotics....other good stuff)(very little activia yogurt)(sometimes milk, sweetent condensed milk)

~ .01 to .015 ml of reglan and 3 ml sterile water SC BID. (not sure of dose)(concentration on bottle is 5 mg/ml) (gave wed. pm (1-13-10), Thur. am (1-14-10))

baytil .3 ml - (1-7-10)Thur., Fri. BID, sat. am, Mon. pm, Tue., BID and wed. am. Using Chlorhexidine flush 1-7-10 to now.

metacam 1-11-10, loves taste. (.05 ml once a day) I want to use mint on food.

Still little to no eating and feces. HELP!!

 

[tunes]

If your food doesn't fit through your syringe, get a bigger syringe, and STOP feeding sweetened condensed milk and yogurt. A chin with gut issues does not need a bunch of sugar and dairy products. If you're using the yogurt as a probiotic, there are better, healthier options like Lifeline, acidophilus, or Bene-Bac.

Your chin is not pooping, that means you need to forcefeed. Not watered down food either. You need to get a catheter tipped syringe so you can start mixing the (I assume) critical care into a thicker paste so that it starts doing it's job - keeping her weight level and producing poop.

Find out if you can give her the Baytril by injection instead of by mouth, if you are still giving it. Unless there's a huge infection in the wound though, TMZ (trimethoprim sulfa) would probably work just as well with very little if any loss of appetite.

The Reglan is good, but it isn't going to work on it's own if this has become a bloat or stasis issue. You also need Propulsid and I would offer baby gas drops as well.

Has your vet run x-rays to determine if there is a blockage?

 

[Claire D]

since then:

one suture left. Two places opened up but not sure how deep. Some of the wound is pink/red. Some is scabbed over and where the openings are its white.

Did the chinchilla take the sutures out?
Is she wearing a buster collar? (to stop her chewing the wound)
Have you been back to the vets for them to assess how deep the opened areas actually go?
Is the wound discharging pus or fluid?



For the eating etc - I agree with Peggy. Dump the junk and try to get some decent Oxbow Critical Care into her.
I also have concerns about you using Chlorhexidine flushes in a wound that you are not sure where it goes and how deep - certainly getting your chin the nutrition she needs is the first priority but unless those wounds have been re-assessed then you're groping in the dark. Also you have little/no chance of wound healing if there is no proper nutrition going in.

 

[starleomach]

How did she end up with the injury? is she safe now? is it infected? is there internal damage to her GI tract?

 

[annes]

I can't find Oxbow Critical Care. Got any idea's where I can find it.
I brought the only chin food i could find with probiotics and prebiotic and vit. and other stuff... the past couple days I have been giving her the food I found and only very very little activia mixed in. I got mint leaves too. which she likes but she just eats it out of the food and doesn't each much on her own. I have seen poop when I clean her off two three times a day and the wound looks like its doing better. she last saw a vet monday. I have a friend who knows a vet the i hope to see this weekend but the first vet didn't keep me to informed and charged me $500 plus the second vet which was only 100. no pus or fluid the whole time she has had the wound and I got a good look at it and there doesn't seem to be any depth to the openings.
Chlorhexidine flushes is for the outside part, I try not to let it get to the open parts and i use the sterile water a couple times a day to rinse out the whole area.

Did the chinchilla take the sutures out?
Is she wearing a buster collar? (to stop her chewing the wound)
Have you been back to the vets for them to assess how deep the opened areas actually go?
Is the wound discharging pus or fluid?



For the eating etc - I agree with Peggy. Dump the junk and try to get some decent Oxbow Critical Care into her.
I also have concerns about you using Chlorhexidine flushes in a wound that you are not sure where it goes and how deep - certainly getting your chin the nutrition she needs is the first priority but unless those wounds have been re-assessed then you're groping in the dark. Also you have little/no chance of wound healing if there is no proper nutrition going in.

 

[annes]

she took the sutures out. I have vetbond also.

 

[annes]

where can i get Lifeline, acidophilus, or Bene-Bac and have the dose or know the dose for a chin?? How do you force feed a chin. you can't "force" it to much because of their anatomy.

If your food doesn't fit through your syringe, get a bigger syringe, and STOP feeding sweetened condensed milk and yogurt. A chin with gut issues does not need a bunch of sugar and dairy products. If you're using the yogurt as a probiotic, there are better, healthier options like

Your chin is not pooping, that means you need to forcefeed. Not watered down food either. You need to get a catheter tipped syringe so you can start mixing the (I assume) critical care into a thicker paste so that it starts doing it's job - keeping her weight level and producing poop.

Find out if you can give her the Baytril by injection instead of by mouth, if you are still giving it. Unless there's a huge infection in the wound though, TMZ (trimethoprim sulfa) would probably work just as well with very little if any loss of appetite.

The Reglan is good, but it isn't going to work on it's own if this has become a bloat or stasis issue. You also need Propulsid and I would offer baby gas drops as well.

Has your vet run x-rays to determine if there is a blockage?

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

Lifeline you can get here: chocolatechinchillas.com, Bene-Bac gel you can get from Petsmart or Petco ( for right now ) and one tube is one dose. But I would get it from the vet, because it is a larger amount. The acidophilus you can get from any pharmacy or Wal Mart in the vitamin section. Make sure it has a high count to it thought, the higher the count the better for your chin. You can get the Critical Care from an exotics vet but it is expensive. There is a girl on here that sells it and puts the money back into her rescue, but the name escapes me. You can do a search on here for who it is though.

Force feeding a chin can be very tricky, as they are very squirmy. First you need to find a baby blanket or something of equal size. I use a dish towel or a hand towel for this. You need to wrap your chin in it, much like you would swaddle a baby, making sure that you have his hands and his feet wrapped securely, with only his head sticking out. For me, the easiest way to hold my chin was to hold him in one arm and use the forearm of my feeding arm to anchor him, and then stick the syringe up to her mouth and coax her into opening her mouth. or you can try and get your chin to eat it out of a spoon.
I am sure there are others who could tell you easier ways to force feed,though. And explain it you a little better.

The trick is to stay calm and not panic, other wise your chin will stress out as well. Good Luck!

 

[tunes]

Menagerie sells Critical Care in two flavors, and the proceeds benefits a chin/rat/guinea pig rescue.

To forcefeed, lay a thin kitchen towel across your chest. Place the chin on it's tummy towards one end of the towel. Wrap the loose end around the chin quickly, securing the feet and leaving only the head open, then tuck the towel down the side. Place the chin with it's head in your hand, and put it's body between your forearm and your body. Put your index finger on the top of the chin's head, your thumb and third finger to either side of the chin's head cupping it. There's a gap between the teeth on the side of chin's mouth. Put the syringe in there and shoot some food in. Don't use a huge amount, because you don't want them to choke.

I'm not sure why their anatomy has anything to do with force feeding. If your chin isn't eating, and you don't forcefeed, it will die. It can be a total pain in the butt and your chin will most likely fight you tooth and nail at first, but be persistent. When they spit it out, shovel it back in. Eventually they figure out they are going to lose the battle. Most chins actually like critical care and, after getting used to being wrapped, don't mind it so much.

You can add acidophilus powder to the critical care mix (though it already has some probiotics in it, it won't hurt to add more) or you can add the lifeline. You can also add a very light drizzle of black strap molasses or some canned pumpkin (not pumpkin mix, real pumpkin) for flavoring if your chin truly doesn't like the critical care. The critical care comes in 2 flavors, regular and apple banana. You may want to get a small packet of both and experiment to see which is liked more. If you have to, you can always mix them together so there is no waste.

 

[annes]

You can give a chin all of these at the same time, how much, can they over dose. (Lifeline, Bene-Bac, acidophilus, Critical Care)

I have been wraping her up in a towel and keeping her level, you can't lift them up to much and feed them it can go the wrong way. I very slowly push the food out of the syringe just at the rate that she can keep up with.

I did pick up some mint leaves and she likes them but rubbed into her food she just picks out the leaves. I have been giving her only a little because i don't know if she will over eat the mint.

the wound is still pink/red, scabbed and white in the areas that she took the sutures off to soon. But the areas that she took the sutures off don't seem to have any real depth to them. She is pooping a little but I only really notice it when i have her on her back and i'm checking and cleaning the wound so I am not sure she needs a gut stimulant?

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

You can give these all at once, yes. You should see how many people on here, including me, have had their chins taking 5 or 6 different medicines. I would also suggest some baby gas drops, as well, just in case. You can get these in the pediatric section of the pharmacy or WalMart, as well. What do her poops look like? Are they small and hard? Large and soft? Small and soft?

 

[annes]

bloat

I have read that Reglan (metoclopromide) promotes appetite and gut motility. Bloat is the gut motility?? So why would reglan not help both appetite, gut motility and bloat. she is pooping a little so can she still have bloat too.

If your food doesn't fit through your syringe, get a bigger syringe, and STOP feeding sweetened condensed milk and yogurt. A chin with gut issues does not need a bunch of sugar and dairy products. If you're using the yogurt as a probiotic, there are better, healthier options like Lifeline, acidophilus, or Bene-Bac.

Your chin is not pooping, that means you need to forcefeed. Not watered down food either. You need to get a catheter tipped syringe so you can start mixing the (I assume) critical care into a thicker paste so that it starts doing it's job - keeping her weight level and producing poop.

Find out if you can give her the Baytril by injection instead of by mouth, if you are still giving it. Unless there's a huge infection in the wound though, TMZ (trimethoprim sulfa) would probably work just as well with very little if any loss of appetite.

The Reglan is good, but it isn't going to work on it's own if this has become a bloat or stasis issue. You also need Propulsid and I would offer baby gas drops as well.

Has your vet run x-rays to determine if there is a blockage?

 

[annes]

she saw a vet 1-6-10 and 1-11-10. ($600) so far. I am not sure i can pay anymore.

Did the chinchilla take the sutures out?
Is she wearing a buster collar? (to stop her chewing the wound)
Have you been back to the vets for them to assess how deep the opened areas actually go?
Is the wound discharging pus or fluid?



For the eating etc - I agree with Peggy. Dump the junk and try to get some decent Oxbow Critical Care into her.
I also have concerns about you using Chlorhexidine flushes in a wound that you are not sure where it goes and how deep - certainly getting your chin the nutrition she needs is the first priority but unless those wounds have been re-assessed then you're groping in the dark. Also you have little/no chance of wound healing if there is no proper nutrition going in.

 

[annes]

her poop is normal looking just very little produced

You can give these all at once, yes. You should see how many people on here, including me, have had their chins taking 5 or 6 different medicines. I would also suggest some baby gas drops, as well, just in case. You can get these in the pediatric section of the pharmacy or WalMart, as well. What do her poops look like? Are they small and hard? Large and soft? Small and soft?

 

[tunes]

Annes - Please use the edit button when you want to comment on several things. The thread gets really long and confusing if you keep answering every question in a separate post.

Reglan on it's own is not going to do a lot for bloat, and this is experience from myself and many others talking. Reglan, Propulsid, and simethcone drops, in conjunction with forced feedings, lots of massaging -- this is how people are generally successful in treating a chin with bloat/stasis. It's a battle, and it's a hard one, and without multiple things working in conjunction, it rarely is a good outcome.

 

[ticklechin]

Vets RX Propulsid to help to speed gastric emptying and Reglan to increase motility, one without the other does not cut it as far the drug part of treating stasis.

 

[annes]

propulsid

I am not sure if it is bloat. I had a vet take a quick look at her today and she said the wound is doing ok. last night I got her to eat a good amount and found feces that looked small and dry. The vet said i could give her up to 30 ml of h2o sc. I have reglan and bene bac (but it says use on day 1,3,5,7) What is the Propulsid for? Do you have to get it from a vet?
sorry about the editing. I am new to this site and was not sure whether to "quote" "quick reply".....there was a few things I could do and was not sure which did what.

Annes - Please use the edit button when you want to comment on several things. The thread gets really long and confusing if you keep answering every question in a separate post.

Reglan on it's own is not going to do a lot for bloat, and this is experience from myself and many others talking. Reglan, Propulsid, and simethcone drops, in conjunction with forced feedings, lots of massaging -- this is how people are generally successful in treating a chin with bloat/stasis. It's a battle, and it's a hard one, and without multiple things working in conjunction, it rarely is a good outcome.

 

[annes]

I have been reading a lot of stuff in this area and I just want to put it all together in order to help molly.

Bloat is trapped gas and can make a chin go down within a very short time.
Statis is when the gut is not moving/ working well.
good bacteria being low can reduce appetite....is a result of bloat, statis
or all this can happen at the same time

Molly - she had a lot of stress to her and her body with the wound. she may have all these problems but maybe not....? If she has all then - reglan, propulsid, simethcone drops, fluids sc, medicam, critical care food, bene bac, oxbow powder, Lifeline, acidophilus. Just do as many of these as possible and she will not get to much of anything….. At minimum force feed critical care or lifeline or both(already have bene bac), reglan, simethcone drops, medicam, and propulsid(which will have to wait until tue)
Right now I am syringe feeding her, reglan three times a day, fluids sc, medicam once a day, keeping the wound clean so it can keep healing. Gave her the bene bac yesterday. Her weight is 650 grams she was 650 two days after the surgery. She is 8 months now and was 700 grams before all this.

So all I need to get now is critical care which a vet near me will have some time this week. Life line which I need to order. Simethcone drop which I will get tomorrow and propulsid which will have to wait until tue.?acidophilus? too which i can get at GNC and give her 1/2(1/4)? the pill?

 

[ticklechin]

I am not sure if it is bloat. I had a vet take a quick look at her today and she said the wound is doing ok. last night I got her to eat a good amount and found feces that looked small and dry. The vet said i could give her up to 30 ml of h2o sc. I have reglan and bene bac (but it says use on day 1,3,5,7) What is the Propulsid for? Do you have to get it from a vet?
sorry about the editing. I am new to this site and was not sure whether to "quote" "quick reply".....there was a few things I could do and was not sure which did what.

Propulsid is a RX drug that speeds the emptying of the stomach and cecum. If the poo is small and dry then she is not getting enough water and the amount of food going in is not enough.

 

[annes]

on the mend

Thought I would let everyone know that I think Molly is finally on the mend. Her wound is drying out. She weights 675 grams, which is 25-35 grams weight gain. I have oral reglan, gas med, critical care, bene bac, waiting on the lifeline from the mail. She only eats very little wheat germ, bird seed, timothy hay on her own and is still not very active but hopefully soon that will come back too.

Hopefully in the next week or two I can give her a dust bath!! She will love that.