chins is bloated, need help **** urgent

[ricerice]

for Infacol , 1mL contains 100mg of Simethicone
(it write on the bottle)
for Mylicon - Drops 40 mg per 0.6 mL
http://www.drugs.com/ppa/simethicone.html
so i think Mylicon is not the same as Infacol..

 

[ricerice]

forgot to say, still cannot see many poops, only few, 2-3

 

[Ippo456]

My chin, Winnie, had GI stasis/bloat last year & it lasted for about 2 months (from September-October 2008). He had all the same symptoms that your chin is experiencing: not eating, hardly pooping, stomach felt hard to the touch, and he kept barking to express his pain.
Long story short, this is what my vet did to try to pinpoint exactly what was wrong with him (in chronological order of events):

1. Vet took a stool sample, in which the vet found 'bad' bacteria in the stool. Winnie was then prescribed some antibiotic & probiotic (Bene-Bac).

2. Because Winnie wasn't eating, vet suggested that I force feed him with Critical Care. Vet also recommended that I massage his tummy & let him out more often (she said that with him moving around, it could help the digestive system to pass through, just like when horses have colic they must move around).

3. The Critical Care didn't help, so he went into the clinic for a day observation. During the day hospitalization, Winnie was given fluids (the animal-version of IV drip). When he came home, he was prescribed some pain medication (to ease pain from any gut stasis) & gut motility medicine (I think it was Metoclopramide, to get his digestive system moving).

4. Winnie hadn't gotten better so vet suspected teeth problems. We were referred to a vet dental specialist for oral x-rays. Oral x-rays showed that Winnie's teeth were healthy.

5. Vet suggested that Winnie goes on GasX (Simethicone for human babies), electrolytes (I used a brand for babies), have some papaya tablets & being fed fresh pineapple juice (both contain digestive enzymes can help break down & lubricate the hairball, if there's any). I went out to buy whole pineapple fruits (vet recommended not to use canned ones, as they're over-processed & no longer have the needed enzymes), food-processed (because I don't have a juicer) & strained them. I then mixed the juice with Critical Care, which made Winnie enjoy Critical Care even more.

6. I started to slowly reduce Winnie's Critical Care feeding, so that he wouldn't be so dependent on me. He started eating pellets on his own .. & after 2 months he was himself.

7. When I went for a regular checkup after all of that, vet still wasn't sure what had caused the GI stasis/bloat. She said it could've been a viral infection that required Winnie's own immune system to fight it or it was merely a fur ball that had passed the digestive system.

All the best of luck to you and your chinchilla. It's only been a few days since your chinchilla got sick. Please give your chinchilla a chance. The vet did offer to perform surgery to find out if there was any blockage in the digestive system, but she outlined the risks to me (that there's the probability that there's nothing in the digestive system at all & that Winnie may not make it). My vet was very understanding & willing to work out the problems for as long as it takes because we were trying to avoid surgery. Now he hasn't been sick since.

 

[Gizmo24]

hows he doing?

 

[ricerice]

ippo456
I gave my chin hand feeding, warm compress , massage and free run few times today
actually how long free run should i give to her.
today's afternoon , 3:30pm and 5:30pm, i saw her poops cames out when she had her free run, those were a bit bigger then those in the morning,
her tummy, i don't think the gas is less then before, i still think her tummy i quite full with gas
how many days after the treatmant Winnie started to eat the pallets and hay?
i give chance to her but i donnot know how she think, she refused to eat by herself, staying in her cage, sleeping and sleeping,
i donnot know, i wake her up every 1~2hours is good or not, sometimes she struggle a lot and want to back her cage

 

[Ippo456]

Winnie also didn't want to eat by himself, that's why I had to force-feed him with Critical Care for about 2 months. Winnie didn't seriously start to eat by himself about 1.5 months after he first got sick. When I noticed he started to eat on his own, I cut back the force feeding. When he was sick, he didn't eat pellets at all (but I still kept a bowl of pellets in his cage, just in case), but he was still munching on timothy hay (so I made sure he always had hay). Per day, I used to give Winnie 2-3 teaspoons of Critical Care mixed with warm water & pineapple juice. Even if he didn't want to eat, I HAD to make him eat. Winnie also struggled & tried to escape many times when I first force-fed him, but after awhile he got used to it. The important thing is for your chinchilla not to lose weight. Winnie lost almost 200 grams when he was sick, which is quite a lot for a small animal.

Winnie was out for a looong time when he was sick, sometimes up to 3 hours per day, but that's because I had free time.

I think you just have to be patient because chinchillas are fragile and it's going to take time for the medicines to show their effectiveness.

Good luck.

 

[ricerice]

for my chin, she didnt eat any hay at all, that's really wrose
my chin is still losing weight, i checked her weight everyday, even i push her to eat more, but still lose weight, for me and for her, it is really hard to go through this time...
i let her out for her cage but she always want to go back , sometimes i push her to walk, she stilll sit but not walk, it;s hard to do so..

 

[aznmexaggie]

You are doing a great job for your chin. Treating bloat and stasis is a long battle and a hurdle to overcome. Keep up the treatments, massage, light exercise, and don't give up. I lost my boy Pericles last fall to G.I. stasis. He did not respond well to treatments and eventually wouldn't even swallow the Critical care I put in his mouth. He was also extremely dehydrated but wouldn't take fluids orally. Fluids and medication had to be administered via injection. Your chin sounds like she still has energy and is fighting. Keep it up. I wish you well.

 

[Ippo456]

I also made sure that Winnie had electrolytes and enough fluids to keep him hydrated.
From what I've been reading, you're taking all the right steps.
Just persevere & I'm sure that your little chinchilla will pull through.
Like I mentioned, it took Winnie a whole 2 months to recover completely.
My vet told me that chins don't have a vomit reflex so it's hard for them to get anything uncomfortable from the digestive system out, other than to poop them out.
Have you tried doing a Barium study?

 

[Tillygizmo]

I commend you for all the hard work and you certainly understand what your doing. Me and the babies wish you the very best of luck

 

[ricerice]

ippo456
my chins poops are a bit hard, and sometimes the shape not oval shap, not sure it mean she is dehydrated or not?
but i gave her water after hand feeding

aznmexaggie
thanks for your words, i am still keep doing all i can do with her
how long was your chin stay after she got bloated?

Tillygizmo
thanks so much

after hand feeding, massage, warm compress, free walk, she back to her cage sleep and sleep, sometimes i donnot want to weak her up because she seems sleep very well, but if i donnot weak her up, she won't eat by herself ...
yesterday her weight was 586, today is 602, i need to keep hand feeding her as yesterday i do..

 

[aznmexaggie]

aznmexaggie
thanks for your words, i am still keep doing all i can do with her
how long was your chin stay after she got bloated?

Only a few days. He just went downhill so fast and didn't respond to treatment like your chin seems to be doing. It was so devastating for me. He is the first chin I've ever lost and it was so hard to see him in pain, glassy-eyed, and with no energy. He always had so much spunk and I still don't know what caused it (no change in diet or environment, treats were always the occasional pinch of oats or a rosehip, chews were the same applewood I had been using for months, etc.). It has shown me how quickly they can go once they show signs of illness. I am extremely meticulous about observing all my chins now.

 

[ricerice]

Only a few days. He just went downhill so fast and didn't respond to treatment like your chin seems to be doing. It was so devastating for me. He is the first chin I've ever lost and it was so hard to see him in pain, glassy-eyed, and with no energy. He always had so much spunk and I still don't know what caused it (no change in diet or environment, treats were always the occasional pinch of oats or a rosehip, chews were the same applewood I had been using for months, etc.). It has shown me how quickly they can go once they show signs of illness. I am extremely meticulous about observing all my chins now.

thanks so much for your reply, i hope my chin is keep going with all i've done,
my chin didnt eat many hay before she got sick, i think this is the problem
these days i am very tired, i weak up at midnight to feed her, and need some rest at noon time...

 

[Dolyphinm]

Try to get different kinds of hay if you can find any. Sometimes a different kind gets them to eat it more hay. Keep working hard for her sake. And if she doesn't want to run around and play keep rubbing her tummy then.

Good luck.

 

[ricerice]

Try to get different kinds of hay if you can find any. Sometimes a different kind gets them to eat it more hay. Keep working hard for her sake. And if she doesn't want to run around and play keep rubbing her tummy then.

Good luck.

sometimes she willing to run, but sometimes not,
i think she willing to run is better then let me rub her tummy
i think it's hard to do so, she always want to escape when i rub her tummy
anyone can teach me how i can do it easily?

actually she sleep in her cage for full day
i put new hay to her cage at day time and night time, but she is still not willing to eat, this pack of hay is new....is the one she ate before she get sick

 

[nibblesmama]

Hang in there RiceRice. You are doing everything right. My Nibbles went through this last year and didn't make it, but I am comforted to know that her last days I did everything I could to keep her comfortable and feeling loved.
You have a good heart and your chin knows that.

 

[ricerice]

Hang in there RiceRice. You are doing everything right. My Nibbles went through this last year and didn't make it, but I am comforted to know that her last days I did everything I could to keep her comfortable and feeling loved.
You have a good heart and your chin knows that.

i hope she know! she sleep and sleep in her cage for fulll day, i donnot how she is, but when she come out from her cage, seems ok, because she can walk, at least she can walk...sometimes run fast...for me , i think i let her walk will be fine, not running too fast?

her poops are better if she has a walk outside, but if she sleep in her cage, the poops are a bit smaller and dry

i hope she can eat & drink by herself, but now , still need me to hand feeding

thanks for your words!

 

[Tanya]

Do you offer some alfalfa hay? It's very beneficial, alfalfa also is a very gentle laxative, it contains good amount of magnessium that help relieve constipation by drawing water into intestine and relaxing irritated intestinal walls. Source of 8 naturally occurring digestive enzymes. Hope your chin gets well soon.

 

[Sugarmama]

Exercise is good! If you can get her out of her cage and moving around, that is great!

 

[aznmexaggie]

Yep, the light exercise (walking around) encourages movement of the intestines. This is why you are getting better poops when she moves around. When she sleeps, there is not as much movement of the intestines. The longer the food sits in the large intestines, the more water is drawn out of it. That's why her poops after sleeping are dry.