Does anyone have healthy chin X-rays or ideas of what may be affecting Quincy?

[aznmexaggie]

I just took one of my rescues, Quincy, into the vet today for full body X-rays and a repeat fecal. Long story short, he was in a bad situation before and is very thin with little to no body fat and poor muscle tone. His weight fluctuates around 400 grams. He is also calcium deficient and I have been supplementing him with Tums as well as alfalfa hay per Dr. Johnson's recommendation at his last vet visit. It has been a few months since that visit and he still hasn't gained, his teeth still indicate calcium deficiency (they are nearly white) and he is now showing shallow breathing. His behavior is as if he is a normal chinchilla for a bit (dusting, eating, etc.) and then he seems tired and has to rest... previous vet visits showed no heart murmur, no internal parasites, no dental problems, and no G.I. problems.

So, we did a repeat fecal today (I will get the results tomorrow) and also took some X-rays since he has not improved. The vet gave me a CD with the X-rays but I am unable to open them on this computer for some reason. I will try to get those uploaded on a different computer. This vet said he couldn't come to a conclusion yet but would consult with some other specialists. He did say the lung area looked abnormal (he said healthy lung tissue is quite dark with very little white striations but Quincy had a good amount of white which concerned him.) and the gut area appeared to have a lot of small gas bubbles (although he has never shown any signs of GI problems. He eats well, has always had a good appetite, and poops are normal-sized, well-formed, and show well-digested food).

I am wondering if anyone has any full body X-rays of a chin so I can compare... (if I can get Quincy's X-rays to open on one of my computers, that is...) Actually, any full body X-rays would be helpful! Thanks!

Does anyone have any ideas as to what may be causing his symptoms?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Riven]

Have you been giving probiotics or ran a course of light anti-b's as a "just in case"?

 

[aznmexaggie]

Yes to the probiotics (and Lifeline), no to the antibiotics. His body temperature is normal and none of the vets he has seen think he has any type of bacterial infection.

I got the pictures uploaded. I don't know much about reading X-rays unless they are dental X-rays so I will need input from others.

They didn't want to sedate him for the X-rays since I had an evening appointment but he stood pretty still for them.

I can zoom in with the software program and get close-ups if needed. I just have no idea what I'm looking at in an X-ray other than the obvious anatomy.

 

[AZChins]

Could he have lung damage from his previous home or something? We've all heard about chins having problems from seriously filthy cages and ammonia...or even with problems with being kept on cedar.

I don't know if you can tell from x-rays, but does the liver appear to be normal? Maybe he's having some issues with his liver that could cause problems with being able to put on weight.

Then, of course, there is always the possibility that he's just a thin chin. Sometimes if chins aren't raised properly with good food and nutrition is lacking, they can grow up to fall short of their full potential. I wish I could tell more from the xrays...

 

[aznmexaggie]

The ammonia was horrible in the barn when I got him. It was so bad, it was burning my eyes and I could barely breathe... The cages also looked as if they hadn't been cleaned in a very long time... I wonder if that could have caused the damage...

The vet said he would get back to me by Saturday, after he consults with some other specialists. Hopefully I can get some answers and treatment, if whatever is affecting him is treatable.

 

[AZChins]

I hope it's treatable, too. So many things can go so wrong when a chinchilla hasn't been cared for properly or kept clean. Someone with enough chins or other animals to have a barn really ought to know better than to let it get so bad that the ammonia burns people's eyes! geeesh.

 

[Sandi]

I don't know if this helps but this is CJ's xrays taken in February of this year. Everything is normal on here from what I've been told. Such a sad story about Quincy, he's so cute, poor thing.

 

[ticklechin]

If the situation with the cages was that horrid I would be looking at aspergillus fungus in the lungs, it can cause permanent damage to the lungs similar to T.B.

 

[Riven]

Me personally, I would run a course of antibiotics and re-xray. There are not just some gas bubbles in there, there are a TON of gas bubbles in there.

Some parasites, fungi, bacteria etc. can be carried in the gut for a very long time and not cause anything like a high temp, etc. and are also not something you can find in a fecal.

What worries me more though is the thought that if they aren't gas bubbles they're pus pockets lining the intestines.

 

[aznmexaggie]

Augh, I'm worried for Quincy. There really are a lot of bubbles or SOMETHING abnormal all in his gut. When I listen to his gut sounds with a stethoscope, I hear little snapping noises sometimes... like Rice Crispies popping in milk. I'm comparing his X-rays to Peri's x-ray (Peri passed away last year due to stasis, RIP my sweet boy...) and although Peri had a small amount of gas that developed in the upper GI tract, everything else looks a lot different from Quincy's. Thanks, Sandi, for those X-rays. Those are markedly different from what I'm seeing in Quincy's. I just wish I knew specifically what I was looking at.

Can aspergillus be tested for?

 

[ticklechin]

It can be a silent killer, chronic exposure the spores cause damage to the lungs and digestive tract causing weight loss in chins that appear to be eating fine . A antibody test and chest x-ray and the common diagnostic tools but it is often missed since it mimics many other illnesses.

 

[ticklechin]

I did not post the reason I brought up the fungus, the aspergillis fungus uses ammonia and salt for both growth and protein production, wood bedding and grains are its favorite substrate and it common to find in unsanitary cage conditions of small animals.

 

[AZChins]

Would giving the chin some simethicone help? If it is some gas, that could help next time x-rays are taken...if x-rays are taken...it could tell you if that's what the problem is for sure.

It would probably have to be pretty bad for there to be prolonged exposure to that fungus. Did they not clean but once a month or something...or not clean at all? Were there many other chins that were at this place? Maybe some of them should be x-rayed as well. That could help in diagnosis.

At any rate, is there an antifungal medication that would treat the fungal infection in the lungs? I hope there is...that would be another thing to try before putting the chin on Baytril or something else just to see what happens. The only problem with so many of those types of medications is the damage that they can cause to the other organs.

 

[aznmexaggie]

Yes, there were a lot of chins in that barn (a couple hundred maybe?) and all the cages and breeding runs were wet with soiled shavings and some cages were stacked upon another without pans to catch shavings in between. Basically some of the chins could urinate/poo on the chins housed in cages below. She no longer has chins and a breeder/rescue in her area took most of them. A friend of mine also has a couple of chins from her (one had a breeding collar embedded around her neck... the skin is now thickened/scarred in that area) although they are doing well. In fact, my friend was the one who alerted me of the situation originally after she visited that place.

Given the conditions and the favorable environment for Aspergillus, that's definitely a possibility. I will discuss it with the vet.

Thank you everyone for your input. I am trying to keep my "poker face" on and maintain perspective here, without worrying about the "could-be's" until I speak to the vet. I am really hoping we can effectively treat Quincy and he can live happily as a normal healthy chinchilla. He really deserves it. He's such a gentle sweet boy.

 

[ticklechin]

The treatment is nebulization of a antifungal to the lungs and oral or injectable for the gut, treatment is long term. Keto.. something or other is one of the antifungals used. My chin notebook with the info is at home.

 

[AZChins]

That's the best you can do. Stay positive and keep an open mind.

It's really awful that someone didn't care enough about the chins to keep them clean. That's the most basic thing when it comes to chinchilla care - well, besides keeping them cool enough.

I've seen a few chins with ammonia burns on their paws from being left in rotting shavings. There's a lot of problems....so you have so many possibilities with that little guy. I wish you the best of luck, and that it's treatable.

 

[leni]

The treatment is nebulization of a antifungal to the lungs and oral or injectable for the gut, treatment is long term. Keto.. something or other is one of the antifungals used. My chin notebook with the info is at home.

Ketoconazole I think?

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Quincy, he does look like a sweet boy. Hope everything turns out ok.