Eenie refuses to eat =(

[Parkerspetchins]

Recovery time is probably different for every chin and dependent on the procedure and the extent of work that had to be done. My girl has had 3 dental procedures now and the last one took her only two days to start eating on her own. It just depends.

If sleeping in his litter box is not normal for your chin then, no, I don't think it is normal. I am sorry you and your chinnie are going through this. It could be his energy level is low so he is falling asleep wherever he lands. Is he gaining weight? Pooping fine? It sounds like he may be lethargic. Does his stomach feel a little squishy or does it feel hard? I guess I would worry about GI issues if he isn't eating properly.

 

[TiffanyT]

His poo are strange yellow looking due to the supplement Emeraid that the doctor prescribed. But he is taking hand feeding well and his tummy does not feel hard or squishy when I touch it. He does look lethargic. Maybe I should be giving him more food, but I always feed him till he gets very impatient and would not take more.

 

[TiffanyT]

More updates on Eenie.

He stayed at the hospital yesterday because they like to observe his behavior and find out what is the reason that he is still not eating. An X-ray was taken again and there is some gas in his tummy, but no obstruction. Doctor thinks the many different kind of medication he is on may be causing the gas.

They'd like to give him fluid everyday, so I may have to take him in everyday for that. But then she said he would not be able to eat after the fluid is given.

I think I may take Eenie to another vet. But I'm not sure if I can afford it. >.<

 

[TiffanyT]

After getting 3 days of fluid, Eenie's poop finally became moist and bigger last Friday. On Saturday and Sunday they were drier and smaller, probably because I was not able to give him fluid myself during the weekend. However, Morning morning his poop was much more softer and bigger so I was happy. Still took him in for fluid anyways. But this morning (Tuesday) the poop were again hard and dry. =(

I don't know what else we can do. He is still very happy and active but just will not eat on his own. I will keep bringing him back for the fluid treatment and at the mean time start cutting back on the CC so he can start to eat on his own.

 

[Parkerspetchins]

Poor little guy, it sounds like he is getting great care. I hope he starts eating on his own for you.

 

[Laurie]

Hope he continues to improve! Lots of love sent your way!

 

[ChilliPepper]

Something that you can do at home- your chin may really like it. I needed to get more fluid in to Chilli when I first started giving him CC after his filing. I brewed a weak chammomile tea- 2 cups of water to 1 tea bag for 2 minutes- really weak. But it is sweet, so they like it. Chilli slurped it right down- you coud even make it weaker and get him to take more of it. Also, Chilli likes his CC with 3-1 water to CC, not the 2-1 the bag specifies. Making the food more runny will also increase the amount of fluid he is getting. When I gave Chilli the tea, I gave him 5 ml through out the day- 1 when I first got up, and then reight before I left for work. Then hubby gave him 1 in the middle of the day and then one when I got home and then one at bed time. I don't know how much fluids they are giving him at the vet, but that might help.

 

[TiffanyT]

I will try that tonight. Thank you very much!! =D

 

[TiffanyT]

Eenie loved the Chamomile tea!! Thank you so much!!
However, he still will not eat on his own. I don't know whether I should keep up the feeding so he doesn't get gas in his tummy and lose weight, or cut back on the feeding so he will be hungry and would try to eat on his own. The doctor asked me to leave him with them so they can observe him, so Eenie is on vacation at the hospital since Monday. So far his behavior there is the same. Energetic and lively when he is out to play, but lethargic when he is in the cage.
If he just needs time to get back to eating on his own, then I wouldn't worry about it. But I know my chinchillas. Eenie is not acting normal. I'm just so afraid that there is something wrong with him that the doctor missed.
I will keep you posted. Thank you very much.

 

[Claire D]

Do you have photos of the Xrays that you can post?

 

[TiffanyT]

Yes I do. I will try to post them this weekend when I'm home.
Also the only doctor that I think qualifies more than Dr. Antinoff moved to Arizona. I talked with another vet and she said sounded like Dr. Antinoff is taking all the right steps and that she can not think of anything else that she would do differently.
I will let you all know what Dr. Antinoff thinks we can do next when I pick up Eenie from the hospital today.

 

[TiffanyT]

A picture of Eenie and x-rays of his skull on both sides.
Dr. Antinoff said that she couldn't find out what is wrong. What is left to do would be Cat scan, Ultrasound, and blood work. But she said she has a feeling that all the reports will come back normal. Eenie lost some weight since they tried to not feed him and see if he would eat on his own, which he didn't. His behavior is mostly normal except he looks lethargic most of the time when he is in the cage. He is taking the handfeeding well and I've been rewarding him with a small bit of apple sauce which he licks right off the spoon. His poop is normal now and he is not bloated anymore. I'm just going to keep feeding him until he picks up eating on his own. Thank you again for all your time and suggessions. I will keep you updated. =)

 

[Claire D]

I am sorry to be the bearer of bad news but those Xrays do not look very good to me.
Bearing in mind that I am not a vet I will try to explain what I can see:
The top incisors should not curl so sharply - they are not in alignment with the lower incisors.
The lower tooth roots are breaching the jaw line in places - if you run your fingers gently over the jaw I suspect it feels a bit lumpy.
The back lower molar is diverging into the back of the jaw - the very back root is twisted towards the angle of the jaws.
The upper roots are a little long.

I would strongly suspect that is why your chinny is not eating. I don't think you need bloods, CT scans etc - I think the answers are all in that first xray.

I am sorry.

 

[TiffanyT]

Yeah.. I suspect that his teeth is what's bothering him too. However, these x-rays were taken before Dr. Antinoff filed his molars and also trimmed the incisors. So the molars are flat and can be alligned nicely now. She said that the elongated root should not be causing him pain. Eenie went to his food bowl and picked up a pallet to chew on it for a few seconds last night. He also started to groom himself again. I'm happy just to see any improvement now. I mean, he is still happy and energenic most of the time. I just don't have the heart to put him down right now because I don't want to give up on him yet.

 

[Essentia]

I am curious about what the vet said. She said the root elongation shouldn't be causing pain? Root elongation is exactly what does cause pain.

 

[TiffanyT]

I was very concerned with it too, but Dr. Antinoff was very sure that it is not causing him pain. She told me there is no need to give him metacam. I don't know where can I find a vet who is more qualified than her. =(