eye issue turnd to something else....

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Chin_Pig

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2009
Messages
192
Location
St. Joseph, MO
i took my chin to the vet on monday for wetness of fur in the front corners of her eyes that had been going on about a week. the vet looked at her teeth with an otoscope and said they looked really good and worn down. so we were to try neo-poly/dexamethasone drops in both eyes BID(2 times per day)

i started the drops Monday night and she did really well with them till i came home today at 5pm. she hasn't eaten anything or drank anything since last night about 10 pm. shes totally lethargic and goes limp when i hold her. anyway i talked to my aunt who is a vet over the phone she recommended trying to feed her from a syringe so i crushed her pellets and made mush. she didnt eat much.

when i first got home and had her in a towel, i watched her move around. she moved like a dog would when they drag their butt across the carpet... but now she seems more active and her back end seems to move better. my aunt thought maybe she had a clot, or she has pneumonia or some sort of URI. but she does not see chins on a regular bases. she used too but now works with dogs and cats only.

i called my exotics vet when i got home and noticed her being really lethargic and not herself. I will be take her in tomorrow at 7:30 am. but until then can i do anything else to keep her comfortable?

she is squeaking every once in a while which she just started doing maybe 45 min ago. the squeaks sound like a sad little chirps... im not sure if the squeaks are a good thing or bad.

i have her on a towel in a carrier and she hasnt pooped since 6pm. her belly is not bloated at all and i asked about giving her baby gas drops but my aunt thought she didnt need it if i got her to eat, she ate maybe 3/4 a ml at about 6. how often should i try to get her to eat the mush?

She is about 2.5 years old

any advice would be great, i want to make sure she is okay to get her to the vet tomorrow.

thank you,
Cassie
 
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Cassie your chin is very ill. Lethargy in a chinchilla is never a good sign. You need to force food into her and make sure she is eating enough. You need to make sure the syringe is wide enough to fit a slurry of crushed pellets and water into her. Usually you have to "burrito" a chin, fold her up in a towel as you would a burrito and get her to eat. How much does your syringe hold? you should be trying 10ml to feed. It's possible there is bloat involved with your chin if you do not have poops since 6pm. You'll have to try a belly massage to get the chin to poop.

Honestly the chin should see an emergency vet now and not wait until the morning.

Your chin may not have until the morning.
 
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She needs at least 10 mL of food over night. She may have gas. She might not have hit the point of a hard tummy though. If she has a URI she may not make it to the Vet by morning. They crash fast especially with no food. I lost a foster in the matter of 48 hours of having him due to one. I attributed part of his shyness to just stress. But When I noticed not really eating I tried to hand feed not knowing what was going on yet. Then The next day on the way to the vet he finally started to sneeze. It was a short little sneeze that can sound like a small squeak.

No poop in 3 hours could mean the GI tract is empty. If he has a URI he won't eat much because he can't breathe through his nose. She needs a nebulizer NOW if it's a URI.

She will be in my thoughts, but please don't wait until morning.
 
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she ate a little more about 2.5 mls. and i put some water in the syringe about a half a ml that she drank. i have all night to stay up with her and i will try to give her more mash once it soaks up. she seems more alert now but stil waiting for the poo. i will try to massage her belly and see what happens.
 
Cassie in addition to the belly massages Laurie suggested also try to warm up a sock filled with uncooked rice in the microwave if you have any. Not too warm, but just warm enough. And also search the forum for bloat and stasis and read over that when you aren't feeding massaging or warm compressing for any other tips.
 
There are two types of bloat. You need to force feed, that's why it's called force feeding they don't want to do it.

Also give a full dropper of gas drops every 4 hours to break down gas.

I'm not sure what your aunt has to do with this, but I have no idea what a clot has to do with anything either...
 
There are two types of bloat. You need to force feed, that's why it's called force feeding they don't want to do it.

Also give a full dropper of gas drops every 4 hours to break down gas.

I'm not sure what your aunt has to do with this, but I have no idea what a clot has to do with anything either...

her aunt is a vet
 
she thought maybe a clot was causing her back end to move funny. but this was all over the phone she didnt see my chin.

i have one of those bed buddy things i can microwave it. its basically like rice in a sock
 
she took 7 mls of mash at 9ish, and now that the warm bed buddy is in with her she seems a bit perkier. i am watching for poops. i massaged her belly for a bit and i will give her a dropper full of the gas drops as soon as my husband gets back from the store which will be any minute hopefully.
 
When my chin had bloat/stasis the E-vet managed an IV with fluids and bupren (pain med) and it pulled her through...while she was at the vet she was eagerly eating hay and critical care. Fluids (IV or Sub Q) are wonderful for these mystery problems. Good luck!
 
she started pooping around 10:30 or so. they were very small and she wouldn't poop constantly, she would poo a lil then maybe an hour later. she did okay last night seemed to do a lot better once she had the baby gas drops in her and had been massaged. she snuggled up to the warm bed buddy too. she was dropped off at the vet at 7:45 this morning the vet wasn't in yet but they were going to start sub-q fluids. the vet usually comes in at 8am. so im waiting to hear from her on updates.
 
I'm glad she made it through the night. Hoping to hear the vet was able to help her and she's back on the mend
 
i heard from the vet about 4:30 today. shes doing okay, still rocky but they are keeping her overnight (vet is taking her home with her) and until she is better. they said shes been given antibiotics, fluids, pain meds and i believe they are giving motility drugs too. the vet has been force feeding her CC. they said her lungs sound clear and they are not going to do x-rays till shes more stable. that's all i got for now.

i should hear more tomorrow morning but i will be at work till 5pm.
 
im with anna, healing thoughts and prayers going your way!

thats amazing that the vet is being so attentive to your little one. hopefully she pulls through quickly and is bouncy and happy soon!
 
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