Giardia

[starrynight0621]

My chinchilla likely has giardia and I am kind of freaking out. He has some symptoms but hasn't been officially diagnosed by a vet. His poops sound exactly like the ones in the giardia descriptions.

Is it ok if I can't get to the vet until Monday?

He has a cagemate who hasn't had any unusual poops. Should I separate them anyway? They are best friends

 

[treckel]

If they are together I think they will both have it. I am not a specialist on this though so I might be wrong. I'm assuming they would both have to be treated.

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[tunes]

If you are pretty sure it's Giardia, I would get a stool sample to the vet right away. It is hard to clear up at times, even if you get on it right away.

I don't know as I would separate them at this point. Stress can cause Giardia to flourish and can also bring back a flare. If the other chin is showing no symptoms at this point, I would ask the vet about treating him prophylactically.

 

[starrynight0621]

Ok, thank you! Also, does whether or not I give him pellets matter? Orville has always been over-enthusiastic about his food, and he gives me the evil eye when I take them away

 

[AZChins]

If he has giardia, taking out the pellets won't do much to help with diarrhea. I kind of hope he doesn't have it and that it's something more simple than that like the chin overindulges or has simple diarrhea.

If he doesn't have giardia, ask the vet about getting some Albon suspension. That can help tremendously with diarrhea problems.

 

[Dreamlite]

Albon is a antibiotic. That wouldn't help his soft stools unless it is from a bacterial over growth in his gut. If it is giaria I would treat both. It takes 3 weeks from getting the paracite to showing symptoms. So just because your other chins int showing right now doesn't mean he doesn't have them. If one was exposed odds are they both were. I would get a fecal done on both just to be sure and please doent seporate them. Stress lowers the immune system and can cause it to advance quickly. I would keep his food the same so as not to upset his GI anymore than needed.

 

[AZChins]

Actually, it helps tremendously in soothing the digestive tract. I've been using it for many years to help treat diarrhea and sticky droppings when they occur. If this isn't a parasite, Albon could help the chinchilla. (But, I don't want to get a debate going...this is just what I do in my herd and have been using it for 10 years or I wouldn't have recommended it.)

 

[starrynight0621]

Today, Orville has hardly pooped. I cleaned their cage at 12:00pm, and three hours later I only found 5 poops and those were Wally's. The vet told me I can drop him off at 8:00am tomorrow morning, and until then, I should feed him 70ml of Critical Care (which I already have). Opinions?

 

[starrynight0621]

Oh, and for those who don't know: last night Orville was having fat, granular poos with little bits of mucus in them. They were a little squishy

 

[AZChins]

I'm glad he's getting to the vet very soon. Let us know how it goes.

 

[starrynight0621]

Orville got CC at 3:30pm and 5:30pm. The first time he only took 4ml or so. My fiance and I went shopping and when we got back, we still saw no poops. So I gave him more, and this time he took 9ml and chewed some of the plastic off the syringe. A little later I found Orville poops!! Nice, dark and firm. I'm still taking them both in tomorrow to be checked for giardia and feeding CC. It's just nice to see some good news

 

[starrynight0621]

Also, I accidentally got some CC on his fur. I wiped it off with a towel. Anyone have any suggestions for a better way to clean it off?

 

[ChinnyMom]

i personally would wait until it dries and rub as much out with your fingers as you can, then give a dust bath. a non-scented baby wipe could be used as well, but ensure the fur is dry afterwards (rub with towel and cool hair dryer will do the trick, then dust bath).

 

[starrynight0621]

Wally and Orville went to the vet today.

They sent a stool sample off to a lab and results will be back in 24 to 48 hours. If they test positive for giardia, the vet will give me medication.

I was advised to continue administering Critical Care to Orville until the test results come in and we can figure out what's wrong.

 

[treckel]

I'll be waiting to see. We can hope they don't have it!

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[starrynight0621]

Their test came back today positive for giardia

I am going by after work to pick up two medications. They take meds for five days. Then, in three weeks, they take the meds for five days again. Once I find out what the medications are called I'll let you know.

I can't help but wonder how I cleaned their cage wrong. I thought I took good care of them...

 

[Cuddlebug]

They can get giardia through the water.

 

[starrynight0621]

They get bottled water though

 

[starrynight0621]

I have metronidazole syrup and panacur paste

 

[starrynight0621]

I found this:
"Clean cage accessories and chew toys daily by wiping them down with Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol Clean (read specifications), and clean the cage (bleach is recommended, read specifications) as often as possible, at least twice weekly. Observing these measures will help prevent the very real likelihood of reinfection."

Is it ok for me to use rubbing alcohol and bleach?