HELP NEEDED: Bloat & Malo (?)

[ZeroG]

A couple of weeks ago my chin Chile (6yrs.; Female) was acting a little out of the norm. She was just not her normal active self. So I took her to the vet who was also suspect of her behavior, so I opted for an X-ray. It turns out she had what I would consider bloat. (X-Rays Below)

Now the above films were taken over the course for two days, and I am not sure which were taken when.

Anyway, after being hospitalized for two days she was doing better, not eating a whole lot but definitely more active. I opted to take her home with meds and Critical Care. Within about a week she began eating more each day in addition to going back to her usual ways.

Now a few days before all this went down I noticed so yellow stains on the fur around her mouth and on her chest. She use to spray a lot, so I just assumed it was Urine and took her out the cage when I noticed it and cleaned it off. When I took her to the vets off I also notice that she was wiping her face a lot which was not something that she normally does and she still continues to do so. The vet mentioned it to me, and did a visual inspection of her teeth, but all seemed Ok. I know that Malo can only be detected by X-Ray, but I was really concerned with the bloat so lets stick with that for now.

So it's now been almost three weeks, and she finished all of her meds one which is to helper her with gas. The other day I noticed her face buried in her food bowl, so I take her out to see if everything is OK and a few partially eaten pellets fall from her mouth. Thinking back to the teeth issue I immediately broke out the syringe and the CC to feed her. I gave her about 24ccs, and then followed it up by another 24ccs about four hours later, and I have been kind of sticking with the regiment.

The good news is since I have been feeding her the CC her pooping is almost back to normal which is good. Now the teeth issue has me worried so I schedule another vet appointment for tomorrow, and am thinking about asking for dental X-Rays, and maybe a blood work up.

I did due to the Malo check by running my finger along the jaw line and eye sockets feeling for bumps, and did not find anything. I also did a visual inspection of her front teeth and all seem to be OK with no blood, cuts, or any sign of them bothering her. I am think it might be an issue with the back teeth which I was not able to view and I no is the worse possible situation. Every once in a while when I am feeding her the CC she pauses and does almost like a yawn.

Any input or recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[tunes]

First, thank goodness you got the bloat under control quickly and painlessly. You're one of the lucky few.

Second, malo doesn't usually result in yellow crust around the mouth. That makes me think more infection. Maloclusion just causes the fur to be very wet and matted, but in the cases of malo I've seen, there has been no color to it other than the chin's normal fur color, if that makes sense. You usually see the matted fur around the mouth, sometimes up the sides of the mouth towards the nose, under the chin, down the chest, and on the front paws, which will often become bald and irritated from all the wetness and wiping of the jaw.

You said she was eating, and it's not abnormal for a chin to eat half a pellet. The fact that they were in her mouth and that she was chewing them when they fell out could just mean she wasn't done yet or hadn't tossed them yet. Does she eat a hard treat, like a rosehip or chew a shredded wheat? Does she chew on her wood still?

There's not a whole lot anybody can tell you at this point. You're doing what needs done and getting her teeth checked with a vet, getting x-rays done, feeding critical care just in case. I think you're doing great on your own.

 

[Parkerspetchins]

I would definitely follow your plan of action, like Peggy said it seems like you are doing everything you can. As for the discoloration, it is possible that the color is coming from the pellets while your chin is drooling. Hopefully everything will be fine. Keep us posted on your chinnie! Best wishes.

 

[Bostongirl'sChin75]

I had a chin diagnosed with tooth issues a while back and when I was feeding her the critical care, I notice that her fur under the chin was yellow, and it ended up that she had a small infection in her molars caused by trapped food and CC. Luckily we caught it early and she was already on AB's so it cleared up rather quickly. I hope this doesn't turn out to be the same for you, but if it does, to sounds like you may have done a great job of catching it early.

I hope it all turns well!

 

[alli713]

With Mei who had malo, her chin was damp looking and her paws and chin were a bit stained, but it was more of a brown/green stain from the pellets in her mouth that she was wiping all the time.

I agree with everything Peggy has said though. Get the x-rays done so you know for sure what's going on. Not all malo can be felt externally through the jaw, that happens when the roots break through the jaw but they could not have broken through yet. But they can also be growing up into the sinuses like was the case with my Mei.