Help, UTI?

[Vera]

The Vet just called and said he didn't have a UTI but he did have tiny stones in his urine. The stones couldn't be identified because they said there was no specific shape to them. Change of diet may help so I got some Kaytee Timothy Complete to change him from his alfalfa based pellets. Has anyone had any problems like this before?

 

[BoundNoFtWaL]

Did they do the x-ray then? Was there a test done that showed there were stones? How can they say they were there, but couldn't be identified.

When I took Sigmund in the vet they told me that sones can be different sizes and all through out the urinary track, even crystaline. Maybe it's the crystals that can't be identified on an x-ray, but they have some way to test for something the system creates becasue they are present. Just guessing; I'm not a vet. I wish I could help you more. Our vet also said that a lot of alfalfa in the diet could cause problems.

Unfortunately for Sigmund his stone was too big. We tried surgery and had it removed, but he passed away the next day. He was 4 years old. Maybe the ones your boy has will pass through the system without problems. Did they give him any pain meds? I don't think they just go away on their own.

I hope he'll be ok.

 

[Vera]

They did not x-ray him. During the check up he felt for stones but couldn't feel any. He said he saw them when they looked at his urine under a microscope. He wanted to wait a few weeks to see if its just stress causing them before we did anything more. I got the feeling he didn't have very much experience in dealing with chinchillas even though I was told he was so hopefully he knew what he was talking about.

 

[Vera]

I'm so sorry to here about your sigmund.

 

[BoundNoFtWaL]

Huh, microscopic investigation. Perhaps they were just excess minerals in the urine then. Maybe with lots of fluids over time they'll all wash out.

Thank you for the condolence. I do miss him. He was only with me for a week, but they leave big impressions.

Yeah, I got that same feeling with the first vet we saw. Have you tried calling around to see if you can actually speak with a vet who does have experience? I actually canceled the check up appointment I had with the first vet for my other chin Stitch (he's got bumblefoot) and took him to the vet that did Sigmund’s surgery. I like her better. She owns her practice, has worked with chins, and is listed here: http://aemv.org/vetlist.cfm
You should be able to search for a vet in your area. I think it's important to feel confident with the vet you're taking your animals to. It makes me feel better anyway.

Did you set up a follow up appointment? Not that you need to, just curious.

I wonder if they normally have crystalline formations of what looks like the beginnings of stones in their urine (from excess minerals) that are visible under a microscope. I've never had to think about the makeup of urine before, ha ha. Might be something interesting to know since it's something we're dealing with. If that's the case it might be nothing at all to worry about; wouldn't hurt to ask if you are going in again. Maybe someone here knows more about wee than we do?

 

[AZChins]

Under a microscope I imagine that there would be particulate in most urine...some mineral is lost through urine, that's fairly normal. I'd think that the only way to know for sure that there is too much of a mineral like calcium in the urine would be a urinalysis.

 

[Vera]

To JR.S&S: I called all the exotic vets in my area and He was the only one that said he had experience dealing with chins. Sendra lives fourty five minutes north of here though and she gave me a vet recomondation. Maybe I will call tomorrow just to see if I can talk with someone.

I didn't make a follow up appointment. I was going to wait and see before I forked over another 200 dollars.

To AZChins: He did do a urinalysis... or that's what I paid for anyways. I was just told he didn't have a UTI and that he had microscopic stones. I'm glad you think that is normal. The Vetrinarian told me it was "Probably Almost Normal" which was irritating because he should know if that is normal or not.

Anyways.. I've decided to switch him over to APD since he may be prone to stones. Is this a good quality food? The only other Timmy based pellets I've found are Kaytee and after doing some research I don't really want to feed him that.