HELP! What to do while waiting for test results?!?!

[melbur10]

Lol he'll get over it none of my hand fed girls liked me for a week of hand feeding now the accept it. And in sages case she loves me even more and fell asleep under my chin a couple times just cuddling me during play time!
He will be displeased but he will love you again soon!
Glad to hear he's doin alright!

 

[Directorthiang]

So, the vets directions say to feed him critical care twice a day, but the whole process was so dang stressful last night, I just don't know if I should do it tonight. He must be eating a decent amount of food on his own, because I just took him out for a quick hop around, and while he wasn't super active hopping about, he did sit in one place for about fifteen seconds, and when he moved--10 poops!

They aren't his usual size, but definitely not small, especially not compared to the size his poops were a couple days ago.

If he's pooping that much, is it safe to assume that he's managing to feed himself enough and forgo the critical care force feeding tonight?

 

[ticklechin]

Weigh him daily, if the weight is steady then he is eating on his own and you can cut back on the CC.

 

[Directorthiang]

He has diarrhea this morning. And he keeps eating it. I called the vet again, but I have no clue what they are going to say--they've done every flippin' test they can! All that's left is an ultrasound. Diarrhea over the night was black and mounded. Now it's trying to form pellets but it's green and slimy.

What the heck is wrong with him?! He's acting fine!

 

[Directorthiang]

Okay, fine isn't the right word, but he's not acting like he's getting more sick. I don't know. I ended up so stressed this morning over this that I was rushing to work and backed into my husband's car. This has not been an easy week.

 

[becky12883]

O no! Poor little guy. I guess I don't really have any advice, but I hope you figure out what's going on with him soon.

 

[Directorthiang]

Back to the vet.... the total now is about $900. Had a second round of x-rays, another giardia test, an ultrasound, and one more fecal hidden blood test. This time, they found ONE live giardia trophozoite and a few cysts.... she doesn't believe that would cause all that Powder has going on (the diarrhea, the lethargy, the lack of appetite, and liquid/gas in the cecum), but she's worried that due to all the stress of three vet visits in a week, two anethesias, and a whole mass of people poking and bugging him, it could develop.

Right now, the only diagnosis anyone can come up with is STRESS.

Now, I know how fragile chins can be, but my guy is a freakin' TROOPER! He goes to grandma's all the time where dogs bark at him and stare him in the face for HOURS. No problem. He's been in four different homes in his lifetime, NO PROBLEM. I vacuum their cage with a loud shop vac every week. NO PROBLEM. So what the heck is so terrible right now that he's so stressed his has bloat?!

Now he's home again, recovering from the anethesia, and on a round of metronidazole and metacam. Here's hoping he had some kind of infection that the tests didn't catch, and that the antibiotics will kick whatever-it-is's butt and bring my guy back to normal.

I'm frazzled. People, we should start a campaign informing people just how difficult and expensive chinchillas can be. I'm not saying my guy isn't worth it--he is, and more--but I don't think everyone out there gets that beyond how cute these little rascals are, they are EMOTIONAL HAVOC some of the time.

 

[melbur10]

Thing is, by the time chins test positive for giardia they usually have quite a bit of it. My guess is that's how this started and the stress of it all just compounded the problem. To be honest your very lucky that you live in the us for vet bills! That same bill here would have be at least double and any time I take my guys in for a battery of tests and procedures I brace myself for a bill a minimum 1000$ and up

 

[Cuddlebug]

Are you still giving him the veggie treat? If so, that could be a part of the problem.

 

[Directorthiang]

Well, he's still hanging in there, but truthfully, I don't think giardia was the issue. He had another bout of bubbly stool today and is eating a little, but not much. This is day three of the metronidazole and metacam.

No, no more veggie treats or any treats. Just critical care (which he is not enjoying), the meds, and whatever hay he feels like occasionally munching on.

I just want to see him act more normally. At this point, not really knowing what is causing the problem is making everything ten times worse because I'm constantly walking around the house trying to figure out if it's something he caught, something contagious, something in the environment, something internal.... gah. It's so exhausting.

Does metronidazole cause mucousy poop? I know metacam can make them not want to eat. Any other side effects to be aware of?

 

[ticklechin]

I have used Flagyl (metronidazole) and baytril together for oral infections and it did not cause any digestive issues nor any issues with metacam. I wonder if you should ask the vet about using Albon with the flagyl, its a strong combo to fight a large range of bacteria/parasitic infections.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I was thing the same thing as Dawn. It won't hurt and probably will help

 

[Directorthiang]

Doing better, but frantic scratching!

Well, tonight he was much more agile when I got him out of his cage. Ran around the living room pooping up a storm, which is good news considering I was at work from 7 to 7 and hadn't force fed him anything.

My husband was sweet enough to drive to another town to get some fresh timothy hay, and I'm throwing out the older stuff just in case it has any contamination (small chance, but I'm feeling overly cautious these days).

Powder's poops are plentiful, albeit, still a little small for him, and I've noticed that two nights now, when I first get him out of the cage and active, his first major poop is very bubbly. But after that one, the rest look normal, though a little small.

Tonight he was eating hay happily on his own, drank a good amount of water, and was also eating some pellets. So I think I'm going to continue leaving him alone to just do his thing unless I see him getting less active instead of more.

Again, no idea what caused this whole disaster, but he seems to be slowly mending.

Side note--his poop is getting better, his mood is getting better, and he's eating more and more on his own. But the scratching is still just as intense. I know it's posted all over the forum and in books that chins can't get fleas or ticks, but I'm really starting to wonder if maybe, just maybe, he is a special case? He is FURIOUSLY scratching like something is attacking him--biting spots in his fur, too--not to the point that he's losing hair or anything, but just so seriously that you can tell something is REALLY bothering him. Has anyone experienced this? The vets looked at his skin and saw nothing wrong... should I treat him with tinactin in his dust bath anyway?