I can feel his spine...

[Directorthiang]

My chin has been suffering from a decreased appetite since the end of April has has lost weight. He was weighed at 580 grams in December, but is now down to 480 grams. I'm positively stymied.

I took him to the vet to have his teeth checked and she found some burrs that she filed down. A couple of weeks passed and no significant increase in appetite (though he did resume chewing on his toys once again) and no weight gain, in fact he lost more weight.

I then took him to an exotics specialist who rechecked the dental spurs, then took x-rays. She found no intestinal blockage and said that his teeth and roots looked wonderful. She couldn't identify the cause of the weight loss, but prescribed a mild painkiller, thinking that he might have jaw pain or arthritis due to some really bad childhood trauma.

The painkiller increased his mobility, but didn't increase his appetite, and he continues to drop weight.

His poop looks normal, I don't see any of the usual signs for giardia, he's more active than before, jumping higher than before, and chewing his toys more than ever, but I'm freaking out because I can feel his spine so easily, all the bumps and ridges.... what on earth could be causing this? Do chins get tapeworms? Is there another parasite to be on the lookout for?

 

[Dragonflye]

Have you tried feeding Critical Care to up his food intake? I have a couple of guys here that don't seem to eat a ton and are smallish. I make up a mix of CC and Lifeline (a scoopful) a couple of times a week and they are slowly gaining...There is nothing wrong with them, I just feel the need to supplement.

 

[ticklechin]

Has the vet done a fecal float to check for parasites? Giardia can be silent and rob the body of nutrients without symptoms. How long has it been since he was filed and the last time he was checked under gas?

 

[Directorthiang]

No, the vet hasn't done a fecal float yet. We held off on that because the tooth spurs were found and we figured that to be the obvious culprit.

They were tested for giardia back in January and none was found, and I'm pretty confident it's not that, but perhaps another parasite...

The dental filing took place at the end of April. At the end of May, I took him to a specialist that rechecked his teeth and found no spurs regrowing, so it's not time for another filing yet. Besides, his eating habits haven't changed since the initial filing. He's eating, but VERY little. I see him munching pellets and hay occasionally, but just not nearly to the amount he used to.

Of course, over the last two weeks, my other chin has been dramatically decreasing his amount of food intake, too. Have any of you noticed your chins eating less in the hotter summer months than in the winter?

 

[Directorthiang]

Oh, and yes, I've been haphazardly supplementing with critical care. He loves it and eats it off the spoon without a struggle. I do about two tablespoons every other day because I don't want him only relying on the critical care for food since I want him wearing down his teeth to avoid regrowing any spurs...

 

[Tanya]

I've noticed that my chins eat less during the summer months, but it's not a dramatic decrease. I would do the fecal to rule out parasites.
Alfalfa hay is a good idea, it stimulates appetite along with dandelion. I would provide a variety of hays ( preferably organic) to keep him interested. Valley organic hays are delicious, my chins love them. Alfalfa, nettle, oats and dandelion (dandelion root is used to treat liver disorders) are examples of nutritive herbs, especially good to correct and prevent deficiencies.
Probiotics aid in digestion and absorption.
I would also make sure that pellets are fresh (best if used within 6 months from the mill date).
I have a question, is his urine dark?

 

[ticklechin]

Did the vet diagnose him with malocclusion or does he just get points? Malo chins can develop periodontal disease also and that too can cause pain.

 

[Directorthiang]

I have a question, is his urine dark?

No, it's his normal color--a light gold when wet and dries a light brown. Where do you get the dandilion? I have him on a mixture of alfalfa, timothy hay, and oat hay right now.

 

[Directorthiang]

Did the vet diagnose him with malocclusion or does he just get points? Malo chins can develop periodontal disease also and that too can cause pain.

The vet didn't indicate malocclusion, yet. What I mean to say, is that yes, spurs had developed, but we're not certain if they will reoccur at this point. They were filed down in April and as of yet, they've not returned. Because he was a rescue and due to the location of the spurs, she wasn't sure yet if they spurs were a result of poor alignment and would reoccur, or if they were the result of a poor diet from before I got him. But the dental x-rays showed no root elongation or absesses.

I should mention that this little guy was the victim of some kind of nasty accident that remains a mystery. At approximately 6 months of age, he was left in a cardboard box on the front step of a vet clinic in Napa in bad shape--like perhaps an animal had gotten ahold of him. One back leg had to be amputated, he's got several scars on his ears, many missing toes, and the vet suspects that if he has malocclusion, it was probably the result of this trauma. Because of his many injuries, she prescribed a light dosage of metacam to see if he was suffering from joint pain in perhaps his jaw causing him to not want to chew.

The metacam did make him more active--he jumps more and runs faster, so perhaps he did have some joint pain in his body--but it didn't affect his appetite in any way.

 

[InkedupTara]

What food is he on? My chins were on Tradition but were all losing weight. I switched feed and they have all gained and done well.

 

[Directorthiang]

Oh, and forgot to mention--I'm on vacation with my chins now out of town, but took Dash to an exotics vet here in town to be looked at. She doesn't strike me as overly knowledgable, but she is running a fecal test for parasites (should have the results by Thursday) and then prescribed some cisapride for gut motility should the worst happen and he get into bloat or stasis.

Has anyone ever used cisapride?

 

[Directorthiang]

They're on PAN-R. I used to use Mazuri, but since these guys were so small when I got them, I switched to PAN-R because I'd read that it would fatten them up some. Does anyone recommend another brand that would help with this?

 

[Tanya]

I should mention that this little guy was the victim of some kind of nasty accident that remains a mystery. At approximately 6 months of age, he was left in a cardboard box on the front step of a vet clinic in Napa in bad shape--like perhaps an animal had gotten ahold of him. One back leg had to be amputated, he's got several scars on his ears, many missing toes, and the vet suspects that if he has malocclusion, it was probably the result of this trauma. Because of his many injuries, she prescribed a light dosage of metacam to see if he was suffering from joint pain in perhaps his jaw causing him to not want to chew.

Poor little chinnie
I'm glad he survived!

You can purchase organic dandelion online, you can also have a look at nature's broad spectrum supplement.

 

[ticklechin]

Oh, and forgot to mention--I'm on vacation with my chins now out of town, but took Dash to an exotics vet here in town to be looked at. She doesn't strike me as overly knowledgable, but she is running a fecal test for parasites (should have the results by Thursday) and then prescribed some cisapride for gut motility should the worst happen and he get into bloat or stasis.

Has anyone ever used cisapride?

I have used it numerous times with no complications-its usually used in conjuction with reglan since it works mainly on the lower GI tract and very little on upper GI tract where reglan works best. Together they make the entire digestive tract contract to get food from entrance to exit.

 

[Rickman]

You mentioned 'hot summer months'. And being on vacation.
Changes in temperature, and moving him around could have an effect!
Chins like a stable environment with constant temperatures around 70 degrees.
Moving around with varying temps will effect appetite!

 

[ticklechin]

Mine travel every day and have traveled extensively and the temps will fluctuate within a range and there has never been a change in weight so I don't know how true that is or if its just my chins, all 8-14 that have done this over 10 years.

 

[Directorthiang]

Ticklechin-- should I request some Reglan, then, too? I've never had to use any motility drugs before.

Rickman--I think the change in location is to blame for my second chin's decreased appetite, but not the first; Dash's decrease started back in January, while Powder's only began this month. Luckily, my two guys are outstanding travelers--they LOVE Grandma and Grandpa's house because Grandpa spoiled them and built a gigantic Chinchilla Mansion. Spoiled babies...

In any event, I'm monitoring him closely and waiting for the fecal results to come in tomorrow. I'm hoping they find something fixable with a round of antiparasitics... If it comes back clean, I'm going to rip out my hair in frustration.

Dash is sitting at the front of his cage watching the TV--Ratatouille is on and I think he's curious about all those cooking rats. He hasn't taken his eyes off it for a good 15 minutes. He LOVES the television... lol

 

[ticklechin]

The two drugs work well together, some vets just don't use them as a pair for who knows what reason, sometimes it seems that people have problems just getting the vet to RX ONE motility drug.

 

[Directorthiang]

Well this vet was nice enough to prescribe the first one at my request just in case the worst should happen while I'm on my cruise and the Grandparents are on chin-duty, so perhaps she'll prescribe the second without an issue. I'll check and see. Couldn't hurt to ask....

 

[Directorthiang]

UPDATE-- Okay, the fecal came back negative for parasites, and I KNOW it was a fresh sample; he contributed it during his exam. lol So, I'm bummed. No idea what's going on at this point. Dentals look good, fecal is negative, x-rays came back clean...

Next step is blood work, which the vet here doesn't feel comfortable doing, so I'm going to try and get Dash an appointment at the specialist down in Monterey as soon as I can get back down there. In the meantime, this vet is recommending a round of antibiotics because, in her experience, it's often worked wonders on the "mystery" illnesses that we can't diagnose. She's prescribing Baytril.

Any thoughts? Is it okay to do the Baytril when the cause is unknown? And have any of you had bloodwork done for a chin that was losing weight and found anything from it? Dash is young... barely a year old. I can't imagine any cancers or organ failures this early...