I'm at a loss...

[tristanichole]

At sometime after 2am I went to check on my chins before I went to sleep for the night (I was up really late!) and as soon as I looked into my boys' cage I saw my 10 month old male sitting there not looking "right"...so I reached for him and he let me take him out without any struggle...which is REALLY unusual for Finn.

Anyways, the minute I saw something was wrong I went and made up some critical care in little cubes. He took a few bites, but not to my liking, so I headed off to work (I work at a vet).

It was 3am at this point and he was given pain meds and sulfatrim (bactrim). I went home and force fed and by about 4am the life just has gone out of him...he's like a rag doll. He doesn't move he doesn't swallow he isn't holding up his head...

I went back in at 11am and they did another round of pain meds and sub-q's and x-rays - came home force fed (I'm force feeding about every half hour and I have to make it really watery because he's not swallowing and if its too thick it all just sits in his mouth and dries up). I also gave simethicone and another round of bactrim.

Then I went back in about an hour ago and they did another round of sub-q's and I have to give another injection of his pain meds tonight.

I'm still force feeding, I'm keeping him warm because his temp is low. I also gave him some Acidophilus.

What they found on the x-rays this morning (11am) is that he's in stasis...you can actually feel all his little poops in there.
When I went back in about an hour ago his gut still hasn't moved.
They don't want to give him motility drugs because at this point they can't see if he's obstructed or not and it will kill him if they give it to him and he's not obstructed.

He hasn't pooped or peed since I took him out of his cage in the early morning when I found him not looking right.

I just don't know what else to do...

 

[PaperMoon]

I dont' really know what to say except good luck!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you!

 

[InkedupTara]

I hope your chin makes it. I would think if he is in stasis, you would want the motility drugs?

 

[tunes]

Why would they not want to give him motility drugs to move a blockage in his gut? If you can feel all the poop built up, obviously there's a blockage. If there wasn't, it wouldn't be there. That's the purpose to the mobility drugs. If you don't get that blockage moved, he's a goner. Most vets would do motility drugs or surgery, and surgery is generally not a great option for a chin in this condition.

The subcu's are great, but you need to do constant massage, in a circulation motion from his chest down to his anus. Firm but gentle. Talk to the vet about getting those motility drugs started. You have to get that blockage moved. Reglan, Propulsic, Metacam, simethicone drops.

ETA: Critical care. Are you forcefeeding him CC to get the gut mobile again?

Read this: http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=852

And this one also: http://www.bio.miami.edu/hare/ileus.html. You treat chins just about the same way you treat rabbits.

Most likely it started out as bloat and progressed, which means he's got a hard road ahead. Good luck with him. I hope you can correct this.

 

[starleomach]

Peggy said it all.

 

[alli713]

yes, I agree with Peggy, I hope you can get him to pull through..

 

[tristanichole]

How often should I do the semithicone drops?

Reglan, Propulsic, Metacam, simethicone drops. All of these?

And I really don't know why they don't want to use a motility drug yet...my husband is really pushing for it and I'm thinking it should be done. I mean, either way...if we do this and it turns out badly and he dies or if we don't do it and I can't get him better and he dies...looks like crap either way right? I feel like at this point maybe that is our only option.

I've been force feeding CC to not only try to get him moving again, yes.

ETA: I'm wondering how often with the drops because I've seen different things...and now I'm off to read the links.

 

[tunes]

You can give simethicone every couple hours. Most people believe you can't overdose on it. I usually go every couple hours if I need them.

I agree with you. Either way, he's in really bad shape. So you can at least attempt to treat it, or you can just watch him go. Print out the article from the rabbit site and the one from here - take it to your vet. Tell him you need to do something and have him do it.

 

[tristanichole]

Yes, because he is just....a ragdoll...he can't hold his head up, he can't walk, he can't do anything. His gut has stopped moving up towards the top, there is nothing towards the bottom of the colon at all.

 

[Ruby]

I sounds like he is in very bad shape.... I hope he recovers for you, or if not, passes quickly and painlessly.

 

[kdr13]

My vet Angie Keffer (the vet that does the vet section here on CnH) said you can give the drops every 2 hours if it seems like its helping. Once he starts getting better then you can back it off to every 4 hrs then every 6 hrs. I hope that helps. My dwarf rabbit just had a bad bout of this and they started Reglan immediately and Angie said that saved him. Also, the massaging was really important. If you realize he isn't drinking on his own, syringe feed him some water as well. Hope this helps a little bit!

 

[tristanichole]

Kdr13 that was so sweet of you to talk to her. I've been syringe feeding him CC and water for the last...almost day. Whew. He has been in my lap all day getting care, but I just put him in by his cage mate for a few minutes (cage mate has been crying all day). I've been massaging with a gentle hand held massage for awhile now. I'm just giving him a few minutes for a break while I get something to eat quickly.

 

[tristanichole]

Tunes - in the links you sent me it says to never separate from the bonded cage mate ("friend")...should I not be holding him in my lap or have him next to me outside of his cage so much? I've just been watching him like a hawk is all and I can't see him from the couch in the living room - I can see the cage, but I can't watch him. I'm just so scared that he'll just suddenly take his last breath and I wont be there for it...I've been up since yesterday at 11am only sleeping two hours last night...and that was in chunks.

 

[tunes]

If he's used to you being around him, I would hold him. You need to do continuous massage and you can't do that if he's in his cage. If you think he's freaking out by being held, then you could try putting him back with his cagemate and then bring him out for the massage every 20 minutes or so, but I would think pulling him in and out would be worse.

 

[tristanichole]

Oh no, he's not freaking out at all...he's not doing ANYTHING. This is a Chinchilla who I could hold for about 2 seconds when he was healthy and then he wanted back in his cage. I not only feel like it might be too much for him to be moved back and forth (unless I have to leave the room or something), but the crying his cage mate has been doing is heart breaking. He seems to know something is wrong. I'll continue to do as I was then, and hold him. His temp at the vet was also 98.6...he feels a bit cool, but I've read that 98.6 isn't a bad temp. They suggested putting him on a snuggle buddy. I have one and have done so off and on.

 

[starleomach]

I really hope this turns out well for you. I hate GI issues often by the time you find them it is too late. Keep up the massaging I have seen that work before. Peggy gives great advice.

 

[tristanichole]

Gosh, sorry for the multiple post, but every time I post something, a few minutes later I'll see something else I want to ask about.

1 - What do you think about trying out a b-complex vitamin?
2 - Papain or Bromelain...do you suggest these for breakdown?
3 - Can you get any of these at Wal-mart? That's the only place open right now...I want to try anything I can before going to the motility. What scares me about that is if the poop is all up in the top of his gut and we force it down - I'm worried that it could really hurt him...it's a very large block of poop!

ETA: He just hopped! Granted it was one lousy hop and he fell over right away, he did! We'll be keeping up the hand held massager thing all night! I have one little glimmer of hope right there...it's not a poop, but that is the most movement he's given me the entire day!!!

 

[AZChins]

You could try the digestive enzymes...Papain certainly couldn't hurt.

Has anyone mentioned using pineapple juice? That can help with a blockage because it is full of enzymes that can help break it up a bit.

 

[tristanichole]

I've read that juice isn't as good because its been cooked down so much and contains too much sugar for a GI problem. I think I'll run to walmart and see what I can find - hopefully some Papain =). Any other suggestions would be sooo much appreciated. He's really trying his hardest here. If I haven't mentioned it, his name is Finnley and it means "white warrior" - He's a pink white. I just never thought he'd have to try and live up to his big name.

 

[AZChins]

I had a customer that had a chin with a very large blockage. She fed the chin fresh pineapple juice and Life Line and got the chin through it when the vet said the chinchilla would be dead in a day. Nearly three years later the chinchilla is still alive and doing well. That's why I suggested trying pineapple juice. Any supplements that you will buy will just be condensed versions of digestive enzymes from papaya and other fruits.