jaundice

[spochins]

My pet chin, Tico, was just diagnosed with jaundice. I'm waiting for the blood work results which will be in tomorrow morning. Once the results are in, the vet says she will have a much better idea of what is actually going on. Apparently jaundice is a symptom and not a cause of his illness.

Tico is approximately 5 1/2 years old. I rescued him from a shelter in MD over 2 1/2 years ago. I have no knowledge about his previous owner or how he was cared for. Since I've had him, I have fed him nothing but Oxbow Chin Delux and Timothy with an occasional shreddy, rosehip, or cheerio.

On Sunday night I noticed that Tico was extremely lethargic. When I gave him a sheddy as a treat, he ate it but began to grind his teeth. I understand that teeth grinding can be caused by pain.

I took him to the vet on Monday. She did a physical exam and an x-ray of his gut. There were no obvious signs of illness other than he had lost approximately 45 grams. She gave me metacal for the pain and told me to start feeding him CC. She told me to return today for x-rays and blood work.
Today the vet performed the x-ray and blood draw. Tico's dad died from complications related to Malo so I feared his condition was caused by his teeth. However, his teeth were fine on the x-ray.

The results of the blood work won't be in until tomorrow. However, the vet noticed during a physical examine today, that his gums and ears had a yellowish tinge. Apparently when the tech was centrifuging his blood sample, the serum appeared yellow. Both are signs of jaundice. ( Please forgive any mistakes with the medical details. I'm a geologist not a biologist.)

Although many things can cause jaundice, I was trying to read up on it just so I have a better understanding. Has anyone had a chin with jaundice?
Apparently hegies are prone to jaundice caused by fatty liver disease. Is it possible to recover from fatty liver disease? I read on this site that fatty liver disease

The vet gave Tico penicillan and some fluids. I was told to administer Bactril and continue the CC and the Metacam. Poor Tico continue to deteriorate. Despite the Metacam he continues to grind his teeth when ever I syringe feed him. He is lying in the bottom of his cage and rarely moves. I absolutely LOVE him yet I wonder if there is only hope that he will recover. I hate seeing him in pain and he fights when ever I give him the CC. I guess tomorrow when the blood results come in, it will be clearer what his chances are. Tico has been the greatest joy since he came into my life 2 1/2 years ago. I love that little fuzzy animal!

 

[Becky]

What do you feed?? Do you feed treats??

 

[ticklechin]

UMMM, new vet? Penicillin is not to be used in chinchillas, it can cause death.

 

[Claire D]

Firstly I am sorry your chin is sick.

If he is "flat" and just lying at the bottom of his cage then I would take him back to a chinchilla competent vet ASAP today.
Also, as ticklechin has said, penicillin is contra-indicated for use in chinchillas - do you know why the vet give that and then give you Baytril to administer? Did they at least give you probiotics?

There are lots of things to attempt to address in your post but I am concerned for the well-being of your chin - from your description he does sound very sick indeed. The other issues can wait but the lethargy, lack of eating, and grinding teeth need to be addressed today.
Do you have another vet you can see today?

Please keep us posted on his progress.

 

[ticklechin]

I also wonder why baytril was given to a chin with a compromised liver, usual cause of jaundice is hepatic lipidosis or "fatty liver" and usually its treated with vit b injections and supportive care, not antibiotics, JMO.

 

[spochins]

Finding a good exotics vet has posed a problem. I live about 10 miles west of Philadelphia. When Tico's father was suffering from Malo, I took him to an exotics vet in Radnor, PA. Is it "kosher" to actually give the vets names on this site?
Anyway, I saw 2 different vets in their Radnor practice, both grads of U of Penn vet school. The first vet was "nixed" from my list of competent chin vets when he told me to use wire shelves with a plastic coating to help remedy the irritations on my chins' feet. I have wooden shelves. Sanding the shelves solved the problem with their feet rather than changing shelf material to a potential dangers type as the vet suggested.
The second exotics vet in their practice lost my confidence with Sarge, Tico's father. Sarge was loosing weight and had discharge from his eye. The vet gave him a physical exam and discovered an ulcer on his tongue. She placed him on Bactril. It took 2 to 3 more vet visits and several weeks before she thought to order a skull xray. Knowing what I know now, given the systems (weight loss, discharge from eye, ulcer on tongue), to me it would seem obvious to suspect malo right from the start.
The current vet is in Media, PA. She was recommended by a well-established and experienced area breeder in addition to a member of your forum. She is also a grad from U. of Penn. She took all their courses in exotics and is an experienced chin owner as well. She's the best chin vet I've been able to find to date. Are there any members who could make suggestions or comments about chin vets in the Philly area?
Concerning Tico diet: I've only given him as treats small amounts of dried rose hips, shreddies, cheerios and an occassional raisin. I have never given him "junk" chin pellets, seeds, nuts or any other food. I've read that these fatty foods can damage a chin's liver. I don't know what his previous owner fed him.
I really appreciate all your input and suggestions. I'm really perplexed on how to treat my little guy! I think I've learned more from this site than the books I've read and the vets I've visited since I got my first chin 2 1/2 years ago.

 

[ticklechin]

Was his weight loss fast? If so the fatty liver is a symptom of the weight loss, not the cause of it.

 

[AZChins]

I also do not understand the benefit of the antibiotics to a chin with a liver issue. I have some theories about certain chins being more prone to liver problems than others.

This is just horrible, I am sorry about Tico.

 

[spochins]

My poor baby! I'm trying to give him 12 ml of CC every 4 to 6 hours. When I place the syringe behind his teeth squeezing the syringe slowly, Tico refuses to swallow and the CC just goes oozing out of the other side of his mouth. DOes anyone have any helpful suggestions?????????????

 

[AZChins]

I sort of force feed the chins and feed them their CC or Life Line right between the back molars so that they have to swallow! It may take a little bit but you'll get the hang of it. After a few days I usually have the chins to the point where they stay on their backs laying up against my leg while I feed them.

Some people wrap their chins up in a towel to immobilize them. I don't do that anymore, but I have a lot of practice with hand feeding chins. (I'm very good at it, it's one of the only talents I have!)

I hope it gets easier over time. I know how frustrating it is to just have the CC go oozing out, chins are experts at making us crazy with things like that.

 

[ticklechin]

Maybe also try to feed less more often. How is the consistancy of the CC you are mixing? Some chins like it on the runnier side-like a thick milkshake and also are you feeding original flavor or apple banana? The apple banana seems to be more of a favorite than the original for most chins. I also get the cc behind the front teeth in front of the molars then I tickle the lips a bit, it irritates them and they will swallow what is in the mouth.

 

[Carol~Anne]

I'm force feeding the spotted beast in my avatar at the moment. It was more like wrestling a German Shepherd than a chinchilla.

A couple of suggestions I've gotten from people are to thin the CC out a bit, add a bit of black strap molasses and use a bigger towel to burrito. Very good suggestions.

When it's time to feed the boy, I make sure I have four syringes full of CC and about 6-1ml syringes full of water. I use the smaller syringes b/c I have lots of them and I like how the droplets of water come out.

Then I burrito the beast, flip him on his back on my lap close to my knees, hold his lil front feet against his chest so he doesn't squirm out and then I gently syringe the CC into the front of his mouth and he laps it up. I give lots of drops of water in between and a few breaks too.

I have a carrier with the door off sitting on the couch (with sheet on couch) and when it's time to reposition him, I let him sit in the carrier for a break and I fill up my favourite syringe again. Then I bring him back out and start the procedure again.

I feel quite comfortable with this method now and that's what works for this boy. The other two I had to hand feed, I could just squirt the CC into the side of the mouth and they'd take it. Not this boy.

Day eight and there's hardly any mess on him, me or the sheet on the couch. It has gotten easier for sure. Hang in there.

 

[Claire D]

Did he get to another vet the other day?
I have to be honest and say that going back to a vet is probably the most "helpful" suggestion I can give right now given the description of the chin you posted on 15th. Ticklechin and Carol-Anne have given you some good tips but if he is not eating anything then he is at risk of going into stasis.
I know you don't have much faith in the vets you saw with Sarge and it is hard sometimes to know what to do but I do not think anyone on the forum is going to be able to give you the kind of advice you are seeking, sadly. As I said before, your chin sounds very sick and the fact that he is not moving around much and not eating is concerning.

Are you managing to get anything into him now?

 

[spochins]

Tico passed last night. I'm devistated. His decline from a happy, active, well-pooping, and eating chin to death occurred over a four day period. I know that chins are prey animas animals and are very good a hiding illnesses. Should I have weighed him more ofter in order to spot if something was up?

l Despite 2 x-rays, 2 physical examines, blood work, forced feeding,b elly messages. metacam, and bactril, he died. I took him to the best exotics vet I could find ASAP.

The blood results came in yesterday. Excuse me for I'm not a physician so there may be some inaccuracies...........

liver values up
bilirubens values high
anemic
white blood cells low

My exotics vet is consulting with a small animal blood expert to determine what these values indicate. I am concerned that she was not able to diagnose on her own what the results indicate. However, by the time the results were in (only 3 days after I noticed Tico was sick), he had already declined to a very bad state. I will continue to research alternative vets in my area but for now it's too late..............

I have lost 2 chins in the last 6 months. I adopted them from a rescue only 2 1/2 years ago. I tried to follow to a Tee all the proper care outlined in the site. The right bedding, food, cage, exercise etc. I read up on there care constantly.

Over the years I have had rabbits, cats, a lizard, and guinea pigs that have lived relatively long happy lives. I am also a docent at the Philly Zoo. I have volunteered caring for the critters in their education department's animal collection that included ferrets, chins, rats, and hedgies. I am thus very aware how important the proper care is to the health of the animal.

Both chins were rescues with an unclear history. Sarge, the dad, died of Malo and Tico, the son, of an yet unknown case. Would I have been better off buying chins from a breeder who knew about the health of their parents.
I thought that chins had an average life span of 15 years. I absolutely love chins but I am so heart broken over their loss. Are they so fragile creatures?

I an attaching some photos of my beloved Tico

 

[Claire D]

I am so sorry you lost Tico. He looks like a real sweety in those photos.

To be honest your story is (sadly) not uncommon - once chinchillas are sick it is often very difficult to treat them and they can deteriorate rapidly despite all interventions. I have seen even specialist vets become frustrated when trying to treats chins because they are so difficult and they don't react to drugs/treatments the way other small furries do. We are learning about these little creatures all the time but often they leave us feeling helpless and frustrated.
I think anyone who has kept chins for a considerable period of time or has worked with rescues will be able to empathise with you.


Having chins with histories certainly helps but any chin can break your heart - I have lost both rescues/re-homes and "quality" chins over the years and it never gets any easier.
Unfortunately when taking on rescues they can have underlying conditions or illnesses which are "hidden" for a time - poor nutrition and/or neglect can have detrimental effects on the physical condition of a chin and that can be hard to reverse (and sometimes reversal is impossible) even with all the correct diet, housing etc.

Again, I am sorry you lost your little furry friend.

 

[mishellyshel]

I am so sorry for your loss, he really was a cutie.
I am dealing with a chin that has malo and I have been handfeeding him for a couple months. He was givin to me about 4 years ago and i think he is a pet store pet.
It has taken me a long time to come to grips that he will have to be put down soon.
I also have another boy who was rescued from craigs list that is also a pet store pet.
and i am in the process of possibly fostering a boy who the owner just left to die.
The reason i am writing all this is that while I do feel that you get a better quality pet with a qualified breeder because they only breed healthy chins, saving a pet that was a petstore pet is rewarding too! Just think of all the joy you brought to sarge & tico and the joy they brought to you. They were lucky to have a responsible pet owner who did everything to help them. If I had my choice from the beginning and knew about chins I would have gotten one from a breeder BUT i still would not turn down a pet that needs a home.
I have only come to understand this myself as of recent, because IF my Richie( and your Tico )were in the hands of some person who would dump their pet in a hot minute they wouldnt have the life they had. I would rather have a chin for a few years and have them be happy & cared for & paid attention to than be in the hands of a irresponsible pet owner and have a short life of misery.
There are many reputable breeders on here, I think after you are healed from the loss of your two babies, you should look into getting a baby from someone here.

 

[spochins]

Thanks so much for your kind words. It means so much to me.

You're right. I am glad that I was able to give a home to 2 little, loving, and unwanted chins. My heart goes out to all unwanted pets in this world. All I know of Sarge's and Tico's past is that they were owned by a boy and who kept them in the basement (ugh!) When the boy went off to college, his parents didn't feel like caring for them and so they gave them to a rescue.

Izzie, my other rescue, that I got from Craig's List over 2 months ago, is now all alone. And thank God appears to be thriving. When I recover from this loss, I will consider finding her a cagemate.

How important is it for a chin to have companionship? I know that they are herd animals in the wild. I do spend about an hour every night playing with her in the former guest room that has recently been converted into the Chin Room.

I would like to thank everyone on Chins & Hedgies for all your suggestions, advice, and, most of all, words of encouragement!

 

[Cuddlebug]

Izzy is lucky to have you. Since you spend so much time with her every day, she will probably be fine without another chin in the home. That being said, if you desire to get another chinchilla once you are feeling better, then go for it. Nobody here will stop you.

 

[saphire]

Am really sorry for you loss... :0(