Larval Migrans in Chins

[qtpie61282]

I'm a vet tech so I have some knowledge of larval migrans, but no experience with them in chins.
I just got an email from someone who bought a chin from me 3 years ago who recently took in a baby from a "friend of a friend" who had a litter and couldn't care for them.
She got the chin at 8 weeks old, it got his leg stuck in the wires of a cage, was limping. Took it to the vet, the leg was fine and they realized he wasn't using any of his legs well, stumbling a lot and had a head tilt.

The vet looked into things further and thought Neural Larval Migrans might be the reason.

Now, this I am sure is transmittable from chin to chin, as well as to human possibly. She has been handling both chins, they are in the same room, not same cage though, but sure poop has been flung from cage to cage.

She is worried about the older chin now in case he has been exposed to it. She had fecal samples tested but wont hear until Monday.

I just wanted to get opinions from everyone maybe if you have had any experience with this, if your chin was ever on treatment for it, or was diagnosed with it, and what the outcome was.

Thanks in advance

 

[AZChins]

Oh Jen...that sounds awful! I've never had a chin with anything like that that I know of and I have never heard of such a thing. I hope they can figure out what is wrong.

It just seems like such obscure diagnosis, almost like the chin must have been playing with field mice or something wild. This type of thing is contagious, as you know. I'd probably just chalk it up to maybe a head or spinal cord injury, but I guess this lady will find out soon enough.

 

[ticklechin]

Inner ear infection left untreated would cause neurological symptoms, especially the head tilt.

 

[qtpie61282]

I thought of ear issues too, so Ill mention that to her so she can tell her vet.

I know how hard it is to diagnose chins because not much is known about them medically, its all touch and go most of the time.

I've never had a chin with anything like this either so I hope her vet can give medication for it and cure it before it causes serious problems, or even death....especially to the chinnie she got from me!

ugh these back yard breeders just having random litters, when will they learn.

The other two chins in this litter have already passed away too! Forgot to mention that.

 

[seachin]

That is scary

 

[ticklechin]

Treatment for it in rodents is albendazole and high-dose steroids, the steroids is usually not great in chins but if this chin has it its going to die anyway, treatment is only a chance if it is caught early.

 

[Sycamore Chins]

A good set of x-rays of the skull should help with diagnosing an inner ear infection. Much better diagnosis than larval migrans.

 

[Vyxxin]

How on earth would a chinchilla GET larval migrans? Furthermore, not sure about chins but in DOGS it isn't diagnoseable from a fecal. Only actually worms/eggs being actively passed in the stool are caught and killed. I wasn't aware that larval migrans could even be killed? This is why you're always supposed to worm puppies, assume they have worms from the mother even if the mother was wormed a million times...because most dogs have larval migrans that migrate to the puppies when the female is pregnant?

 

[Amphy64]

Gosh, poor chinnie. I hadn't heard of a chin getting that before, closest I've seen is a Encephalitozoon cuniculi infection in a rabbit, which can cause similar symptoms, was horrible to see. Bunny thankfully recovered after a successful treatment with Baytril.

In that case I suspected contamination of food/hay by mice was responsible, would maybe check where she gets and stores her hay, and possibly avoid giving any more of it to her other chin just to be on the safe side, since it seems like that's also a possibility in the case of Neural Larval Migrans. It does sound like he already came to her with it, though, if the other kits from the litter passed away.

 

[qtpie61282]

Yea, its definitely from the home where the chin came from.

Im just worried it might be passed to her healthy chin.

I have never seen a patient with neural migrans or ocular migrans or visceral migrans. We always dewormed all puppies and all patients annually, or at least encouraged the owners keep up with the monthly routine of giving a preventative.
since most of our clients were compliant, we never had to worry about diagnosing anything like this.

I don't know what feed or hay the other owner ("breeder") had or where she got it, but Ill tell her whatever it is, could have been passed through there.
I'm sure they are just checking the stool to see if there are any parasites present as well.
I told her to have xrays done and to check for an inner ear issue but since the other two siblings already died, I doubt its ear related.

Ill keep you all posted! Thanks so much for your input!

 

[Brittany]

On the off chance that her original chin hasn't been exposed to whatever this is I would still separate and begin practicing good quarantine procedures (separate rooms, washing hands, changing clothes, etc...) until she knows exactly what she is dealing with.