Lost weight...

[Mikayla]

So I've been worried about this girl for a while now, she is really thin...I can feel her backbone. So I weighed her on the ninth and she was 625 grams, today when I weighed her she was 596, so I'm really worried. I moved her to a cage by herself, and measured her food and water, if she doesn't start gaining I'm taking her to the vet, I've never been and neither has she. So, basically, if I have to take her what should I ask? I'm quite clueless.

Thank you!

 

[Brittany]

Is she still eating, has her poop changes in quantity or quality, has her activity level changed? Is she showing any other symptoms? Weight loss can be a symptom of several different things.

 

[Mikayla]

I was pretty sure she is still eating, but she was with another chin and it could've been hogging the food, that's why I moved her to her own cage, but they always had food, hay and water, so I mean she must have been? Her poops are a little rounder but not exactly smaller, and maybe a little bit less frequent. She isn't exactly a very 'active chin' in the first place, but she is a little bit more calm then she was previously. She isn't showing any other symptoms, that's what really puzzles me, but losing 28 grams in 12 days isn't normal.

 

[Sycamore Chins]

Off the top of my head, make sure she is pooping.
The vet may want a fecal checked, may want x rays and blood work.

Do you know how old she is? Older chins tend to have less subcutaneous fat, so their bones may be more noticeable.

Has anything changed in her environment? Different food/hay, new batch of feed/hay, new addition to the family, cage moved, etc.

 

[tati121]

Do you have any life line and/or critical care? If she keeps losing but is eating a bit on her own then I would start giving her life life to supplement her food intake. Hopefully she doesn't go off her food completely or you'll have to give her critical care. How old is she? Has she been exhibiting any signs of malo? Pawing at the mouth, drooling? You can ask the vet to do a fecal float to see if she has any parasites as well, where do you get your water from? Any additional on her would do nothing but help! Keep us posted please!

 

[Mikayla]

Alicyn- She's only around 6 or 7, I'd have to go check her pedigree to check for sure, I wondered the age but my other chins who are all around her age are still as plump as ever, and you can really feel her back and hips, she has been getting thinner for a while but she just seemed to go down hill this month. Her cage got changed around the end of December, and her food was changed around the end of November, but she was thinning before that, and didn't really go down hill until now.

Tati- I don't have life line or critical care but I'm ordering that now :] I'll make sure to get that ordered, this baby doesn't show signs of malo that I've heard or, no drooling or pawing. Ours chins get water from the tap, but this is where we also get our drinking water, so it's safe. Okay, if it comes to going to the vet, I'll try to ask for a fecal float.

I also forgot to mention, she has had whiter teeth lately, I've given her some cuttlebone and she chews it occasionally. Sorry, that probably could've been mentioned!

 

[tati121]

Tati- I don't have life line or critical care but I'm ordering that now :] I'll make sure to get that ordered, this baby doesn't show signs of malo that I've heard or, no drooling or pawing. Ours chins get water from the tap, but this is where we also get our drinking water, so it's safe. Okay, if it comes to going to the vet, I'll try to ask for a fecal float.

Though drinking water from the tap is safe for us humans, it isn't safe for chinchillas. They can get parasites and microbial cysts from improperly filtered water. There are several members on here that have had to deal with giardia in their chins because of contaminated water. I would suggest you get a reverse osmosis filter because the problem may be your water.

 

[Mikayla]

Okay, I'll be sure to use bottled water until I can get a filter.

 

[Mikayla]

Sorry for the double posting but I just went down to check on her and I noticed she is pooping far less then I thought she was, do you think she is constipated?

 

[Brittany]

If she hasn't been eating as much due to a cagemate bullying her or health issues, her gut may be slowing down or gas may have started building up in her GI tract (bloat). If this was my chin I would immediately start administering simethicone (baby gas drops) one dropper full or .6ml every 4-6 hours with belly rubs (circular downward motion from bottom of rib cage to genitalia). This will help if there is any gas build up. I would also start handfeeding 60-90ml a day to stop the weight loss. If she isn't eating anything you'll have to hand feed more. When I was solely hand feeding a chin I was shooting for 120ml broken up into 6-8 feedings a day.

I would also take to the vet ASAP. If it was me I'd get a fecal test, oral exam, head and body xrays to rule out any health issues. Really hope this turns out to be nothing for your little one.

 

[Mikayla]

Okay, are the drops available at Wal-Mart or someplace like that? And I don't have Critical Care or Lifeline, I will be ordering as soon as my dad gets home with the paypal account. I'm not eighteen, so I can't have one. And belly rubs. Okay.

I'm be sure to call the vet (It's an hour or so away.) Thank you.

ETA: Also, if it isn't gas, will it hurt her?

 

[Brittany]

Simethicone is inert so it won't hurt her. I get mine from Wal-mart or Meijer. I usually get one without artificial flavoring like the equate brand.

Until you get your Critical Care and Lifeline grind up pellets in a coffee grinder mix a few spoonful's with water and about a quarter size of 100% pure canned pumpkin (not the pre-sweetened pie filling). make sure it's liquidy enough to pass through the syringe and you can feed that.

ETA: Mix with warm water- no one likes cold food ;-) if you make too much you can store in the fridge and re-heat. I usually throw mine out every 24 hours. Same goes for when you get your Critical Care.

 

[Mikayla]

So. She was giving birth to a kit that was and had been for a while dead. She has a uterus infection and we have baytril. We ordered critical care from Alli and we hope it comes ASAP.

How often do I feed ground up pellets till we get critical care? What special things do I do for her?

Say prayers for my baby girl.

 

[Laurie]

Mikayla I'm glad you got her to a vet. Your chin needs at least 60mls a day of crushed pellets mixed with water until you get the critical care. She needs to eat at least every 4 hours. If you can get some acidipholus capsules and open them into the crushed pellets to feed. Baytril is an incredibly strong antibiotic and often times chins lose their appetite when on this. She is also going to need extra fluids so try to force feed some water in her as well. Be careful about force freeding, never push the plunger forcefully from the syringe, you don't want to aspirate her and get this in her lungs.

Good luck with her Mikayla, I hope you understand this infection is going to be very tough and she is very sick, just prepare yourself for a long battle.

 

[Brittany]

Mikayla I'm glad you got her to a vet. Your chin needs at least 60mls a day of crushed pellets mixed with water until you get the critical care. She needs to eat at least every 4 hours. If you can get some acidipholus capsules and open them into the crushed pellets to feed. Baytril is an incredibly strong antibiotic and often times chins lose their appetite when on this. She is also going to need extra fluids so try to force feed some water in her as well. Be careful about force freeding, never push the plunger forcefully from the syringe, you don't want to aspirate her and get this in her lungs.

Good luck with her Mikayla, I hope you understand this infection is going to be very tough and she is very sick, just prepare yourself for a long battle.

Good Luck Mikayla, I hope you caught it in time and that she will pull through. Like Laurie said, it's still pretty critical at this point. I just wanted to add that you should weigh her every day at the same time of day. If she is still losing weight you'll need to give her more food. I've had to feed up to 120ml a day to stop the weight loss cycle. Try to get 15-20ml per feeding. How much Baytril did they give you? She needs to be on it for atleast 2 weeks possibly longer for an infection like this.

 

[ticklechin]

So she was with a male? Why was that not posted in the first post? Its important for all the info be given for correct advice, especially if she could have been pregnant.

 

[Mikayla]

Just thought I'd give an update for how she's doing. Last night she had around 10 cc's of ground up pellets and this morning she had around the same, over night I had left some pellets in he cage and she did eat them so I guess that's a good thing. She took her meds well thing morning and is full of it. Bit me four times and was prepared for an escape :]

All and all, she's doing better, we're not out of the woods yet, but it's a step in the right direction. :thumbsup:

Also, She's eating shredded wheat and oats