Mallocussion

[jmdebb]

I have heard that chins don't usually develop this at a young age, I was wondering if this is a fallacy or not.

Bo is only 1 1/2 years old and I have to to bring him to the vet tomorrow because I noticed he stopped eating and was just trying to get a heads up before I bring him to the vet. He is pooping tiny poops and peeing, I'm force feeding him at the moment and giving him baby gas drops and rubbing his tummy. He is acting normal, not lathargic or anything. I also gave him a raisin or two in case he was getting constipated.

I know once before he stopped eating but it was because he got something stuck in his tooth and even though it had come out before we got to the vet, the vet had said his gums were alittle raw, and within a day or so he did start eating on his own again. So i don't know if this happened again, or if it is his teeth. There are no signs of drooling.

I hope this is enough information, I can't think of anything else to ad. I'll be back on later in case anyone asks any questions.

THanks in advance for any advise anyone has to offer.

Jean

 

[Rickman]

I'd not give raisins at this time, as the sugar might react with any medications given him, tomorrow. Too much, anyway!
Sounds like you're doing all you can until the vet visit - keep us posted, afterwords!

 

[jmdebb]

One thing I wanted to ad was that I said it alittle wrong, he is eating treats. Like I gave him a shredded wheat and he ate it without a problem, and some old fashioned oats, and ate the raisin without a problem. And okay I will stop with the raisins. But if it was his teeth, wouldn't he stop eating everything. Also when I give him a piece of hay through the cage he'll start chewing it, but then drop it.

Sorry for leaving this out. As most of you know I'm not that great at explaining sorry, (ADHD person here).

Jean

 

[aznmexaggie]

One of my chins, Rayna, developed malocclusion at a year of age. The vet said it was a genetic dental disease as there were elevated levels of certain bone/dental enzymes as well as root elongation as seen in her X-rays. She also had overgrown molars and an improper occlusal angle which had to be filed down so she could eat properly. Since then, we have kept the roots from elongating any further with a good variety of hays including coarse grain hays and regular filings. I do know that it may not always suppress the root elongation though and it is possible that we may reach a point where we cannot prevent the pain...

In regards to her eating habits... when she was having her dental issues, she ate very little hay and preferred eating softer foods. She ate quite a bit of pellets because they crumble easily and can be eaten without much effort. I don't give raisins because I don't feel comfortable with giving chins unneeded sugars but I'm sure she would have loved that as it would take no effort at all.

 

[jmdebb]

Well we just got back from the vet and the vet couldn't find anything wrong with Bo.

I asked about his teeth and malo and she said his teeth looked really good and she couldn't feel anything in the gumline (she said that usually when they have route elongation you can feel it-- she also said that if they had route elongation the top teeth would also be unaligned incorrectly-- is this true?). anyways, I asked if we should do an x-ray and she suggested to wait and she said that sometimes they just get in a slump because of stress or something. Something will stress them out and this will happen, so she gave him a shot of something that will make sure his insides keep moving and she said it should also make him hungry.

Would you believe the minute we got home and I put him back in his cage he went right for his food dish and I watched him as he started to pick up his pellets and start eating again, I just hope he keeps eating.

So she must of been right and that something stressed him out so he might of cut back on his food (he was orginally in with another so I don't know for sure how much he cut back-- but now he has been alone for a few days).

I do have to call back in two days to check in with the vet to let her know how things are going. She said that if he didn't start to eat within a day or two then we would do the x-rays. But as I said he already started eating on his own.

If anyone has any insight to what I have said, please let me know. THanks.

Jean

 

[Dolyphinm]

My Bria has some root elongation and it wasn't felt when my vet did the initial check up. If they can feel the roots, its gotten to the point of cracking the bones of the jaw. By the time it gets to that point I am not sure what could be done. Bria at first started to slow down on her hay consumption, but that was the first thing she munched on after getting her teeth filed.
At least he is eating, but xrays definitely are needed to tell if roots have elongated so that you can catch it as early as possible to help stop the roots from growing with regular filing.

Sumiko I am glad to hear that Rayna's roots haven't progressed further so that I have hope for a much longer time with my first baby with regular filings.

 

[jmdebb]

SO filing her teeth has helped her route elongation?

Bo's teeth doesn't need any filing. I'm gonna keep an eye on him for the next two days and if he doesn't start eating better i'll have to have the x-rays done.

Thanks,
Jean

 

[aznmexaggie]

Malocclusion is a difficult topic because although there are genetic factors, other factors can be environmental as well... My vet explained to me in detail about malocclusion and also recommended I read some of the papers published by a vet by the last name of Crossley. The way I understand it is that a chinchilla can be predisposed to dental illness which can be worsened by environment (diet without enough coarseness, injury, calcium or mineral deficiencies, etc.). On the other hand, a chinchilla with a minor case of malo in a good environment can sometimes suppress the progression of root elongation. My vet explained to me that chinchillas have open-rooted teeth, meaning they are not anchored into the gums the way that human teeth are. They are constantly growing and if the surfaces of the molars are not worn down effectively, instead of growing normally and being worn, the teeth will then elongate in the other direction, toward the "roots" and in bad cases, into the jaw and sinus/eye sockets.

In Rayna's case, yes, filing the teeth has helped prevent any further root elongation thus far. Also, I give her a variety of hays (which all require different chewing actions and force) including timothy hay, a little bit of orchard or bermuda grass hays, and coarse grain hays like oat, wheat, and barley (to really work those teeth). She loves the variety and it keeps her interest in eating hay.

If you ever have any doubts, I would get an X-ray done because root elongation cannot be determined by just a physical exam. Good luck with Bo - I sure hope it's not malo.

And Michelle, good luck with Bria.

 

[jmdebb]

Malocclusion is a difficult topic because although there are genetic factors, other factors can be environmental as well... My vet explained to me in detail about malocclusion and also recommended I read some of the papers published by a vet by the last name of Crossley. The way I understand it is that a chinchilla can be predisposed to dental illness which can be worsened by environment (diet without enough coarseness, injury, calcium or mineral deficiencies, etc.). On the other hand, a chinchilla with a minor case of malo in a good environment can sometimes suppress the progression of root elongation. My vet explained to me that chinchillas have open-rooted teeth, meaning they are not anchored into the gums the way that human teeth are. They are constantly growing and if the surfaces of the molars are not worn down effectively, instead of growing normally and being worn, the teeth will then elongate in the other direction, toward the "roots" and in bad cases, into the jaw and sinus/eye sockets.

In Rayna's case, yes, filing the teeth has helped prevent any further root elongation thus far. Also, I give her a variety of hays (which all require different chewing actions and force) including timothy hay, a little bit of orchard or bermuda grass hays, and coarse grain hays like oat, wheat, and barley (to really work those teeth). She loves the variety and it keeps her interest in eating hay.

If you ever have any doubts, I would get an X-ray done because root elongation cannot be determined by just a physical exam. Good luck with Bo - I sure hope it's not malo.

And Michelle, good luck with Bria.

Yes i also use a variety of hays because of the same reason. And I do know that the only way to see if it's in the routes is for x-rays, but I was hoping Bo would get better before I had to do that, like I said at least the top of his teeth are perfect the vet said. And he did start eating some when we came home.

This little guy stresses easy, so I'm hoping that she was right in what she said with him. But also if he doesn't start eating much more in a few days he will go back for x-rays of his routes.

Thanks all,
Jean