Malocclusion, surgery, recovery & the university

[headlines0]

Hello!

Do you remember me from a thread I had made almost exactly a year ago... here's the link.

So, my chin is now almost 3. During the last 4-5 months he stopped gaining weight and he started grinding his teeth and salivating. I realized he was having the slobbers and I tried to take him to the vet but the rest of my family was indulgent thinking he would recover from this on his own, or he was just being "smeared" with food and water.

Anyway. The chin started having really bad fur, and dermatitis patches on its feet. He was also skinny.

Finally I managed to get a way to go to the university veterinary clinic.

There, the animal was weighted (just 300gr.) and they rated its condition. Most vets attacked to me and were quite rude, thinking I was the one to neglect the animal. Truth is, I was broke as ****, I have no work (full time student and my country isn't like the place of chances and flexible schedules) and my family wouldn't make a move and support the vet care financially -although the pet belongs to the family as a whole since we all agreed on its purchasing etc.

Anyway, after I was ridiculed in front of numerous vet students, I went to the X-Ray and we took 2 shots. There I saw the awful condition of my pet and I felt completely shattered by my family's stance, my inability to act and collect money (I have been pretty much on $10 in my wallet for the last 2 months -and just the visit at the clinic costs $45).

The lower back teeth were all 'stuck' to each other.
The upper back teeth were growing in the eye sockets. Also most teeth had grown teeth-thorns because the chin wouldn't gnaw on anything.

Today the chin had its surgery. Some teeth were removed, all the thorns were also removed and also some decay holes were filled. He is recovering. I am handfeeding now, and he will be under antibiotic and analgesic treatment for at least 10 days, if he survives the first difficult days of post-op.

The whole process cost was $350 for the operation, $90 for the examination and visit to the vet and $80 for the medication.

Anyhow, I would like to add that after the first incident of tooth problems (1 year ago) the chinchilla stopped eating hay. I always have new hay in the cage but he never touched it again. He did bite/gnaw on those "stony" things and he ate his food (mixed, because the last vet I had been to told me to feed him mixed). However, no hay.

I hope he survives the post-op... (then I'll cope with the hay problem).
Anyway... I would like your positive energy on that, guys. Thank you!

 

[tunes]

I'm going to be the first to say it, and I know I am absolutely not the first or last to think it, but why on earth would you do that to your chin? Malo is NOT curable. Tooth pulling is NOT a cure and it opens a whole host of problems for your chin. You didn't have money to take it to the vet? Well you better have a whole lot of money now because once you start yanking out teeth, your vet bills are going to double and triple.

Growing into his eye socket? OMG - I am horrified. Your vets yelled at you for his incredibly poor condition, but let me tell you this, I'd like to punch your vet in the face for doing this to an animal. I thought their credo was do no harm. I can't even imagine the agony this little guy is going through because of this.

I can't even wrap my mind around it. Mostly I am just sickened by it.

 

[ticklechin]

Been there, done that and I have the t-shirt. After my many MANY years of experience with malo chins, doing every treatment possible I can say that for a fact you will not win, there is no amount of money, time or treatment that will work to fix the condition and the humane thing to do is save your money and have the chin put down.

 

[Claire D]

The kindest & most humane act for this poor chinchilla was to put him to sleep, out of his agony forever - however, it should have been done a year ago when you first posted.

I am sorry for your chinchilla.

 

[Sandi]

I cannot believe this chinchilla has survived this long with so much pain.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

I have to agree. The kindest thing would have been to let him go to the rainbow bridge. Mind you I have had a couple of 'teeth' problem chins that I have had treated for several years and hand fed a lot. One I hand fed for 6 years and she went to the vet every 3-4 months until the end when she was going more often. However those chins did NOT have the condition your chin has with the mouth/teeth. If they did I would have immediately let them go so there would not be such pain. No animal should endure that much pain

I also have to say - I don't understand that the vets ridiculed you and made you feel bad but then they went ahead a caused the chin more pain and suffering - and billed you for the results

 

[caiti]

I really don't know anything about dental issues in chins, so I will say I hope the surgery helps your chin and he gets better. Do you have the x-rays? They would be interesting to look at for people like me to get some perspective.

 

[ticklechin]

I really don't know anything about dental issues in chins, so I will say I hope the surgery helps your chin and he gets better. Do you have the x-rays? They would be interesting to look at for people like me to get some perspective.

If there are teeth left in the mouth, there will be no getting better for this chin. The chinchillas teeth are dynamic, not static and any change causes a reaction, whether it is tipping inward, outward, front, back or elongating.

 

[tunes]

You also can't get better from the roots of the teeth growing into the eye sockets. Seriously? Even if they pull the teeth, the damage is done, the opening is created, the pain is continuous. Roots also don't grow straight, especially with malo chins. They could have hooked around the bone of the eye socket, through the nasal cavity, etc. I just can't even imagine the pain.

 

[Brittany]

I've been trying to stay away from this thread since it was first posted, but I can't stop thinking about it, and feel like I have to get this off my chest.

This poor animal needs to be put down. The damage from the malocclusion and surgery are irreversible. There is no quality of life left for this animal, and keeping it alive a second longer is nothing but cruelty and abuse. I've had to make this decision before, and while it was painful for me, I know that keeping my sweet Lily alive would have been ten times more painful for her.

I feel nothing but pity for this poor animal, who has been failed by the humans it depended on.

 

[Encantadora]

This is one reason I find it so frustrating to deal with adopters who say "well but my vet said..."

Vets gamble when they don't have experience or a chin mentor.

 

[ticklechin]

I had not re-read the initial thread, but it is no suprise this chin has severe teeth issues since back in 8/10 when the owner was first advised during a bout of stasis that even though the chin will get through that the teeth would still be a huge issue and its sad this chin has been suffering for almost a year. I am the first one to say I am the pot calling the kettle black but I learned the hard way but at least I learned. All I have to do is look at my avatar and be ashamed.

 

[headlines0]

R.I.P.

Hello again... after all this time, I finally put the animal down after presenting symptoms of encephalitis (myself, since the vets and the rest of my family almost acted like I was doing something only a criminal would do. I knew I owed this to him since the first moment and this was the final step.)

I pray to be forgiven, and the vets and my family to be forgiven too, since the chinchilla himself had no sins to be raised. And I hope he will be in a better, painless place with all the raisins he wants.

RIP Avvy, forgive me for all the harm I did to you.

 

[Sandi]

RIP Avvy, you are pain free now.

 

[ticklechin]

RIP Avvy, your parent did the right thing by letting you go.

 

[Jenn]

I am so sorry it came to this, but you did the kindest act for Avvy. He will always be a part of you. May he r.i.p.

 

[Brittany]

RIP Avvy :flowers8:

 

[Encantadora]

You did the right thing <3

 

[tunes]

You absolutely did the right thing, and had you had a vet who cared about the animal more than his wallet, you would have done it a long time ago.

Rest in peace little guy.

 

[Dragonflye]

RIP sweet Avvy!