Monkey is lethargic and at the vet now

[A3K3]

My poor little chinchilla, Monkey... He was fine all along until just yesterday morning. He didn't come out of his hutch in his cage for playtime. Normally he is super eager to get out of his cage so I knew that was odd. Then it was a really hot day in San Francisco (which means it got up to 80), so I was worried it was the heat but I put cool things in his cage and he ignored them. So this morning I took him to the vet. I took him to a vet that will treat chinchillas, thank goodness, but I am worried because what if they don't know what they are doing? The vet said she thought he was middle-aged but he's only 4 years old and I said I thought that was young still but maybe we just have different ideas about age and what am I going to do, quiz her? - what if she doesn't know what she's doing?! Okay, I know, I'm freaking out a little too much. She checked him and seemed like she knew what she was doing. I'm just worried for my little guy. She said with digestive issues, a lot of times chins don't make it, and to prepare myself for that. Of course she also assured me they were going to do everything they could.
They're giving him two broad spectrum antibiotics, fluids, assisted feeding, bloodwork... I'm almost worried that all the things they are going to do are going to scare him to death. How could I leave him with these strange people in a strange place...god I am not handling this well.
Has anyone else ever been in this situation? I could really use some support from people in the community right now. I didn't realize how much I loved Monkey until this happened! He's my baby...
-Amy

 

[tunes]

I question everything. The fact that they think 4 is middle aged is concerning, since I just lost a 26 year old chin and many of my chins are teenagers. Find out what they are giving and their reason for giving it. Find out dosages. Ask why they think it is a "digestive" issue, then post back here so we can at least try and give you some backup from people who have probably gone through something similar.

 

[Amethyst]

Do you mean it was 80 in the room with the chin?!? That is too hot, the chin could have suffered from heat stroke, especially if the humidity was also higher then 50%. Heat stroke will cause lethargy, as well as organ (including brain) damage and failure due to basically cooking. Signs of overheating are red ears, stretched out on it's side, heavy breathing. Other signs of heat stroke include being unresponsive, inability to get up or walk, drooling, and seizures or twitching. The warmest you should ever keep your chin in is about 75F and that is assuming that the humidity is low as well. 70F or below is much better, and chins should definitely not be let out to play if it's above 70F. Cold things in the cage are not going to be enough unless you put enough in there to cool the air. Also they are no good at all if the chin doesn't use them or even go near them. Adding frozen bottles and chilled stone tiles to the cage should be in addition to the ac not a replacement. Just like if you have a lizard you need heat lamps unless you live in the desert, if you have a chinchilla you need an air conditioner, unless you live in a dry cold/cool climate.

From the little info you have given my guess is the heat, however if they are treating for digestive issues then maybe something else is going on. Is he pooping and peeing ok? does he feel bloated? Did he eat or drink at all yesterday? The best treatment for overheating is to get the chin some place cool as soon as possible, even if that means putting them in the freezer with the door open until you can get it into ac. After the fact, there is not much you can do other then supportive care. Make sure it's temp has gone down and hope the damage isn't bad enough to cause permanent issues or death.

You are right 4 is pretty young still, a healthy chin in captivity should live about 15-20 years, some even longer. Chins in the wild only live about 10 years, so maybe that's were she got the idea that 4 is about middle age.

 

[A3K3]

Oh crap, okay, I thought I should trust the vet. I mean, I already signed off to do all of these things. I'm going to call them now to get more information.
-Amy

 

[A3K3]

Okay, they said that he responded well to assisted-feeding but that he wouldn't eat on his own yet, and that he's still hanging in there. They gave him the antibiotics already but are going to email me a copy of the treatment plan so I can post what the antibiotics are here.
Thanks for all of your help, guys. I really want to make sure I'm making good decisions for him.
-Amy

 

[A3K3]

And yeah, I know the room probably got up close to 80, and I know that's too hot. I didn't know SF was going to have a heat spike yesterday - usually it's between 60-65 or even cooler. I'm going to buy an air conditioner like I should have when I first got him. My cousin, who I adopted him from, said that she kept cold things in his cage in Santa Cruz and that was enough, and Santa Cruz is usually warmer in the summers than it is in the city so I thought we'd be okay. I know, it was stupid.
-Amy

 

[A3K3]

Ok they gave him:
Meloxicam 5mg/ml
Metoclopramide 5mg/ml

 

[mercynursie]

meloxicam is for pain-which chinchillas are great at hiding and if digestive problems are the problem he may be in pain. the metoclopramide is to stimulate his intestinal tract to move better.Both meds and force feeding are proper treatments for stasis which is slow/no gut movement and bloat. belly massages,forced activity and subq/iv fluids are helpful too!

 

[A3K3]

ok, thank you for the response! I'm going to go pick him up in a couple hours - they said he's not getting better, but he's not getting worse. They're going to teach me to do the assisted feeding with him. How do you force activity? Making him move about his cage? I feel like he will hate me, but it will be worth it even if that's what's necessary. Do you think I should give him probiotics to encourage healthy intestinal flora? I've read that in the stomach bloating post and it seems like maybe that would be a good idea at this point.
Do you add anything else to your chin's regular diet to keep them healthy? I was thinking about adding Vit C because that was recommended to me by a guy who lives here and volunteers with a chinchilla rescue group.
-Amy

 

[A3K3]

Update: he's home with me again and they have me force-feeding him every 6 hours plus giving him meds every 12-24 hours. He's really not acting any different though. Very lethargic. At the vet's he seemed a little better because he was sort of fighting her on the force-feeding, but now he's back to staying as still as possible all the time. I'm so worried about him and wish there was more I could do than just feed him and pray.

 

[tunes]

Did they show you how to administer subq fluids?

 

[mercynursie]

Also you can do tummy massage and warm heat(I use a fleece pillow stuffed with rice). It sounds mean but you need to get him moving.That really helps to get the gi tract moving.I use the bathtub or shower and you may have to chase a bit if he doesn't move on his own. Is he pooping normal? Also you kinda have to be aggressive and make sure he gets enough force feed even if you have to do extra feedings.

 

[Smidgeyy]

I was taking my guy to work with me so I could be sure he was getting enough feedings. He would get food every 2-4 hours depending on what was going on at the time. I'd get a total of 60-100ml into him a day. He's a rather small chin and I found that with only 60ml he was maintaining weight. If you have to give him smaller amounts more frequently, that's fine... you just need to keep food moving throughout his gut so it doesn't shut down.

I found that Essentials For Life from FuzzieKingdom was the best syringe formula that I could find. He hated everything else, wouldn't even tough the Lifeline or Critical Care. That's something to try as well.

Definitely ask about sub-q fluids. You want to keep him hydrated throughout this and syringe feeding water is too risky. Start giving him simethicone(infant gas drops) with the feedings, and also ask the vet about getting cisapride as well. It's similar to metoclopramide but it works in a different part of the digestive tract and both drugs work well together.