Need Advice

[mishellyshel]

I know that the advice here does not replace the advice of a vet, I am just looking for some advice from experienced long time pet & breeders of chins.


Since Richie has been diagnosed with Malo i have gone thru many stages of his care both physically & emotionally. i am at a low point right now.

He was on baytril, metacam & cisapride for 3 weeks, i took him off the baytril and took down his dosage of metacam. we added turbogesic (sp?) for pain and kept the cisapride.
he is being handfeed 3 times a day. at first only 50 cc a day and then as much as 90 cc a day.
at first he gained some weight but now he is losing again. Yesterday I bumped up his food intake to 36cc each feeding which is a little over 100 cc a day.
i have trimmed down his food mix to mostly ground up pellets & filtered water with a little baby food squash for flavor & lifeline.
I also (with vet advice) bumped him back up to 1 time per day on metacam.

he is still pawing at his face and drooling (not a lot). (this slowed down greatly when he was on daily baytril & metacam)
he does not eat any pellets, he will eat treats but not like before, he does eat some timothy & alfalfa hay.
he gets 3 times a day feeding and playtime for a total of 90 minutes to sometimes 2 hours (that is total for the day).
during the playtime, especially at night he is very active. he keeps trying to get into the closet, even pulls a heavy towel with his teeth. jumps on my and today he was very playful.

So my questions:

1. has anyone has any success with any other pain management medicine
(someone on here recommded tramadol and my vet will not prescribe it without doing a little research--i will be calling her tomorrow) and when i do i wanted to give some other options.

2. if i can maintain his weight and he is playful, how do i know when it is time to let go? how do i know when he is in pain?

He is my first chin, i have had him since january 2005, we think he was born in the fall of 2004. i have not had any previous experience with rodents.

i dont want him in pain, i love him very much. i cant stop crying

please..............is anyone has any advice, please help me. you can pm me or post here. i have spent close to $1200 on him in the last 3 months and would spend more if it would help him.

my thoughts were to try the new food mix & amount over the weekend, see if i can get his weight up a bit. hope to get some new meds for pain, give it a week or so and see how he reacts. if well than we can continue, if not than i will take him for a final vet visit and have her put him down. just typing this breaks my heart.

 

[Kansas City Chinchillas]

Sometimes the most loving thing you can do for an animal is put it down.

 

[alli713]

I'm sorry. But I do have to agree with Cathy, that sometimes the most loving thing you can do is to let them go and not be in pain anymore.

I mean, the quality of life is not there. His weight is fluctuating, he is on constant pain meds, he can't eat normally, still pawing at his face so obviously he can tell something isn't right..

 

[Laurie]

Michelle, I know this is a very difficult time for you. I think, and this is just my opinion, that the most humane thing we can do is be able to end suffering in the animals we love. Think of what Richie goes through with you daily and ask yourself if that's what you would want for yourself? Sometimes as humans our fight for survival is so strong we often forget about what is really going on. Is this really what you want for Richie? Is this really want he wants for himself. Ask yourself these questions while your seeking guidance. I believe the answer will come to you.
You are a very loving chin mom and I'm sure Richie feels this. You are doing the very best you can and sometimes it isn't easy.
I hope you find comfort and peace in whatever decision you make.
Blessings to you and Richie!

 

[starleomach]

I hate to say it but I agree. Life is about quality not quantity. I am so sorry.

 

[ABBY W.]

I agree with everyone else. It sounds like your little guy is in pain and not able to live a full life. You aren't able to enjoy your time with him either, because you are constantly worrying about him, and hurting for him. It sounds like it's time to let go. Let him move on to a place that he can be happy and without pain.

 

[jmdebb]

I'm sorry about your little guy..

But i also agree, the best last act of love we can give our animals, is when they are dying is to end their pain. No shelfishness for us, but to give them what they deserve and that is to live the rest of their life in pet heaven..It is hard to do, I have always had to put my animals down, no one ever died on their own, so I know how hard it is. I always put them down when I realized they were in pain so they wouldn't suffer. It's not fair to them.

Jean

I'm soo sorry.

 

[Jovi]

We just lost our first chin to malo. He hid his pain very well as chins do and i only noticed something was wrong because i saw some goop by his eye. We brought him home from the vet for a week on pain meds but i didn't see any point in delaying the inevitable and worrying about how much pain he was in. It was genetic and uncurable. My chin was still eating and seemed playful but his teeth were really bad and the vet could feel so many bumps on his jaw and it was obviously growing upwards towards his eye to cause the goop. I just think its amazing how hard it is to tell these little guys are in pain. They are such troppers. It's a personal choice but i didn't wanna wait for him not to be able to eat at all and to be in pain where it was obvious would have probably been tremendous suffering for him . It was so hard to say goodbye but whether ot was a week or a month or more it would have been just as painful . I am so sorry you are going thru this. I know how it feels and its tough.

 

[Sandi]

I am so sorry Michelle. I'm trying to compose myself as I try to type to tell you to trust your heart. How lucky Richie is that he found his way to you, someone who cares enough to put his well-being ahead of her own happiness. You love him enough to do the hardest thing for you. For such tiny little things, they leave such huge footprints on our hearts. Be happy in the love and companionship you shared during his time here. Even though Richie is gaining a little weight, it is you that is sustaining him, he will not do it on his own because he can't, he is in too much pain.

Ive been in your shoes Michelle and it was the hardest decision I had to make for my chin, but I did it because it was the best decision for him. My little girl couldn't understand why the doctor (vet) or mommy couldn't "fix" him. I'm so sorry you have to make this decision.

 

[Essentia]

I have to agree with everyone else here as much I don't want to. Chins hide their pain so well that it's hard to know just how they are feeling. He is showing signs of distress though. It's up to you on what you so next, but I think the humane thing to do is to put him out of his pain.

You have gone through so much with him and I am sure he is grateful.

 

[mishellyshel]

Thank you all for your kind words. It is SO hard to make this decision when tonight is a perfect example of why i am torn. I had him out for feeding/playtime and he had SO much fun. He was his old self. Running & being mischievious and jumping for almost an hour. He did not want to go back in his cage. All his poop was perfect tonight and lots of it. And as I am feeding him and playing with him the tears stream down my face cause I know his time is limited.

 

[rcr]

Hi Michelle,

I have a maloccluder that I took in 8 mos ago that I have on critical care. I asked my mentor how I would know when it was time and she said that you can just tell. You will see the sparkle fade from their eyes and they will just kind of sit still with their heads hanging and ears dropped forward. I also set a benchmark with her weight. If she goes below that then I will let her go.

Cyber hugs. I'm sure you will make the right decision when its time.

 

[Easterpiggy]

I am so sorry for your little buddy. I have had a lot of animals and also went though their passing, and it is always hard, and it never gets any easier. What I reccomend is that you go out to a craft store and get some poly clay and stamps. then make some paw prints and stamp his name, so you can always have him around.
*lots of hugs*

 

[mishellyshel]

i really like the pawprint idea................thanks. he hasnt lost that spark just yet.
he was super playful last night and i am going to closely monitor him this weekend.
also going to call the vet today & see if we can try something else.
i have put down a dog before and you are right i just knew, it was SO hard.
when my golden died a few years ago, i was not with him and that was even worse.
i want to do right by richie and will make sure i take him. but not yet. just a little longer.

 

[Chinniechantel]

I agree with setting a weight limit, if he gets below that you put him down.

 

[lauralynne]

Hi Michelle.
You've been struggling with this for some time now, and even though it absolutely breaks your heart (and ours as well), I do have to agree with everyone. He is not living a quality life, even though he may not "show" he's in pain, he is.
I haven't had to put one down before, so I can't imagine the stress, heartbreak, and guilt you're feeling...but you have nothing to feel guilty about. You have done absolutely EVERYTHING you can to pull this little guy through and make his life fun and enjoyable, and unfortunately, there is just nothing else you can do for him.:cry3:
From the undertone of your post, I think you know in your heart what you feel needs to be done...and that's a decision that only you can make. We as a forum and your friends will be here to comfort you!
:grouphug:

 

[fluke]

i am so sorry that you and Richie have to go through this.