oh gizmo :/ (mouth injury)

[Luci]

so last night, gizmo was running around my room. i opened my door to talk to my roommate and he ran into the kitchen area. i finally had him to where he could only go back into my room and was using my hands to nudge him in that direction. he hopped over my hands and landed hard on the floor. im assuming his judgement was off. back in the room, i noticed he was pawing at his mouth so i didnt know if it was his paw or mouth that was injured.
i rolled him into a towel and felt both his paws and they both felt normal and he didnt seem uncomfortable, just sat there. then i look at his teeth, his front teeth were alright and still aligned but he wouldnt let me see in his mouth. i put him back in his cage and tried giving him an oat but he couldnt chew it, he'd just spit it out. this is NOT like him so i got worried and called an old roommate who is a vet tech. she came over and helped me feel his jaws (which felt normal) and we noticed he was still very active and tried to eat, but couldnt.
i came onto chat and tabs advised i just watch him through the night and see how he was this morning.
he seemed a bit off, so i went ahead and brought him to the vet. i am so so happy with this vet, he was so knowledgeable about chinchillas and we discussed teeth and mouth injuries. after examining gizmo, the vet said he had some inflammation inside his mouth due to trauma so i have 5 days worth of metacam. since gizmo still has an appetite but has a hard time eating, ive been syringe feeding him, which he happily slurps up.

is there anything else i should do/look for? or do i just watch and see if the metacam works? he's still a bit quite and is just resting right now. i dont like knowing he's uncomfortable :/

 

[cindyv3737]

Poor Giz. I hope he gets better soon.

 

[Kansas City Chinchillas]

Sounds like you are on the right track. Be sure to give him plenty of syringe food.

 

[Luci]

just an update:
gizmo isnt pawing at his mouth as much anymore but its so difficult getting him to eat.
ive made his food into a paste and have tried syringe feeding him. i can get usually 2 squirts in before he starts getting upset. so i put him back and then try again a few hours later. i know he has an appetite, he'll pick up his food and try eating it but cant.

i cleaned out his cage this morning and he hasnt pooped at all. he's peed but hasnt pooped. ive called the vet and had to leave a voicemail and am still waiting to hear back. would adding critical care do anything?

i just dont want him to starve or develop stomach problems.

 

[lauralynne]

Hope he feels better soon!

 

[Carol~Anne]

Are you wrapping him up snugly in a towel or small blanket (I use fleece baby blankets b/c they're thin and stretchy) and containing him so you can feed him the Critical Care? I know it's tricky to get them to stay still but if you swaddle/burrito him and then flip him on his back and hold him firmly in place and then plunge the CC into the side of his mouth, that should work. I found that thinning out the CC a bit and adding a touch of molasses helped. Also having a carrier on hand to put them in for short breaks helps too. Having everything such as syringes set up in the first place also makes the process go more smoothly.

 

[Gizmo24]

I hope he feels better soon!

 

[Luci]

i feel so exhausted, i started feeling sick myself this weekend. my allergies got the best of me so additional hand/arm washings and wearing a robe have now come into play when i attempt hand feedings.

the vet upped gizmo's dosage of metacam on saturday and ive been syringe feeding him about 50ml of critical care a day. he still fidgets a lot but we both have become more patient. he loves running around but it breaks my heart when i see him give up on trying to chew a piece of hay. he wont even take an oat anymore. and his poops are either small or nonexistant. ive started with belly rubs and he doesnt seem to mind. i still feel helpless though.

im going in tomorrow to have xrays taken to see if there's a chipped tooth that needs to be filed. i dont know what else to do.