please advise

[AshesMommy]

I took my chinchilla Tigger to the emergency vet last night when I noticed he wasnt eating, losing weight, labored breathing, and his eye was swollen shut. hes very lethargic. She looked in his mouth and took xrays because I thought it was his teeth that was a problem. They looked fine. It turns out his eye is swollen because he scratched it, but that doesnt account for him not eating. The xray didnt show an enlarged heart or any gas bubbles in his system. There was a big blob in the middle of his stomach. Very hard to tell what that was. Also his stomach is very hard instead of squishy (lack of a better word) like it should be. All the vet gave me is some cc, told me to force feed him 5 times a day. And gave me metacam .5 ml once a day. She really didnt tell me anything that was wrong. Tigger was up to 590g as is down to 441g. I am really freaking out and dont know what to do. Please advise.

 

[tunes]

Would the big blob be poop? That's referred to as stasis and your chin is in trouble.

Here are a few threads to look through:

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2272&highlight=stasis
http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5833&highlight=stasis

Your vet needs to figure out if it's stasis or not and get this handled ASAP. Metacam and critical care isn't going to fix it.

 

[AshesMommy]

i will call and talk to her tomorrow. hopefully before she leaves for vacation... Should i separate him from his cage mate just in case it might be something contagious?

 

[tunes]

I doubt it's contagious, but it's not something you can wait around on either. With bloat or stasis, every second counts. I personally would not wait until morning to call.

 

[Sugarmama]

Honestly, I'd be on the phone with an emergency vet.

This sounds like an ongoing problem, not something that suddenly developed. A chin doesn't lose 150 gms overnight.

You're going to have to have meds to get the gut moving again, and the chin will need to be hydrated--probably subcutaneous fluids, to get that mass hydrated so the chin can pass it. This is not something you can treat on your own. You will need Reglan, Propulsid, to get the gut moving again. Every little bit of time counts now--you are in a race against time, to save your chin. Don't wait, or you will likely be mourning the loss of your chin.

 

[AshesMommy]

she did give him subcu fluids last night. right now he sounds a little gassy. does metacam affect chins like humans with a pain killer? Does it make them drowsy? He will drink from his bottle on his own. I will try to call another vet tonight to get another opinion.

 

[Chinniechantel]

Give him baby gas drops, and rub his belly downward in tiny circular movements for as long as you possibly can. If he has bloat, he probably did not make it until the morning, but if so, get him in NOW. He needs Reglan and Propulsid (motility drugs) more sub q fluids, and force feedings and massaging around the clock. I hope he makes it!

 

[ticklechin]

If he has a impaction, you don't want to use motility drugs right off the bat, if its in the stomach the motility drugs used on a hard mass can obstruct the exit. A certain death.