Please Help, I think my Chinchilla has something lodged in his Throat

[Narokoe]

I don't know what to do, and it's late and there aren't any vets open.

I have been looking all around the internet for what could be wrong with my Chinchilla and I am pretty sure that he has something stuck in his throat.

It keeps lurching, and coughing, and stretching out his body, then he vomits, I read on Wikipedia that the vomiting is a Chinchilla's way to get something out of it's throat, but he has been like this for over an hour, and I have been watching him, trying to get him to try some water, but he won't. I don't know what else I can do until morning.

Anything would help. Thank you.

 

[tunes]

I doubt your chin is vomiting. They are incapable of vomiting, despite what Wikipedia may say. I am honestly at a loss as to what this may be. Can't even hazard a guess.

Get him to a vet as soon as you can. Get on the phone and start calling every vet until you find one that can see him. Vets have answering services, and even if they don't do night hours (which is very rare) they can point you to someone who does.

 

[Sesame]

Perhaps if you give where you are located, a member will be able to direct you to a vet or an emergency vet (24 hour clinic).

 

[AZChins]

It definitely could be choke. The only thing that anyone can do in that case is go to the vet. The vet could possibly pass a small tube down the esophagus and direct the obstruction to the stomach.

Choke is something that is very difficult to treat and most chins with something lodged in their airway will not make it. This could be a case of simple irritation and the chin may be acting strangely because a little water or saliva got into an air way or the esophagus is irritated.

The best thing to do is not force any fluids into him. If it is choke, it will make it worse and probably force the obstruction farther down.

 

[Kansas City Chinchillas]

He could possibly have GI stasis. The first time I saw a severe case of it I thought it was pneumonia. The stretching, lurching and coughing are symptoms of GI stasis.

You may be correct about something in the throat too. The only thing you can do is see a vet.

 

[mk94]

Look in your phone book, lots of cities have an emergency vet hotline that you can call to find a vet that takes after hours emergencies.

 

[Rickman]

Any updates???

 

[momenteller]

anxious to hear how he's doing. were you able to get him into the vet? so sorry, narokoe, that must have been scary for you...

 

[Narokoe]

The next morning I took him to the vet, they aren't very skilled with exotic or small animals, so they weren't completely sure on how to handle it.

They gave me some medicine to give to him. The medicine didn't really seem to do anything, but a couple days after the vet visit, he seemed fine.

Now almost I think two weeks later, I was looking around the web AGAIN to see if I could figure out what was wrong with him, because he reverted to having the same symptoms as before when I made this thread.

I am planning on making a trip to Minneapolis, MN which is 6 hours away as soon as I can, so I can actually take him to a vet that can figure out what is going on.

I am going to look up GI stasis, right now though and see if the symptoms fit.
Thank you guys.

 

[TashaR]

If you need the name of a vet in St. Paul, let me know. I saw an emergency vet there. Expensive but they really knew what they were doing!!

 

[Narokoe]

If you need the name of a vet in St. Paul, let me know. I saw an emergency vet there. Expensive but they really knew what they were doing!!

That would be great, thank you!