Please help

[Slayergirl78]

I have had my chin for about 9 months now and she is approx 4 years old. She was a rescue. I feed her Timothy hay, Timothy pellets, she always has fresh water, lots of things to chew on and gets baths a few times a week. I limit her treats to a few raisins or dried cranberries a week. I tidy her cage every day but completely clean it at least once a week. FYI she has a huge critter nation cage.

Last night Aria seemed less active than usual but I thought that maybe it was just because I was tired that it seemed that way. Fast forward to today. I put her daily fresh hay and water in her cage which usually has her bouncing everywhere and she just kind of looked at me. I then went to clean her cage, which for her usually means freedom to run around her bedroom like a crazy. Except she didn't. She wouldn't even climb out to the stairs I have for her. I tried to pick her up but she ran and hid in her hammock. She did perk up at the sight of her bathhouse and took a bath no problem. My boyfriend tried luring her out with a raisin and while she was interested and ate it....right back to her cubby.

Fast forward several hours and she still hasn't eaten or drank. She seems listless and her eyes are half shut. I tried picking her up and she just gridded at me which is what she normally does. She did let me somewhat examine her though. Her stomach is soft, ears look normal, nothing else unusual that I can see.

I called and left a message with the vet for after hours....5 hours ago. I'm at a complete loss and can't sleep I'm so worried. Help me (and Aria) please!

 

[Stackie]

Lethargy and change in attitude is definitely a sign of concern. Unfortunately without knowing what is going on to cause these issues, we can't be of much help here. I hope your vet gets back to you soon so they can run some diagnostics and figure out what's going on. It is best to get in ASAP because once chins are displaying symptoms, they are usually very ill.

Since she isn't eating you can try mashing up her pellets with some water to make a slurry and handfeeding her.

Cut out the raisins and cranberries. They have a very high sugar content and can cause more harm than good. The sugar causes the bacteria in the gut to overgrow, which can lead to bloat and other GI upset.

Is there any reason she is on timothy pellets as well as hay? In general adult chins with no other health issues should be eating an alfalfa based pellet with timothy hay.

 

[Slayergirl78]

My bad on the pellets I just looked at the bag and they are alfalfa. Still no call from the regular vet so now I'm waiting for a call back from the next closest one that unfortunately is 5.5 hrs away. Tried to give her a slurry but she just spit it out and fought me over it and is now hiding in her house. She did eat 2 pellets while I was on hold trying to call the vet. Just any advice on what I can be doing in the meantime? Sitting here not doing anything is making me crazy!

 

[Nana]

Hello. Sorry, I am new and don't know about chin care as much as other experienced members here. But, just curious. Have you be giving him water? I feel that he need water at least. I have my fingers crossed for your chin.

 

[Tanya]

I can try using simethicone (baby gas drops that can be purchased from your local pharmacy) to address possible bloating. You can give a full dropper every few hours. Also, abdominal massage (circular downwards motion towards the anus) for 15-20 minutes can be very beneficial as well. I hope you managed to take her to the vet for the proper diagnosis and treatment.

 

[Slayergirl78]

I did just jump I'm the car and start driving. We got in around 6pm and they took her in right away. She's been admitted and currently on fluids and is eating slurrys with coaxing Then she's getting X-rays and an ultrasound done this afternoon. Her initial exam showed no teeth problems, ear or eye problems and no fever. Initial blood work came back fine but they're running some more to check various organs. The only odd thing is, it feels like her intestines are not sitting where they should be. I'm a freaking mess .

 

[Slayergirl78]

Update if anyone is interested.

Aria was diagnosed with lymphoma . She has numerous tumours in her intestines and one between her kidneys and liver. Thankfully the vets believe that with surgery she should be okay. They'll have a better idea once they're in there to have a better look.

Right now she's home and after a week of anti-inflammatory medication (which she takes quite happily) she is eating and drinking on her own and is very playful although not for as long of a period of time as normal. She seems to get tired out more easily which I guess is to be expected.

The vets were completely shocked to get all these results as apparently cancer in chins is quite rare. She's my baby though so she's going to get the best care possible. I have the most amazing friends who have set up a fundraising page for her surgery and other medical costs and in a week, they've already raised 1/4 of the amount needed. Feeling loved that's for sure !