Questions with Bene Bac, Baytril, and Simethicone

[iSpi]

So I went to the vet for a check up for my chinchilla and her then 8 day old kit, and because her poop was soft and I saw she had a little diarrhea. I looked up some exotic vets in the area and was glad to see that a local exotic vet had very good reviews. I went in and they checked the mom and kit, saying that they looked good but mom just had a little extra gas. She checked some fresh droppings from the pet carrier and later said there was nothing there such as parasites.

So the vet gave me some medicine for the mom.
Bene Bac (1 gram per day for 10 days)
Baytril (.25 cc every 12 hours for 7 days)
Simethicone: Infants' Gas Relief (The brand is Well at Walgreens. She instructed me to get this myself, and give her .3 cc every 12 hours for 3 days, which has already passed so she is done with that)

I started the medication on November 15th when I woke up, and it is now November 18th (the end of day 4).

I've noticed that the mother chinchilla isn't eating nearly as much as she used to, or drinking as much. I filled her water up a day and a half ago and it looks like she barely touched it. She is a little grumpy after I give her the medication, but she usually eats a lot of hay and some pellets. For the past day and a half she hasn't seemed as interested and seems to be sleeping more than usual. She used to poop A LOT, and now its seems weird that she isn't pooping as much as she was before. At the current moment she just woke up (11:24 PM), and seems like she's a little bit active.

I just looked up the medications I'm giving her and I see that some people are against it. I'm going to look at her tomorrow and see if I can get a check up for her at the vet tomorrow if she doesn't look well. Does anyone have experience with these medications or know what negative effects they can have? I know it's stressful for her to take the medicine since she just had her kit not to long ago and she really doesn't seem to like taking it from the little syringes while I hold her close so she can't run away or hurt herself. I'm just afraid that this is doing more harm than good. The kit seems healthy and is gaining roughly 2-4 grams a day so I'm assuming she still is nursing from the mom.
(After about 5 minutes of looking around for mom, it seems like she went back in her house. A week ago she was excited to get out and stretch a little, but now I' worried that she is in worse condition than before.)

 

[6Dusters]

Im not quite sure why the antibiotic in this case. I would ask about that.
If the animal were mine, I would run her back in to check her and ask to examine her for gas again. Could be nothing. Never know.

The bene bac is for the gut. It's good bacteria. Often times an antibiotic will kill the good bacteria and add to soft poo. Thus the vet gave you that to firm things up.
Only advice I can add is to keep a weight on mom. Take kit with mom to vet to keep her calm and no separation anxiety. You can mark your water bottles at home to keep track of water intake. Give her a good hay at all times. That will help move the gut. Not sure of anything else I could add. I just think a return check might be in order. I'm just a worry wart here at my place.
Best of luck. Keep updates posted. Always helps the next person.

Note: after I posted my reply, I went back and looked at other posts for the antibiotic. It stunts the appetite.

 

[Stackie]

I would not give the baytril, especially if the diagnosis was just gas. There is no bacterial infection diagnosed, so why throw an antibiotic at nothing? Baytril is one of the "heavy hitters" and should be reserved for a bad illness. I'm not sure why so many vets RX it for "just in case" or have it be their first go to for something minor when sulfa drugs are much easier on them. The side effects of baytril must be considered and I only use it when the infection is worse than the side effects. Baytril tastes horrible and often times causes chins to lose their appetite or go anorexic all together- something you definitely don't want happening with an already gassy chin. It also hits their normal gut flora hard and kills it off, causing an upset stomach and digestive issues. It sounds like she is experiencing the lack of appetite which is why you're seeing the decrease in poop. Little intake, little output. Which creates bigger problems especially coupled with gas.

If this were my chin I would stop the baytril, start handfeeding critical care (ask the vet if they carry it). Until you can get the critical care, you can mash up pellets with water into a slurry like consistancy. Some chins like it thicker, some like it more watery. You can also mix it with canned pumpkin to add in some fiber and palatability. This will give her hydration as well as nutrition. Try offering it in a syringe without restraining her first, as some chins will take it willingly. Otherwise you may have to "burrito" her in a towel and syringe it in to her mouth. Gassy chins also benefit from tummy massages- small circular massage starting up and working your way down.

You can continue the Bene-bac as a probiotic but I personally prefer to use capsuled acidophilus- just break the capsule open and mix it with some of the critical care.

The simethicone is very safe to use and you can not over dose it as it is not absorbed by the body. It stays in the digestive system and helps break down the gas bubbles. I would give 1 cc every 3 hours or more as needed (which is a full dropper if you are using the dropper/syringe provided with the simethicone).

The most important thing at this point is getting food into her to get the gut moving again and get her energy up. Especially since she is nursing. I'm not a breeder and hopefully one will pop in here soon, but I'm not sure if you should start supplementing the kit to give mom a break or keep them together.

I would also call the vet and question why the antibiotic was RX'ed, if she suspected some sort of infection or what, and also why such a heavy hitting antibiotic was given.

 

[ticklechin]

I don't know why people use bene-bac when chins have gut issues, its sugar, oil and bacteria, giving sugar and oil to a bloated chin is a terrible idea, do what Stacie said and just use the capsules. As far as baytril, its not a antibiotic that is usually used for gut issues, it causes gut issues, something like albon is more gentle if you are treating enteritis.

 

[aznmexaggie]

For a probiotic, I prefer breaking open capsules of acidophilus and sprinkling it in the hand feeding mixture. For minor gut issues, simethicone and belly massages are all that I do in addition to hand feeding CC if they don't eat on their own. If there is a lot less poo, I get motility drugs from the vet to keep things moving in the GI tract. I would not give oral Baytril without an actual infection diagnosis because it causes so many gut issues.

 

[iSpi]

Sorry I haven't replied in a while, but there is good news!
Vanilla (the mom) was taken back to the vet (a different person from the first time, but same clinic) and gave us some Critical Care. He told us to stop Baytril but give her Bene Bac for the next two days. We fed her the Critical Care until we believed she was eating enough for her and her kit. She now seems happier and is eating and drinking a good amount.

Maybe someone can answer just a couple more questions though.
The kit is now 18 days old and is 88 grams. Is this a good weight? Also, she seems more grumpy. Her and the mom occasionally make these grunting noises in a sequence of about 4 or 5. I can be right there next to them or across the room and every once in a while I will hear it. Also the mom occasionally has this raspy barking sound in the morning, and only in the morning at around 8:40 in the morning. It might be because light starts to come through the blinds.
Anyone know why they might be making these noises? I've tried to figure out what exactly the sounds they're making are, but I get so many different answers when I use Google to search it.

Some people might wonder why I have a chinchilla with a kit if I don't know some of these things, but the kit was unexpected. I had received the chinchilla off craigslist, and was told she was not pregnant. Even though it was surprising, I'm glad I have her now because her previous owner was taking horrible care of her from what he told me about her.

Thanks for replies with advice!!

 

[Cuddlebug]

It sounds to me like momma is getting grumpy with the little one. check to see if her nipples and the surrounding area are sore or look like the kit is biting mom. It could be a sign that mom does not have enough milk for the kit. If this is the case, you may have to supplement. Is the kits still gaining? If it is, then mom has milk and the kit is being a brat.

 

[iSpi]

I keep responding late to this topic, but work has been demanding lately. Also, the kit is doing well. She looks very healthy and active, and so is mom. I think they get a little grumpy because I can't always let them out, and I can't always let them run around while I'm doing my school work. The kit is 36 days old and weighs 122 grams.

 

[Cuddlebug]

The baby is rather small for its age which is probably due to mom's illness. Just make sure there is plenty of food and hay in the cage. She should be OK and may even catch up over time.