Same problems, not uri!

LittleNerdyOTAKU · May 26, 2012

It truly is a case of mystery! For the past year now my chinchilla X shows signs of allergies, such as stuffy or mucusy nose and sneezing, every couple of months, yet aparently he has never had a case of uri or even eye infections! I am so confused because everywhere I turn to look for clues or help, all I can find is help for cats, or the same, overused phrase along the lines of "your chin has a uri, he's going to die soon, you're a horrible owner, you know nothing!". Honestly, I just want to know if anyone else's chin gets uri symptoms but always turns out he doesn't have one.

Claire D · May 26, 2012

Is your chin eating properly?
Has he lost weight?
Does he have any other symptoms apart from a snuffly nose?
How have the URI symptoms been treated so far?

Has he had xrays taken? Sometimes when the upper roots are overgrown they can cayuse URI-type symptoms.

tcraighenry · May 27, 2012

When we got Vincenza she had a little bit of a cold. We had her on watch for the first 24 hours after the vet pointed it out and... it cleared up on its own. She had boogers too

It was only because the vet listened to her lungs and took her temp that we didn't immediately put her on meds though. But from what he said, they do occasionally get colds that don't turn in to uris.

ticklechin · May 27, 2012

I have had two who had actual allergies, has the chin had the nasal discharge cultured?

Chinchilla63 · May 28, 2012

Yes!

I've just had Rocky x-rayed because she's had such strange symptoms. When I brought her in she was gasping for air, lethargic, runny eyes, etc.
She's been on Baytril for 10 days for what seemed to be a URI, then all kinds of digestive and pain meds to counteract the Baytril. Her lungs are clear,her teeth are good, the only thing the x-ray showed was a ton of gas in her abdomen. I discontinuedthe Baytril but kept the digestive meds plus anti-gas drops.
Right now she is sprinting around the play area like a lunatic, but still sometimes pawing at her nose. Vet suggested allergies. I'm going to stop shredded wheat in case it's the wheat, but I can't figure out what else it might be. She wasn't on meds when the symptoms started. She's had these gasping episodes every so often and I'm at a loss to know what to do.
I hope someone has info on this, it's so scary when she can't breathe.

Spoof · May 28, 2012

Allergies and/or a heart problems come to mind. I've never seen a chin with that type of heart issue, but our Newfie had it. He'd be perfectly normal then lay there and ghasp, it had something to do with a muscle seizure in part of his heart if he was too active. Pretty upsetting to watch.