Sick baby :(

[Lyndzerz]

Hello all,
I am new to this forum and just wanted to get some insight. I have had my sweet baby Chilla since March and he is a very energetic lovable boy. On Wednesday night I noticed that he wasn't himself. He kept scratching his little nose ( which he does all the time and it's just so cute) but way more than usual. I had noticed that it was irritated and it seems raw and a little bit bloody. I also noticed a little discharge around his eye but not a lot. I brought him to an the animal ER about 20 minutes away. The vet suspects that it is an upper respiratory infection and prescribed antibiotics. I have been giving him the antibiotics as directed (one dose every 12 hours) and I have noticed some change. He is sneezing a lot and a little tired. He doesn't seem too interested in eating his pellets or in having his cherrios that he loves. He will eat raisins though. He seems to be going to the bathroom ok and he has been eating some hay. He's also drinking some but not a lot. I was just wondering if anybody has any insight on whether this sounds normal or if I should take him back and have his teeth checked. They said they didn't notice anything abnormal with his teeth at the time. I just want to know how long the antibiotics take to kick in and if I should take him back to see an exotic vet. He's still running in his wheel like a maniac and takes any chance he can get to escape his cage. I'm just concerned that he's not eating as much as usual. If any one can shed some light that would be great! Thanks! :wave3:

 

[cindyv3737]

What antibiotics were you given? Do you have critical care? If not, you will need to get some. There are some medications that will cause a chinny to stop eating. You want to keep food in him. Please don't give him raisins, they are bad for a chinchillas digestive system. It is too much sugar for their little bodies to process.

 

[Lyndzerz]

Thank you for your response. I was given SMZ-TMP. I don't have the critical care right now but I called a few places and a vet nearby has it and I can pick it up tomorrow. Since I posted Chilla does seem to have a bit more energy, he his scaling his cage like a crazy mountain climber. Another concern I forgot to mention in my previous post is that he has a little matting on his chin, but it could be because he was spitting out the antibiotics (I don't blame him), it seems a little sticky. I typically give him raisins as a special treat every so often but I wanted to see if he would eat that, which he did without a problem.

 

[Zoaea]

He is sick and on antibiotics so that is what would change his eating habits. They can stop eating enough and its hard to track hay. I would take out his wheel so that he conserves his energy until his antibiotics are done. Start weighing him daily. I also would clean his cage daily so you can track how much he is pooping from one to the next and also keep track that he is drinking water by watching the water level in his bottle. (btw don't freak out if he is only down a few grams, they can vary from day to day just by peeing or not before you measure them, you'd be looking for large losses over a few days).

The wetness under his chin is most likely from the meds, most antibiotics are sticky too. =S

 

[Lyndzerz]

Thanks for the response. He seems to be doing well. He gets energetic then calms down a bit and sleeps. He was eating earlier for a little while and drinking which seems like a good sign. I think I over researched and started freaking myself out and I am over analyzing every move he makes haha

 

[ticklechin]

I personally don't use sulfa drugs alone for URIs, IMO they are not strong enough alone to deal with URIs in chinchillas, I use baytril and TMS together for the synergistic effect they have together. Sounds like this was caught early so that is good.

 

[Lyndzerz]

I got him the Critical Care just to be on the safe side because he is eating but not much. I'm just a little confused about how to give it to him. Do I give him the entire serving size the package calls for or do I break that up into smaller feedings?

Also, what is Baytril? Is it something that needs to be prescribed by a vet?

 

[ticklechin]

Critical care is fed in 10-15ml feedings, a few hours apart at least 60ml a day. Baytril is a RX antibiotic.