sick chin

[mustangchins]

I have a 2.5 yr old male that seems to be sneezing and conjested sound when he breaths..really scared here never had one sick..its almost 10p and i dont have a 24hr vet what can i do to help him..please help thanks.

 

[tunes]

Not much, until he sees a vet. He's most likely going to need antibiotics.

You can try steaming up your bathroom real well, then turning the water off, and talking him in to see if it helps his breathing.

Where in Ohio are you? Someone here may have a vet in your area. Respiratory issues go down hill really, really fast. It's not really something that can wait until morning, especially if you can hear him breathing abnormally.

 

[mustangchins]

southeastern ohio..we found a vet hospital open in WV 30min away but they havent delt with chinchillas before and my vet isnt in until thursday we r checking to see if the vet would even see him before taking him down

 

[mustangchins]

ok ..we got nut nut into vet at emergency hospital he gave him an antibiotic and told us the this was an URI and maybe we caught it in time to keep from losing him good grief i hope so..i dont think i can handle losing him..he said we should see improvement by thursday if not friday..our vet will be out for a convention but will still check with her in morning..goin to sleep by cage tonight so i can keep eye on him...

 

[Essentia]

What antibiotic did the vet give you?

 

[mustangchins]

The vet gave me Baytril.. we r hoping that since we caught it tonight when he started that we might have a fighting chance now..he seems still pretty active and is eating but have noticed he wants held more..more then usual..

 

[mustangchins]

got ahold of our regular vet for the chins and she is goin to see nut nut and the other 2 tomorrow and will give me enough meds for all 3..she seems to think we caught it in time since there is no discharge from eyes and nose and seems more like the beginning of a cold or URI will know more tomorrow..thanks for all ur help

 

[Claire D]

Do you have probiotics to give your chin? He will need some to re-balance the "good" bacteria in the gut.

 

[mustangchins]

Nut Nut seems to be not sneezing today but still a little rattle when he breaths..he ate for me and drank on Thur. after getting home from vet but I dont think he ate yesterday and I saw him drink today. Vet said if he stopped eating to let her know and she will get something for him. All he seems to do is sleep I dont know if this is normal or not I know with humans we do when we are sick. If anyone can help me that would be great..We live out in no-mans land and getting supplies is hard i crushed up his food to a powder and added a little banana baby food to it and some water and gave it to him in a syringe. I dont want to lose him ...please help..

 

[Parkerspetchins]

If the antibiotic was Baytril it can make a chin lose their appetite so handfeeding is critical. Critical Care is the best source of nutrition for sick chins who need to be handfed but crushing up their own pellets is good in a pinch too (be careful about adding too much fruit to a chin's food because they cannot process sugar). You can get some CC shipped directly to you via Priority mail from Menagerie on this forum. She has it available. I have never had a chin with a URI but I have read that sometimes it takes two rounds of antibiotics to completely get rid of the infection. If your chin is still wheezing then I would recommend getting a second course of antibiotics or asking for a stronger one depending on what you were given initially. You need to be sure to get food into your chin so he/she doesn't go into gut stasis which can be as big of a problem as the initial infection. Syringe feeding CC or crushed pellets several times a day is the only way to keep your chinnie from stasis. Monitor your chin's output and make sure it is normal and there is a good quantity.

 

[mustangchins]

Nut Nut is still on his meds she gave me a 10day dose..I did crush up his food and mixed it with just little bit of baby food and added little water to it so i could get it in him..its not been yet a week with the virus but the sneezing has stopped the breathing is better but still u can see he is still not well yet..

 

[mishellyshel]

instead of bannana try using baby food squash. less sugar.

 

[mustangchins]

ok i will pick some up tomorrow..so does this sound ok to do my vet suggested it first before coming to her. so just grind up his food and add baby squash to it and a little water put in syringe ok..vet suggested applesauce or bananas (baby food) his fur around his mouth is horrible..lol..he is white around there and then adding the food to it he looks kind of like a leprechaun..if anything else I can do please let me know

 

[Parkerspetchins]

Critical Care would be much more beneficial to him (maybe your vet has it on hand?) but as I said, in a pinch grinding the pellets, adding a little something that you choose for taste (just a little especially if it is fruit - personally I add a tiny amount of unsweetened apple juice to the mix) and water and syringe feeding that is better than nothing at all. You have to keep his gut moving. I am assuming that the vet will want to recheck your chinchilla after the dose is complete, it is a good idea to make sure the infection is entirely gone.

 

[mustangchins]

Well Nut Nut seems to be better he is drinking water on his own and seems to like the food i mixed up for him, his pellets, baby squash and a little water so i can get in syringe and he seems to like it i dont have to do to much but let him lick it off..and yes I will have a check up with vet after the 10days of meds..so he isnt sneezing and his conjestion seems better and he is more active and i did see some poop pellets in his cage..so thats a plus..if any other ideas let me know..thanks all..