Skinny chinchilla, I can feel her bones. What's wrong?

[ticklechin]

Looking at the pics he looks good is his face expression and posturing, how is the breathing this morning?

 

[Laurie]

He is quite adorable! Listen closely to him breathe and make sure you don't hear any wheezing--if you hear that it means the medicine is not working.

Unfortunately I'm sure the vet will charge you for the return visit as they are in business to make money.

What the vet said about the baytril is true--it does stunt the growth of young chins and should never be given to a chinchilla who is pregnant if it can be helped. Baytril when taken orally--through the mouth--can mess up the chinchillas appetitie and cause them not to want to eat, however it can be given via an injection and this does not disrupt their eating or appetite as much.

Keep doing what you're doing and listen to his breathing for those signs of wheezing, and check him for stretching and rubbing his belly on the cage floor--if you see him do this he needs to get to the vet again right away as this is a sign of bloat and is not good.

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

Yes, Baytril can stunt the growth but that is better than a dead chin. I disagree, I think the chin should have been put on baytril. I had a nine week old chin with URI. He was put on baytril (drops) Thank God. Because the URI got worse before it got better - it went into his ears. I hand feed him for 2 weeks before I felt that he probably was going to make it. It was 3 weeks before I knew he was going to make it. I strongly believe if he wasn't on the 'big guns' he would have never made it

 

[Laurie]

I do agree Baytril should have been given, but her question was about the baytril on young chins as the vet said it was not good for them. I had a chinchilla with a URI while pregnant she was given Baytril because of the severity of her URI and while she survived she had 3 premature kits. They all died, but had they lived there is no telling what might have happened to them health wise. As cruel as this sounds I am glad my Abigail survived, I cared more for her than any babies she had.

 

[Marshmallowcloudbeanie]

His breathing is ok. No wheezing or signs of bloat. His nostrils are alittle wet sometimes,but no longer runny. He must like the CC and medicine because he doesn't even struggle when we give it. He occasionally eats a few pellets,and doesn't drink much water(we are calling about that today) and he has been laying down and sleeping a lot. It's quite amusing actually because one of my guinea pigs (Gandalf) when put on the bed immediately goes to Yuki's cage and starts rattling on it how a chinchilla does and looking up at in admiration. Lol!

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

as for not drinking a lot when you are giving CC - that is normal. He is getting a lot of water for a chin in the CC since you mix it with water

 

[Marshmallowcloudbeanie]

whew!

I was worried for a second! Well thank you

 

[ticklechin]

4 months old, that is most likely why he did not prescribe baytril, chin is still growing and baytril can effect growth and kill off the still populating bacteria in the digestive tract from what I was told since I don't do kits. Your only choice IMO is the TMS. Keep the chin fed and hydrated, give him the TMS as prescribed and hope for the best, it sounds like it was caught early but be prepared for the worst. I am sending healing thoughts to your chin, keep us updated on the progress and if you have any questions don't hesitate to call Dr. Nakamura and ask for his voice mail, he always returns calls.

I actually told the OP already why the baytril was not used by my vet.

 

[RDZCRanch]

I disagree that baytril should have been used. If baytril had been prescribed for a suspected URI (fortunately a runny nose does not equal a URI) everyone would be talking about the vet being incompetent for prescribing such a hard hitting drug to a young chinchilla with no confirmation of an actual URI. Maybe it's because I'm a breeder and I know how chins grow, but stunting bone growth should be a major concern for anyone with a young animal. It doesn't stunt overall growth...it stunts BONE growth. This can cause serious health issues in the future and even shortened lifespans. This should only ever be a LAST resort for a young chinchilla.

Obviously the TMS is working so the vet made the right call based on his/her assessment of the chinchilla.

 

[mishellyshel]

Yuki is adorable! I just love his pink nose. Sounds like you guys are doing a good job.

after you handfeed him, you can take a moist paper towel or washcloth and wipe under his chin to get the CC residue off. when i am handfeeding a chin, i like to add some baby gas drops the first few days to make sure that any air that is getting in from the syringe has some help coming out. i also like to open up a probiotic pill and sprinkle on it in the mix. The TMS is much easier on their digestive tract but it is still an antibiotic so giving a probiotic at one of the feedings between giving meds isnt going to hurt.

keep us posted.

 

[ticklechin]

I did not want to ask in the memorial section, but have you told the vet you have several chinchillas and since what is going on illness wise there seems to be contageous that should you premedicate your existing chinchillas with a antibiotic? I am sorry for your losses but I am worried about your other chinchillas.