Sneezy Chin

[Zyrie]

About a week ago, I moved my two chinchillas from my ex's house to my house. My ex had the flu, and tried to stay away from them as much as possible but I'm worried they may have caught something from him. Two nights ago, Tubby was a little sneezy when I let him out, but it only lasted a couple hours and then he was fine so I figured he'd gotten some dust in his nose or something. The next morning, Jambi started sneezing and sniffling and whining. The poor little guy seemed miserable I was hoping he would get over it quickly like Tubby had, and he seemed to get better yesterday afternoon, but now this morning he's sneezy again.

He's acting normal, eating drinking and pooing normally, he has no discharge from his nose or eyes. I don't hear him sheezing, and he's stopped the whining he was doing yesterday. He's still just sneezing a lot, usually 3 times in a row every few minutes.

About a week ago, also, I switched their bedding from aspen to white Carefresh because I had to go to petco for bedding instead of my usual feed store, and they seem to like Carefresh bedding better anyway so I figured I'd try it again. Neither of them have ever had a reaction to it before, but could that be causing it?

I know I should take him to the vet, but should I switch his bedding first and see if that fixes the problem? Will I take him in and pay hundreds of dollars for them to tell me to try switching the bedding? Or should I not wait and take him in right away?

Thanks

 

[tunes]

Respiratory issues in chins are not something you want to wait around on. A sneeze here or there would not be a big deal, but constant sneezing every few minutes is something that should be looked at. I would find it odd if they reacted negatively to the Carefresh, but with chins, you quickly learn anything is possible.

I personally would get them checked, especially since you said one seemed miserable. I'm more of the "better safe than sorry" mind set though.

 

[Zyrie]

*wheezing, not sheezing

 

[tunes]

If they are wheezing (not sneezing, correct?), they need to see a vet now, today. Pneumonia is extremely hard to treat in chins, and a lot of times that's what wheezing is a symptom of.

 

[Zyrie]

I'm not sure if my message is still being approved because I'm new, or if it didn't post.

Sorry for the miscommunication. In my first post, I said I don't hear him "sheezing", which was a type-o. I meant to say wheezing. So he's not wheezing, but he is sneezing.

He seems to be doing better in the last couple hours, the sneezing has slowed down. But now the other one has started in with the sneezing again! I'm going to call the vet in the morning to see if I can get one or both of them in.

Thanks!

 

[tunes]

It's because you're a new member. You have to post 5 posts before it will kick you out of the filter, just to be sure you're not a spammer or a porn site trying to hack your way in.

I agree. I'd see if you can get them into the vet. All that sneezing isn't normal.

 

[Chinmama]

I agree with going to the vet. The earlier you catch something in the lungs, the better!

 

[Zyrie]

They both seem to be doing better tonight. Still a few sneezes here and there, but not nearly as bad as they have been the last couple days. If they're doing even better tomorrow, should I forgo the vet visit to avoid stressing them out further, or still take them in? What do you guys think?

I'll probably call the vet in the morning anyway, but just wanted to see what you guys had to say.

 

[AZChins]

Sneezing and wheezing is a bad symptom in any chin. It may be a good idea to schedule an appointment and have them looked over by a good vet. I wouldn't think that an exam on the little guys would cost too much, they usually range in price from maybe $30 to $75.

 

[ann1]

Im still confused on whether it is sneezing or wheezing since you said sneezing numerous times in your original post then said you meant to say wheezing and then changed it again to sneezing.............


At any rate, a sneezing wheezing chin is a sick chin. A sick chin needs to see a vet. Chinnies dont handle sickness well and even if its notpneumonia yet doesnt mean it wont be in the morning.

I just went through it with one of my babies. We finally got the right med that did the trick but we had to try a couple different ones first with no luck which meant a couple vet visits.

Good luck................

 

[Zyrie]

I know, my original post and the following correction was a little confusing. I wish I could edit my posts, but I guess I'm still too new. I was correcting a type-o, but wasn't very clear about it.

They are sneezing a lot, but I have not heard any wheezing from either of them.

 

[Zyrie]

Just got back from the vet. She said their lungs sound clear, hearts sound great, she looked at their teeth and there are no problems there. She couldn't find anything specifically wrong with them, so she put them on antibiotics to be safe. She gave us baytril + orasweet, .1 ml 2x/day.

Of course, as soon as she came in the room they both stopped sneezing and started tearing the place apart so they looked like perfectly healthy active chins, and then she walks out and they crawl back into their carriers and sneeze. Silly chins.

Hoping we will start to see some improvement in the next couple days with the antibiotics. Thanks everyone for your help, and I'm definitely open to suggestions for what to do from here, I've never had to give antibiotics before!

Thanks!

 

[tunes]

When you give Baytril, you need to give a "chaser" to get the nasty taste out of their mouths, unless you had it compounded with something, which it sounds like the Orasweet did? I've not heard of that before, so I'm unsure. You can use a bite sized shredded wheat, a rose hip, a cheerio, or a little bit of critical care. Chins who take Baytril often times go off their feed, so you need to be careful to monitor that closely. It really upsets their stomachs and can cause huge feeding issues. Make sure they are eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping normally.

 

[alpayton]

When you give Baytril, you need to give a "chaser" to get the nasty taste out of their mouths, unless you had it compounded with something, which it sounds like the Orasweet did? I've not heard of that before, so I'm unsure. You can use a bite sized shredded wheat, a rose hip, a cheerio, or a little bit of critical care. Chins who take Baytril often times go off their feed, so you need to be careful to monitor that closely. It really upsets their stomachs and can cause huge feeding issues. Make sure they are eating, drinking, peeing, and pooping normally.

Ora-Sweet is usally used along with Ora-Plus, but can be used separately to "sweeten" an oral suspension/liquid medication or anything else really. These agents are widely used in pharmaceutical compounding.

Further Info

 

[Zyrie]

The orasweet is a sweetener for the baytril, but it doesn't seem to help much. I just gave them their first dose and they're both incredibly angry, wiping at their mouths trying to get the taste out. I think it's safe to say they're no longer speaking to me. They won't take rosehips, or hay, or food, or anything even though I'm telling them it will get the taste out of their mouths. They don't believe me. So for now they're just going to sulk and glare, I guess.

Thanks Tunes, I will keep an eye on their eating habits. They said they would call back in 2 weeks to see how they were doing, but I forgot to ask if I should give the antibiotics the whole 2 weeks. Is that a normal amount of time for a chin to be on antibiotics? I know not to stop when they start acting better because the infection may not be gone, but how long should I keep them on it? I'll probably call the vet tomorrow to clarify.

Thanks all!