Teeny chin?

[Mummypig]

Miles away from anywhere in Torquay! Lol! Spoke to my vet nurse cousin tonight & she thinks it's not dental..... I'm no expert but..... I'm not convinced. And now I'm panicking cos we have to go away next week for 4 nights ARGH!!!

 

[Claire D]

She is very young for it to be dental (but it is not unheard of) - when you say she leaves a mess, what does it look like? Is it crumbled pellets?

If I were in your shoes I would ask your vet to test a fresh stool sample for giardia to rule that out.

 

[Mummypig]

looks like she has crumbled some- it's not powdery though, and there are some bits of pellets that she's dropped, I'm comparing to Poppy who never leaves a crumb of ANYTHING! I'll definitely get the poo test done, what would I do without you Claire?! X

 

[Claire D]

She may well be messing about because it's not Charlie Chin - in the same way a kid prefers sweeties to eating a healthy diet.
Its hard but if she is maintaining & gaining weight then she's obviously eating enough by herself - hopefully its just her being fussy but the stool tests are worth doing anyway.

Fingers crossed.

 

[Mummypig]

I've come home from working the night shift to a really grim looking chinchilla today. My hubby rang me at work last night to tell me Jasmine was very cold, so he pushed her up against a radiator. When I came home she was indeed very cold, and huddled under her fleecy blanket. I syringe fed her first dose of CC and then weighed her and she's DROPPED another 7g in weight since wednesday, so that takes her below 218g for a 4 month old chinchilla (my 5 month old weighs 465g

I rang my vet and she's told us to bring her straight down, she's going to put her under and xray her, have a proper look and get a second opinion from one of the other vets in the practice.

I'm just hoping that Jasmine pulls through the GA.....

 

[Claire D]

I am sorry to read this today.

From your description it sounds like Jasmine is a very poorly little girly. I really am sorry - it is often difficult to know what is going on in these little furries & at times, despite everything, they deteriorate so quickly. Kits & young chins can have problems which are not immediately apparent.

 

[Megan]

Just wanted to say I am sorry about Jasmine. I am hoping the vet can point out whats wrong with her. Sounds like there is def. something going on with her.

 

[ticklechin]

I would ask for a untrasound of the digestive tract to rule out tumors or a defect there, fingers crossed for Jasmine.

 

[Mummypig]

Thank you for the support everyone. I'm really emotional about it- in the short while we've had her she has captured our hearts. I'm still waiting for the vet to ring, she's been there for 6 hours and I haven't been able to sleep :0( will let you know what I hear.

 

[Mummypig]

So after a day of poking and prodding, general anaesthetic and xrays we can conclude that miss Jasmine's teeth are hunky dory. There is fluid on the lung and my vet emailed a chinchilla specialist (sorry, don't know who- this is according to husband who didn't ask any where near the ammount of questions I would have) all of the pictures and he is apparently happy we start her on 2 weeks of Baytril. I'm a bit worried as I've heard that chins have been known to stop eating on baytril but we will cross that bridge as and when xx

 

[Claire D]

Poor Jasmine - have they given you an actual diagnosis?

With the Baytril it is worth seeing if you can get it in injectable form. Usually it is not recommended for chins under 6 months but I think, considering her size & the fact that she has fluid on the lung, it is sensible to try.
Injectable Baytril does not affect the gut, the penetration will be better, & you should be able to give it without too much difficulty - I will not go on because I'd be teaching you to suck eggs.

You're in for a rollercoaster with this little one I'm afraid & chest problems in chins can be hard to beat - she is going to need lots of TLC & warmth.
Again, I know you know this but warmth, fluids, syringe feeding - if she starts to have difficulty breathing then I'd be straight back to the vets.

I wish you & Jasmine all the very best - please keep us posted on her progress.

 

[Mummypig]

No actual diagnosis as such (this is the problem when you send husband to the vets!) I would have asked whether there was a consolidation or pleural effusion, I would have asked about chest sounds and air entry.... But Mr Daddypig doesn't think like me (despite being medical too!) I will ask about the injectible formula, I said that to Hubby when he came home actually. Do you think they'd be ok with me doing injection (I'm fine with it- used to working with poorly human babies and injecting them so as long as I'm shown the ropes i can't imagine it being much different) if they're not ok with it my cousin would be happy to do it (she's the vet nurse and ex chinchilla breeder) I just hope we can do all we can to give the little poppet the best chance. As I left for work she was digging into her pellets (laced with vitamins and probiotics).

 

[Claire D]

Is she showing any signs of breathlessness or any wheezing?


I would have thought that they should let you inject - it would be much better for Jasmine considering how poorly she is just now. I'd tell them you can't risk her going off her food on the oral & you want to give her the best chance with better penetration etc.
Baytril is a hard hitter &, as I said above, not normally used on kits under 6 months but I suspect it is Jasmine's best chance if the vets think she has pneumonia or some other form of chest infection.



Lots of fingers & paws crossed here at Monty's Manor for little Jasmine.

 

[menagerie]

Injecting chins is easier than injecting humans as it's done subcutaneously. If you can inject a baby, I'm sure you'll be fine injecting a chin.

 

[Mummypig]

Is she showing any signs of breathlessness or any wheezing?
QUOTE]

Nope, I stuck my ear up to her mouth and couldnt hear anything and she doesnt look like she's breathing hard. She's still resonably active and very nosey!

Do you know, off the top of your head, if metacam interferres with chest problems? I only ask because NSAIDS in people can exacerbate breathing problems and J is on metacam as well. I'm very much overthinking this... LOL!!

I'll ask the vet about the sub cut stuff - I think that will be the way to go. :thumbsup: Thank you to all at Monty's Manor for the thoughts and well wishes :hug2:

 

[Claire D]

How are you all getting on? Is she still perky & eating & drinking ok?

I've not come across Metacam causing difficulties with breathing TBH.

 

[Mummypig]

Well its all a bit rubbish really. She's starting to get a bit tired now - chins cant half compensate can they?! On a positive note she had eaten ALL of her pellets by the time I came home from work this morning! And the kit mix was pretty much all gone too. I've got some CC into her at 1pm (taking the care over from Daddypig when I woke up from my sleep) and I'm about to do another batch. She's nibbled a bit of hay this morning and had a couple more pellets when I refilled the bowl this morning. I havent seen her drinking yet today though, but I have been asleep all morning and now I'm running after 3 children and 2 furballs.

I'm so worried that Poppy will get this too - they are separate but the children run from one cage to another, and respiritory stuff is airborne isnt it? The vet wasnt happy to give me prophylactic abx for Poppy as she's asymptomatic and gaining weight like a good-un (up 30g in 2 weeks - taking her to a stonking 491g at 5 months) But I'm going to keep a very vigilant eye on her and if I think she's off her food or if there's the slightest weight loss she'll be frog-marched to the doctor!!

Sadly, I'm not entirely hopeful for Miss Jasmine, but then I am a complete pessimist! I let her have a bath earlier as she was looking very raggy so she's puffed up a bit more now and is looking a bit more like my little lady. Geez, this is really emotional though. I feel I'm about to burst into tears at any moment..... too late :cry3:

 

[Claire D]

Did you manage to get injectable Baytril for Jasmine?
If not & she is still on oral you will need a good probiotic to give her around 4 hours after the Baytril - Baytril will strip all the bacteria out of the gut which can affect their digestion - you can mix some into her Critical Care if you're feeding her.


This is going to be a rollercoaster for you all - Jasmine while she battles the infection & you while you watch her go up & down. Hang in there - you're doing everything you can for her just now.

 

[Mummypig]

No not yet, still on oral but as she's eating I'm not in a blind panic and I really want to talk to the vet she's been seeing, obviously if she stops eating I'll see the duty vet. She is on a probiotic, I've been sprinkling it over her food and hay - she likes the taste! That's really good advice about putting it in CC - I'll definitely do that. I've also been giving it to Poppy, just in case & they've both got vitamins in their water. I hope I'm doing all I can for her, I don't want to look back and think I wish i'd done more. I've had her on my chest for ages today and I've set up camp next to her cage all day. She's nice and warm now so that's something.

 

[Claire D]

How is Jasmine doing today?