Terrified! I think my new little chin is sick...please read--

[FL415]

We just got her on Monday and she seemed perfectly healthy. Over the past 1-2 days, her poo has been smaller and seems to have a brown mucus on some of them, sometimes small pieces of stool clumped together by it. Sometimes there would be normal poo, though, so I thought it might just be stress or a change in diet.

Last night I changed her Carefresh bedding to Aspen shavings because she was eating her Carefresh and I was worried about impaction. She then proceeded to feast on the Aspen shavings last night and seemed uninterested in hay.

Tonight, she stopped eating hay (but will eat an oat/raisin--I know it's not good to feed her but I wanted to make sure she'd eat SOMETHING if offered), and has become very lethargic which I know to be a red flag. There's no discharge around the eyes or nose, but I do hear a clicking sound when she breathes that seems to be coming out of her mouth. Her breathing looks to me to be labored, but it may be that I'm hyper-paranoid.

She's a very good drinker but hasn't drank in the past few hours.

I know it's critical to take her to the vet ASAP, but I called around and no exotic pet specialists are available until the morning. I have an appointment in the AM and will rush there.

In the meantime, I'm not sure what to do. I know firsthand that chinchillas go downhill extremely quickly, and I'm not sure if this is a URI (clicky/labored breathing), a GI issue (mucus-y/small poo) caused by Carefresh impaction or a parasite/infection, or what. Do these collection of symptoms ring a bell to anyone?

I'm praying she is still in salvageable health by morning when she can see the exotic vet specialist. Please send prayers her way :-(, and let me know if you have any feedback, advice, or experience with this.

 

[tunes]

It sounds like you have a couple different things going on. The poop could be Giardia. The clicking could be a URI. There's just no way to know without a proper vet diagnosis. I will tell you, lethargy is the kiss of death in a chin. If she is already lethargic, she may not make it until morning. I am not saying that to be mean, but so that you can be prepared.

Are you sure there are no E-vets anywhere around that can see her tonight? Maybe if you give us a roundabout location we can help you find one.

 

[FL415]

Thanks so much for your two cents. Re: lethargy--I know; that's why I'm already sobbing, convinced that she's soon to be gone. Once I turned off the lights I hear her rustling around more though, and I think I heard her drink, but I know I shouldn't get too hopeful.

I've never used an e-vet before; I just looked it up and the site seems to be down? I'm located in Brooklyn/NYC area. I'm heading to the Center for Avian and Exotic Animals tomorrow morning for what's hopefully the best medical attention for my little Minnie.

 

[FL415]

Minnie's at the vet now...she's congested, so she definitely has a URI that may have progressed to a lower respiratory infection/pneumonia, but they can't be sure until taking x-rays, for which she isn't stable enough to go through right now. She was way, way worse this morning than she was last night--barely able to move and having trouble breathing. I almost just wanted to keep her here so she could pass away at home in comfort, but they gave her pain meds so I'm glad we took her.

We're moving forward with emergency treatment, but the prognosis isn't looking good. She still isn't sitting up and is breathing very rapidly. The vet said it's very very unlikely that she'll recover at this point.

I am so, so sad. This is the second time this has happened, and it's probably my fault from getting our second chinchilla from a pet store again when I had so much trouble finding a breeder nearby. I just figured it was a fluke and that most pet store chins can't all be sick, but it looks like that's the case. I don't think I'm going to be able to have another chinchilla; there's no way I can handle this again. :-(

 

[Encantadora]

Keep us posted. I know you're scared for her. Sick chins are tricky and you could use emotional support if nothing else.

 

[Lirana]

I hope Minnie is doing better. I've had Mochi for 3 days now and I would be just as distraught as you if I were in your situation.

This next part might sound slightly insensitive and that is not my intent. Just trying to be pragmatic. That being said, I also got my chinchilla from a Pet Store (PetSmart), and they have a 14 day guarantee as do most larger pet stores. Does the store you got her from have a similar policy? I know getting a replacement pet or getting your money back in no way makes up for what is happening to you both right now, but it might be worth looking in to.

 

[FL415]

We had to put her down last night. I know I only had her a week, but I am devastated. She was such a sweet girl and deserved a longer life. RIP Minnie.

 

[Lirana]

I'm really sorry to hear about Minnie.

 

[momenteller]

So so sorry for your loss.

If you do ever feel you can let a chin into your heart again, please post on here. Maybe forum members could direct you to the closest breeder.

 

[JaneNJoeyChin]

I am so, so sorry you lost your Minnie. Hugs hugs hugs. I can't imagine going through that. I would've been so scared. You were so brave to bring her to the vet ASAP and make the difficult choice to put her down. I got my newest chin from a store and he came w Giardia, very thin and tiny. We were very extremely lucky for him to get better. It was 50/50. I want to thank you for sharing your story and putting it into perspective for me just how lucky I was. I hope you get another chinchilla soon. You seem like a great chinparent!