This is upsetting.... teeth issues??

[Olallie]

hmm that's an interesting idea, i found a place here that sells oxbow pellets and I wanted to try it (its expensive tho) so maybe I will buy it and start putting a bowl of it in his cage to try.
Thanks for the info on the pumpkin! I would have never guessed, and I have alot of it!

 

[mishellyshel]

freeze it in ice cube trays, so you pop out one section at a time, as needed.

i know members here sell it, however i am sure the shipping to canada will be high.

what pellet do you currently use? and do you know of any members that live near you that may be able to share some with you to let you try it out.

 

[Olallie]

Oh I live in Vancouver BC, I am using alderpark chinchilla pellets. I don't believe there are any other people around here who use Oxbow...

 

[Olallie]

Needing some advice about burrito-ing. Darn Rosco eats a little bit by himself but wont eat the rest...

I looked at tab's thread, but I think its that i just dont want to hurt him or make him mad, he's such a sweet chin. Any adivice?

 

[Essentia]

You won't hurt him by burritoing him, though you will probably make him made. It just comes with the territory.

 

[ticklechin]

I don't burrito, I flip them on their backs and after squirming for a bit they calm down and I start feeding-that is even with my un-tame chin Lucifer.

 

[Essentia]

Edit on my post: Meant to say "mad" not "made".

 

[mishellyshel]

i did the buritto thing in the beginning and then switched to the sort of cape/swaddle/taco method, where i put the handtowel on their back like a cape and then fold in the bottom & sides like swaddling a baby or a taco or loose buritto.
if you do a search, i know that someone actually posted either pictures or a video of how to buritto. you also have to get the syringe in the right spot of their mouth so that the food stays in and not all over YOU!

 

[Olallie]

Yea, his arms stick straight out when i try to burrito, i think he knows whats going to happen when i even reach for the towel he squirms. I'll try all those methods and see which one works for him. I'm so worried, i can hear all this gurgling going on right after his massages, oh btw, the circling motion is from the chest down, not back up right? and is it alot of pressure or just a little?

 

[mishellyshel]

did you read this thread:

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6553

i believe it is detailed in the massage portion. try what you can. give the gas drops first.
the gurgling usually means they are hungry and their stomach is empty. at least that was my experience. it is better to do a lot of smaller feedings and it will get him used to being out and handfed.
as i said before, my richie just sits on my lap and eats. no handtowel, no napkin, just me and my buddy......chillin out. it took a while to get to that point.

 

[Olallie]

yea I did read that thread, it didn't really say specifically how to do the tummy massage.

he did eat a bunch of life line today, but then he quit half way. I'm seriously considering sub Q fluids, he does drink from his water bottle, but im concerned its not enough. He didnt drink as much as he usually does the last two days. I need a new water syringe anyway.

Today I'm going to try the pellet grind with pumpkin and see if that entices him to eat a little more.

It really hard to find time for all this when I work full time and go to school two nights a week. My husband has been taking him out during the day and trying to feed him along with giving meds. He doesn't seem to want to do much more like tummy massage or warm compress, but maybe i can pursuade him to...

 

[ticklechin]

The gurgling you are hearing is gas.

 

[Olallie]

Does that mean its dissapating or its just moving around the body?
His poops are small and hard today where as yesterday they had some gas bubbles in it.

 

[mishellyshel]

my vet said it was good to see the bubbles as that meant it was starting to pass thru.

keep on the cisapride and gas drops. and keep doing what you are doing. just make sure he eats to keep the gut moving and the massage should not be too hard but not too light either. i believe circular, rounding down to his tail end. also if you let him out for playtime, the moving around is supposed to help the gut move as well.

 

[Olallie]

Thanks for all the advice! It really helps my worrying habit.

 

[Claire D]

I have to second Dawn's comments on those xrays - it is a pity the vet did not take proper skull views so that you could see the tooth problems better.
However, from what I can see the roots are slightly elongated top & bottom. Another concern is how divergent they are (splayed out).

I think that if you can get your chin through the gas problems then I'd want further examination under anaesthetic & xrays of the skull. It is possible that your chin has a low pain threshold & that the roots are causing him pain so he is not eating.

 

[Olallie]

yea i figured as much, would trimming the molars help with the splaying?

 

[ticklechin]

It won't help with the "roots" but it may help with eating in general.

 

[Olallie]

I guess its worth a try. The doctor showed me an x-ray picture of a rabbit with similar overlapping, and they cut/trimmed the molars, and the tooth came down, im hoping it might be the case with Rosco.

 

[ticklechin]

Chin teeth are have open apex (root) and reserve crowns, the both ends of the teeth grow so trimming the crown does not stop the open apex from growing and it will not grow down.