Worried about Mitzie

[suzi1780]

Mitzie has been acting a little off today and I am getting worried. Earlier she was sleeping in the chin house without Maddie (this is odd) and just over all seemed more lethargic than normal. When I took them out for playtime, Mitzie sat on top of the chin maze and didn't run around as much as normal. I also noticed while she was out that her poo is half the size it noramly is. After I noticed this, I checked inside the house she had been sleeping in today and saw more small poops. I just gave them their evening hay and she did come down and eat some but is now back up in a tube sleeping while Maddie is munching away. Mitzie will be 1 year old this Feburary.

What should I be looking for? I have CC, lifeline and gas drops on hand and a vet I can go to but I don't want to jump the gun since her only symptoms are being somewhat lethargic and small poops. Thanks for any help

 

[Sugarmama]

How is her appetite, and what is her diet?

 

[Rebecca]

Do you weigh her, and if you do, have you noticed any decrease in her weight?

 

[suzi1780]

here is some pics of her poops and of her

 

[suzi1780]

they are on a mix of mazuri and panr, she is my fatty, she hasn't lost any weight that I can tell. I haven't taken her weight in a while, my scale crapped out on me. This just started today. I haven't seen her eat but I don't often see either of them eat their pellets

 

[Sugarmama]

She can have up to 3 droppersful of baby gas drops per day; you can't overdose on it. Giving her belly massages, gently from her rib cage down to her anus, will help expel any gas that may be in her intestines.

Is she grinding her teeth, or does she appear to be in pain? Any furslips or bite marks that would indicate a fight between the two chins? Have you observed her hopping, to make sure she can move properly?

 

[suzi1780]

well I just did a little test, she was at the top of her cage in a tube and I pulled out some chin cookies and she did jump up and come all the way down to the bottom of the cage for a piece

 

[suzi1780]

Is she grinding her teeth, or does she appear to be in pain? Any furslips or bite marks that would indicate a fight between the two chins? Have you observed her hopping, to make sure she can move properly?

I will go ahead and give her some drops, she doesn't seem to be in any pain, she is moving around fine and no marks or furslips

 

[Sugarmama]

I would give her the drops, and do some belly massage on her. Make sure she is drinking well also. Critical care would probably be a good idea, so that you know for sure she is eating, and keep that gut moving.

I think the lethargy would concern me more though, since she is having poo. Keep an eye on her, and if she gets worse consult your vet. It will be hard to get ahold of a vet tomorrow, except for an e-vet, since it's a holiday.

 

[suzi1780]

just gave her some drops and got a good pic of her teeth while I had her wrapped up for drops

 

[suzi1780]

thanks for the help everyone, I am going to mix up some cc right now

 

[Sugarmama]

How's Mitzi doing today?

 

[suzi1780]

I am stumped with this, she seems less lethargic today, I saw her run in her wheel and eat some pellets but her poops are worse! They are smaller today than yesturday. I had a rough time with the cc last night, my dropper didn't work very well to feed her and she was having none of it but tonight I mixed a paste of lifeline and cc and she ate it. I gave her a belly rub and gas drops as well. I will she if I can get a pic of her poops

 

[suzi1780]

okay on the left a normal chin poop and on the right the poops Mitzie is making

 

[Sugarmama]

Ok. Yeah, those poos are concerning me. Could be a couple of things.

One, dehydration. Is her water bottle working? You probably should syringe her some water soon. Put some paper towel in her cage, so you can make sure she's peeing.

Two, bloat. Is there mucus on that poo? She's almost definitely got some gas issues there. If your vet is available, I'd probably take her in tomorrow. If she's bloating its painful, and she'll need Metacam. Maybe some subcu fluids. Was she eating well on her own today?


ETA: here's Meanie's struggle with bloat. You may want to read up on that. If it's bloat, you have a fight on your hands.

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

ETA again: How much CC has she had today? I'm concerned that she doesn't have enough food going through her system. She's gonna need it regularly round the clock so her gut doesn't shut down.

 

[alli713]

Can you separate her from the other girl to check her intake of pellets and hay overnight? That way you could see for sure if she's eating much at all.

And if she's fighting the CC, you could try putting some in a dish for her to nibble on when you're not around. Some just hate being force fed.

 

[suzi1780]

Checked the water bottle, it is working fine. I have seen her eating pellets and hay today. I didn't get a lot of cc into her, she just really wasn't having it but when I mixed with lifeline she lapped it up off a spoon. I just forced feed her some water. Should I move her into a different cage? I just can't tell how much she is eating/drinking/peeping with Maddie in the same cage. Also should I keep giving her gas drops and how often? I have an e-vet not too far away so I can take her at anytime.

 

[tunes]

Yes, you should separate them. There's no way to know how she's doing if you can't tell whose poop is whose. Put her on paper towels as well, so you can monitor it carefully.

If there is even the remotest chance she's going into bloat, she needs to see a vet. You're going to need some prescription medicine, you'll need to give subcu fluids, and she will need CC several times throughout the day, at least 4 times spread out. She should be massaged throughout the day as well, more often than you give the critical care, but definitely after you feed her.

 

[Sugarmama]

She can have 3 droppersful of the baby gas drops a day--you can't overdose on it.

Is your regular vet available tomorrow? Is the e-vet chin experienced, and experienced with bloat in a chin?

 

[suzi1780]

the only thing I have to separate them at the moment is a cat carrier, will that be okay over night? I put paper towels down, I marked the water line on a water bottle so I could see how much she drinks and some pellets mixed with cc