Advice about a newly-purchased baby chin passing away after 2 weeks

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Nezhka

Well-known member
Joined
Feb 1, 2009
Messages
66
Location
Twin Cities, MN
Hi folks,
At this time I do not want to share the breeder's information.

I purchased two baby brothers on Jan 4 at roughly 3 months old. Their fecal test, that I submitted a week after I got them, showed 3-10 giardia cysts per field (which I've been told is a lot). They had no contact with my other chins, who are housed in a room on a different floor of my house.

One of the brothers began exhibiting lethargy on the 17th. I took them both to the vet on the 18th. One of them passed away on the 19th. I've submitted his remains for necropsy and am waiting on the results.

My problem is this. I told the breeder right away and they immediately started blaming me. They did not offer a refund or replacement animal, but instead continually questioned my competence as a care giver. Over the course of the next couple of days I decided to do to the necropsy, and told them after the remains were submitted. Then they begrudgingly offered a refund or replacement animal "only if the necropsy showed that death was caused by giardia or an anatomical defect."

I have owned chins for over 12 years and I know how to take care of them. I currently have two 13+ year old chins, which I think speaks volumes to my ability to house and care for them.

They seemed to be a reputable breeder (with a website showing lots of ribbons and high-quality looking animals). I don't want to trash their reputation unjustly. However, it breaks my heart every time I see the surviving little boy, not knowing if he's going to be alive the next time I wake up since his brother passed so quickly. I've spent so much money and energy that I should not have had to spend because they sold me sick babies.

What should I do? The breeder belongs to both ECBC and MCBA.

Thanks for listening <3
 
Did you sign a contract or anything with a health guarantee? I know it sounds horrible to lower chins down to "products" you bought, but unfortunately in most places that is how the law sees them. Without a health guarantee there is really not much you can do or that the breeder is legally responsible for. It sounds fair that they will only give you a refund if you can prove it was not your fault.

I'm not blaming you, just curious, is it possible the chins got giardia after you got them? (I don't know how quickly chins show symptoms from it, in humans it looks like it takes a week or more, but chins aren't humans) Do you give them tap water or purified water? Do you know if the breeder uses tap water? Also do you know if any of the breeder's other chins are sick? Tap water can have giardia cysts in it, the amount deemed safe for humans is still much higher then what is safe for chins. Even if you use tap water with your other chins without issue, you are looking at adults vs kits. A kit will get sick and die faster and from less cysts in the water then an adult.

If you can prove they got giardia before you got them, then I think you should speak up, give a review or something about the breeder to warn others. If however they own up to selling sick chins and make an effort to make it right, then I think you should let it go, bad things happen.
 
The results came back (the freezing artifacts were because he was frozen):

Histopathology:
Liver: There was masked freezing/thawed artifacts. There was thrombi and leukocytic infiltration replacing vascular and hepatic tissue.
Brain, lungs, heart, kidneys: There was masked freezing/thawed artifacts.
Bacteriology : Actinobacillus sp. was cultured from the liver.
Parasitology: Giardia and Cryptosporidium sp. were detected on parasitological examination.
Diagnosis:
Liver: Hepatitis, portal-phlebitis, suppurative, necrotizing with thrombosis.

Comments: The cause of death of this chinchilla was most likely an acute hepatitis and sepsis. Actinobacillus sp. was cultured from the liver.
There was no evidence of congenital malformation, neoplasia or trauma.
 
Did you buy the chinchillas from King Chinchilla? I almost bought from him and then I saw things online about tragic deaths after them and the guy blaming them and offered no refund or a new chinchilla
 
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