Sick Chin, suspecting Malo

Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum

Help Support Chinchilla & Hedgehog Pet Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

toyszruskid

New member
Joined
Jun 13, 2015
Messages
1
Hi all,

I'm going through a difficult time right now and just need to voice my concerns and frustrations with a group who will understand. A bit of background: I very recently rescued a chin from craigslist who is approximately 4 years old according to the previous owners. He started drooling yesterday in addition to acting a bit lethargic, so I took him to the vet this morning. I suspected malo based on his symptoms but unfortunately the "exotic" vet didn't know much about this condition. His back molars were overgrown which he filed down, but when I suggested a head x-ray to determine if it was worth treating or chronic, he seemed put off by the idea. He asked me if I just wanted to euthanize the chinchilla instead of trying to nurse him back to health - which obviously my answer was no unless it was beyond treatable. He didn't seem keen on the idea and being as upset as I was I didn't push it, though I regret not doing so now. He gave me critical care and sulfa/trimeth for antibiotics. My little chin is worse off now than he was before I brought him in - he's hunched in a corner, barely moving and I just don't know what to do. The vet is closed until Monday, his body language tells me he's in pain and I feel like I just made everything worse. Is there anything I can do for him? :(
 
Is there perhaps another vet you can take him to? It doesn't sound like that vet knows much about chinchillas (or rabbits and guinea pigs since they can suffer from malo too). Without an x-ray you can't tell if there is any root involvement or not. Without knowing if the roots have elongated it's hard to know what the best course of action is. Malo is not cureable, but you can sometimes get by for awhile (months to years) with regular filing if the roots aren't bad before they need to be put down. The only real risk with taking x-rays is the anesthesia, but if he had his teeth filed I don't understand why they couldn't have just done it while he was out for that.

I don't know about that antibiotic, but I know some antibiotics when given to chins they should be given with a probiotic a few hours later, and sometimes an appetite stimulant as well. It does sounds like he is in pain, and dental work can be painful, did they give you any painkillers? If not even an emergency vet should be able to prescribe some pain meds to get you through the weekend.
 
Back
Top