Fighting after a vet visit

So this morning I took Muffin to the vet for a checkup, she's been gradually losing weight, from 720g in 2013 to 612g now, they didn't find anything, did full bloodwork, X-ray, skull X-rays and ultrasound, everything came back normal. Which is good but not so good, the vet suggested that I put more water bottles ( because the blood test showed that she was a little dehydrated)
and give her more pellets and see if her weights become steady. Since she looked healthy and lively physically.

Anyway, the whole trip took about 3 hrs or so, I took Muffin back home, put her back in, she immediately went to Toffee wanting some cuddles and love, but toffee kacked at her and sprayed, I gave them both a dust bath immediately, then one went upstairs while the other stayed down.
After a little while Muffin went down to find toffee again, and toffee was full on chasing her, fur flying, luckily no blood was drawn.

I have separated them and put Toffee in a temp cage next to Muffin.
I hate myself for not taking both of them to the vet.

How should I reintroduce them, I start neutral area playtime tmr, let Muffin rest a bit first.
Is it likely that they can be best buds again? They used to be inseparable.
I'm so sad

It's most likely the smell. Take shavings or bedding or whatever from the cage and rub it all over Muffin. Put vanilla food flavoring, just a dab, on the top of Toffee's nose and at the base of Muffin's tail then try putting them together again, sticking by closely just in case. Also, trim back Toffee's whisker's so they are really short. Let us know how it goes.

Thanks Tunes, I'll go get some vanilla flavouring and try out tonight, should this be done in a neutral playground or can I just put them both back into the cage?
poor toffee, she hates lliving in the small temp cage, I was watching her till 4am thru the web cam from my bed, she was trying to get out all night.
and Muffin misses her, she's always looking at toffee from her cage.

Didn't go too well tonight, I didn't use the vanilla cause toffees nose was a bit red from her trying to get out of the carrier last night. She kept on sticking her nose out of the air hole.

So I rubbed muffin in bedding, then bought them to a neutral playground, put the shared dust bath inside, I was inside, bought both of them in, it seemed ok at first, they sniffed and backed up a bit and sniffed again, then went to do their thing.
Then they met up again and sniffed and suddenly one of them kacked, I couldn't tell which one, then both of them were running so fast it was hard for me to break it apart, no fur flying or blood luckily, but they were both clearly terrified.
Muffin backed herself up into the dust bath, when Toffee went near, she got really really defensive and stood on hind legs ready to spray.

I thought that was enough for the night before anything worst happens, so Toffees back in the temp cage for now. And muffins terrified and hiding in her house.
I hate myself for not taking them both to the vet, really really regret it, they were really bonded before, did everything together. Now they might have to be apart forever.
I would have the patience to try and try, but I don't like it that I am terrifying them by forcing them to try and be friends again.
Can I try the car ride method, can they fight inside the carrier if toffee hates muffin that much? If they started fighting, it would turn bad in such a small enclosed area.

And for now, should Toffees cage still be beside Muffins or should I completely move them away from each other.
I try the vanilla next week, give them some time to forget and forgive.
Worst scenario, I close off the top level of the cage and they can have a level each.

I have had the best luck with putting them in a cat carrier and driving around for 10-15 minutes or so, then just leaving them in the carrier for an hour or so. I would bring someone with you to either drive or keep an eye on them in case they start fighting, but usually they are too concerned with what's going on to fight and will seek each other for comfort.

Should I dab their noses and tails with vanilla then take them for a car ride?
What happens after you take them home? Cause they use to live together, is it safe to put them back together?

I never used vanilla. When I get them home I let them sit in the carrier for awhile. I usually use that time to clean the cage really well and rearrange it so that it is all new to both of them. Then let them in the new cage together with a fresh dust bath and keep an eye on them.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What were your chins reaction when they met up in tHe carrier? Stacie? Were the chins you introduced totally new to each other? Did you do cage by cage, playtime prior to the car ride.
What happened when you introduced them to their new home? Did they just stay calm or was there still a lot of sniffing and mounting?
I'm sorry for all the questions, I just want it to go smooth and stress free for them, and hopefully reunite them.
I'm so worried that they start fighting and things could get bad in such a small area.

Toffees cage is still besides Muffins, I am going to swap cages every night and let them get use to their smells for an hour or so, hopefully bring back memories that they use to cuddle and stuff.
Muffin has a revisit to the vet next month, so hopefully by then, I can take them both out to the vet and the car ride, and go from there.

As I'm sure you know, chins are very much individuals so the reactions you get may be very different from mine. In my most recent introduction using this method, I was pairing a bonded pair with a single. I did not do side by side, playtime, etc before the carrier. When I put them in, they all immediately huddled together.

When they went into the new cage, they were all more intent on exploring. After they had gotten more accustomed to the new cages, there was a little bit of humping but that's it. These chins in particular are all very mellow and laid back.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you Stacie for your help, Toffee has been eating less since I moved her into the temp cage, all she wanted was to get out, it's quite upsetting to see.
So I am going to block off the hole in the middle of their cage and let them live on a level each, and I am planning to alternate them between levels each day, so they both get to use the wheel on alternate days, and also to get accustomed to each other's smell.
Then on Muffins revisit to the vet next month on the 12th, I will take them both in the carrier and go for long ride, then when I come home, wipe the cage down and reopen the whole cage for them.
Does that sound ok?

I don't have time to go for car rides and bleach a cage every time I want to do a re-intro. I trim whiskers, roll them in dirty shavings, and put them together. If that doesn't work, I do the cage within a cage for a day and that usually finishes it off. The vanilla just helps block out the smell of strangeness, which coming from the vet is usually pretty strong.

Thank you Tunes for the advice, I will remember it if I have to take it to that step, trimming whiskers to me while it won't hurt the chin physically, I think they might feel upset inside, and cage in cage method is quite stressful too, while the success rate is high, the chin stuck inside the small cage must be terrified.
But if After I go thru my slow intros, and it still doesn't work, I might have to resort to the more aggressive intro methods.

At the moment, I have blocked off their cage into top and bottom, swapped them each day to let them get accustomed to each other's scents.
And my hubby and I, holding a chin each, we had them about a few inches apart, and let them smell each other's butt and had them back touching back while we were holding them.
They did not seem aggressive at all.
I am planning a joint playtime this weekend, hope all goes well. Fingers crossed. Followed by a car trip if all goes well.
My adrenaline just rushes when I see them interact, intros make me so nervous, I'm always scared I am not fast enough to break a fight if it happens.

I hope things get back to normal, I just want to re introduce them in the least stressful way possible.

Good luck with your re-intro. Please keep us posted. I'm especially interested in your experience because I'm afraid to try the more aggressive intro methods too. I'm hoping the best for you! Your success story might inspire me to try with my chins

Gumby and Elmo - The chins don't care at all about getting their whiskers trimmed other than while you are doing it. The only thing it has done is remove the aggression from the one who was attacking other chins. They honestly don't care.

I assume, since you went to the vet, that you are familiar with using a carrier. You know what chins do in small carriers? They sleep. When I put a small cage in a large cage, the chin in the cage goes to sleep. The other chin jumps on top and he/she goes to sleep too. You aren't traumatizing them for life by doing either of these things. These are not aggressive intro methods. Smooshing them in the same small cage is aggressive. I have used these methods for my chins for the past 13 years with no bad results.

Also, I think you'll find the more you mess with them, the longer you let this drag on, the less chance you have of getting them back together. Every time they interact badly another bad memory is built in. You're going to have to either get them together or you may have to resign yourself to them living apart.

Hi everyone, just an update on my girls re intro, ThEY ARE Friends again!!!
I dabbed some vanilla on them and took them out for a car ride.
Scrubbed their cage real good when I got home and set a dust bath inside.
Muffin obviously still remembers the incident cause she refused to get into the bath with toffee, she actually waited until toffee finished before she jumped in.
Then as toffee approached her, she cornered herself and sprayed, toffee backed off, Muffin looked really scared, she just stood at the corner of the cage and froze.
Toffee approached her for the second time, and got sprayed again, mind you she shared the pee with me too.
Weird thing was, Toffee was the aggressor but she did not seem aggressive at all.
Then for the third time, she approached Muffin, stood a few inches away from her, and started chirping, she never use to talk, but she was chirping and chirping and slowly she approached Muffin again. This time they just both stood up and sized each other up, whiskers moving and all, there was no chasing, no humping, they just stood really tall. toffees chirping must have calmed Muffin down, cause then Toffee started to groom her and eat the vanilla off her nose.
They were both still a bit cautious of each other, but it all went very well.
Maybe Toffee misses her Buddy after all, she was so talkative and that's what got them back together.
I stayed with them until they fell asleep together, last night , there was a humping and sizing, but it didn't seems aggressive at all, this morning when I woke up, they were cuddling like nothing had ever happened between them.
Thanks all for the advice.

Glad it worked out )