Chinchilla lying flat/on side. Not pooping much

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vsbpc202

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Joined
Mar 19, 2013
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4
Let me preface this by saying she is going to the vet tomorrow. I'm just afraid to leave her side for the night for the time being.

Anyway, Tiller, my 3 year old chilla, hasn't been acting like herself at all. She'll be somewhat active, then she'll just lie on her side with her hind feet stretched out. She sees to be lopsided when she moves (I really should say drags, since sometimes she'll just kind of drag herself along). She does run around though, and she's reactive to any sort of interaction.
Also, her bowel movements don't seem to be normal. They're not as frequent and they're not normally shaped. They're much smaller than normal and thin. She seems to be eating and drinking normally however. So, I'm not sure if she's hurt, or something's wrong with her intestinal system or what.

I'm literally afraid to leave her side throughout the night, but I feel like I'm probably stressing her out by staying. I'm gonna go back and check up on her in a little bit since I doubt I'm sleeping tonight.
 
Take her to the vet. Small poops, the dragging, and the lethargy are all signs of a very ill chin. She could have bloat or a blockage. Rather than hover around her cage, get her to a chin experienced vet.
 
Please get her to a vet asap. Is there any emergency vets in your area at all? I really wouldn't wait til tomorrow. My chinnie Zelda exhibited very similar signs last week. She started with smaller, abnormal poops and then developed some diarrhea midway through last week so I made sure she had plenty of hay to help it. She appeared to improve until Sunday morning when I woke up and checked on her. She was laying in her cage much like you are describing, and dragging her back legs. She was too weak and dehydrated to move because at some point in the night her diarrhea had taken a turn for the worse and she began to hemorrhage as well. I don't say all that to scare you, but you are dealing with a very urgent matter. The emergency vet I went to did not specialize in chins, but at least got Zelda started on fluids and medicine until I could follow up with my chin vet the next day. The fluids alone made a HUGE difference. Some vet care is much better than none at all at this point from what you are describing.
 
Hi guys, sorry for the kind of late response, but after Tiller's visit she seems to be doing quite well! She had x-rays and blood work done, and it turns out she has increased gas throughout her intestinal tract (stasis?)

She is currently on an Oxbow critical care diet (which she surprisingly seems to like), and a couple of other meds to increase intestinal mobility.

She's not laying around in weird positions anymore, and she's pooping again, albeit still kinda weird shapes (then again, Oxbow isn't a solid food). She isn't eating pellets or anything on her own yet (still drinking just fine). So hopefully time will only tell when she'll start that again.
 
That is great news! Sounds like you are doing all the right things so I'm sure she will start eating again in no time. At least she is still drinking by herself, that is good. Glad to hear she is doing better! Wishing the best!
 
Thanks! It is kind of heartbreaking having to force feed her. I feel like I'm torturing her!

Although I do have a question- my vet said she did notice Tiller's front teeth curled inwards just slightly and do not meet properly. She said at this time, it doesn't seem to be causing a problem for Tiller but she may require dental work in the future.
Now, is it possible that these two things are related? Should I have her teeth done now anyway? It's been almost a week and I've noticed she kind of chews on food a bit and sometimes doesn't finish it.
 
Incisor malocclusion can and does lead to molar malocclusion-the incisors should be trimmed so the mouth will close properly. As for when, I would wait a bit until the gut problem resolves and then maybe a week or so after that.
 
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