Help with upper respiratory infection

[beanie260904]

My vet believes my male chinchilla (1 year old) has a upper respiratory infection, he has been making wheezy sounds, coughing and having difficulty breathing, he also stopped eating and drinking, he does not have watery eyes or nose. He was put on septrin and metacam on Friday afternoon, now Saturday night here in UK. I am currently syringe feeding him critical mixed with water totalling at 60mls a day as I have read this is what a chinchilla needs.

I have just noticed his poos are now quite mushy, does this mean he is getting worse or is it possibly the medication? Or maybe even the critical care as its a change of diet? Also when I give him critical his wheezing seems to worsen for a while is this normal?

Any tips at all on how to help him through this to give him the best possible chance of survival will be greatly appreciated as I cant face losing him.

 

[Chinchilla63]

My heart goes out to you, URIs are scary and hard to treat. I have a 9 year old female and she just survived a URI but it was pretty iffy for a while. She stopped eating/drinking/pooping and x-rays showed she had bloat.
The antibiotic can cause appetite changes. Did he stop eating after you put him on the meds? Is he eating anything on his own? Can you get alfalfa hay - my girl ate the finely powdered hay from the bottom of the bag when she wouldn't eat anything else. she hated the critical care.
There are people here who have loads more experience than me, but I wonder if some of the critical care might be getting into his airway if he's more wheezy after you give it to him?
Can you reach your vet tomorrow if he doesn't look better? Is there an emergency care clinic? If he doesn't keep his digestive tract going you might need help getting food and fluids into him.
Good luck, I hope he turns around quickly.

 

[beanie260904]

Thank you for your reply. I noticed he wasnt himself or eating much before I took him to the vets so before I put him on the meds, but since being on the meds his appetite is non existent. I cant get him to eat anything on his own, if I put something infront of him and keep pestering him with it he will just bite it and then let it fall out his mouth.

I do worry it might be getting in his air way as he is definitely more wheezy after, however, I am making sure not to get any up his nose and I do not know loads about this kind of thing, could it be getting up his airway through his mouth?

He had the runs again yesturday, and last night when we were giving him his critical I noticed during the 30 minute sit down of slowly giving it to him he didnt poo at all, so that got me worried too. I am going to give him his next batch of critical care and antibiotics in a minute so hopefully I will see him poo.

I have booked another appointment with the vet for today, but they are so rubbish down there (dont know much about chinchillas) so I think if he does not improve soon I will have to drive down to a different vet, its about an hour away so not too bad.

I just hope he gets better, only 2 months ago I lost my other chinchilla after this chinchilla attacked him after 10 months of happily living together, so I couldnt bare to lose another so close together.

 

[lauralynne]

He needs an chinchilla knowledge emergency vet, NOW. You canNOT wait with URIs.

 

[beanie260904]

I took him back to the vet today, the vet doesnt know what is wrong so she is referring him to a different vet, I am currently waiting for a call regarding this. I noticed when I got home his penis was hanging out (never seen this before), I checked for a hair ring and couldnt find one, I showed the vet and she pushed it back a bit but it still isnt completely normal and she is baffled.
He is still struggling to breath, on antibiotics and metacam but he doesnt seem to be getting any better.

Hopefully the referral vet will be able to help. Its a nightmare getting a vet that knows anything about chinchillas here in essex uk.

 

[Chinchilla63]

I hope the new vet has more experience and can help. I would ask them to show you how to syringe feed, and ask whether he ought to be having iv fluids. If he's dehydrated it might help him pep up. Sending hugs and prayers.

 

[Tanya]

In addition to prescribed meds, I would use echinacea, 40% leaves, 60% roots; it helps treat upper respiratory infections. You can offer 1/4 teaspoon of echinacea daily for about two weeks. It is best to divide the recommended daily dosage and use echinacea several times a day. Echinacea is more effective when administered at frequent intervals. You can grind it (coffee grinder) and mix with a hand feeding formula.

You can also use a herbal supplement or get some rose hips and nutritive herbs (dandelion, nettle). They help animals recover faster. You can purchase nettle and dandelion from Galens Garden: http://galensgarden.co.uk/shop/dried-herbs/whole-dried-herbs/nettles-org-50gm, http://galensgarden.co.uk/shop/dried-herbs/dandelion-leaf-organic

 

[tunes]

The penis hanging out may be a side effect of him being ill. It is also a sign of a male chin in pain.

If this next vet thinks it is a URI, ask about using a nebulizer for him. At the very least, a warm, steamy bathroom for a bit a couple times a day. It's a balancing act though. You don't want him overheating, but the steam may help him breathe better.

You might also want to put a heating pad on low under part of his cage. Sick chins have a harder time regulating their body temperature so he may feel better on the heating pad.

Lastly - for the antibiotic, for a URI, have the vet give you Baytril. TMZ is great for some things, but for a URI you need to hit it hard and fast. Injectable would be a lot easier on him since he's already lost his appetite. Also, be sure the vet checks for dehydration and administers fluids if necessary.

Good luck.

 

[beanie260904]

Thank you for all your advice, unfortunatley I lost my baby tonight, I am devastated. He was on Septrin, metacam, emeprid, simeticone, critical care and getting lots of love and attention but he didnt make it....

I hope he is in a better place now, I am so upset for him.