obcsed
Well-known member
In February, I received 6 female chins out of a hording situation. There had been 21 chins of mixed sexes crammed into 3 small filthy cages. All 6 were under weight (less than 400 grams). One of them got a really bad roll of the genetic dice. She only weighed 335 grams when I first got her and is alarmingly thin. After 4 months, I have not been able to get her to gain any weight. She eats very well and her poops are normal. Took her to the vet and found out that she has a couple of obvious congenital defects.
First, she is missing the upper back molars on both sides. Her roots are fine, the teeth are straight and she seems to be able to keep the chewing surfaces free of points. Her incisors are a little bit crooked but she manages to keep them trimmed down OK.
Her blood work showed moderate elevations in the kidney factors. Her kidneys are noticeably smaller than normal and are not functioning as well as they should. Her liver function is normal.
She is a happy, friendly, very active chin who seems to have adapted well to her defects. Her age is unknown but the vet thinks she can go on living with them for a long time and maintain a pretty good quality of life.
I'm adjusting her diet to try to compensate for some of the problems and I'm looking for more ideas to help improve her nutrition and hopefully get some weight on her. Currently, she is getting watery Critical Care on a dish twice a day to try to improve both her fluid and calorie intake. She is free fed softer 2nd cut Timothy hay, alfalfa and Oxbow chin pellets that I puff up so they are easier to chew. Suggestions for possible supplements are welcome.
First, she is missing the upper back molars on both sides. Her roots are fine, the teeth are straight and she seems to be able to keep the chewing surfaces free of points. Her incisors are a little bit crooked but she manages to keep them trimmed down OK.
Her blood work showed moderate elevations in the kidney factors. Her kidneys are noticeably smaller than normal and are not functioning as well as they should. Her liver function is normal.
She is a happy, friendly, very active chin who seems to have adapted well to her defects. Her age is unknown but the vet thinks she can go on living with them for a long time and maintain a pretty good quality of life.
I'm adjusting her diet to try to compensate for some of the problems and I'm looking for more ideas to help improve her nutrition and hopefully get some weight on her. Currently, she is getting watery Critical Care on a dish twice a day to try to improve both her fluid and calorie intake. She is free fed softer 2nd cut Timothy hay, alfalfa and Oxbow chin pellets that I puff up so they are easier to chew. Suggestions for possible supplements are welcome.