Need advice on force feeding.

[Cuddlebug]

My ebony boy, Fred, is pretty sick. We took him in to the vet on Monday and found that he has pneumonia. He stayed at the vets for 3 days and was given Baytril, sub-Q fluids, Critical Care (though he ate very little of it, 1 - 3 mls) and was nebulized twice a day.

Right now he is at home. Still on Baytril (.2 ml 2 times a day). I have gotten him to eat quite a bit more Critical Care (6 - 21 mls every 4 hours). H is still losing weight and I would like to be able to get more food in him. He is eating nothing on his own. My question is, if the chinchilla stops swallowing the critical care, is there any way to get them to do so.

 

[EMSChins]

Is he on oral Baytril or injectable? The oral baytril besides tasting awful, absolutely kills their appetite, the injectable is not that difficult to give and they do better with eating while on it. You will have to force the issue with eating and he should be getting at least 60 ml a day in divided doses of Critical Care. Try putting the syringe tip in the side of his mouth, over his tongue and squirting a small amount at a time in that way.

 

[Silverrose]

Oral baytril can be really hard on a chinchilla's tastebuds. When I had to use it, I followed it up with a little bit of of diluted pedialyte, just to take the taste out of the mouth. Don't feed right away after giving the meds, I waited 2 hours after giving meds to do a feeding. The method of feeding by EMSChins is probably the best way to feed, stick the syringe behind the teeth through the side of the mouth and squirt. Then you can massage the throat area to stimulate him to swallow. Have you tried the different flavors of critical care? Sometimes just changing the flavor will help. Or, you can also add a little bit of baby applesauce or pumpkin to it to help the flavor. The most important thing is to get food into the chin, with whatever means possible, if his weight is depleting that fast.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Thanks, guys. He is on oral baytril. They mixed it with a strawberry flavoring. He actually likes the Baytril. I have been feeding him like you both described. He just stops swallowing and acts like he is worn out. I worry about forcing him at that point, because he has such a hard time breathing and I don't want to choke him.

He has an appointment for a recheck tomorrow afternoon. I will talk to the vet about the injectable Baytril and a the other flavor of Critical Care while we are there.

 

[addictedtochins]

PM sent

 

[ticklechin]

At that point with a chinchilla I give dyne, I will start by dipping the syringe tip into the dyne then insert and give a bit of a squirt of the critical care/lifeline mixture I give, if that does not work then I add it to the mixture, its fat and sugar and as long as the chin has no GI issues going on it adds extra calories to a small amount of food. I feed tiny meals several times a day, I will give the chin a small squirt, put the chin back in the carrier and let them swallow and breath and repeat over and over again until I get 5 or so ml into them-weight loss will happen during a URI, it is almost impossible to get a full ration of food in them. I use injectable baytril and trimethsulfate, they are synergistic when used together.

 

[Cuddlebug]

We saw the vet yesterday. She said he is improving. I have begun mixing pumpkin in with the CC. He is eating more now, but still not enough. Ticklechin, thanks for the suggestions. I will try adding the Dyne to see if that will help. Thanks again, everyone. If it weren't for this forum, I'd pretty much be lost right now. Boy, am I glad I read everything posted regarding chinchilla care and health.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Update

Yesterday, Fred ate pretty well when I force feed him. this morning he seems to be a lot better and he ate 24 1/2 ml in one sitting. He was like he couldn't get enough. I also noticed that he has been eating a little of his pellets. Thanks again to you all for your help. I think he is going to be ok. Oh, and yesterday, he gained 10 grams. whooo who!!!!!!

 

[ticklechin]

YAY!!!!!

 

[Snickers]

I'm glad he is gaining some weight and eating more.

 

[GRose]

There must be something going around. My little Casanova has a URI as well right now. No pneumonia thank goodness but he's on meds and not really eating either. Force feeding is like pulling teeth too. He didn't have to stay at the vet but the little guys still seems around where he was when I took him in Monday (6/27) as far as the crackling and wheezing go but he feels well enough to struggle against food, sigh. He loves his meds but not his food.

Cuddlebug, was it over a week before you saw an improvement in your chin? I've been giving my Casanova his meds twice a day going on 5 days today but have not seen too much happen yet. We are more than likely going in for a check up when the vet re-opens after the holiday and I did try to call them today to ask some questions but they closed already for the holiday weekend. i know every chin is different but I'm trying to get an idea of some examples so I know what to look for. My first time going through this.

 

[ticklechin]

You know, this kind of scares me what you just said, I just had two that came down with URIs and the antibiotics did squat for them but they had pre-existing conditions, then we had the two other ones here on the forums in SF that came down with URIs, the rescue had one last week, now these two and we are all on CA, something to think about.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Fred improved a little while he was at the vets and continued to improve. I think he became stressed when I rearranged things. He was moved to a new cage and a new room. I , also, didn't realize that the AC was blowing straight into his cage. Be tween the two, I think it just set him up for problems. He's doing a lot better today. In fact, the only way that you can tell that he is sick is that he still breathes a little hard, but all noises have disappeared. Now the only thing left to do is get him back to his normal weight and wean him from the CC. He really likes the CC.

It does seem strange that so many of us in this area are having problems with URIs. Makes me wonder.

 

[GRose]

Well I was getting worried because it was going on six days and Casanova was still wheezing and crackling and grinding teeth. But yesterday I didn't hear any of that. Of course too early to tell if it's over but I continue to hear none of that from him today. Still continuing his meds, will talk to the vet tomorrow and see how long to give meds and how long for quarantine but his weights a bit better too. And then the best 4th of July present of all, I caught his eating some pellets on his own today! Woot woot!!! He's been nibbling on a piece of hay here and there and drinking a little water but this is the first pellet nibbling I've seen since he got sick. I hope everyone else's chins on here with their URI's are doing as well.

It does seem weird these multiple cases in California. I wouldn't think there would be so much of a connection with some being in southern Cali and some in Northern Cali because of the distance. Just as many miles between the two sections and neighboring states. However it occurred to me and I can't help but wonder if it's sometime blowing in from the Pacific? I miss my Rowdy who passed away but I'm thankful to be spared Casanova. None of the others are showing signs of illness either. Hope it stays that way. :july4:

 

[Cuddlebug]

Update

Well, Fred was doing really good. He was taking his CC and his breathing had cleared up. I was about to start weaning him off of the CC. Yesterday he had a seizure that left him with neurological damage. He could not move his front legs or hold his head up. He passed away a short time later. I will really miss my little gentleman. He was so sweet. Rest in peace my little man.

 

[Tanya]

I'm very sorry for your loss. Rest in peace sweet boy. :angel8:

 

[caiti]

I'm so sorry. I thought he was really going to make it. You did everything you could for him, I hope you know that.

 

[Cuddlebug]

Thanks, guys. I appreciate the support. It's heartbreaking, he was doing so well before the seizure. I honestly thought he was pat the worst of it..

 

[Snickers]

Sorry to hear about your loss.