Vet trip..interesting advice

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JaeTea

JaeTea

Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2009
Messages
24
Location
NJ
I took Lilly to the vet today because of a bleeding paw.

Before the vet even looked at her she discussed Lilly's diet, home, bedding, etc.

She mentioned Lilly is overweight and could be one source of her foot issues.

The vet gave me a print out that recommends giving the chins unlimited greens and cutting back on pellet food, its actually based on a rabbits diet. This seems totally contradictory to alot of the info I've seen on this board.

Actually alot of what she said contradicts what I've learned to believe.

She recommended carefresh over any other bedding and said in the meantime before I switch over to carefresh I can use shredded newspaper and mentioned the ink won't affect them if they decide to eat it.

I know she's a vet but I'm really hesitant to start feeding my chins greens.

Here's some of the articles I was supplied with.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=686

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=673 ( I know its for rabbits but she mentioned their diets are very similar)
 
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Does your chin look overweight to you? Does she have fat rolls or bald spots on her belly? How did your vet determine she was overweight?

Even though I got taken to task for this yesterday, I don't care. I would not feed my chinchilla leafy greens instead of pellets, I don't care if a vet did say it. Years and years of breeding experience from ranchers have told me not to do it, and that is who I am going to follow in this case. Chinchillas are NOT rabbits, their dietary needs are different.

I might cut back on pellets, and especially treats -- those would go, and up her timothy hay. But I wouldn't give lettuce.
 
Greens as in fresh vegetables? Uhoh!

What weight is Lily? I havent seen an overweight chin yet!
 
do NOT feed her greens....bad idea...I mean why not make a salad for her with some nice raisins and nuts in there :sick: *just kidding*


I would try looking for another vet. You should have her on paper towels, and keep an eye on her if she does start chewing. Though the ink is vegitable based, it's not good to have them eating away at your coupons and the funnies *rolls eyes*


Did she give you any meds or other advice for the foot??? it could be a serious problem like bumblefoot or a bad infection-yu need to have a better learned vet on hand...


Good luck and keep us posted!!!
 
Ok, the vet is right about the ink. Newspapers are printed with soy ink (black and white, not color) and it's harmless. So ya, you can use the newspaper.

I'm big on Carefresh, other's aren't.

The rest? crock o'crap. Only pet rabbit people give greens/veggies. Rabbit farms, breeders, etc? Nope, not a green in sight. Pellets and hay and water.
 
Most vets don't know the proper food and care for exotics. They know the medical aspects, and tell you what they read otherwise. She obviously has not done her research, or at least not current research because I would not follow any of the advice given. The only other chin she had probably ever seen was tiny and sick, so she has no way to compare. If she has even seen one before.
 
Please remember that even though someone is a veternarian, does not mean they can't be wrong. I suggest printing out ALL of the FAQS from this Forum, giving them to your vet, and move onto a different and more experienced vet!
 
If you like your vet, I would go back and talk with her. Ask how can almost a century of breeders be wrong? They are NOT rabbits. Their digestive is actually most similar to a horses than any other animal.

Fresh greens will give your chin the ****s, and acutally decrease the amount of fiber they're getting. Take the time to teach your vet, or find a new one if they won't learn. You're doing great as of right now, and yea... I've seen 1200 gram chins with no bleeding feet, I'm sure that her "weight problem" is a non-issue.

It's not the vets fault, they only know what they teach them in vet school, which is little to none. They are small, they are fuzzy, they hop.. must be a rabbit with short ears right?
 
Oh My, thats scary!!:confused2:

I wouldn't think that a chin would even touch a piece of lettuce!!

My Chillie is 1000 gms and has no health issues....
 
Interesting on the obesity - I agree though, unless you see bald spots under the legs/chin she's probably a fine weight.

Do you have any pictures of her feet?

Bedding and certain types of shelving can dry out feet and make them more prone to crack.
 
The conventional veterinary wisdom on chinchillas is, they're a hindgut fermenter like a rabbit or guinea pig, so feed them similarly.

Done carefully, there shouldn't be any problems. You need to introduce the greens slowly to avoid dairrhea, and you need to choose veggies that have actual nutritional value. However, it's probably not necessary. It's certainly easier to not feed the leafy green diet. As far as I know, there is no medical reason why veggies can't be used in a chin. However, as is often pointed out, there is also no real reason to do so. You can easily feed a rabbit or a GP on a pellets-and-hay only diet as well.

Personally, I think it comes down to personal preference, but the prevailing attitude is mostly to avoid veggies. IMO, either is fine when done correctly. I think that people say to avoid it because "it'll cause diarrhea." It will cause diarrhea in a rabbit as well, if you do too much too quickly.
 
It has been proven to be dangerous. chinchilla fed fresh greens bloat. I would never recomend someone switch carefully. Unless the want to kill their chinchilla. It isn't just diarrhea. Chinchillas are meant for dried grass if anthing not fresh. The have digestive tracts similar to that of a horse and horses getting a lot of fresh greens causes diarrehea and bloat. Most people keep them off spring grass because it is wa to green and can kill. DO NOT give a chinchilla fresh greens.
 
equus_peduus said:
The conventional veterinary wisdom on chinchillas is, they're a hindgut fermenter like a rabbit or guinea pig, so feed them similarly.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's exactly what she said and her basic ideology. She said to introduce the greens slowly and that over a few days their stools would be soft and eventually they would get used to the diet and the stools would go back to normal.

She also said to avoid cereal and breads. Which is exactly what I gave Lilly to help with the soft stools she was having when I put her in her new home (Shredded Wheat and Burnt Toast). I found the info on this forum and she was back to normal in a few days. Yet the vet says to never give a chin cereal.:confused2:

The vet I went to is specifically for exotics and she raises rabbits and guinea pigs.

Lilly is 700grams. I can get pics of her feet sometime this week.

I figured it would just be easier to cut back on their pellet diet, give them hay more often and reduce the shredded wheat every morning, than risk introducing an entire new diet into their lives.
 
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I know the chins of today are not exactly the same as their wild ancestors and the chins still in the wild, but I was under the impression that the area they live in has mostly dried grasses, not leafy greens?
If so, wouldn't that just automatically make their digestive system different than a rabbit having been from two different types of ecosystems?

Forgive me if I'm wrong, I just thought I remembered reading that.

Personally, I wouldn't feed greens even if a vet told me to.
 
I don't think cutting back on the feed and upping the hay is a good idea. Is there a reason to do that? I was under the impression they should have both, and have heard of someone doing something similar and the chin weights went down.

700gs from my understanding is also not over weight. That is like the 3rd time I have read that someone's vet told them their chin is over weight.

Ugh, I am so glad I have forums to look for good info on, or I might not have known my vet was wrong either. I had one tell me the veggies were ok too, and I argued with him and have not asked to see him since.

I think I would as someone else suggested, get a new vet, and what did they say about the feet, did I miss that, other then the weight?
 
700 grams overweight? I'd hate to see what the vet would have to say about these beautiful 900-1000 gram chins.
 
InkedupTara said:
I think I would as someone else suggested, get a new vet, and what did they say about the feet, did I miss that, other then the weight?
Click to expand...

The vet gave me baytril and cisapride to give her once a day for a week.

She believes its from Lilly always being on hard surfaces and her obsessive running on the saucer.

I'm trying to find someone who sells fleece blankets to put that on some of the shelves.

The vet told me NOT to use bag balm for fear if they ingest it but I thought it was safe for chins, and it seems to help their feet.
 
I have used bag balm, and I know other people have suggested it for dry feet, and I think I seen somewhere even Vit E oil, but dont quote me on that one.
 
I use bag balm and have for over a year. It worked wonders for my chins feet and I have never had a problem with them ingesting it. Also, that's the whole point of bag balm over other moisturizers. It's safe if it is ingested.
 
You can also use Vit E for the feet. You can buy the capsules, prick it with a pin and rub the oil into the pads

About the baytril, is that to be taken orally?
 
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