Please, I need some help....

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Sandi

non-stop poop sweeper
Joined
Jan 29, 2009
Messages
6,708
Location
Chicago suburb
I did not get a diagnosis today and need help, please.

Quick background on CJ -
Taken to the vet the first time on 1/30 due to pawing at his mouth and a wet chin, there they trimmed and filed both sets of incisors as they were angled and filed the back upper molars, due to a bone defect that he has which threw his bite off. Went for xrays on 2/15 but he was diagnosed with a URI and was put on oral Baytril for 10 days. During all this time he refuses to eat on his own and continues to paw at his mouth and has one moist eye (on and off). Xrays scheduled for today.

After spending 2.5 hours at the vet today. CJ had skull and body xrays as well as blood work done. I left the vets office with no definitive answers. The only other option I received from the vet was to get a CAT scan, which they do not do there and could possibly cost $500 at a specialist's hospital. She believed that the CAT scan could show a possible abscess not visible in the xrays. While they had CJ sedated they opened his mouth and did a full mouth exam and no abscess was visible, she could not feel any lumps nor see any abscesses and she pressed on his gums as well. She did see one tiny spur and took care of it but did not believe that this is the cause for his constant pawing at his mouth or not eating on his own. He won't drink on his own either. She also kept the original xrays and gave me a copy but they are not digital, they are on a large film sheet. She told me she was going to show the "senior" vet the xrays on Monday and maybe that vet could see something that she couldn't.

So I left with more Metacam to give to CJ twice daily and some gut meds. CJ has gas bubbles as well but the vet was not too too concerned with this either. She gave him sub-q fluids and injections of cisapride, sucralfate and famotidine.

I took pictures of the xrays with my digital camera and hope that someone can see something on them. I'm at a loss, should I go to another vet?

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Oh man, Sandi...the left side looks really bad and the right side is getting there. I think either, by the time he got to the vet the roots were already growing funny as a result of the injury, the vet did not file the teeth down correctly the first time, OR he still has an injury(like she's speculating about the abscess) which is causing the teeth to continue to grow incorrectly. I honestly can't see how his teeth could be corrected now other than surgery since the roots on his left side have grown so badly already. Gosh...I just really am at a loss for advice, Sandi.:cry3:
 
Oh man, Sandi...the left side looks really bad and the right side is getting there. I think either, by the time he got to the vet the roots were already growing funny as a result of the injury, the vet did not file the teeth down correctly the first time, OR he still has an injury(like she's speculating about the abscess) which is causing the teeth to continue to grow incorrectly. I honestly can't see how his teeth could be corrected now other than surgery since the roots on his left side have grown so badly already. Gosh...I just really am at a loss for advice, Sandi.:cry3:


Tab, you are seeing root elongation? I'm sorry, I don't know how to tell. The vet said that there was no root elongation. WTF! I'm so upset right now! Not at you Tab, at this vet, ugh!
 
Sandi - See if Angie will read the x-rays for you. She can read them better than any of us, and I'm sure your vet as well. She's always willing to help out if she can. I had to overnight x-rays to her before and she got back with me right away.
 
In the 2nd pic it does appear there is a shadow that appears to be root elongation but I am viewing on my phone. I'm so sorry sandi. I hope CJ is feeling ok. Maybe the filing of the spur will help.
 
Tab, you are seeing root elongation? I'm sorry, I don't know how to tell. The vet said that there was no root elongation. WTF! I'm so upset right now! Not at you Tab, at this vet, ugh!

Just comparing the left side to the right side you can see the upper roots on the left side are much longer. Many vets don't have a lot of experience looking at chinchilla X-rays or haven't seen a normal chinchilla X-ray. For a good comparison you can look at the photo's on Chinnation.com.

I don't have a tone of experience looking at X-rays either though so I agree with Peggy to have Angie look at the X-rays and give you her thoughts.
 
Sandi - See if Angie will read the x-rays for you. She can read them better than any of us, and I'm sure your vet as well. She's always willing to help out if she can. I had to overnight x-rays to her before and she got back with me right away.

I'm sorry but I can't find her info to fedex the xrays to her. I'm shaking a bit but I thought I looked real good. :(
 
It looks like there was a molar near the front there with a spur (which you said was taken care of) but I don't really see root elongation, but I don't have a lot of experience either. Just with my one girl. I hope everything is OK.

As far as bubbles in the intestines, I don't really see any. It was explained to me (when I inquired about my own chin's intestinal x-rays) that the darker circles in your x-rays are where the intestine is cross-sectioned so it looks like a gas pocket but in fact is completely normal.
 
In the second photo posted, what are those stringy bits coming from the ends of the teeth (inside the skull)?
It kind of looks like you can see where the roots end, but then there's the strings connecting to those, what are the string parts?

I tried comparing to Mei's, but hers were solid, not stringy like that. So her roots I could tell for sure were too long.
 
Alli, when I talked to Tab about them, she said they were shadows from movement.


Good luck Sandi. Lots of hugs and well wishes for CJ still coming!
 
Ahhh okay. Yeah, because you can kind of see where the roots start where it's a more distinct white. And if that's the case, compared to Mei's they don't look too long.

Obviously I'm no expert though!

I hope that you can get this figured out Sandi! :heart3:
 
:tissue::broken:
I'm just so sad right now I can't even move.

Don't get too upset Sandi! Wait for Angie! Like I said...I'm definitely no expert, just giving my opinion from what I've seen of chin X-rays. I hope Angie can take a look at them soon and let you know what it REALLY is.:thumbsup:
 
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