Chin is bleeding, help

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Asha

Asha

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 13, 2012
Messages
146
Location
Florida
This morning I woke up to find Zelda bleeding from her anus and unable to use her back legs for very long. She would crawl/flop around the cage and appeared very weak. She would start to walk and then her back legs appeared to just collapse underneath her. Scared me to death, especially since she was acting normal last night! I immediately took her to the emergency vet. My usual vet does not offer emergency services so I had to take her to a "regular" emergency vet. They said that they do see chins, just not very often. I was ok with that because some type of care is better than none at all.

The vet believes it is some type of GI infection so she has put Zelda on Baytril and Metronidazole. They also gave her some sub-q fluids and monitored her for any adverse reaction before I brought her home. I have to start feeding her Critical Care which I've always kept on hand but hoped I would never need to use it. I'm worried about stressing her out further by force feeding but I have no choice. Given Zelda's condition, the vet really didn't think that she was going to make it for much longer (like a few days), but was also surprised at how much she perked up after the sub-q fluids. She stopped crawling around the cage and laying on her side. She can sit in a normal resting position now. I am letting her rest right now, but will be feeding her some CC here in a bit.

Has anyone else had this type of situation/set of symptoms arise? Did your chin survive? I'm really scared and worried about my chin. She had some diarrhea early this week. Her stools were not runny, but extra wet and sticky. I followed the advice of some of the members on here by giving her fresh timothy hay and no pellets. She appeared to be improving, and now this has happened. Any advice/suggestions or other signs I need to watch for would be greatly appreciated.
 
Just tried feeding her some CC. Got maybe 2ml down and a bit of it got spilled :( Tried using Dawn's technique I saw on here bc Zelda hates the burrito method. I don't want to stress her out too much so I'm going to try again later. At least she was more responsive to me than earlier and her eyes are open and more alert. Before the fluids she would lay there with her eyes closed and sometimes peek them open. You can tell shes still exhausted though :(
 
It's really important that she is getting enough food into her. I know it's stressful and can be heartbreaking to force feed a chin, but you need to put aside your feelings and do what your chin needs you to do. Some chins HATE being force fed but eventually they get used to. Just go slow, take your time, and eventually it will become easier.

I don't have experience with the symptoms that you listed, but would recommend taking your chin to your regular chin vet asap and getting an xray to see if there is something causing damage in the intestinal tract. Remember that no advice on here is better than taking your chin to a good chin vet
 
Thank you for your reply. I know she won't like getting force fed, but its a must. At this point, I'm really worried that I will be unable to get her to eat enough. I will be trying to feed her again here soon, just wanted to let her rest a bit after the first somewhat unsuccessful round of force feeding. The emergency vet said that they would send the records over to my usual vet so they will know whats going on. I plan on calling them in the morning to see what they want to do first. I agree, I think an xray or further testing should be in order. Its been a really stressful situation so far.
 
I would say tale her to the vet and get it checked out, they'll know for sure of what you should be doing. You may have said already that you are, I didn't thoroughly read all of your message.
 
Update: Took Zelda to her regular doctor today. The vet confirmed that she agreed with the meds that the emergency vet had prescribed. She also said that I was doing well with the feedings (I was previously worried she was not getting enough nutrients) given that it has only been 24 hours time. She said that the bacteria in her gut is just really out of whack which contributed to the start of the diarrhea and the progression of GI issues through the week until what occurred yesterday. She expects a full recovery given Zelda not even being a year old (her birthday is this Wednesday!) and also since the bleeding has already started to lessen. Zelda even gained 5g since yesterday! The vet said the gain was probably due to the sub-q fluids administered yesterday, but that it was still a good sign because it means she is not returning to the severely dehydrated state that she was at yesterday. I went ahead and had the vet give more sub-q just to be on the safe side and I will likely return tomorrow to have them give her more to keep her strength up. Its really amazing what fluids can do! Before fluids yesterday, she was too weak to walk or even sit up very well. After the fluids, she could at least sit in a normal resting position and also could walk normally again. She was also more responsive to me and more perky and willing to walk around the cage if she felt like it. The effects of the fluids continued to carry on into today as well which is good. We aren't out of the woods yet, and it will probably be a long week for both of us as I continue her care. I feel soooo much better after having her see her regular doctor and am very encouraged that I am on the right path and doing the right things for her.
 
Update!!! Zelda has started eating Timothy Hay on her own!! I went to go give her the meds she needed, and afterward decided to try and give her some hay (previously just kept a small dish of Mazuri pellets in there) and she ate it! She didn't eat a ton, but it was still a good amount to me considering she has been sick. Anything is better than nothing! So excited about this progress, hope she continues to get stronger!
 
Great to hear that Zelda is improving so much! Keep up with the CC, that stuff is great! Also, you might want to add additional probiotics to the mix, and maybe sprinkle some on her pellets, just to make sure her gut flora is being maintained.
I'd weigh her everyday as well. Keep up the good work!
 
Hey Newt, what type of probiotics do you recommend? I have some Benebac on hand, will that work or do I need something different? Also, how often should I give it?

As of today, her weight has increased to 459g which is up from yesterday's 430g. Granted, this is mostly water weight because I took her in again today for more sub-qs to be safe, but at least I know she is hydrated. She nibbled a bit of hay and pellets this morning around 8, and then again this evening at 5:30ish but refuses to drink a drop which I don't like. She hasn't really been eating as much on her own as I expected compared to the hay she ate on her own last night. I'm suspecting the Baytril may be playing a role in that and suppressing her appetite a bit.

The bleeding is continuing to subside just like the vet said so thats good. She has been sleeping alot but perks up when I visit. She seems most active around early morning and late afternoons, yet appears to sleep through the night until I wake her up to feed her. Mostly, I'm just thankful that she is stable at this point and not regressing to the scary condition she was in on Sunday. Baby steps make for better progress than none at all!
 
Acidophilis (spelling?) is the common probiotic people sprinkle on chin food. You can by it off the shelf at most pharmacies in capsule form. Just open the capsule and strinkle.
 
Yep, Basket of Chinchillas is right, just ordinary acidophilus capsules from the pharmacy will work. Benebac works too, but I think the human capsules have a higher bacterial count. You just open them up, and sprinkle on food, or into CC mix.

Did the vet say what kind of GI bug she has? Was it giardia?
 
Thank you Basket and Newt! I actually have some of that in my cabinet already so thats perfect! They don't know what type of GI bug it is because by the time she was hemorrhaging, there was no poops for them to test at the ER (I even asked them to double check her carrier just in case! lol).

I'm actually waiting from a call back from the vet as I'm typing this because Zelda has started holding her bottom up in the air when she walks. She started doing it late Monday and thankfully the vet was able to witness it. We decided to give her some pain meds with her fluids that day and continue to monitor her. She is still holding her tail up funny when she walks. She doesn't do it every time, but more than I think she should. I checked her bottom area last night, nothing abnormal (no signs of prolapse or anything), just icky fur from the blood. I kinda wondered if maybe she just doesn't like the feeling of the blood that dried on her fur. I have left that area alone besides looking at it thus far, but am thinking maybe I should just try cleaning it and see if she quits holding her tail up as a result. The bleeding is continuing to subside, she has barely bled at all today which seems like a positive sign. She has also continued to eat more on her own which is great! I woke up to feed her at 2 am this morning and 1/3 of her pellets were gone (still made her eat the CC though). She seems to be making small improvements each day, more updates to come!
 
Maybe I missed this in this thread somewhere but is your chin pooping now and if so what does it look like???
 
EMS, no poops just yet but the vet expects some soon! She is continuing to eat more on her own each day which is great. Its been a pretty hectic week.

I actually just got back from the vet again. While I was waiting on the call back, I went to give Zelda her meds at 7 and freaked out because she was starting to act and look weak again like she did on Sunday. I thought "no no no! we have been making such good progress. No going backwards here!". I didn't dare wait overnight with those early signs cropping up, not after what I had witnessed Sunday. I immediately called and brought her in.

After the examination, the vet determined that she is slightly anemic from the blood loss, but was also pleased to see minimal blood on the towel I had laid in the bottom of the cage compared to earlier in the week. The vet also prescribed some pain meds too and suspects Zelda is hurting a bit with the way she carries her booty. Zelda even started eating more pellets in the vet's office too! yay! I think we are on the right track, but not out of the woods just yet. Small daily improvements are good!
 
If she is not pooping by now she is in serious trouble. I am sorry but I must question your vet??? Are you getti g at least 60 cc of the critical care in her? I suspect the weight gain is food/water going in but nothing coming out. Believe she is either in stasis or has a blockage and she is walking funny because she is in severe pain.
 
Yeah I've been a bit surprised she hasn't pooped yet. Although, I do know she is notorious for eating it because I've caught her doing it before which is gross! Do chins with blockages or stasis usually eat? She has been eating a bit more each day. Please tell me more. As far as the weight gain goes, I too figured it was mostly water from the fluids she has been given. If she is in stasis, what should I do for her?
 
I just had a chin go thru stasis and with the help of folks on here I was able to help her. She would have died if I had not received help from the people on this forum because her gut had completely shut down. I am so annoyed the vets routinely give chins baytril because I have heard from people on here that it frequently causes stasis in chins when they could easily use a different antibiotic that doesn't normally cause stasis in chins. This may not be the case for your chin, but it was for mine.

Not sure what's going on with you chin, and Im not a chin expert, but I will share the advice given to me on this forum about Stasis. No pooping is definitely a cause for major concern. Is there possibly a blockage or is the chins tummy full of gas. Go get Infant Simethicone...you can pick it up at the grocery store. It's not harmful and relieves the gas in their tummy and chins usually like it. To help relieve the gas in their tummies (stasis) which can cause their gut to shut down...no pooping, eating, drinking, you can....
-Give a dropperful of Infant Simethicone
-Acidophilus (an hr before or after antibiotic if your chin is on an antibiotic...make sure the acidophilus has no dairy).
-10ml 6 times a day of Oxbow CC or Essentials syringe feed (My chin wouldn't take the Oxbow CC and it was super difficult force feeding her.) http://www.fuzzieskingdom.com/herbs/remedies/syringe-feeding.html
-Also adding Life Line to her syringe feed http://www.chocolatechinchillas.com/id6.html
-Gentle tummy rubs
-Excercise

Because the chin is not pooping but eating, I'm wondering if there is a blockage? I'm sure someone else with more knowledge can chime in here. Good luck! I know how you are feeling...it's so hard to know the right decisions to keep your chin alive and healthy.
 
So here's the latest on Zelda.....This morning I woke up to water being gone!! Finally drinking on her own, thank goodness! After her feeding early this morning, I put her back in the cage and she went right for the water bottle so that's good. No poops that I can find so far. I'm going to attempt to clean her butt tonight.....not sure how, but I need to find a way. The fur is icky. I'm thinking what if she poops and I don't see it because its stuck back there with the dried up blood. Plus, she might feel better having a cleaner backside!

Anyway, I have begun giving her the baby gas drops, massages, and will try the warm compresses beginning tonight. It was so funny, when I first gave her the gas drops, she tried to move her head away until she got a sniff of it. As soon as she smelled it she started lunging after the dropper! After all the yucky other things she has had to consume, if she could talk she would probably have said "mmm what is this new tastyness?!" lol. She was def excited about those drops! She is at least starting to act more like herself again, and her posture is improving compared to yesterday. I am keeping a close eye on it. Hopefully some poop will appear soon!

Pixie, you are so right. Its been really tough to know which decisions to make. As I sat there crying in the ER last Sunday, I called my mom for advice. I told her that the vet was super concerned and really didn't think Zelda was going to make it. They were talking about the possibility of putting her to sleep because of quality of life concerns. I said "mom what do I do? I'm so scared of making the wrong choice here". She assured me I would make the right one in the end. I'm glad I gave Zelda a fighting chance. I'm doing everything I know to do, but its been a tough road so far since this is my first major illness I've had to deal with involving my chins. It is very nerve wracking because you just want to do the right thing!
 
oh gosh poor Zelda, and poor you too :(

really really hoping for a good outcome for you both. Keep fighting!
 
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