Chinnies and old age

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Orlandochins

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2009
Messages
138
Location
Orlando, Fl
I need a little advice and hopefully someone can help...I have tried searching and have not seen anything posted yet....I have a chin that is 14 years old....I have had her for 9 years...I took her to the vet in October and she passed with flying colors....In Novemeber I changed food to Kline...she then started digging through her treats...she would eat some but most would go to the bottom of her cage. I have given her treats outside of her cage and she never leaves any crumbs...I noticed a few weeks ago that her teeth have changed to a white color...I gave her a small amount of calcium but no change...I weighed her 2 weeks ago and she was 480 grams (she has always been small) and tonight when I picked her up I could feel her bones...so I weighed her and now she is 435 grams...usually when I let her out she runs around and plays but tonight all she wanted to do was eat...I filled her bowl and she ate all of it....then I filled her bowl again and she kept on eating..this time I fed her with the store bought crap that I had just gotten in from a rescue I took in...I hate feeding her this stuff but it seems she will eat it and not Kline...however I am very worried about her weight loss and also her age...she is old for a chin....and also her loss of calcium (oh she eats all of her hay every day just not her Kline)....could her not eating the Kline be a cause of her calcium loss? What else can I do to keep an eye on her until I can get her to the vet
 
The more crap you feed her the worse you are making her situation, whatever it is. Treats should never be mixed with food. When you did the feed switch to the Kline (which does not have treats so I am not sure what treats she is digging for) did you do a gradual switch? A month is the suggested switch rate. You can't just change a chinnie's feed from one to the next and not expect to have a problem. Is she eating her hay? Is she pooping as much as normal? My guess is if she is no longer even eating treats then something may be wrong with her teeth or her gastro-intestinal tract. I would get dental x-rays and have an experienced chinchilla vet make sure that she does not have a blockage and that her gut is working properly. I hope your chinnie is OK. A vet is definitely needed to assess her situation ASAP. Stop feeding her junk and stop switching her pellets on her, feed her the quality pellets with no treats, unlimited amounts of timothy hay, and water. Chins can live over 20 years, hopefully she has a few more in her :).
 
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I was very stressed and in a hurry when I wrote this message (My dog had just come out of a seizure and then I noticed that Chi was a little off her game) She very rarely gets treats...maybe once a week at most...and she will eat those with no problem...actually will beg for them....I did a gradual switch when I switched her diets...she is still pooing and it looks just a little bit smaller...the only reason she got the junk food tonight is because she ran to the container and started digging at it...I am more concerned about why her teeth have turned white...When I first got her 10 years ago I used to overfeed her treats and mix it in with her food but once I learned about her the treats stopped and she would get a cherrio here or there....because of my work schedule there are times that she is sleeping when I feed her and when i do leave a treat for her I would lay it on top of her food dish. Before Kline I was feeding Mazuri and she seemed to like that better...since the complete switch of food she has began to dig through her food bowl, I just assumed she was digging for her treat but maybe she was pulling out the Mazuri pellets when I was mixing them...I switched food because it is easier to get Kline....to be honest I think I am more worried about her being old...some days it is hard for me to believe she is as old as she is....lol

and I will be calling the vet tomorrow to get her in....
 
I do not know the calcium in Kline as compared with Mazuri but my understanding is that a quality pellet contains everything a chinchilla needs so I would guess that the calcium content is comparable. Since she is eating less pellets though it stands to reason that she is not getting as much calcium as before. I may have misunderstood your first post, is she willingly eating a treat? If she wasn't then I would say there is a definite problem. If she is eating her treats fine then my guess is she may just not like Kline pellets and therefore is getting less calcium. Is she eating hay? Her poo being smaller fits with eating less and I guess that would be my main concern since chinnies need to keep their guts moving. I would switch her back to Mazuri if she ate that well (slowly again of course). A vet visit would be imperative if she isn't taking a treat (since it would be unusual for her not to eat one) or if you think her output is not normal or doesn't get back to normal quickly. It may be as simple as her not liking the pellets = not eating = losing weight and not getting enough calcium. A vet visit may not be a bad thing anyway.
 
Why did you switch her from mazuri if she did fine on it? Chinchillas can live a lot longer then 14 yrs so that in itself shouldn't be the problem unless she has something hereditary. Has she fallen lately? Is she eating the kline at all or is she just wanting the other feed cause there is treats in it? I would definately take her back to the vet and maybe switch her feed back.
 
Yes she is still eating treats and also eating her hay...I started the switch in November and finished the switched in December...she will chew the food for a bit and then spit it out and then dig in her bowl throwing most of it out...her behavior is mainly normal but instead of wanting to run around tonight she wanted to look for food and eat...I rescue chins and one of my rescues was sent with junk food and I am slowly changing her over to better food....Chi Chi ran to the container and I caved and gave her some of that food (not a lot) but she ate it all with no problems....I was more curious to see if she would eat that or dig through it like she does Kline...I then gave her Kline and she ate some and dug through it...so I guess she does not like Kline....I will order the Mazuri just to keep the princess (that is what we jokingly call her) happy...and I will pray that she puts the weight back on and her teeth turn that nasty orange/yellow again...but I will still make an appointment for her

I switched her food because I was having a hard time getting Mazuri at a reasonable price...there is a breeder here that I get Kline from and it was less expensive and I didn't have to special order it. She has not fallen or had any other accident lately
 
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Have you ever had her teeth checked? The spitting out the pellet is a bit troubling.
I agree at the very least to switch her back to a pellet that she was doing well on. Some chins are just picky that way. When I was feeding Tradition, one refused to eat it.
However since she's still eating hay, I'm hoping it's not a teeth issue.
 
You could gradually add a little alfalfa into her hay to help get more calcium into her, chins usually love it. Alfalfa hay cubes are an option as well. I give them to my chins as treats and they nibble on them here and there. Too much would not be good since it is so rich in calcium.
 
Since I used Mazuri at first, and was plesantly surprised at the change when I switched to any other food, [weight gain, and overall condition] I'd switch to something better. Maybe he'll live to be as old as "Zinman," who passed away in Nov. last year at the ripe old age of 26! [I think]
ChinnieChantel lives down your way and I believe sells food fresher, cheaper, and better for your chin than you can get at any pet shop! Good luck with him, and I'd like to see some pics, too!
 
I just had her teeth checked a few months ago and they were good...in fact the vet said for her age that she was in exceptional good health..I think she is just being picky...I have given her alfalfa cubes as a treat but she doesn't seem too thrilled about them...I will definatetly give her some more until I can get the Mazuri in...Ther person that had her before me fed her salad mix...and when I fist got her I fed her pet store food for about 3 more years until I found the vet I take her to now and he tought me sooooo much...in the past 8 years I have learned soooo much but still need to learn more but I have made many improvements for her (If you saw the wheel she used to run on you would cringe...now she has a disk that she prefers to poo in and then run in the disk to see how far she can fling her poo from it...lol) anyways, I was thinking that she just didn't like her food but didn't think about if she ate less than her calcium intake would be less (plus today was a long day for me...I teach children with autism and one of my students had a ton of behaviors so I was exhausted when I got home, then my dog had a bad seizure ....she is on meds for them but just switched them because the original meds were not working...and then noticed that Chi Chi's weight was down...I think I just got overwhelmed and went into panick mode)...She is still running in her disk...drinking water, climbing the side of her cage and very responsive and having bowel movements....the more I think of it the more I am convinced that it is because she does not like the food...
 
Chi Chi in her hammock
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Chi Chi being lazy
chichi2.jpg


The following pictures are of Chi Chi and her adopted brother Paco....DISCLAIMER: the bath house she is in is something I use for pictures only....I do not bathe my chins in it or leave them unattended in it because I am afraid that it will tip over on them....also the plastic igloo is something that I only use for them during playtime to hide in because of the amount of chewing that was happening.....these pictures were taken during the first time I introduced them and this is the only time they were out together (just for the pictures) I have no intention of breeding them

pacochi.jpg


chichi-1.jpg
 
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Obviously the Kline diet is just not cutting it. That is why she is loosing weight and she does not like it. Feeding a chin a pellet they hate (no matter how much money you save) will not matter if they won't eat it. Switch to a better quality pellet, which she seems to have liked the Mazuri so get her back on that.

Give her Alfalfa hay because if her teeth are white she is very deficient and yes you want the extra calcium right now. Also give her cuttlebone for calcium. You normally want to watch the amount of calcium you give a chin IF their teeth are nice and orange, but in this case you have to build her calcium back up.

I have several chins that are 13, 14, & 15 years old. When given a really high quality diet, calcium and weight lose are not a problem.
 
Thanks, I put a cuttlebone in her cage earlier tonight and have ordered the Mazuri....hopefully she will be back to her old self in no time
 
They're both cute and look in good shape, but, as I said earlier, if they were "iffy" about Mazuri, try another brand that's better for them! When I switched to PANR, I had about 90% less waste, and the whole herd had about a 20% weight gain! I was paying $17 for a 25# bag of Mazuri and $14 for a 50# bag of PANR, a few yrs ago! Chantel sells by the pound - I'd give it a try, anyway!
 
She was doing good on Mazuri and now is iffy on Kline....I am going to go back to Mazuri with her (my other chins seem to like Kline more) and see what happens
 
Orlandochins said:
Yes she is still eating treats and also eating her hay...I started the switch in November and finished the switched in December...she will chew the food for a bit and then spit it out and then dig in her bowl throwing most of it out...her behavior is mainly normal but instead of wanting to run around tonight she wanted to look for food and eat...I rescue chins and one of my rescues was sent with junk food and I am slowly changing her over to better food....Chi Chi ran to the container and I caved and gave her some of that food (not a lot) but she ate it all with no problems....I was more curious to see if she would eat that or dig through it like she does Kline...I then gave her Kline and she ate some and dug through it...so I guess she does not like Kline....I will order the Mazuri just to keep the princess (that is what we jokingly call her) happy...and I will pray that she puts the weight back on and her teeth turn that nasty orange/yellow again...but I will still make an appointment for her

I switched her food because I was having a hard time getting Mazuri at a reasonable price...there is a breeder here that I get Kline from and it was less expensive and I didn't have to special order it. She has not fallen or had any other accident lately
Click to expand...

Do you have a ace hardware anywhere near you? They sale purina products and mazuri is a purina product and they should be able to "special order" it. I think I pay like 13-14 per 25 pds. Not bad at all.
I would also think about going to the vet "just to make sure" there isn't a problem. Did you say she was a rescue?
Until then I would definately not let her have treats and free feed the hay.
good luck
 
Thanks ann for the advice on checking with Ace Hardware....I will do that....yes I rescued Chi Chi 10 years ago....almost 10 years to the day

Ok....I went to the vet today and got x-rays and Chi Chi has mallo of the rear jaw...we discussed a few options and I've decided to give the surgery a try...I know there is a risk that she may not make it but I have to try...I can't see her starve to death and right now I think she has enough fight in her that I am not ready to think about putting her down...and if she does not make it at least I will know that I tried everything I could....she has been my pet for 14 years and this is the hardest decision I have made for any of my pets...I have put pets down before and have felt in my gut that it was their time....I do not have that feeling at this time....what I feel is hope....I am a nervous wreck and can not stop crying. She is still very active and is fighting to get out of her cage...so she is a fighter

I am fully aware of the risks and this was a very hard decision for me but if I don't do it she will die...if I do do it she may have a chance....words of advice on what to do if she makes it through surgery will be greatly appreciated....I hope I don't sound rude but for right now I would prefer that people don't keep remind me of what may happen....I KNOW what might happen and I just for now need to have the most positive thinking I can and go from there

Thank you everyone that has already given advice....
 
What ever you do I hope everything goes well. Might want to have some Critical Care just in case you need to hand feed after surgery. When I had to use CC I found the syringe just too flipping small to get it pushed through despite trimming the edge. I used an old plastic vet bottle that had stored a saline wash for my cats eye. They look like mini hair dye bottles. I cut it open some more and that made using CC a blessing. I have not had to have a chin face an operation but correct me if I am wrong on this one. As far as I know you are to keep them fed unlike a cat or dog before surgery. Don't lift the food out.
 
Just a clarification as I just went through something similar. Your Chi Chi has malocclusion but the roots are not growing into her lower jaw or nasal cavity but are growing in the side of her cheek or tongue and need to be trimmed? Chi Chi is much older than my girl Coco but she did great having her molars trimmed and her case was pretty severe. You will definitely need to hand-feed Critical Care so get a syringe (a larger one - mine are 35cc and have an 1/8 inch opening perfect for Critical Care), pain medication, and probably an antibiotic if she has any cutting into her cheek or tongue or the vet thinks she might need to fight off any infection. Your vet will tell you everything you need to know and if you have any questions please feel free to post them for all of the experienced people here to help you :). Best wishes for Chi Chi.
 
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