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damanta

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 29, 2010
Messages
62
Demon, one of my chinnchillas that I've had for a while, is acting off. For the last two days she's been kind of quiet. Normally Demon will come to me, but not let me pick her up easily. Yesterday she jumped out of her cage and I picked her up fairly easily then held her for a few minutes. Today, I picked her up and her bottom is kind of matted and slightly wet. Her poops are firm, and there is no foul smell. On Monday, I gave her some Oxbow alfalfa hay for the first time and Tuesday palm leaf toys...Is it possible that these new things may have caused her issue? My vet is closed until Monday and I'm not sure if it's an emergency. Thank you
 
The wet/matted bottom and lethargy concerns me. Female chins can get an infection of the uterus called pyometra, which is a life threatening issue and can quickly get bad. One of the symptoms can be vaginal discharge. I would find a chin competent vet that is open on the weekend and get her checked out just to be safe.
 
I was thinking the same thing. Uterine infection or maybe a urinary tract infection. She needs the vet right away. Could you post a picture? It is possible that she is in heat and has discharge, but it's not a good idea to assume that it is as simple as that. The fact that she is not acting like herself is not a good sign. That makes me think that something is probably wrong and she needs to see a vet.
 
I actually left for the e-vet right after posting. She has a blockage of the cecum. They gave her sub-q fluids and pain meds. They wanted me to either leave her over night( their mannerisms made me very uncomfortable with that) or euthanize. They also offered home care which I chose to do, but they claimed that she probably wouldn't make it either way. They gave me Baytril and I'm giving her critical care...I'm absolutely heartbroken, but she is fighting still so I had to give her a chance. Please send good thoughts our way
 
Just saw this and I am praying for your chinchilla, I lit a candle in demons honor and will let it burn until demons better, hang in there both of you
 
Maybe it's just me, but i find the diagnosis a little woolly. Did the vet explain the wet bottom or give you a solution to the blockage? The reason why i am saying this is because blockage normally equates to no poop. I find it hard to believe that a blockage will cause a wet matted bottom. Also, the prescription of baytril is odd for a blockage situation. Baytril is an antibiotic used mainly for infections and it is known to cause gut issues in chins. Prescribing that on top of a blockage is just compounding the problem. Ideally you want the blockage to pass on its own, so why give something that will slow down the gut? A lot of red flags went up in my head when i read your post, especially when you said you were uncomfortable with their mannerism and i would get a second opinion if this was my chin.

Good luck and my thoughts are with you and Demon.
 
They said she may also have a infection as the cause of the wet/matted. They would have charged me over $600 for just diagnostics and another $600 to ttreat. As is they charged me so much for home care that my funds are depleted. I do want a second opinion but my vet is out of the area until Monday. He did call with suggestions to get her through until he gets back. I can't do the other area vet because they're an hour away and I don't have any money left. I spent literally every cent I had lastnnight. Pleasendon' attack me for not having emergency funds; I did have it but had an emergency with my cat recently and that tapped.out that fund. My vet does payment plans(or even payment promises) and that's my best chance.
 
Update: Demon has made it through the day. She still hasn't pooped but did take critical care and a hay/pedialyte blend my vet suggested willingly, although she's weak and I had to help hold her head up. I put a sock with warmed rice under her belly and massaged it several times. She is also moving around a little more tonight than this morning. She's a fighter, please keep sending good vibes.
 
Did they do an xray? I would see your regular vet asap. I was also wondering about the Baytril, and blockage doesn't explain the wet bottom, or why there's poop... if it was a blockage they should've given you motility drugs. :(
 
They did not do an dray. As I mentioned, they wanted to charge 600 just to do diagnosticss, and another 600 to treat whatever they found. If she makes it until tomorrow, my vet is going to see her first thing. They had also said they believed an infection caused the wet bottom.
 
:cry3: I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm also confused. I remembered reading a post from you of Demon jumping out of his cage. He was a boy in that post... He's a girl in this one.
 
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