Feed a chin with malo

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FurTurdHerd

Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2009
Messages
20
Location
Everett, WA
To begin, I have already been to vet with my chin, WB, multiple times. He has had full head x-rays, and has had dental surgery 3 times now within the past two months. In a nutshell, all molars appear "dead," except for one, which is still growing.

I took him back Saturday because I noticed he was getting water on his chest when he drank, and we discovered that the single molar that is still growing needed to be trimmed. When the vet trimmed that molar, she discovered that all the molars around it just came right out. She could not suture his gums.

He is on metacam daily (can't remember the dosage - I am at work), and I also wipe his mouth and gums with a q-tip dipped in children's berry-flavored listerine. He is desperately trying to eat pellets, but gives up quickly. I soaked some pellets in water to soften them, which helps, but I know he is not eating enough. He despises Critical Care and practically has a heart attack while I try to feed it to him (my other two want to eat it up!). I know his water intake has gone down - I syringed him some yesterday because I noticed that the bottle was not down to the usual spot. I assume he is the one not drinking. I should separate him to check his intake, but he panics when he is not with the other chins (even when he is upstairs with me).

How much water should I give him? Is there anything I can mix with the Critical Care to make it more palatable? He wants to eat, just not what he physically can eat. Please help!
 
You can try adding blackstrap molasses to the CC, try changing CC flavors-they have two, or try adding some canned pumpkin. You can also try Lifeline to mix with the CC, www.chocolatechinchillas.com, chins think this is very tasty. Did the vet give you any antibiotics for the open wounds in the mouth? I would not use listerine, I would use a antibiotic, a sulfa based one. Mouth open wounds such as the pockets left by the missing teeth can lead to nasty infections and can be very difficult to kick.
 
I doubt you would be able to get enough water into him by syringing. Seems like when I try, more runs out than stays in. Can your vet show you how to give subcu fluids? It would be a lot less stressful for him, and I would imagine water running over those open holes is not going to feel great. Not to mention, I'm sure there's blood involved which is going to make his food and his water taste like crap.

I would, as Dawn suggested, either add black strap mollases or get some Dyne, and use the Lifeline. It's not a food replacement, it's an herbal supplement, so you still have to get him to eat. Some of my chins like the apple banana flavored CC and some don't, so you might have to experiment. You could also try doing the puffed pellets that are talked about in several threads on the forum, or possibly letting some critical care air dry and offering that. It's not super hard, and he can hold it himself. You just dry it in little strips or in little balls and stick it in his dish.
 
I know this is probably a very much loved pet and you are doing everything you can for him but with all his problems that do not sound like they will get any better you may have to decide about the quality of his life in the near future.
 
Advanced Formula is formulated by a certified animal nutritionist and a holistic vet. It has been used with great success.
Our syringe feed contains whole nutrient complexes (not isolated nutrient molecules) + secondary elements, animals feel it and that's why they like it so much.
Critical Care actually contains more ingredients, mostly synthetic vitamins.
 
my heroes

Thank you for all of your input! I know this info is everywhere in here, but sometimes it is easier to ask than to search desperately for bits and pieces.

I actually have some of Dawn's stuff, but it may be too old. I bought it about a year ago when we moved into our new home, since the chins were so stressed out over the move. I have had it stored in the fridge all of this time. Do you think it is still okay?

I came home and he ate a good tbsp of squishy Mazuri (and I could tell he had been eating while I was out - he was messy :(). I think I could keep him at home if I knew how to give him subcutaneous fluids. He was happy to get water from the syringe just now, and he takes the metacam readily. The dose right now is 0.25 mg every 24 hours for seven days. He happily took a bath and then wandered around the living room. Should I take him to the emergency vet now and see if they will teach me how to do the fluids? I can see the exotics vet at 9am and they know me there (very well now, unfortunately).

And yes, he is extremely dear to me. My husband unexpectedly passed away in November (he was 33), and these little dears were my wedding gift - my surprise chin-children! I really want my WB to have a great quality of life, and I am quite aware of his suffering. Right now he wants to eat and live, and I want him to eat and live, so I don't think it is time to consider anything else. I trust my vet and she says they see toothless chins and rabbits that are leading happy, healthy lives. I would hope that no-one will mention this again. I chose to sign the papers for my husband's organs to be donated, for pete's sake! I will do what is right when the time comes, but that time is not now.

I will keep everyone updated....:thanks10:
 
I just want to say that this has to be an awful situation for you AND your chin. I wish you the best of luck and I hope everything works out for you and WB. I had a chin before that had teeth issues and I know the issues you face are hard. Good Mojo coming your way! :hug2:
 
I think the lifeline should be just fine if you kept it in the fridge. The probiotics may be a bit weaker but I would definitely try it.

I give lifeline to my one chin with malo; 1 small syringe (1 cc size) at least twice a day. I do grind it up though in larger batches and keep that in the fridge and then mix enough for several days.

there is also a recipe for puffed pellets that my vet recomended. it may be less messy than the wet pellets.

do a search for puffed pellets. also always give a separate bowl of the regular pellets just in case he feels like nibbling.

i also supplemented by handfeeding to make sure he kept his weight up. he wasnt a huge fan of the critcal care so i crushed his pellets and put a small amount of either baby food squash or canned pumpkin and that helped get his weight up.
before he was diagnosed he was about 750 grams and at his lowest went down to about 610 grams and now he is around 700 grams which is great.
 
Thank you for the good mojo!!! I need it so bad right now. I feel like if I didn't have bad luck, I would not have any luck at all. I feel terrible for WB - I didn't mean for my bad luck to rub off on him.

So, I am back from the grocery store with a few organic products: blackstrap molasses, winter squash & sweet potatoes (the latter are both baby food products). They were out of canned pumpkin :(

I found a recipe in one of the threads: "Turn on your oven to 250. Put a bunch of his pellets in a strainer. Run the water until it is hot. Pour the hot water over the pellets in the strainer until they are wet. Let drain. Put in a baking pan/dish with a little black strap molasses and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool before giving the chin in his dish. What this does it makes the pellets less dense - sort of like 'puffed pellets' Some chins absolutely love it and it gets them starting to eat."

Can the other chins eat the puffed pellets? I want to keep a food supply available to him without separating him from the others, but I will do what I must to make it work.
 
Everyone can have puffed pellets, just like you can offer LL and CC to the others, when chins are familiar with the taste and texture it makes them easier to feed when the need comes up.
 
a lot of stores are out of the canned pumpkin due to a bad "pumpkin" season, that is why i always mention the squash. havent tried the sweet potatoes personally.

all of the chins can eat the puffed pellets. and some chins will lick the lifeline off a spoon if you make it more pasty. only 1 of mine does that. multiple chins = multiple personalities!!
 
Chinnie Heaven

Well, this update is not the one I wanted, but it was what I was given, so here it goes:

I took WB to the vet this morning when they opened. She gave a looksie in his mouth and, well, it didn't look good. So, the short story is she recommended chinnie heaven and I called up my hubby Erick to pick up our precious WB. Now they are together and WB knows what happened to Erick.

As many of you know, the word "devastated" is so minute compared to the loss I feel. WB is my baby boy - he was the runt at 30 grams when he was born. He let me love him up, and he enjoyed being carried around, nestled in the crook of my arm. I told him he was really a parrot, since he often liked to sit on my shoulder and peek around at my face. I don't know what to do now. I hope my other two chin-babes can survive this ongoing tragedy. They have been terribly confused about Erick, so I don't know what will happen now.

Thank you all for your good thoughts, prayers, and mojo. My heart goes out to all of you that have lost your chin-children. Thanks for your words of wisdom and kindness!:cry3:
 
Darn..I am so sorry..I know how hard that decision can be. But you spared him a lifetime of pain and suffering and he is at peace now. WB and your husband can keep one another company until the day you all can be together again. You have my deepest sympathies and are in my thoughts during this time.
:flowers5:
 
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