First Vet Trip - Meds and Symptoms Questions

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Airyn said:
Yeah, I've been there! I think most people on here probably have. My fingers are still crossed for you. Please keep us posted!

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I definitely will! Currently searching as to probiotic doses and such.
 
Quick update to keep you guys in the loop.

He pooped 5 mini tiny hard poops overnight, but I called my primary first thing this morning and got him in for an appointment. They took xrays and found 3 gas bubbles, 2 in his stomach and 1 small one in his intestines. As soon as I got him to the vet he started pooping up a storm, and has about 36 (still smaller than normal) poops in the last hour.

Next step is the vet wants to keep him in the hospital for a couple of hours, run barium through his system and take some xrays to see how far it goes through/if it gets blocked. It's that option or I take him home and continue to monitor him for changes. Even though him pooping finally is a wonderful sign, I think I'm going to do the barium treatment to be on the safest side; I'm so frustrated with just "monitoring".

She is also lowering the dosage of baby gas drops from .3 to .2.


EDIT: I will also be asking about a different emergency vet.
 
That's better news! Some poop is definitely better than no poop. I would've made the same decision with the barium. Thanks for the update!

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Airyn said:
That's better news! Some poop is definitely better than no poop. I would've made the same decision with the barium. Thanks for the update!

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Good to know! I was quickly racking through my brain to remember that acronym for unsafe meds for chinchillas (what letters they start with etc.) And didn't think there was 'B' on it.

As for updating you guys no worries! I really appreciate everyone who has taken the time to respond to this thread and I know I personally hate it when people never update so I definitely don't want to do that.

Currently just waiting for the bill (ugh) and for them to come take him for a couple of hours, hopefully the barium has enough time to get through his system to make this worth it. Will let you all know the outcome!
 
I did a quickie search on barium after you posted and found it in a few other threads. I've done that in the vet's office too, especially the first time I was given Metacam for one of mine. Panic mode just sucks, almost as much as the bills. They're always brutal. Hoping for more poop! :)

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FINALLY a happy update!

Vet did the barium test, and the xrays show everything passed through quickly and like it should so there is no blockage. He still has a couple gas bubbles but she says they seem to have gotten smaller since the first xrays, so thats also a good sign.

Brought him home, and he immediately hopped in his cage and picked up a pellet and ate it looking at me. Its as if he was saying "Haha fooled you!" He also then ate some hay from both his fresh hay and his hay cube and now hes sleeping a bit. I think I'm still going to feed him some CC because he only nibbled at his food and the vet wanted me to feed him when I got back. But I'm so happy hes eating again. I'm just waiting for the poops to get back to normal.

She put him back on reglan since there is no blockage, and wants me to continue that for 2 weeks 2x a day. I am also continuing with the baby gas drops at .2mL 3x a day. She also wants him to go back on the metacam for the possible pain and inflammation in his feet which was the original issue. She also said no probiotics for now.

Now, since I'm still unsure what caused this whole not-eating thing, do we think that the metacam is going to restart us from square one?

The receptionist also gave me a brochure for an avian & exotics vet a bit south from me when I asked for a new emergency vet (believe me, I voiced my opinion to the doctor about that emergency place). The exotics place isn't a 24hr place, but I'm thinking if I call them and get places they recommend for emergencies that would be a good step. (If anyone is in Southern NY and has any ideas let me know!)


Thank you all for helping me through this!!
 
Going back to the original reason you took him to the vet - can you post a pic of his toes? It sounds like a normal, what I consider "grooming" toe. The inside toe has a bump above the nail with more coarse hairs from it than the other toes.

This thread emphasizes the need for people to do research on vets before they need them - and establish a relationship with an experienced vet also. Before I became a vet, I had a list of 9 vets within a 2 1/2 hour drive, in order of experience for both regular appointments and emergencies. That way if something happened, there was less scramble. And sometimes I had to call #9 and hope for the best.
 
Sycamore Chins said:
Going back to the original reason you took him to the vet - can you post a pic of his toes? It sounds like a normal, what I consider "grooming" toe. The inside toe has a bump above the nail with more coarse hairs from it than the other toes.
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I can post a picture. This is it below. To me they just seem like fatty lumps, and he doesnt even seem to notice when I touch them. He's had them for a while, and they haven't changed in that time and I haven't noticed him biting them/showing any signs that they are irritated. Due to the fact that he never was bothered by them before, I'm VERY reluctant to put him back on meatacam just in case the cycle of not eating starts over again.

http://imgur.com/1f2PwFA

Sycamore Chins said:
This thread emphasizes the need for people to do research on vets before they need them - and establish a relationship with an experienced vet also. Before I became a vet, I had a list of 9 vets within a 2 1/2 hour drive, in order of experience for both regular appointments and emergencies. That way if something happened, there was less scramble. And sometimes I had to call #9 and hope for the best.
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This has definitely been a learning experience to me. I had a vet that I had liked before I had moved, and once I moved I did call around for recommendations and all of the local vets pointed in the direction I went because this was the small animals went to. She came highly recommended by a couple of friends that have small animals (rats, guinea pigs, etc. - - I know they are different then chins but it was nice to see small mammal experience) and their webpage had a couple of chinchilla patient pictures so I wasn't extremely worried. I honestly didn't think a small lump would have turned into as big of a deal as it did, as his behavior was on point for as long as I've had him - - it has actually improved since I got him out of the cruddy situation he was in.

As for the emergency vet, I trusted going there because the vet said "you need to go to this vet if he still doesnt eat, he has experience with chinchillas and I send everyone there". So that was 100% my fault to not have any knowledge about him.

My next step after this whole ordeal is to contact the exotic vet south of me and talk with them. Does anyone have any helpful tips as to "vet" a vet so to speak? Or how do I develop a relationship with them before I actually have to bring in a furbaby?



On ANOTHER note. What are my steps for when he starts eating on his own again. Do I have to wean him off the CC or does it just stop? I've seen him eating his hay cube and the loose hay, but I haven't seen him eating from his bowl yet as I've been in and out of the house sorting a bunch of things out with him and my own life. I have been moving the food in the bowl to weird positions and noticing that it is changing when I get back, so I'm assuming that means food activity. He is pooping again as well, back to normal size and shape. And he is urinating.
 
Just so you know it's antibiotics that screw up the GI tract not pain killers normally. The only real problem I've heard with metacam is if taken long term (months) it can cause liver and kidney damage. Otherwise it tends to cause an increase in appetite, probably due to pain causing lack of appetite in the first place. That being said if the chin isn't in pain I wouldn't bother with the painkillers, but the toes do look kinda red to me.

I would weigh and measure the food you put in the bowl to see if he is eating. Some chins apparently love CC and you do need to wean them off it. I would wait until the chin is back up to (or a bit above) pre-issue weight if he lost weight during this whole ordeal before weaning him off the CC though.
 
Amethyst said:
Just so you know it's antibiotics that screw up the GI tract not pain killers normally. The only real problem I've heard with metacam is if taken long term (months) it can cause liver and kidney damage. Otherwise it tends to cause an increase in appetite, probably due to pain causing lack of appetite in the first place. That being said if the chin isn't in pain I wouldn't bother with the painkillers, but the toes do look kinda red to me
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This is good to know, it makes me feel better about it.


Amethyst said:
I would weigh and measure the food you put in the bowl to see if he is eating. Some chins apparently love CC and you do need to wean them off it. I would wait until the chin is back up to (or a bit above) pre-issue weight if he lost weight during this whole ordeal before weaning him off the CC though.
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Between being weighed Tuesday and again yesterday he has not lost any weight. He doesn't seem to LOVE the CC, he actually seems to be less interested in it than he was originally...could this be because he's started eating again? He absolutely loves taking all the meds though, and sucks them out of the dropper and wont let it go haha...is that cause for concern?
 
Besides the redness - which i'm assuming is from the needle aspirates, that is normal anatomy.

Recommendations - call ahead and ask questions like: how many have you seen, previous personal experiences, what kind of diseases have you treated, etc. I fully recommend a wellness exam - that way you can get a face to face with the vet, see how they handle them, see what recommendations they make, etc. (And I don't buy the hype about stressing chinchillas by taking them to the vet, they do just fine or there was some underlying problem. I've brought some of mine to work that have spent the whole day there with no problems whatsoever.)

Honestly (**and this is a key point**) - I am far more likely to stay late to see an emergency (or squeeze one in during a busy schedule) if it is a client I have previously seen! This is why I recommend forking out the exam fee when they are healthy.

Also, just get the vibe from the vet and trust your gut - I am just starting out, so besides chinchillas, rabbits and guinea pigs, I don't have a ton of experience with other exotics. I am honest about this with clients, it is their choice to stay or leave. BUT I will do research and contact other vets and spend more time trying to figure out what's going on with your exotic pet than it usually takes with a cat or dog, for far less money - because I love seeing exotics and it's not all about the money to me. And how will I ever improve, if no one gives me a chance to work with their animals?
 
LeoMonster said:
Between being weighed Tuesday and again yesterday he has not lost any weight. He doesn't seem to LOVE the CC, he actually seems to be less interested in it than he was originally...could this be because he's started eating again? He absolutely loves taking all the meds though, and sucks them out of the dropper and wont let it go haha...is that cause for concern?
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I think they normally flavor the meds to make them tasty so that's probably normal. If he is eating on his own and not losing weight you can probably give less and less each feeding or simply cut out a feeding each day or so. The only point of the CC is it's nutritionally balanced easy to eat food, so if the chin is eating on it's own there is no need for CC. It gives the chin the nutrients but not the grinding of the hay and food that wears down teeth so it's best not to stay on it longer then needed.
 
Amethyst said:
I think they normally flavor the meds to make them tasty so that's probably normal. If he is eating on his own and not losing weight you can probably give less and less each feeding or simply cut out a feeding each day or so. The only point of the CC is it's nutritionally balanced easy to eat food, so if the chin is eating on it's own there is no need for CC. It gives the chin the nutrients but not the grinding of the hay and food that wears down teeth so it's best not to stay on it longer then needed.
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I definitely like your idea of weighing his food bowl to check, and just ran out and bought a food scale from walmart. I think I'll re-evaluate what to do with the CC once I figure that out.

Sycamore Chins said:
Besides the redness - which i'm assuming is from the needle aspirates, that is normal anatomy.

Recommendations - call ahead and ask questions like: how many have you seen, previous personal experiences, what kind of diseases have you treated, etc. I fully recommend a wellness exam - that way you can get a face to face with the vet, see how they handle them, see what recommendations they make, etc.
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The redness was like that when I brought him in, they only used the needle on one toe. I might try to get a side view picture because they look more swollen from that angle. That issue kind of got pushed to the backburner with all of the reactions to the meds, and we left it as whether or not I should biopsy it. My gut right now is to hold on the biopsy and get a second opinion before incurring any other large vet bills.

As for the vet, I think those are all good points and once I get all my current vet bills sorted out I think I'll look into the exotic vet down in Westchester and see how I feel about them.
 
Amethyst said:
Just so you know it's antibiotics that screw up the GI tract not pain killers normally. The only real problem I've heard with metacam is if taken long term (months) it can cause liver and kidney damage. Otherwise it tends to cause an increase in appetite, probably due to pain causing lack of appetite in the first place. That being said if the chin isn't in pain I wouldn't bother with the painkillers, but the toes do look kinda red to me.

I would weigh and measure the food you put in the bowl to see if he is eating. Some chins apparently love CC and you do need to wean them off it. I would wait until the chin is back up to (or a bit above) pre-issue weight if he lost weight during this whole ordeal before weaning him off the CC though.
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Metacam long term can also cause ulcers in the GI tract, something like pepcid should be taken also.
 
Final Update:

Larry is eating and pooping and acting normally. And will be on Reglan and Metacam for the remainder of the prescription. I'm debating stopping the baby gas drops as I dont think they are needed anymore. Vet told me to stop the CC since he is eating normally.

Thanks everyone for your help and support

:hearts::hearts::hearts:
 
I don't have as much experience with chins as the other folks here who have posted, so please take that into consideration.

I had a similar toe situation with my chin a while back. My chin had started showing redness and swelling on his big toes (as if they were irritated by something). I thought perhaps he had been nibbling at them more than he should, but couldn't catch him doing it. My fear was that the swelling and redness was a sign of fungus starting up (even though there were no other signs). Just in case, I added a little Tinactin powder (anti fungal tolnaftate) to his dust bath (I read on this forum that it was ok to do this even as a precautionary measure).

Whatever it was, the swelling and redness eventually cleared up and he hasn't had any problems since. I made sure he had enough chews in his cage in case it was an OCD nibbling problem, though. Now, I use the Tinactin occasionally--still no problems (he almost 4 years old now).
 
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