GI Stasis! HELP PLEASE!

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4luvofchins said:
Thanks for the advice. I was able to give him the fluids last night after I calmed myself down. I was just so nervous, I think he knew. We let him play, tired him out and then gave him the fluids. We were also able to do it again this morning. So he has gotten 3 good doses of fluids in the last 24 hrs. I'm going to try again tonight around 6 or 7. It is difficult pushing from the syringe, but it's what I have and I made it work, i'll do it again. I hope it gets easier as I go. He is now really fearful though to be held because I think the needle really does bother him. But I have to do it to keep him healthy. This is so emotional...
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What guage needle are you using?
 
cintistatern2005 said:
What guage needle are you using?
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I am not sure. The needle says 20x1A on it. It's pretty large, about 1.5 inches long, not sure of the gauge though.

menagerie said:
I've never had that happen. Has the bolus of fluid been absorbed now?
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The fluid was absorbed this morning, his little bump was gone. The vet told me that if it happens again to call them and we might have to do something different. Soooo i'm hoping it doesn't happen again.
 
It is a 20 guage needle. You need like a 23 guage for a chin. A 23 guage is a smaller needle thickness. It would be much easier to get the fluids in with a smaller needle. I wouldnt sit still either if your sticking me with a 20 guage. Call your vet and see if they have different sizes.
 
I'm glad to hear that his bolus was absorbed.

cintistatern2005 said:
It is a 20 guage needle. You need like a 23 guage for a chin. A 23 guage is a smaller needle thickness. It would be much easier to get the fluids in with a smaller needle. I wouldnt sit still either if your sticking me with a 20 guage. Call your vet and see if they have different sizes.
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The fluid does go in faster with a 20 gauge, since it is a bigger needle. However, Tucker freaked when we tried to use a 20g on him. I was using 25g, which is a struggle to get the fluids through and finally settled on a 23g which is small enough to be inserted easily and big enough for a decent fluid flow.

When reading needles the first number is the gauge and the second number is the length. A 20x1 is a 20 gauge 1" long needle. I'm not sure what the A is for. The smaller the gauge number, the bigger the needle.
 
Due to my vet being an hour away, I think I'm going to keep with the needle, he seems to be doing a bit better, and i'm getting the hang of it now. Thanks for information on needle gauge. I'll make sure next time i'm in that I get a 23. He seems to be responding well to the fluids and the injections of reglan. He's finally forming larger droppings. He is also more energetic when out of the cage. He is still sleeping a lot in his cage, but he is so much more curious during free play. He even jumped up onto a little stool I have and got into his curious and happy position. Nothing made me happier than seeing him move around so much. He loves his critical care now (which will make going back to pellets harder). He just sits on my arm and eats it. He seems to have better control of his tongue and teeth. It makes me think the pain from last weeks procedure is finally subsiding. I feel much more hopeful today. Just one day at a time!
 
So I think we had a mini break-through just now. I have always very sparingly given my chinnys these little tasty twigs things, they are colorful sticks that are like an inch long, or they come in a pretzel shape. Well my guys are trained that when they hear the container open, they are getting a treat. Tonight Raisin got SUPER excited when I opened the container. I handed him a twig and he swiped it out of my hand and ran to start gobbling it. Well he soon realized, "oh yeah, my teeth hurt" and didn't know what to do, so he turned the stick over and over. Finally he started nibbling. Then all of a sudden he just started chomping on it. I think perhaps he was afraid to eat, that it might hurt. I really hope this is a sign that he might start going back to his pellets because perhaps he won't be so scared of the pain. Just a theory...has anyone else thought this, that they won't eat because they are afraid it will hurt? Still going back and forth with droppings, but he's been much more alert and active. So we're trucking along!
 
Ask your vet for some Bene-Bac gel. My little girl just had some tooth issues and the Vet gave her some Bene-Bac gel along with her meds, to aid in the digestion and to get things balanced and moving along. It has the acidophilus and probiotics your chin will need. And they love it, which gets them to take it very easily.
 
One of my chins has had some stasis issues and has had fluids several times...she has a bolus of fluids every time (even when different people gave her the fluids, all vets/techs). It is okay...they just look pathetic. If they are REALLY dehydrated then they might not get one. The usually end up on the tummy due to gravity.

Keep with it....fluids help. Now when my chin starts to regress, we get fluids one time and maybe a dose of the meds. We were doing that whole every four hours routine for two weeks when a top vet here said to stop it ALL except sub q fluids. We did....and she got better. She was miserable until we quit doing all that. We just keep an eye on her energy level and the amount of poop every morning and if it is even kind of low for two nights we consider fluids. She has only had them twice since the main episode in October. She just needs a chance for her gut to heal up from the trauma....like if a person was hospitalized....we leave the hospital but then aren't quite 100 percent for a month or two.

Best wished to your chinnie!
 
Well, he is still producing droppings, however still small. His tummy is now back to what I feel a normal size and feels soft. He is still pretty active. Loves his medicines. We joke that he's becoming a little addict! I made an appointment to have his teeth rechecked. We were unable to give him is 2 pm critical care meal the other day due to me moving out of my apartment and back in with my folks. When I got home for his 6 pm meal time, I noticed he had started crushing pellets. It looked like he was having a hard time eating them still as there was a lot of crushed pellet dust and pieces of pellets all over his shelf. It made me feel good though that he was nudging around them, however I have a feeling he's still having difficulty eating. Today we stopped the reglan injections and are just doing oral meds. He still gets subcu 2 times a day. He is still on his Metacam, Phytomucil, and Cisapride.

I ran out of the Fine Grind critical care, and started him back on the normal consitency critical care. He doesn't seem to like this stuff much at all. We had a hard time getting it in him to begin with. I'm searching high and low for the fine grind as he likes it, and getting it into him is the main priority. Does anyone know where I can get it?

Other than that, everyone (my parents and fiance) have commented on how much better he seems. He is awake more, jumping around and moving items in his cage, he is much feistier, putting up a little rucus when I try to get him from his cage for meds and fluids. I'm not sure how much longer he should be on meds, as he still isn't eating on his own, and his droppings are still quite small. I'll talk to the vet on Wed. and find out more.
 
Someone on cnh mentioned puff pellets where you moisten them then bake them on low for chins who have had teeth problems or such. Try searching that and maybe try and see if he likes them.
 
You were asking about LifeLine - Dawnna has a page about it on chocolatechinchillas.com and I've had nothing but good luck with it!
 
as for the puffed pellets. Put a good amount of pellets in a colander, pour very hot water over and drain. Meanwhile pre-heat oven to 250F Put pellets in a baking pan, spread out. Bake for 35 minutes. This makes the pellets less dense. Of course, let them cool before putting in the chin's dish
 
AZChins said:
Wasn't there something about adding a bit of molasses to it to make it a bit more appealing? I am trying to remember, forgive me if I am wrong. :) My memory is getting worse and worse as time goes on. :)
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My concern with molasses, or honey is that there is sugar in those? Isn't sugar bad for digestion? I'm not sure if that is correct. So many facts, so much info, I get confused. Thanks for the advice though.
 
barb and i use the same vet. the vet did recommend if the chin wont eat it, before baking a small amount of black strap molasses drizzled is okay. the sugar content in the black strap is less and many people use it to bind and sweeten a little in their pet treats.
 
Raisin Update-I took him to the vet today because he still wasn't eating. He was trying to go for his pellets but then just dropping them. My vet looked in his mouth and said that he didn't see any points or further areas of irritation. He was concerned that Raisin wasn't eating yet either. His suggestion was to start weaning him off the CC. However I need to watch his droppings to make sure they don't stop again. He suggested 2 larger feedings in the morning and mid-day and then skipping his evening feeding in hopes he'll get hungry and try his pellets. He also suggested crushing up his pellets and mixing them with critical care to get him a taste for them again. On a side note, I ordered the lifeline from chocolatechinchillas. and he LOVES it. :) :)

Good news-Vet said Raisin had good gut sounds. He has dropped about 30g since he was in the vet on the 2nd. He now weights 535, and was 565. He once weighed in at 610, so there has been significant loss over time. He did say that I shouldn't worry yet, that he isn't skin a bones yet and that we'll check back after the new year and see how the eating/weight is. I also got a 22 guage needle from the vet, and I have to say it was a LOT easier to use, I felt better about it, and he squirmed a LOT less.

If anyone has advice on how to wean him off CC, I would really appreciate it! I am concerned between balancing his weight/getting him to gain some, getting him back on pellets, and not going back into a bout of GI stasis, which he is still slowly recovering from.
 
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