Gut problem with my chin?

[lenalena123]

Hey, im new to this and i really need help i dont where else to turn to... I’m desperate so if anyone has any kind of advice it is very welcome.
So my chin has been acting up for about two weeks now. Btw she is 13 years old, but this started very suddenly so i think the age is not the reason. She stoped moving around as much, sleeping in the corner and started eating less then before. Last week i noticed that she hadn’t pooped for a day or so. Naturally i freaked out, called a vet immediately but because i live in a small country where vets don’t usually work with chins we took her the next day. There was no problem with her teeth so the vet gave her an antibiotic for the guts (to help move the bowles i think). She said that taking her blood wpuld be stressful because of her age and that we should do it if thinks dont get better. Today she took her 5th dose of the antibiotic, she pooped but a really small amount up until yesterday. Now theres no poop again and im freaking out... she looks forward to the food but chews it very slowly and sometimes spits it out. Im very worried and there isnt a lot of help here so if someone has some kind of advice i would be very appreciative, thank you!

 

[Amethyst]

So what all did the vet do to examine the teeth? Did they just look at the front teeth or did they use a scope to look at the back teeth as well? I assume no x-rays were taken, either of the head to check for root growth or the body to check for gas or a something in the gut? Another possibility is gas or bloat Treatment and Prevention of Bloat , if it's been more then 24 hours with no poop you could also be looking at GI stasis Constipation . Also a lot of time the vet will give you a probiotic to give after the antibiotic (normally I think an hour or two after) to help replenish the good gut bacteria that the antibiotics killed.

My next question is what are you feeding? Is it a pellet only food or does it have bits other things mixed into it? Also is she eating her hay?

 

[lenalena123]

So what all did the vet do to examine the teeth? Did they just look at the front teeth or did they use a scope to look at the back teeth as well? I assume no x-rays were taken, either of the head to check for root growth or the body to check for gas or a something in the gut? Another possibility is gas or bloat Treatment and Prevention of Bloat , if it's been more then 24 hours with no poop you could also be looking at GI stasis Constipation . Also a lot of time the vet will give you a probiotic to give after the antibiotic (normally I think an hour or two after) to help replenish the good gut bacteria that the antibiotics killed.

My next question is what are you feeding? Is it a pellet only food or does it have bits other things mixed into it? Also is she eating her hay?

Thank you so much.
She just looked at the front teeth, and did take some tool to feel up the back teeth as my chin was not siting still for her to take a look. She didn’t check on her stomach, no x-ray etc... the only thing she mentioned was the blood test. After she saw the teeth were fine she assumed it must be the stomach problems. She did give her antibiotics and some vitamins but no mention of the probiotics - at first it seemed that it helped, but now we’re back and the situation has not improved. By this time it definitely passed 24 h without poop.
I’m gonna take her to another vet tomorrow morning and ask for the x-ray, hopefully they’ll tell me more than the current one... also i didn’t mention it but nowadays she is always chewing with nothing in her mouth.

To answer the other questions- I’m giving her some standard chinchilla food mix, it does contain pellet, but lots of other foods too. She is eating her hay, that’s the main thing that she wants to chew after she got sick. Also we didn’t change anything regarding the food in the last couple of months.

 

[Amethyst]

Grinding their teeth can be a sign of pain. I would get the chin into the vet as soon as possible, if it's really been over 24 hours since she last pooped at all it may already be too late though.

Pellets should be an alfalfa based pellet only food. Fruits, vegetable, seeds, nuts, sugars (like honey), and animal products (milk, meat, hide, bone, etc) can all cause digestive issues. Some issues take time to show up so just because it doesn't kill the chin outright does not mean it's safe.

 

[lenalena123]

Grinding their teeth can be a sign of pain. I would get the chin into the vet as soon as possible, if it's really been over 24 hours since she last pooped at all it may already be too late though.

Pellets should be an alfalfa based pellet only food. Fruits, vegetable, seeds, nuts, sugars (like honey), and animal products (milk, meat, hide, bone, etc) can all cause digestive issues. Some issues take time to show up so just because it doesn't kill the chin outright does not mean it's safe.

An update-the teeth were the problem. The vet gave her a therapy I’m feeding her by syringe for now. Hopefully she’ll get better soon. She already looks a bit more energetic and really looks forward to eating! She might need an intervention later, but for now I’m staying positive and I’m happy that i finally got a diagnosis