Help! Seizure??

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kiltbunny

kiltbunny

Active member
Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
39
Location
Atlanta, GA
I was cleaning out the cage and everyone seemed fine. I was putting in a new liner and then Tifa started running around the room like mad, banging into the walls and just completely out of normal. She ran back into her cage and began flopping around and falling and then finally was laying on her side, breathing heavily and making a noise I've never heard. I scooped her up and wrapped her in a towel.... she feels limp and weak. I'm terrified. The Evet doesnt take chinchillas and her vet wont open until 7. I have her put into a small travel carrier and have a blanket wrapped over it. She seems like she can't keep her balance at all, is uncoordinated, and theres a little bit of blood coming from her nose. I'm freaking out. Please help. Is this a seizure? What else can I do? Heating pad to keep her from shock??
 
if she was running into walls and things, could the blood from her nose be from a hit? But I agree that this sounds like it can't wait and she needs to see a vet now. Waiting can make a bad situation worse. I hope she is ok, please update us when you can.
 
My chin had seizures a few weeks ago. The vet said she was hypoglycemic and I had to get some sugar in her. She had repeated seizures and couldn't use her legs properly. I had to quarentine her in a small cage where she could get no exercise for 1-2 weeks. She recovered fully and is now happy & healthy.
I don't know if this is what's wrong with your chin, but wanted to let you know to keep hope. Good luck with your fur baby!
 
For a chin in shock, a heating pad on low is fine. When in shock they are unable to regulate their bodies and it helps them to do that. A seriously ill chin can also benefit from the use of a heating pad on low, but you generally put it under half of the cage so they can get away from it if they need to.

Smashing into walls and spazzing does not sound like a "typical" seizure. It sounds more like she might have chewed on an electrical cord while out or gotten into something she shouldn't have. The falling over and going limp in the cage does sound like a seizure, but typically they come out of a seizure fairly rapidly. It isn't a constant state.

I definitely agree, she needs to see a vet immediately.
 
I agree, that does not sound like any seizure I have heard or seen, and I agree it sounds like she got shocked, can you look close at her mouth and see if she is singed or has curled whiskers and does it smell?
 
I spent the night watching her, and she's stable. I gave her some hay, some pellets and some water and she ate a little hay. I gave her a bit of raisin (thought maybe the blood sugar was low) and she ate that, just without the gusto /snatch and grab and swallow/ she usually employs. I kept her in her carrier overnight and she is still there today. During her fit, she soiled herself, so she has urine covering her tail/back half of her tummy and smells pretty terrible. There were poops in the cage, not soft, but not hard as normal. This morning she seems to not be disoriented and unbalanced as she was, but she is very lethargic and moves as though she is sore. This makes sense seeing as she launched herself into the walls, her cage sides and shelves, etc. I pressed around her abdomen and sides and didn't feel anything hard and she doesn't feel bloated (have past experience with bunny bloats). She didn't struggle like she usually would, but she wasn't limp in my hands and didn't feel hot or cold. So, stable does seem like an appropriate word. She doesn't seem in distress or having acute pain.

I had to go into work (chinchilla is sick isn't an acceptable reason apparently), so no vet visit yet. My BF may get off in time to take her tonight, if not she will go first thing tomorrow morning.

The "shocked" ... I wonder? The only thing plugged in in that room is a small radio. The cord is tucked, but I wonder if she got to it? I didn't think to check it. I don't recall seeing any singed whiskers or anything, but I didn't look for that.
 
A lethargic chin that is not getting vet care could be a dead chin very soon, the symptoms you list frankly scares the crap out of me without a diagnosis, nothing you list as a symptom screams seizure and chins who have had seizures are not lethargic this long.
 
I think I would have called into work claiming to be sick if that is what it took to get the time off to get my chin into the vet. I know that sounds bad, but I am just hoping you don't come back to a dead chin, or one that has waited too long to be treated. It's too bad they wouldn't let you have the time off because when chins show us signs of weakness, they really need to be seen quickly. I'll be praying that she'll be ok until you can get her in!
 
I really hope you don't come home to a dead chin. You should find an emergency vet that takes chinchillas..as soon as that happened I would have been gone. The more time she goes without a diagnosis and treatment (ESPECIALLY with lethargy present), the more chance she has at a grim outcome.
 
Oh, wow. I'm sending good thoughts to you and Tifa, but the way she was acting lethargic is a really bad sign, I hope you get her to a vet ASAP
 
Jenn said:
I think I would have called into work claiming to be sick if that is what it took to get the time off to get my chin into the vet. I know that sounds bad, but I am just hoping you don't come back to a dead chin, or one that has waited too long to be treated. It's too bad they wouldn't let you have the time off because when chins show us signs of weakness, they really need to be seen quickly. I'll be praying that she'll be ok until you can get her in!
Click to expand...

Agree'd. I dont think this should have waited either, I know some people are not pet people ( your boss maybe) but I would have just called off sick. They do not need to know why you are not there.

Any update on how Tifa is?
 
Good luck maybe next time you could at least drop her off to the vet. I have had to do that with king many vets for a small fee will watch and care for them for the day,
 
Tunes & Dawn... you were both 100% correct. My BF was able to take Tifa to the vet this afternoon and they were concerned about epilepsy, poison, worms(? chins can get worms?!)... they did a full check on her, ran some blood, etc. Her temp was fine, she was alert enough but seemed "sore"... made sense after what she did to herself last night. The blood from the nose was from where she had scraped/torn it during her fit. The vet was stumped, but she 1) ate pellets from his hand 2) pooped good, black (a little soft) poop 3) was coordinated to hop slowly around the room. He said to take her home, monitor her closely and make sure she kept eating. BF came home and scoured the chin's room and discovered the culprit... the small radio in there for them. They (or just her) had chewed, down to the copper wires, about a 6 inch length that she had managed to yank out from under the carpet. He called the vet back and passed the info along and we are to continue to monitor her and if shes not 95% or so by Monday to bring her back in. The vet's guess is she got a little zap from the cord and then freaked out and had a seizure from fear. The fact she is still lethargic is most likely from her being so banged and bruised.

She's not out of danger yet, but she seems on the improve. Thanks everyone for the responses and information. I honestly wouldn't have thought to have the cord checked without your suggestions... that stupid cord had been chin proofed, just not Tifa proofed.
 
I am glad you at least know what happened. Even if all you can do is watch and wait, it's good to know a cause.

If it was me, I would confine her to a small cage where she cannot hurt herself, no ledges or shelves, no hammocks. A house would be okay, and may make her feel more secure. I would also have the vet administer subcu fluids if he hasn't already. That can really help in cases like this where the chin has been a state of shock from an injury or electrocution. I would also get my hands on some Critical Care or Essentials For Life pronto because odds are she's going to need it. Even if you mix some up and offer it from a spoon, if her mouth is sore from biting, chewing is going to be agony. The two foods mentioned above are food replacements for chins who need hand feed. You mix them with water and it makes a soft, paste-type feed which will be much easier for her to get down.

As always, watch poops, weight, behavior, water intake, food intake, and urination. You do not want to end up with her in stasis because she won't eat and doesn't have enough fluid intake.
 
I've got her in the carrier still. I have a large "no ledges" guinea pig type cage, but I think she feels more comfortable in the carrier. Its closed on the sides and she seems to feel safe there and she has some fleeces to snuggle and hide under and stay warm.

I have a small thing of CC from her previous run-in with a kitty (accident prone girl and I'm a terrible chin owner), so I'm ready to go with that if necessary.

The vet said he would hold on the subQ fluids to see if she doesn't improve over the weekend? She has been eating and drinking so far, the GI was moving and was recovering well on her own. Luckily, she sustained no burns in/around her mouth. I'm lucky it was only a small clock radio and she might have only sustained a small shock.
 
I wish Tifa a quick recovery also and wanted to say when this is over, you might want to think about getting your little girl a playpen!
 
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