HELP! What to do while waiting for test results?!?!

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Directorthiang

Active member
Joined
May 5, 2012
Messages
33
Location
Chowchilla, California
My chin is not acting normally. He has been chewing willow sticks like a mad fiend, looks uncomfortable (eyes seem pained), and tonight, in addition to all of that, he's been stretching a lot.

What do I do? I took him to the vet and am waiting for the results of a fecal exam. I have some medications on hand from previous vet issues--cisapride, metacam, and baytril. I also have critical care (which he is not willing to take voluntarily), and simethicone.

I am almost sure he has giardia. Just need the test results to confirm it. He's eating some hay and a veggie treat and chewing right now, but stretching every time he gets off his wheel. I've given him one dose of simethicone... he IS pooping...

Should I just leave him alone and start harrassing the vet like crazy tomorrow? Or should I dose him with something? Crap, I don't want to lose him. I just don't know what the heck to do right now to make him feel better. It's obvious he's not happy.

Help!
 
I never had to deal with giardia yet but was his poop mushy? I wouldn't give him veggie treats just hay. I guess you will just have to wait for the results. It might be something else. Maybe someone that had to deal with it can you more advice. Good luck.
 
If he's in pain I always go with medicam but I cannot tell you yes give him meds (not a vet)
However if my chin was stretching and showing pain I would give it to him. Just be sure you know the correct dose if you do choose to do so.
you can try to massage him in the same manner you would for bloat or stasis. And maybe a warm sock on his tummy(cant say wether the warmth would help being that you suspect giardia)
If he's still pooping I'd say cisapride is unnessecary at this point but monitor him closely. And monitor his eating too( I know you have been)
Main thing is stay calm because your no use to him freaking out.
Keep him comfortable and keep his gut moving with hand feedings if you need too.
 
Also
Does he feel bloated or gassy at all?
Gas bubbles often feel like you can kinda feel an organ or some thing (which is highly unlikely)
If you feel any gas Definitly keep giving simethicone.
 
How is he doing with eating on his own? Have his teeth been looked at with an xray? I find it odd that a symptom of giaria or anything but tooth issues would have him chewing like crazy. My little malo guy chewed plenty. Not as much as the girls but he certainly destroyed twigs and such quickly. I mean, babies chew when their teeth hurt why not chinchillas?

Edit: should have read the other thread first. I see now you say that more than one chin is having weird poos? Doesn't sound like potential teeth issues anymore. Also sounds like you need a better vet.
 
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It sounds like your chin has bloat. The stretching is a very commom thing chins do when they have it. He needs simethicone every 2-4 hours, a good .50ml.

He also needs tummy massages in gentle circular motions starting from below his rib cage down to his genitals. Exercise is good and will help to get the gas moving.

No treats of any kind for a while. No Baytril unless prescribed by your vet if she finds something else wrong with him. It could cause more problems with bloat and intestinal upset.

If he is eating hay, don't worry about hand feeding him.

If you don't get ahead of this, it will only get worse, so you need to be deligent.
 
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The onset of stasis one of the first symptoms is frantic chewing, this chin needs a vet to get a diagnosis with a x-ray, this can go wrong very quick. I would not self-vet this due to the frantic chewing, stasis is deadly and needs to be confirmed.
 
Thanks everyone. I will contact UCDavis and try to get an appointment soon. The chewing has mellowed, and he is still eating, drinking, and pooping on his own. His belly doesn't feel bloated, it's still soft and squishy, but I have been giving him simethicone anyway. I'm wondering if the simethicone or benebac is contributing to the weird poops. He doesn't have diarrhea, and many of his poops look normal, but some look unusually greasy and a couple have been kind of short and puffy. Just not sure what is causing it.

He is around 8 years old and has never had any issues with his teeth. Is it common for chins to develop malocclusion this late?

And have you had any other stomach parasites or bacterial infections cause these symptoms besides giardia?
 
He has an appointment tomorrow morning at UCDavis. What are some other things that could cause stasis/bloating other than giardia? He's not been drinking tap water or any new food... We're in a new house and the previous couple used to have a dog. The place was cleaned (professional carpet cleaning/maid service/etc.) before we moved in, but is there something maybe a dog could have passed to them from my husband and I touching things in the house?

I'm so worried but can't for the life of me figure out what could be causing his pain.
 
Bloat or stasis can easily be caused by a number of things, treats, food, underlying illness obstruction
You may never know if the only thing you find is gas with X-rays. My girl went into stasis for seemingly no reason, I have theory's as to why but nothing concrete.
Just take it one step at a time and treat him as you would a chin with bloat, see what the vet says tomorrow and go from there
Dogs can pass along any number of things but many of us have dogs and chins some have dogs in the same room without illness so while he could pick some thing up from a dog it's highly unlikely without some sort of contact or without even having a dog after a professional cleaning
 
Okay, that's what I'm doing. But when he stretches, and climbs into his wheel, and sits there so still with his eyes half open.... God, this is awful. And why does it seem that you can NEVER get to a qualified vet when you need to? We need nocturnal vets for nocturnal creatures. This waiting and watching and over-analyzing and freaking out is going to kill me.... I'm eating less than Powder is.

Gave him a TEENY TINY dose of metacam because I couldn't stand it anymore. About half of the prescribed amount. Now he's yawning and settling in. Maybe it helped ease the pain a little.
 
Wow... I think the metacam and regular doses of simethicone may have helped some! He's acting so much more like his usual self tonight. He's bouncing around his cage, munching on hay, and running to the door to beg for his bedtime treat (which I didn't give, much to his dismay).

I also took out his dust bath because we just noticed that he has been scratching almost every time he moves! Don't see any issues in his fur, no holes or patches, or matting, but the fur on his arm near his armpit looks a little thin... other than that, we can't see anything wrong, but he is scratching A LOT--one particular ear, the sides of his body, and he keeps grooming his chest area with his mouth.

In any event, I feel a LOT better that he'll make it through the night until his vet appt in the morning. I'll have them do x-rays for any gastro issues and his teeth, and look into this scratching thing...

Thanks everyone for your suggestions and support. It is MUCH appreciated.
 
Update!

Okay, back from a LONNNNNNNNNNG day/visit to the exotics clinic at UCDavis (staff were WONDERFUL, but it was just a long long long day of tests).

They did a general exam first, found no issues other than the feel of a small mass near his bladder/stomach that they weren't able to identify. Next, did x-rays, ran a chem test, and a blood test. Everything came back great, except the x-rays--showed some fluid and gas in the secum area, but no blockages in the intestines. So, due to that, they then ran a fecal hidden blood test to make sure there were no abdominal ulcers... all came back clear.

According to the tests, scans, and the like, he is fit as a fiddle--no signs of impaction, no signs of arthritis, excellent dental and scull scans, skin looks great, internal organs look great, and no infections or parasites. Just some gas and liquid in the secum.

So, their best guess at this point is that stress from a new home caused some internal gut issues, such as a flare up of giardia that he has since passed, but that he's now still trying to resolve the gas/liquid left from the upset.

So I've been given some metacam to give him twice a day with critical care, and I just need to monitor him for the next few days and try to mellow out our new living situation as much as possible so he can warm up to it. We moved to a place with a lot more noise than before... trains, trucks, motorcycles... and Powder has always seemed to have a fear of diesel engines... So perhaps, that really is the root of the problem.

Vet said that the simethicone isn't really recommended--apparently, there is some debate as to whether or not it is really effective; sounds like it CAN work for certain types of bloat, but she said not this one, so she didn't suggest continuing it.

She also said that the crazed chewing and scratching are sometimes an outward manifestation of stress.

So for now, he's been given the almost clean bill of health... just need to give him some time to regroup. I hope! :)

He was acting MUCH more active last night, particularly after the metacam dose, and very active this morning. Much more his usual self. So hopefully, whatever was the issue is in the past and the aftermath is being resolved. :)

I'll keep you updated.
 
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Simethicone only works when the gas is up high, the stomach or cecum, when it gets down lower it no longer is effective. Good news at least you got some answers from a good vet on what its not!
 
Well last night was scary.... it took him a LONG time to recover from the anesthesia. They let him come out naturally, but it was a good 10 hours before he was really looking alert and was able to hop with confidence and grace. Called and left the vet a voicemail at 11:00 pm last night asking her to call me in the morning just to confirm that the clumsiness and weakness were effects of the anesthesia taking a really long time to wear off... she called in the next fifteen minutes! These UCD people are AWESOME.

Force fed him last night, he hated it, made a huge mess, what a nightmare, but this morning he's eating on his own and looking much better. Just hates my guts right now. A LOT.
 
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