New Member - Sick Chin

[kcbee]

Hi All - Sorry this is my first post!

I've been reading through other topics that relate to mine, and getting great information, but I also want to post my own story and get some feedback.

I noticed my chin wasn't eating his pellets as much the past couple of days, but yesterday when he didn't eat any hay, I really took notice. His poops were really tiny balls.

I looked online and read about raisins for constipation, so I gave him one raisin.

This morning he still had not eaten and wasn't pooping, so I rushed him to the ER Vet. Why do these things always happen out of regular office hours?! :hair:

My Chin is acting fine - alert, playful, etc. The vet was pressing on his tummy and he wasn't acting in pain, but the vet did feel some gas.

The vet is giving us pain medication, antibiotics and critical care formula. I'm at home right now and my chin is still at the vet office getting x-rays and some other tests so make sure it isn't a blockage, tumor, etc.

I read online about how chins can easily die once they go into stasis and how hard it is to get the gut moving again. I'm also terrified the antibiotics are going to give him diarrhea.

I feel so scared! Just looking for some guidance.

Thank you in advance!!

 

[Buddy]

Is he bloated? Or just gassy? My chin has/had Stasis the past 3 weeks. After countless of vet visits and different medicine she seems to be a lot better. If it's not an impaction, and it is just gas building up, he should be on a gu mobility drug, an anti-biotic if it is deffo necessary- but he has to have some kind of pro biotic. My girl was really sick, but the second she got some pro-biotics into her she became pretty alert and a lot better. And right now, this is the second day after her pro-biotics were given out- She's running around my room like no tomorrow. Eating anyything she can get too. She's even tried her proper food. Syringe feed your chin as much as you can- Soon enough he'll take it without you having to force it. It's a long recovery but witht he right commitment it really helps.
It's scary, but you'll get there. Is he grinding his teeth at all?
Good luck. I wish you the best!

 

[kcbee]

Is he bloated? Or just gassy? My chin has/had Stasis the past 3 weeks. After countless of vet visits and different medicine she seems to be a lot better. If it's not an impaction, and it is just gas building up, he should be on a gu mobility drug, an anti-biotic if it is deffo necessary- but he has to have some kind of pro biotic. My girl was really sick, but the second she got some pro-biotics into her she became pretty alert and a lot better. And right now, this is the second day after her pro-biotics were given out- She's running around my room like no tomorrow. Eating anyything she can get too. She's even tried her proper food. Syringe feed your chin as much as you can- Soon enough he'll take it without you having to force it. It's a long recovery but witht he right commitment it really helps.
It's scary, but you'll get there. Is he grinding his teeth at all?
Good luck. I wish you the best!

Thank you so much!! I've been reading your thread that is just below mine. There is some great information in there. I'm so glad your chin is feeling better. You are taking such great care of her!!

I'm heading back to the vet's right now to pick him up. I'll ask about the mobility drug and probiotics.

He isn't grinding his teeth and doesn't seem in pain. So hopefully we caught this early...

He is very social, but doesn't like being held or restrained. So this is going to be tough for both of us!

 

[tunes]

You definitely don't want to give any more raisins with a gut issue - for future reference. That can cause even more issues and you're already dealing with a biggie.

You can also read this link: http://chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6553

That will also have some great information for you.

 

[Buddy]

If there are no teeth grinding then he's not in much pain. Does he stretch and lay on his belly at all??
Is he still drinking? It called be an Respitory infection.
Yeah, everyone on here have helped me and given me so much advice I couldn't thank them enough. Their advice is what saved my girl.
If is Stasis, he's bloated and full of gas then he should be getting some sort of gut mobility drug. My vet used Emeprid. I think she also got the injection form as that seems to have what saved her.
No more raisins though, they're really bad for a chin. Just get that critical care syringe food down him. 60ml a day.
keep us up to date Use all the advice people gave me if it's Stasis!
Antibiotics do sometimes give diarrea, that;s what the probiotics are for.
It is hard to get a chin out of Stasis, but trust me it's do able! I've missed 3 weeks of uni and extremly behind on sleep and work, but it was worth it!
I wish you the best, hope he gets better soon! I'll look forward to hearing about him jumping off walls and around his cage again soon!

 

[kcbee]

I just want to make it clear - I never feed raisins! I only did last night because it was the middle of the night and many sites said that it helps with constipation. He won't be getting any more. He won't be happy about that

Back from the vets - here is what he said:

No obvious obstruction, but there was gas and fluid in his intestines. Organs looked great.

Also, on his blood work his ALP enzyme was elevated, showing gastrointestinal irritation.

One strange thing, was his blood glucose level was very high. The vet said it could be a stress response, but for a stress response it was oddly high. They couldn't get any urine from him - his bladder was totally empty. So he obviously wasn't drinking. In a few months the vet wants me to bring him back to check his blood glucose level.

They gave him fluids and some medications. I was sent home with -

Metacam for pain
Metoclopramide for motility
TMS antibiotic
Benebac probiotics

and Oxbow Critical Care food I'm to give him three times a day.

He said if he gets drastically worse, or has not improved in 2-3 days, to bring him back in.

Does all this sound like a good course of action?

Thanks!!!

 

[Buddy]

Sounds similar to my schedule, except my vet told me to do smaller portions every 2 hours, as her gut has completely stopped working and it's hard for a chin to remember how to eat again. So I'm not sure about the big portion 3 times a day, as he needs 60ml a day to gain weight.
But all the meds he's getting seems normal. Never heard of the anti-biotic thing though, maybe thats's a US thing and not UK :S
Sounds good though, keep us up to date

 

[ChinnyMom]

One strange thing, was his blood glucose level was very high.

possibly from the raisin? i'm not well versed in all the gastro-intestinal stuff about chins yet, but that could explain it? perhaps if he does not normally get anything like that to eat.

 

[kcbee]

Sounds similar to my schedule, except my vet told me to do smaller portions every 2 hours, as her gut has completely stopped working and it's hard for a chin to remember how to eat again. So I'm not sure about the big portion 3 times a day, as he needs 60ml a day to gain weight.
But all the meds he's getting seems normal. Never heard of the anti-biotic thing though, maybe thats's a US thing and not UK :S
Sounds good though, keep us up to date

Thanks!

I just gave him some food. He was...not so into it. :yuck:

Also gave him his motility drug and his antibiotic. The vet said if the gut slows down sometimes bad bacteria can accumulate and cause issues, so it's a preventative thing.

He is still in good spirits. Fought like mad when I was messing with him and is running around, playing, etc.

Hope he feels even better tomorrow!

 

[ysy]

I may be wrong, but I have never heard of antibiotics causing diarrhea. Some antibiotics can wreck havoc in a chin's digestive system eg. Baytril. I'm not sure about TMS but maybe someone more knowledgeable will chip in. If it was my chin, I would definitely question the use of antibiotics. Is there a suspected infection? If I remember correctly TMS is a mild antibiotic, so it might not cause such a huge issue in this case. But I would ask the vet the reason behind the antibiotics.

Watered down critical care is what I have found to help chins with minor constipation problems. They need the water and fibre to help them move things along, both readily available with CC.

Don't worry too much, it seems like you've caught this early. If you provide the right supportive care with the help of a vet, your chin should recover soon Good luck!

 

[Buddy]

I think she got probiotics along side antibiotics. That's one thing my girl wasn't given until she was on deaths door, and that's what saved her. So the antibiotics shouldn't really cause harm if he's got something that restores the good bacteria. If his gut has stopped working and digestive system has failed then he'll be having some runny poos until it gets restored. That's what my vet said this morning anyway

 

[kcbee]

I guess he's feeling pretty good. He was up all night running in his wheel and destroyed two New toys! He is pooping again, which really makes me feel better. They are teeny, tiny, but had stopped completely yesterday.

Hope today brings more good news!


P.s. not sure of the raisin could have attributed to the blood glucose, I will ask the vet.

 

[kcbee]

He still isn't eating or drinking. We are right at 2 days now post vet. How long should I give him before I bring him back in? The vet said 2-3 days. I'm just so nervous!

 

[Buddy]

Is he still active? I didn't waste any time with Bubbles My vet told me to give her till the end of the week. I brought her back to the vet 2 days before the end of the week Take him back today if you're scared his treatment isn't working. No harm in it If he's still not drinking or trying his food then yeah I would take him back

 

[mishellyshel]

i may have missed something......but did the vet do xrays of his teeth. perhaps there is a tooth problem which is preventing him from eating.

also are you using gas drops?? if he is not eating pellets or drinking you need to be supplementing with the critical care. when my chins have to be handfed, i try to get between 60 & 120 cc's of food in them. I get the 10cc syringes and prefill about 4 for each feeding. also extra playtime to get your chin active and moving around so hopefully he will start to pass some poop. also the water in the critical care mix will get some fluid in him. i would also check the obvious and make sure the water bottle isnt clogged. i also dont recall reading what you feed your chins, what pellets?? what treats, etc??

 

[ticklechin]

Chins with bloat can take 5-7 days to start eating again on their own. I would hand feed until the poo returns to normal shape-should be happening soon since CC alone produces nice quality poo if the chin is getting the correct amount every day.

 

[kcbee]

Hi all - I didn't get a chance to read these responses earlier, but I'm about to leave to take Boog back to the vets. He was getting more and more lethargic, which did not sit well with me. He didn't move around at all yesterday and slept all night long.

Him not drinking is really stressing me out. I've been using a dropper to give him water, but I know he is so dehydrated, I think he needs fluids.

About his teeth - yes he was xray-ed and checked. His teeth look great!

 

[Buddy]

Ticklechin- really 5-7 days after bloat until the chin starts to eat their own food properly? I was wondering why Bubbles was taking her time to eat her own food properly :S I thought her teeth were just hurting her because of the op she had. Is that normal then? Even if the bloat has gone?

What happens if it's a wet poo? What does that mean if they're getting critical care?

Kcbee- If it is Stasis- then drinking does take a while. Bubbles never started to drink any water until last night. So she went without for atleast 3 and a half weeks.
And Lethargic really isn't good, a vet visit for sure is needed.
Is he not weeing still? How long has he been on the critical care now? He should be pooing, I'm guessing he is getting gut mobility drugs? If he's bloated then his digestive system properly stopped working. Which is exactly what happened to Bubbles. But they did something and gave her a lot of meds and brought her back. So a day at the vets could help him? :S
A 2nd opinion could be helpful?

My vet told me not to use gas drops, so I'd ask your vet about that one!
I didn't know it took them a week to properly eat after bloat though, is that even though the bloat had been sorted?? And can bloat come back even if they're not eating their proper food but drinking? That's what I'm scared most about

 

[ticklechin]

It can take that long, the guts hurt after being stretched out, the bacteria can be all out of whack and the chin is just pi$$ed in general. Chins can take time to resume eating anytime they stop for medical reasons, even stress, they are just that way.

Bloat and stasis are not the same, chin can have bloat without stasis. Bloat is gas, stasis is the slow down or stopping of the peristalsis of the gut. I have a necropsy picture of bloat in a chin and just looking at it your would see how painful it would be.

 

[Buddy]

So I'm not sure if my chin had bloat or Stasis then? :S Because she stopped eating well before she became bloated. Hmm :S