Not eating and lossing weight

[Brea]

I have a 6 yr old male chinchilla that has been eating slower and less over the last 2 weeks. I tried my reg. vet but she is on vacation till 8/18 and i cant find any good vets in my area. He usually weighs around 460 grams and is down to 380. He is eating small amounts but his stools are getting smaller and less frequent. He is bright and alert. I took him to the fill in vet and they perscribed TMP/SMZ which i am not familar with. He looked at his teeth and didnt find anything remarkable. He was thinking abcess or upset stomach. I am starting him on critial care. I am looking for any in put at this point.

 

[Brittany]

Why did they think he needed the antibiotic? Have they checked his teeth? We have several members in PA, perhaps one of them can recommened a vet that is close to you. Definitely get him on the Critical care he'll need at least 60+ ml a day. Most vets I've been to only recommened 30ml, but it's just not enough.

EDIT: I should be more clear. Did he have xrays to check his roots, was he sedated so the vet could get a very good look at all the teeth? Here is the thread that lists members by state. Try contacting the PA people to see if they can help you find another vet. http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10369

 

[Brea]

The vet admitted never doing any xrays or procedures on chins so i told him i wasnt interested at this point. So i am at a loss at this point as to what to do.

 

[tunes]

Any vet can x-ray a chin's mouth, regardless of experience. Get him to sedate your chin and do teeth x-rays.

As far as the antibiotic, it's sulfamethoxazole, which is very safe for chins. I don't see much point to it though as there is no diagnosis.

 

[ticklechin]

Willy nilly use of antibiotics without diagnosis drives me nuts, soon we will have none that work on chins due to resistance.

Feed the chin until diagnosed by a vet who acutally knows chin, extreme rapid weight loss can result in hepatic lipidosis so you need to nip the loss in the bud.

 

[Brea]

Can anyone refer me to a good/ reputable vet in the PA, MD line area? I am willing to drive for a good one.