Poorly Chin won't eat

[Flibble]

I am waiting test results from the vet, but I'm need of help getting my chinchilla to eat.
He still gets excited about treat food but simply put it in his mouth and then drops it back out. He does eventually gnaw a tiny bit on apple wood, but nothing else. I've tried syringe feeding critical care, but it's difficult to get anything down and he gets easily stressed (even the vet struggled)
So far I know he doesn't have dental issues, eye ulcers/scratches, lung problems or digestive blockages, still waiting on blood and urine tests. He is 6 years old and was healthy before this.
He was drinking a lot before the vet and had an eye discharge, but after the vet trip he doesn't even seem to be drinking as much.
Anyone have any advice on what could be the issue or what I might be able to get him to eat? He is still running around, but not with quite as much gusto as before.

 

[Amethyst]

Just to be clear, when they ruled out dental issues did they just do a physical exam with a scope? or they did they do x-rays to rule out root issues as well? The molars can be hard to see even with a camera scope, but the roots are impossible to see without an x-ray.

Also a bit more info could help, is he otherwise pooping and peeing normally? How long has this been going on? Is the only symptom eye discharge and not eating?

If you are feeding critical care it's not uncommon for them to drink less or even not at all since they are getting water in the food. Also sometimes chins hate being held and force fed, but will eat it if you just put the syringe up to them. You can also try offering it on a spoon or in a bowl and see if that works better. Some chins will also more happily eat it if you make it into little cookies rather then a gooy food. Some chins also prefer different flavors of the critical care, and some prefer their regular pellets ground up instead. You can also try adding in a small amount of treats to the critical care and see if that helps entice him to eat. Another trick I've heard works for some is try dipping the tip of the syringe in gas drops, most chins love the taste and giving gas drops is not a bad idea when hand feeding anyway since they are more likely to swallow air.

 

[Flibble]

Just to be clear, when they ruled out dental issues did they just do a physical exam with a scope? or they did they do x-rays to rule out root issues as well? The molars can be hard to see even with a camera scope, but the roots are impossible to see without an x-ray.

Also a bit more info could help, is he otherwise pooping and peeing normally? How long has this been going on? Is the only symptom eye discharge and not eating?

If you are feeding critical care it's not uncommon for them to drink less or even not at all since they are getting water in the food. Also sometimes chins hate being held and force fed, but will eat it if you just put the syringe up to them. You can also try offering it on a spoon or in a bowl and see if that works better. Some chins will also more happily eat it if you make it into little cookies rather then a gooy food. Some chins also prefer different flavors of the critical care, and some prefer their regular pellets ground up instead. You can also try adding in a small amount of treats to the critical care and see if that helps entice him to eat. Another trick I've heard works for some is try dipping the tip of the syringe in gas drops, most chins love the taste and giving gas drops is not a bad idea when hand feeding anyway since they are more likely to swallow air.

They looked with the scope and also took X-rays.
He won't eat anything unless force fed even though he appears to want to. I got some fresh hay today and he got his usual excitement, he dug through the pile picking stems out and breaking them in half with his teeth, then instead of eating, he simply drops both halves and looks for another. He repeats this a lot until he gives up and walks away.
I've only managed to get a tiny bit of critical care into him via syringe, I've tried two flavours and he won't tolerate either. He has had the eye discharge for over a month now but was otherwise fine. I think it was only really after the antibiotic eye drops that he started drinking a lot and his poop went downhill, but he was still eating ok, not well but still eating some of his normal food. After the anaesthetic for the blood test and X-rays, he stopped eating and had been drinking a lot still, but not quite as much as before. He is still peeing and pooping but the poop is tiny, not healthy looking at all, though I'm not certain if that's because he isn't eating. He has also lost some weight, he was 700g (on the first vet trip), now he is just over 600g. Could the stress of the vets trips have caused another issue? Or is the eye discharge related? I didn't think the eye discharge was serious because otherwise he seemed perfectly normal before I took him to the vet.
What is a gas drop please?

 

[Amethyst]

Ok, so it is possible the antibiotics upset his gut, which is very common, it's advised to give probiotics when giving antibiotics (a couple hours apart so the antibiotics don't kill the good bacteria) to help with that. If the eye discharge is gone it likely was a minor eye infection, I asked about the x-rays since overgrown roots can cause eye discharge if they are growing up into the eye sockets or sinuses.

When the did x-rays did they just to head x-rays or full body? I ask because another possibility is gas. Chins have a hard time passing gas since they can't burp and only pass gas as they poop, which can cause them to get a build up of gas leading to bloat (here is more info on bloat https://www.cuddlebugchinchillas.com/information/health/bloat.html) and unable to eat. Stress can also cause digestive upset, that again can cause gas. One of the most common symptoms of gas is tiny poops. Gas drops are just infant human gas drops like these for example Gas Drops Basically all they do is help break up the gas bubbles in the gut, the dosage is 20mg of simethicone every 8-12 hours, but you can't really overdose (unless you give them a ton) so a bit extra wont hurt.

 

[Flibble]

They did full body X-rays and found nothing concerning. I'll ask about probiotics tomorrow, the vet did say as they were eye drops antibiotics, they shouldn't have affected him that badly.
I can tell he is hungry because he goes to his food and spends 10 mins picking things up, putting them in or near his mouth but then dropping them.
I've managed to get a little bit more critical care into him, but he fights it so hard I know it isn't enough. The vet gave me some pain killer which I have given him, but that's by syringe as well, so even that is difficult and it doesn't seem to have made a difference.
I got some of the gas drops, UK equivalent to the product you suggested today and he actually licked that from my finger, which was a surprise. I don't know how long that might take to work but I haven't seen any poop in quite a while now. I just hope tomorrow the vet can tell me what is wrong and how to treat it and I hope he makes it till then
If you have any other suggestions, please let me know

 

[Amethyst]

They did full body X-rays and found nothing concerning. I'll ask about probiotics tomorrow, the vet did say as they were eye drops antibiotics, they shouldn't have affected him that badly.
I can tell he is hungry because he goes to his food and spends 10 mins picking things up, putting them in or near his mouth but then dropping them.
I've managed to get a little bit more critical care into him, but he fights it so hard I know it isn't enough. The vet gave me some pain killer which I have given him, but that's by syringe as well, so even that is difficult and it doesn't seem to have made a difference.
I got some of the gas drops, UK equivalent to the product you suggested today and he actually licked that from my finger, which was a surprise. I don't know how long that might take to work but I haven't seen any poop in quite a while now. I just hope tomorrow the vet can tell me what is wrong and how to treat it and I hope he makes it till then
If you have any other suggestions, please let me know

Most chins love gas drops, they work pretty quickly, like within about half an hour, but sometimes needs more then one dose. No poop is very concerning, the way a chin's gut works they should be pooping frequently, so if they are not pooping it means the gut is shutting down, once the gut shuts down (called stasis) it's an uphill battle to get it going again. If it's been more then a couple hours with no poops, and he has been awake (they don't poop much when asleep) you may need to get him into the vet right away to get some gut stimulate (there is an injectable version), the longer you wait the harder and less likely it will be to get it going again. Here is a bit more info on constipation and treatment https://www.cuddlebugchinchillas.com/information/health/constipation.html

 

[Flibble]

Most chins love gas drops, they work pretty quickly, like within about half an hour, but sometimes needs more then one dose. No poop is very concerning, the way a chin's gut works they should be pooping frequently, so if they are not pooping it means the gut is shutting down, once the gut shuts down (called stasis) it's an uphill battle to get it going again. If it's been more then a couple hours with no poops, and he has been awake (they don't poop much when asleep) you may need to get him into the vet right away to get some gut stimulate (there is an injectable version), the longer you wait the harder and less likely it will be to get it going again. Here is a bit more info on constipation and treatment https://www.cuddlebugchinchillas.com/information/health/constipation.html

He is mostly sleeping, or at least not moving. I've seen one poop here by me whist he was sat with me, but I'll probably only tell a bit later when it's his active time. He did briefly get up to have a wee and drink some more water, but he is back in bed now.
Do they still poop all the time when he hasn't been eating though?

 

[Flibble]

I called the emergency vet who said they aren't exotic specialist and so I should wait until tomorrow to see the normal vet. I asked if there was anything I could get from them to help him poop, they said no. It's 9 and a half hours until my vet opens and even then I live an hours drive away. Is there anything I can do in the mean time? He isn't eating but he is still drinking. I've not been very successful with the critical care, but some must have gone down earlier. He tried to eat a raisin a bit ago, I think he just managed to eat the skin.
Any suggestions would be appreciated

 

[Amethyst]

No they don't poop if they aren't eating, they can't poop if nothing has gone in to be pooped out. If it's been more then 12 hours without food it does become an emergency situation, since the good digestive bacteria will start to die off and their gut will shut down and within about 24 hours they go into gi stasis. If he is still pooping it means it hasn't fully shut down yet, but you do need to be getting food in, at least about 50-60ml of critical care mixed with water per day just to maintain weight, some only take about 5-10ml per feeding so you do need to do a little bit at a time. Once the gut shuts down though it doesn't matter how much food you try to get him to eat he can no longer physically digest anything unless you can get the gut restarted (required meds from the vet). Raisins are unfortunately one of the worst things you can give him (and chins in general). Raisins are full of sugar, which is what the bad gut bacteria love (which will cause gut upset), so if anything it can make him worse if he eats it.

When you try to feed him are you burrito wrapping him? The "easiest" way is if you have someone to help you hold him wrapped up in a cloth like a burrito while you squirt small amounts of critical care into his cheek (so he doesn't accidentally breath it in). I realize even that way isn't easy though, some chins just really fight it.

I'm sorry I'm kind of at a loss for any more suggestions at this point, other then I would try to find an emergency vet that does see exotics.

 

[Markhood]

I am waiting test results from the vet, but I'm need of help getting my chinchilla to eat.
He still gets excited about treat food but simply put it in his mouth and then drops it back out. He does eventually gnaw a tiny bit on apple wood, but nothing else. I've tried syringe feeding critical care, but it's difficult to get anything down and he gets easily stressed (even the vet struggled)
So far I know he doesn't have dental issues, eye ulcers/scratches, lung problems or digestive blockages, still waiting on blood and urine tests. He is 6 years old and was healthy before this.
He was drinking a lot before the vet and had an eye discharge, but after the vet trip he doesn't even seem to be drinking as much.
Anyone have any advice on what could be the issue or what I might be able to get him to eat? He is still running around, but not with quite as much gusto as before.

Monitor chinchilla closely for changes. Encourage eating with favorite treats. Ensure fresh water. Await vet results for further insight into underlying issue.

 

[Flibble]

Thanks. The test results showed an infection which he has now been treated for and is a lot better. He has stopped drinking so much and his poop is back to normal. Unfortunately the eye discharge and lack of eating continues. The vet has arranged further tests to look specifically for dental issues, though they didn't find anything before. I'll continue force feeding him critical care until they can work out what is wrong. Other than the not eating he is back to running around and everything. He still has interest in food, but doesn't eat it, so I suspect he is in pain when he eats.