Possible respiratory infection?

[resublimity]

Hey all! Long time lurker, first time poster in need of some advice.

I noticed on Monday that she sneezed a few times in a row in the middle of playtime, yesterday again- it must have been about 6-7 times in a row twice. This morning while she is scratching in her sleeping box she was sneezing and what seemed to be slightly wheezing - it only lasted a moment or two but I called my vet for an appointment on Friday morning.

She is eating and drinking normally, active and playful- away from drafts (I covered the side of her cage with a sheet to be extra sure.) Her cage floor is lined with fleece and everything is the same. No runny nose or eyes either.

I'm monitoring her to see if she sneezes/wheezes again, but so far so good. She's always been a frail little thing since I first got her, so I rather err on the side of caution. Are there any other things I could do while I wait for Friday?

Thank you!

 

[tunes]

If she is wheezing, then she needs to see a vet sooner than Friday. Respiratory infections/pneumonia moves fast in a chin, and it's very hard to recover from. You need to call your vet and tell him it's an emergency and she needs to be seen today.

Wheezing is nothing to mess around with. You already describe her as a "frail little thing" which means she most likely doesn't have any room to spare health wise.

 

[Stackie]

I agree...I know first hand how fast a chin can go downhill from a respiratory infection. The sooner she starts treatment, the better chance she has of recovering.

 

[starleomach]

You need to see a vet today, URI take a chinchilla down very very fast. As prey animals they hide illness very well and when it shows up you don't always have much of a time window.

 

[resublimity]

Thank you for the advice everyone, taking her in right now. I'll update as soon as I know anything.

Again, thank you.

 

[Stackie]

Let us know what the vet says and her treatment plan. Good luck.

 

[Jenn]

I'm hoping for good news! Don't keep us waiting

 

[resublimity]

Back from the vets, he told me she was showing no signs of anything serious-he prescribed her baytril for the next few days and a check-up in a week (sooner if anything.)

I'm still horribly worried, but she's eating and drinking, so that's a good sign.

 

[Essentia]

With Baytril she is most likely going to lose her appetite. About 90% of chinchillas do when on this antibiotic. You should have some Critical Care on hand just in case. Keep an eye on her input and output. When you see that she's started eating less/stopped eating you will need to start syringe feeding her the Crititcal Care.

 

[resublimity]

I will def keep a close eye on that, and yes- got some CC readily available. Thank you.

 

[Claire D]

Do you have any probiotics to give to your chin 4 hours after the Baytril?
Baytril strips the good & bad bacteria from the gut & the good bacteria needs to be replaced to help with digesting food - a couple of examples for you: Protexin is a paste which is often available from the vets or Avipro (from Vetark).

Good luck & please do keep us posted.

 

[resublimity]

Claire- I have florentero, but I'm not quite sure if it's the same thing? Would it be alright to give her that four hours after her baytril?

 

[Claire D]

Oooh not come across that particular probiotic myself but it looks ok. I take it you have the paste version?
I would certainly give it after the antibiotics to repopulate the gut with "friendly" bacteria (as the adverts say ).

 

[resublimity]

Yes! She loves it for some reason or another, the first few times it was a battle and then she... just really enjoyed it. So about four hours after the baytril, give her a little of that- got it.

Thank you so much for this advice.