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UnhappyRefrain

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 9, 2016
Messages
63
Location
Pennsylvania
I put my chin on a strict hay only diet and noticed that his poo is very small and not as plentiful. This is normal, correct? I also noticed that he doesn't seem to be drinking much, but I have seen him eating. The fact that he is eating is indicative of him drinking as well, correct?
 
On a hay only diet the poops should actually be much bigger then normal since they would be bulked up with extra fiber and likely more of them. It sounds like he may have gas, you can try giving him some infant gas drops, the dosage is about 0.3ml every 8-12 hours. If he doesn't seem better within about 24 hours though I would take him to the vet.

Why are you only feeding hay? Holding off on pellets should only be done for a short time, like a few days to see if added fiber helps the issue if he may have eaten something that upset his stomach. Since you know the issue was a parasite causing the wet poops then feeding hay only isn't going to do him any good. If he is still having wet poops it's likely do to the meds. Pellets make up for any nutrients the hay is lacking, so he may not be getting all the nutrients he needs if you aren't giving him his pellets.
 
On a hay only diet the poops should actually be much bigger then normal since they would be bulked up with extra fiber and likely more of them. It sounds like he may have gas, you can try giving him some infant gas drops, the dosage is about 0.3ml every 8-12 hours. If he doesn't seem better within about 24 hours though I would take him to the vet.

Why are you only feeding hay? Holding off on pellets should only be done for a short time, like a few days to see if added fiber helps the issue if he may have eaten something that upset his stomach. Since you know the issue was a parasite causing the wet poops then feeding hay only isn't going to do him any good. If he is still having wet poops it's likely do to the meds. Pellets make up for any nutrients the hay is lacking, so he may not be getting all the nutrients he needs if you aren't giving him his pellets.
He is on antibiotics and probiotics. His poo is rock hard now, but still pretty small. I will say that he has not been eating much, but I do think that is due to the stress of me getting him out and giving him medicine twice a day. I will put him back on pellets immediately. I thought that I wouldn't give him pellets until his probiotics were done, but looks like I was misinformed about that.

Could antibiotics coupled with the probiotics also cause these issues? I found an old thread here that seems to suggest as much X

EDIT: Just put pellets back in the cage and Buttons sprinted to them and is now eating. This is the happiest I've seen him all week.

EDIT: Found an article on constipation in chins (X) and one cause can be insufficient nutrition in diet and/or stress. The lack of pellets coupled with the stress of medicine application is the most likely culprit in this case, I believe.
 
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Yes the lack of pellets, combined with the stress of going to the vet and getting meds can all cause the chin to get constipated. Make sure you space out giving the antibiotics and probiotics. I think you should wait 2 hours after the antibiotics to give the probiotics, otherwise the antibiotics will just kill the probiotics.

BTW, how much of the baby gas drops do I give him. Just once or every day?

The dosage for baby gas drops is either 0.3ml or 0.5ml (depending on which one you use, you want 20mg of simethicone) every 8-12 hours. If the symptoms don't resolve within about 12-24 hours (so a couple doses) it's best to take the chin to the vet since it could be something more serious.
 
I'm not going to give him anymore Bene Bac if I'm going to be using the gas drops. He only has one more dose of antibiotics today and two tomorrow and then he is done. If there is no change after that, he will be going back to the vet.

I think I should also add that he is drinking and eating normally. He is very sleepy during the day, but at night he gets very playful. I keep checking his belly and it's still soft. He doesn't seem like he is in any pain at all.
 
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