Josh.Hill
Chin Friend
Hello. I am finally ready to post about the last few months of my best chinchilla friend Rasta's life, and purely in hopes that it will possibly help someone who finds their chin in a similar position. I had Rasta for about 5 years after rescuing him from neglectful parents. In early November 2014, I noticed he was wet underneath his chin from drooling. I immediately took him to the vet who found his molars needed to be trimmed; also that he had a small infection in his mouth from a cut which developed from his sharp, overgrown molars (chinchillas teeth grow 10x faster than human finger nails I was told). After taking him home from the molar trim he just continually slept at the bottom of his cage and stopped eating and drinking on his own. He also became very wobbly, like the poor little guy was drunk/dizzy. At that point the hand feeding every two hours began. Force feeding was impossible with him, but he would eat a little putting a spoonful of Critical Care or Lifeline up to his mouth. He would not eat the CC on his own and after trying different items to mix in found that he would eat it with apple sauce mixed in, though not ideal, I would have mixed in anything to get him to eat at that point.
I knew his quality of life had plummeted greatly, but was hopeful that he would get used to the difference in his teeth and begin eating his normal diet on his own, and also that the wobbliness would go away; it however did not.
A month after the first molar trim we went to a different chin specialist who determined he needed another molar trim and found some overgrown teeth that were likely very painful for him. I hoped this trim would bring him back to normal, however he came home and now would not eat anything when trying to spoon feed. I did what I could for him, but 3 days later I knew he was dying. His last night with me was spent lying in my arms, which was very new to me since he hated being held. The next morning I took him to the vet who determined putting him to sleep was the best option at that point.
Our last month together was pretty special as I took off work to be able to care for him around the clock, and I am happy we had that time together though it made our last day even harder. The vet explained that it just randomly affects some chinchillas as I was stumped because he always had chew blocks which he enjoyed frequently. I can also attest to chinchillas being able to hide their pain very well as his last two days on this earth he was running around and jumping all over the room, even though his wobbliness made it difficult for him.
Enjoy every moment with your chinny and if they need a teeth trim be ready to force feed/hand feed if necessary. Thank you to ticklechin for all the wonderful advice that enabled an extra month of time together.
I knew his quality of life had plummeted greatly, but was hopeful that he would get used to the difference in his teeth and begin eating his normal diet on his own, and also that the wobbliness would go away; it however did not.
A month after the first molar trim we went to a different chin specialist who determined he needed another molar trim and found some overgrown teeth that were likely very painful for him. I hoped this trim would bring him back to normal, however he came home and now would not eat anything when trying to spoon feed. I did what I could for him, but 3 days later I knew he was dying. His last night with me was spent lying in my arms, which was very new to me since he hated being held. The next morning I took him to the vet who determined putting him to sleep was the best option at that point.
Our last month together was pretty special as I took off work to be able to care for him around the clock, and I am happy we had that time together though it made our last day even harder. The vet explained that it just randomly affects some chinchillas as I was stumped because he always had chew blocks which he enjoyed frequently. I can also attest to chinchillas being able to hide their pain very well as his last two days on this earth he was running around and jumping all over the room, even though his wobbliness made it difficult for him.
Enjoy every moment with your chinny and if they need a teeth trim be ready to force feed/hand feed if necessary. Thank you to ticklechin for all the wonderful advice that enabled an extra month of time together.
I'm so sorry for your loss!
