Rescued chin help needed

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staceylwolf

staceylwolf

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Joined
Feb 4, 2009
Messages
306
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PA
So, I now have two chins. I rescued a 7 month old girl from craigslist. I will be posting pictures soon but I have a few questions. The girl I got her from owns both of the parents and has had them all together until about a week or two ago. I so wanted to take them all but the baby was the only one she wanted to get rid of. She's acting kinda depressed, but then when I get her out she comes to life and is very active. Do you think it's just because she's lonely and misses her parents. I'm sure it's hard being weaned from mom and dad and going to a new house and cage all at the same time. I'm worried because she really doesn't seem to be eating, just kinda nibbling a tiny bit but not much. I did bring some of the food she had been getting home and have mixed it with what I feed Patch. Should I just leave her be so she can adjust? any ideas?

oh, and I know this will be asked, but yes she is in quarintine :) Patch has not seen her but I'm sure he's heard her, lol.
 
Was she with mom and dad up until you got her? And she's 7 months old? If so, I would watch her closely. Dad may have gotten her pregnant. Start counting down 111 days...

Chins react different to changes. Some don't care at all, some get very stressed out. I would just leave her be and let her adjust for a few days. I'm sure she'll come around. She may be eating when you're not around. Weigh the food bowl at night and then again in the morning if you want some validation of her eating.
 
I'm sure she is lonely, and missing her cuddle buddies. She will adjust, though--just give her extra luvvies!

You may want to be prepared for a pregnancy, also, if she was in with both mom and dad.

Keep an eye on her appetite; even count the pellets in the bowl, so you can monitor her intake. Give her acidophilus and have gas drops on hand as she adjusts to new surroundings.

Is she pooping and peeing okay?
 
Congratulations. You should plan for your new girl to be pregnant if she has been caged with her father...ugh. Some people...I'm sure she needs time to adjust to her new surroundings. Keep an eye on her eating, drinking, eliminating. If she shows signs of not eating, not eliminating waste, or lethargy then a vet visit would be in order. I am assuming you are planning to keep her separated at all times from Patch as she should never be bred (possibly again). Make sure you have a baby safe cage and a good vet and emergency vet lined up, she is young, and depending on her bone structure, could have trouble passing a kit if she is pregnant. Be sure to switch feed slowly so you don't upset her gut.
 
Last year, I had a 8 wk. old female badly mauled by her mother! After seperating and giving her LifeLine, she never even went into shock, and ate like a little piglet! A week later I put another kit in with her, and she was fine! Now full grown and scarless!
Don't know exactly why, but it worked well, for me!
 
yes, she is peeing and pooing but her poo's have been getting smaller and smaller since I got her just two nights ago. And yes, she had been in with both mom and dad, I'm really hoping she's not pregnant. But I'll be ready if she is. Her coat is in rough shape, the girl siad mom and baby have been fighting alot. It feeling like her coat is all matted, I don't want to stress her more by brushing her just yet. She did take a quick dust bath last night and I had her out with me in the bathroom and she was very active.

And she will be Patch's girlfriend, but he will always admire her from a far :)
 
If her poos are getting smaller, and she's not eating much, I'd start supplementing her. I'd make up some critical care, and try to get her to eat it on her own--maybe off of a spoon, if she will. If she won't? I would start handfeeding her. You've got to get some food in her to keep her gut moving.

You can also tempt her appetite with a bit of plain canned pumpkin; they love it and it smells really good. Make sure you get plain and not the pumpkin pie mix with spices.
 
Congrats on the new addition Stacey! I know you will be attentive to her health and changes and give her the care that she needs. Keep us posted. Can't wait for pics ;)
 
It is possible the mother and kit were fighting because one or both of them are pregnant. :(
Poor girl has had a tough time by the sounds of it - she is going to need time to settle into her new (quieter!) life and also get used to new surroundings, people, food etc.
If she is not eating well I would give her probiotics in her water, some Lifeline, and some tasty hays and high fibre foods (a little oat and wheatgerm mix, a mini shredded wheat, a tiny pinch of alfalfa) to tempt her appetite - always making sure she is eating some pellets though because you don't want her filling up on treats - they are just an appetite stimulant for now. :)
As the others have said, prepare for kits and keep an eye on her for discharge etc - there's plenty of help to be had on the forum if/when the time comes but you can get the basics ready just in case - kit formula mix, pipettes etc.

Good luck and congrats on your new arrival. :)
 
I tried to give her some of Patch's treats and she has no interest in them. Maybe I'll run and get a can of pumpkin, I need to make more chin cookies anyways. Can I mash up some of her pellets and try that?
 
Yes, you can crush her pellets and mix with a bit of water, but critical care would be much better.

If she's not even taking treats, she definitely needs some intervention here--she's got to be handfed, to keep her gut moving. Try the canned pumpkin--many times, they'll take that right off of a spoon, and it can stimulate her appetite.

If you have to force feed her with a syringe, put the syringe tip behind her front teeth and give her just a little bit at a time, so she doesn't choke.

Do you know how much water she's taking in? I'd switch out her shavings or liners for paper towels, so you can monitor for sure how much she's peeing. And, mark her water bottle. But for the best accuracy, use the paper towels, because the water level could be going down from leaking.

Give her baby gas drops, and acidophilus--mix it with a bit of water and give it to her a drop at a time from a medicine dropper or eye dropper. You have no way of knowing what junk is in her from her previous owners.
 
Is she drinking? Have you actually seen her drink? Does she know how to use the water bottle and is it working properly?
How small are her droppings?
Just how much is she eating?
Is she eating any of the pellets you have given her or any of the hay?

It is worth bearing in mind that she's gone through a huge upheaval in a short space of time and she may not be used to treats like you other chin. She's never been properly weaned (as in away from her mother) and is possibly pregnant. She will be nervous and unsure of her surroundings.
She needs time to settle.
 
Sugarmama said:
By pipettes, she means medicine or eye droppers LOL...:hug2:
Click to expand...

Since I've now been asked by a couple of people.......
This is what I mean by Pipettes :)

Pipette.jpg
 
I haven't seen her drink at all. But the water has gone down just a tiny bit so it possible she drank during the night.. I don't have her on shavings, she's on a fleece liner. I only have shavings in the litter pan. I don't think she's eaten any pellets. She has nibbled on the hay a little bit and also nibbled on a hay cube I have in there. She's also chewed on an applewood stick. I'm making a run out this afternoon to get some supplies for her.

just went and checked. She must have been eating a few pellets or at least digging thru them, there's a few pellets dropped out of the dish that weren't there earlier.
 
UPDATE:

OK, so I just was cleaning the room Chalupa is in and moved her cage to the other side of the room. And now she's as active as can be, eating hay like a champ and I even saw her check out her water bottle and take a quick drink. She must not have liked where I had her cage or something. I still haven't seen her eat any pellets but I'm happy to see her eating hay. I am still running out to get a few supplies and will do the thing people recommend.

oh, she's grooming herself right now (she's housed in my computer room). I'm happy to see that, she needs lots of grooming. Pictures will be coming.
 
yeah, she's back to napping now. I think I just need to give her time, she's had alot of changes in the last couple of days. I'm off to the store to get some supplies, and I also ordered some critical care just in case it's need. Better to have it and not need it than to be without it in a time of need.

Thanks for the advice, I'll keep everyone updated on Chalupa's progress.
 
Oh Good! I hope she continues to improve; it's so much better and easier on them when they're willing to eat on their own.

I'd still use paper towels though; you can't see how much she's peeing on fleece. Honestly, it's a huge relief to see it on the paper towels, so you can tell how much fluid she's actually taking in.
 
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