Small poo and tooth problem

[Crazy]

My chinchilla has slight points on her teeth not bad enough for surgery. She doesn't want to eat her pellets and I'm not so sure she's eating her hay as of yesterday. I've been giving her pellets softened with water but she doesn't want it. I'm supposed to be giving her shredded wheat to bulk up her poo, but for crying out loud she won't eat it! She doesn't like it. So, I'm sitting around trying to cram the shredded wheat in her mouth cause she bites it and lets it fall then spits the rest out. She's a spoiled little twerp and is driving me nuts, but I love her, so here I am. Her poo keeps getting smaller and she isn't drink as much water as normal. I've given shredded wheat to my other chinchilla and I saw first hand that it would indeed help if she would only eat it!
What can I give her to bulk up her poo in place of the shredded wheat?
Gutsy little girl has enough energy to supply a battlefield.

 

[ticklechin]

The chin needs a filing and a dental exam and x-rays under gas if it has not been done before. Even itsy bitsy points can make a chin not eat so she needs to have them removed, regardless if they are small. You should handfeed critical care now, I will guarantee a chin with points will not eat anything like a shredded wheat. Critical care makes nice poo, so feed it until you get her filed. At least 60ml a day, broke up into 2-3 feedings.

 

[mishellyshel]

she needs to get the points filed by a vet with experience. xrays to see if there is root elongation. metacam for the pain, critcal care to force feed her and a lot of patience to get her back on track. if you dont have critcal care on hand, than until her vet appointment which you should make immediately, you can crush up her pellets and mix with water and some canned pumpkin, just a little for consistency and syringe feed her.
shoving shredded wheat in her mouth is not going to help her.
you can do a search for burrito wrapping so you can hold her steady. and hand feeding.

tickle--we posted at the same time!

 

[Crazy]

I'm not so pleased to the thought of doing that. Isn't it risky to put her under? I have such bad luck that it seems to overflow onto people around me...The thought of doing something risky just makes me feel like suffocating.

 

[ticklechin]

If gas is used, it is the safest way to put them under. I have had 5 malo chins and 2 chins who get minor points, the malo chins were filed every 6-8 weeks for a couple of years, the point chins every year or so for the last 8 years-not one single problem with being put under. The risk to benefit ratio is in favor of making her comfortable.

 

[Riven]

She's probably not eating because it hurts to eat... but you think it's better to let her starve than to gas for the filing ( which is not surgery, it is a procedure )...

 

[Stackie]

I agree, you need to get them filed. She isn't eating because it hurts, so she will essentially starve because of the pain of eating until you get her points filed.

 

[Crazy]

Wow, Riven you didn't have to get so rude it was just a question. I'd do things for my animals other people wouldn't. I'd stay in a burning building to get them out for christ sake! I'd never be able to live with myself if I let my children burn to death. I'm just concerned because she's a very small chinchilla. She doesn't even reach 500 g. You know what, just forget it. I'll do what I can if she needs it. I've seen a lot of rude comments made to other people on here, but I wasn't expecting that since I was genuinely concerned for her health. I'm done here. I'll come back some other time. Heaven forbid I lose a chinchilla and am scared to DEATH of losing another.

 

[ticklechin]

I hope you read this, please don't be afraid because she is not 500gms, I had one malo chin whose lightest weight was 390gms, 400 grams and up is the base my dentist uses to put them under, she does not really like it when they are less than 400grams. She really really needs to have this done, don't be afraid for her health, she will feel so much better after a few days having it done.

 

[Claire D]

My chinchilla has slight points on her teeth not bad enough for surgery.................... She doesn't want to eat her pellets and I'm not so sure she's eating her hay as of yesterday.

If she has points then she needs surgery - imagine having a broken tooth or a sharp area which is rubbing on your cheek. It's a similar thing for your chinchilla. She needs those points burring down (smoothing) so that she can eat without pain.
She also needs full dental xrays.

She's a spoiled little twerp and is driving me nuts, but I love her, so here I am.

No, she's not a spoiled twerp at all - she is a chinchilla who needs you to get her treated by a good dental vet.

Her poo keeps getting smaller and she isn't drink as much water as normal. ....................
What can I give her to bulk up her poo in place of the shredded wheat?

Critical Care syringe fed to her several times a day, aiming for at least 50ml.
She will need extra fluids & also probably need pain relief first.

Isn't it risky to put her under? I have such bad luck that it seems to overflow onto people around me...The thought of doing something risky just makes me feel like suffocating.

Good vets who are experienced in treating chinchillas use Isoflurane or Sevoflurane which generally considered are the "safest" anaesthetics to use since they are excreted from the body almost completely with the out breath.
There are always risks with anaesthetics but your chin is in desperate need of proper assessment, diagnosis, & treatment from a chinchilla competent vet.

Wow, Riven you didn't have to get so rude it was just a question. I'd do things for my animals other people wouldn't. I'd stay in a burning building to get them out for christ sake! I'd never be able to live with myself if I let my children burn to death. I'm just concerned because she's a very small chinchilla. She doesn't even reach 500 g. You know what, just forget it. I'll do what I can if she needs it. I've seen a lot of rude comments made to other people on here, but I wasn't expecting that since I was genuinely concerned for her health. I'm done here. I'll come back some other time. Heaven forbid I lose a chinchilla and am scared to DEATH of losing another.

*sigh* We understand you are concerned for your chinchilla but throwing your toys out of the pram isn't going to help anyone here. Unfortunately for you, Nicole (Riven) made a perfectly legitimate point - if you don't get your chinchilla treated & eating then she is basically starving to death - Riven has posted because she is concerned for the welfare of your chinchilla & so are the rest of us who have taken the time to post. Whether you get upset about that or not is up to you but you've been given some good info in this thread.
Please reconsider your position & take the good advice given - your chinchilla needs the help we are suggesting.

 

[Riven]

If you want sugar coating your information and facts then post it in the title and I won't open it. If you want the honest truth and straight forward facts, then I'm glad to help. I think it's funny out of the other comments that we're so "rude" only the one seemed to affect you. Even after TickleChin politely told you what needed to be done, you still were against it, and she knows all about dental issues, in fact you'd be hard pressed to find someone who probably knows as much.

 

[mishellyshel]

if you wait much longer to get the teeth filed, your chin will continue to lose weight.
my one chin has malo and had been put under the anethesia several time to get x-rays & filing. you would be surprised how quick they bounce out of it. she will feel SO much better after you get the points filed down. they can cause a cut in her mouth and then she will get infected. my richie had 2 filings within 8 weeks and then hasnt had to be filed in almost 9 months.

 

[Essentia]

Even more than your chinchilla will continue to lose weight, if you don't get her eating she will likely get bloat and go into stasis. Chins NEED food in their system to keep their gut moving. Shredded wheats are not food. Right now she needs a high quality syringe feed. Critical Care, or Essentials for Life Hand Feeding Formula are a necessity right now.

You NEED to have this chinchilla put under, teeth filed, and xrays taken. If the chinchilla isn't eating it is in severe pain, and will definitely not start eating on it's own until its mouth feels better. You will likely need to continue to syringe feed him even after the teeth are filed for a bit due to the pain his mouth is already in, and also give him a pain killer for a bit after the filing. You claim you love your animal and that you would go back into a burning building for him, but you are doing nothing and letting him sit in pain. This is absolutely no different than if he was sick, had a broken leg, or a large gaping wound that needed stitches and you didn't take him to the vet. Just because you can't see the problem doesn't mean it isn't there, and this will not go away on its own. It's only going to get worse with no care.

 

[ticklechin]

One last point when dealing with malocclusion chins-they NEED to have a steady weight, you need to make sure she does not lose weight rapidly. Chinchillas that don't eat will develop hepatic lipidosis very quickly, this is a condition that occurs when a chinchilla is not taking in enough calories or nutrients to meet the bodies need to stay alive. When a chinchilla stops eating fat cells are mobilized to the liver from stored body fat elsewhere in the chinchillas body. This sets off a chain of complex metabolic processes that cause liver enzymes to elevate in the chinchillas bloodstream, which can then rapidly lead to potentially life-threatening liver disease. Often fatal, and when not it is a LONG recovery with possible life altering after effects.