URI/Bloat help ASAP

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JacknRum

JacknRum

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2012
Messages
61
Location
USA
I'm going to copy and paste my problem from another forum, so hopefully this isn't too choppy to understand. This was all posted around 6pm this afternoon, and it is now midnight.

Rum came down with a respiratory infection out of nowhere starting this morning. He is now on Baytril, I just got it this afternoon so his first dose was just now. It IS one of the safe antibiotics for chinchillas, but I do know that abs can make them lose their appetite.

I've never dealt with respiratory issues in chinchillas. He is open mouthed breathing a bit and clicking. Is there ANYTHING I can do to make him more comfortable? His brother is trying his hardest to comfort him.
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I can tell he's feeling rough. He let me scoop him up and cuddle him and give him his meds very easily. And he's usually my problem child. He was nibbling some hay and an apple wood twig earlier, so I do think he's still eating, but he hasn't been on the meds soon, so I'm worried he'll lose his appetite. :-\
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And I've just gone to check on him and he seems a little bloated perhaps? I've been advised to get Critical Care, but my vet is closed until Monday morning (And may not carry it)and the e-vet does not see chinchillas. I've posted on my other forum asking anyone if they might have some Critical Care I could purchase or trade for, and I'll extend the same question here. I can trade fleece hammocks/houses or pay via paypal (But I'll have to wait for the cash to transfer from my bank account.).

Any advice would be SO appreciated. He was FINE yesterday, but he's seemed to go downhill quickly. I've had them about a year with no problems, so I've never had to deal with this before.

Oh, backgrounds bit. Two boys, brothers. About ~3 years old. Housed in a FN141 on aspen bedding, fleece hammocks, wooden shelves/toys, eating Purina show rabbit chow or... I think that's what it's called. It was what was recommended on here, but I've thrown out the bag, eating Oxbow Hay. The only treats they get are sometimes shredded wheat and apple wood sticks that I get from my own backyard (Organic, then sanitized and baked, no pesticides used.).

Can anyone give me ANY advice. I'm a worried momma.
 
He's refusing to take a piece of shredded wheat from me now. :banghead: I may have some benebac around here. If getting the gut flora going helps, would benebac do anything? He's looking so rough, but still alert enough to give me the stink eye and dart away when I try for cuddles.
 
I'd say to take him to the vet, but if there is no vet he can go to until Monday I don't know what you should do at this point.

You said he's eating a bit and that is really good. The problem with those upper respiratory infections is that they just take hold so quickly and drag the chin down. Baytril can cause issues for the digestive system for sure, but in this case it's probably the best antibiotic to be using.

I guess the only thing that I can even think to recommend would be maybe to give him some b-12. They sell it in liquid form and also in dissolving sublingual tablets...either one would work. B-12 helps with appetite and can make the chin feel better and give him more energy. I've used it with sick chins and it seems to help. However, that's something that's not going to fix an infection. I just wish you had a vet you could take him to right away.

Critical care you should be able to buy from your vet. There are people, who sell it here, but it would take a few days to get to you.
 
I wish I had a vet to get to now, too. This is so frustrating. He's no longer eating his shredded wheat. I can definitely get to the store for the B-12. I think I have some benebac around, would that help?

If he isn't eating, can I make a paste from his pellets and ground hay and maybe syringe it to him? Would that help at all?
 
The best thing until you can the Critical Care is to grind up his pellets. If you don't have a coffee grinder then soak the food with a lot of water. Then make a consistency of a milk shake. You can add a little of can pumpkin (make sure it is pure pumpkin and nothing else). See if he will eat it off of a spoon. If not you will have to syringe feed him. That means force feeding - making him eat whether he likes it or not. Wrap him in a towel and put the syringe in the corner of his mouth. When I say force feeding I don't mean force it down his throat. If you put it in the corner of his mouth most likely it will eat most of it. You will, at first, have a mess. Food all over his mouth and probably you. It is not fun but he has to eat. Eventually you will get most of the food in him and not on him. He should be eating about 60-100ml a day
 
He passed away in the night... I went to bed around 5am and got up around 9. I had to get a little sleep, but he passed somewhere within that window... I am heart broken. My first chin illness and I feel like I failed. He did not seem excessively bloated, nor underweight. He hadn't stopped eating for long enough for it to do damage, I think. He had been eating that morning when I gave them fresh hay. I was just hoping he'd hold out until Monday morning when I could take him to my vet. The only unusual thing I could notice about him at all was some foam on his lips. Could it have been fluid in his lungs? Is it normal for them to go downhill that quickly? I'd only had the chance to give him one dose of antibiotics, that's not even long enough for it to work.

Captain Jack is completely normal. He's bright eyed and bushy tailed and begging for cuddles. He's always been my friendly boy. Rum was very standoffish. He does not seem to be in mourning from what I can tell. He let me love on him and he seems to be doing fine. Do chinchillas get depressed at the loss of a cagemate like rats do?

Thank you for your advice.
 
Oh no! I'm so sorry! It's really scary how fast that happened. I feel like I'm always on pins and needles and now your story make sit worse. I have heard that they do get depressed when a cagemate dies but it may depend on the chin and extra cuddles from you may help.
 
It really is scary. Jack is still bouncing. He's angry that he's in his carrier while I scrub down the cage. I've tossed all the wood toys and replaced them with new ones, as well as sanded down the levels. All the hammocks are going in the water for a double cycle with extra vinegar, and I'm sewing up some new ones now. I soaked the chinchillers and food dish and scrubbed them and the water bottle out. Better safe than sorry.
 
I am very sorry for your loss.

If the chin had a URI then those are extremely contagious. You may want to call your vet and have your other chin seen since he wasn't quarantined.
 
Thank you everyone. I've given Jack a bunch of new wood chews and shredders, and I watched him chew and play and he's eaten a big handful of hay. Now he's having a nap, but he's most active at night anyway. I am keeping an extremely close eye on him.

Is there an incubation period for these types of illnesses? I'm going to call my vet first thing in the morning. I wasn't aware they needed to be quarantined when ill until it was too late. I guess I was thinking of rats, where URIs are rarely contagious.
 
This is minorly off topic, but is Cipro a safe antibiotic for chinchillas as it's in whatever family that Baytril is?
 
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