Watery eye

[Ratchilla]

Imp had a watery eye for about four days straight. At the fourth day (Wed), I decided to call my vet and set up an appt. as a just in case. When I called I found out my "exotic" vet moved to FL. I was so upset (I had just seen her in Aug for my rats) and there has been no other vet around here that has seen chins on a regular basis, or really even any basis. Even that vet wasn't super familiar with them but had seen some occasionally. There is a University nearby (40 mins) that has a small animal clinic that I can take them too, but I need a referral from a vet in order to go. Which is basically what my previously vet was for.

I didn't want to make Imp wait so I called Banfield since they are in Petsmart and I was hoping someone there had seen some and maybe I'd get lucky. They were a better shot than the other vet offices I've called. My appt was this morning and I went in. I was so worried, especially when they took her back, I didn't want her stressing out.

The vet came out to talk to me and in my opinion was amazing! She started to ask me questions and said she was impressed with the amount of knowledge I had and I was already doing everything she wanted to know. I was actually kind of shocked about how much she knew (what I've learned from you guys) and so I asked her: "I'm not trying to come off as offensive, but most vets I meet, even exotics, don't have a lot of experience with chinchillas and you seem to know a lot. Do you mind if I ask how?" She responded that she's owned chinchillas.

Score!

We got into talking about they can be a lot of work when taken care of correctly. She said that a lot of people buy them for their kids and only bring them in when absolutely necessary but do not learn what the animal actually needs. She did a fluorescein eye stain and said there was no damage or scratches. She said it appeared to be conjunctivitis (and Imp's skin has been dry which she said can accompany it) and prescribed me Neopolydex Ophthalmic Ointment and said that if isn't cleared up in 10 days to come back in and we'd go from there. I wasn't trying to get ahead of myself but mentioned malo as I know it can always be a concern. She said that her teeth and mouth looked great as far as a visual scan was concerned (no spurs or abscesses) but obviously we can't know anything about the roots unless an x-ray was done. Her saying that last part sealed the deal for me and I believe I've found a great vet for my chins. Something I haven't felt before. It's such a relief and I actually feel confident in taking them to her, not to mention she had a wonderful personality.

 

[tunes]

They "took her back" where? You weren't in the room during the exam? I have never been to a vet that I was not present in the room for the entire exam.

I'm glad you found a decent vet, but much like my kids, I don't let anybody handle my animals if I'm not present.

 

[Ratchilla]

They "took her back" where? You weren't in the room during the exam? I have never been to a vet that I was not present in the room for the entire exam.

I'm glad you found a decent vet, but much like my kids, I don't let anybody handle my animals if I'm not present.

You know, I have never thought about it. I've never been allowed in the 'back area'. The exam room for the 'physical' part I'm there but it never mattered what vet I've been to, I've never been allowed past the exam room where they do everything (testing); I call it the second door. I thought that was standard procedure? And I'm not talking like "my vet", I'm talking like every vet I've ever been to since I've had animals. I'm not trying to play ignorant here, it's just what I've known so I thought I didn't have a choice.

They have always taken my animals back and honestly I always thought it was sanitary reasons why they didn't do it in the exam room. I've asked and the common response is, we don't allow clients back there. And it isn't even a matter of finding a different vet, they all do it. How would you handle the situation? Ask them to do everything in the exam room?

Am I the only person who experiences this? Are you guys always with your animals throughout the entire exam?

 

[Brittany]

The only things I've never been allowed in the room for are xrays and surgery. I've been present for many other procedures, including having Lily put to sleep. If the equipment that they need to use is portable you could ask them to bring it into the exam room.


Hope that eye clears up for you, glad you found a vet you're getting good vibes from

 

[Ratchilla]

Indeed, I hope it is just an eye infection, fingers crossed!

I guess I can always ask again and see what they say. They always PTS my animal in the room I'm in so that I could be with them but like I said other than that, I never got to be there. When I take my dog in to my vet, they take them back for weight and temp and I'm not even allowed to go then (they don't have the scales and stuff in the room). I think I'll research it and see what my options are.

I was just so stoked about the vet, lol.

 

[jbcstratton]

I wish there were more knowledgable exotic vets, seems so hard to find one that will see them, and one that knows anything about them is even harder.

 

[Ratchilla]

I have a recheck of her today. Imp was on the antibiotics for 10 days and nothing changed. She was supposed to go back last week, but I couldn't see if there was any changes because of the ointment, so we rescheduled to this Friday. I don't see any discharge or anything, which worries me. Just her fur isn't fluffy there which is why I can see it. I don't know if we'll do a different run of antibiotics or xrays. She's still eating well.

 

[Ratchilla]

Whoops, I meant to add that was the picture taken when I first noticed her eye.

 

[mishellyshel]

I have always been allowed in the room with my pets. along with brittany, i was not permitted to go in when they performed some surgical procedures. i was fortunate enough to have a fellow scrapbook friend as a vet and she did take some pictures of what they did with my chin, which i did post here.

as for the watery eye, without xrays you will never know conclusively if imp has dental issues. i do have a chin that experiences periodic watery eye. he has been checked and it was concluded that due to no other symptoms, that he has mild irritation due to dusting and air flow. i limit his dusting, change his fleece often and encourage him to come out of his house as much as possible. i am actually making him a new house this weekend and it will have 2 different holes for better airflow since he likes to hide in his house!

 

[Ratchilla]

Thanks for the info, Michelle. I went today and they actually just did a simple exam in the room I was in. But anything more than that, really, I'm not allowed past the doors into the back area. I've honestly really only had animals in this state so I asked my b/f and he said he's only ever experienced the same thing. I don't know...it makes me feel like a bad pet owner.

What room do you mean? I sit in a room where the vet and nurses come in and I wait to see them. They have seating and a 'surgical table' where they do visual exams. But it's the door that they come through to come into the room that I'm not usually allowed through. Do you get up and follow them? Even when I took my dog into the vet, they took him from the exam room to do the skin scrapings.

On to Imp. There wasn't really any improvement. She gave me Terramycin to try and I'll do this for two weeks. It was too late to do xrays so we scheduled them for the 26th. This way I can try to treat with the medication and then bring them in. She's still eating and pooping fine, also no teeth grinding or signs of pain. Just a wait and see game.

When you guys post your xrays online, do you ask for copies? How do you go about getting them?

 

[mishellyshel]

im sure every vet office does things different. i stay with all my pets during all exams. they have taken my chin into a different room only to do a filing or xrays....otherwise they have never left my sight.

as for the xrays.......just ask for a digital copy. with the technology today they are often able to burn it to a dvd right there. or save a copy and email it to you. with the old fashioned method you would need a copy of the actual xray and then you would have to scan it.

 

[Ratchilla]

Imp had her xrays done today. Doctor said that when she went in her teeth looked fine. Minor unevenness which she filed down but she said everything else looked good and no elongation of roots or anything that she thought would cause a watery eye.

Attached the pictures for you guys to see. I guess she might just have a watery eye? She's been on two different antibiotics for a month and no change. She also has no white discharge or anything coming out, just moistness. Sorry the pictures aren't that great, I had to scan them into my computer and the film is blue so it's more dark even on the body parts.

 

[ticklechin]

X-ray 2 bothers me, the upper teeth occlusal plane looks odd, the teeth look peg like and splayed, the lower teeth apices also look strange. X-rays are easier to read IMO when the chins teeth are not wide open, not sure what was up there.

 

[Lillybabe]

When my little guy's malo was acting up... between filings, his eye would get milky. It was mostly his left eye that would show signs first. I never noticed any watery eye, not saying that that isn't common with malo, but he just didn't have it.

As some others mentioned I was always allowed to stay with Raisin when he went to my normal vet. I took him to another place, in the very beginning, he left my sight to get fluids and take a blood test. When I got him back he looked shaken and his fur was ruffled and wet in places. I never took him back to that vet again. The exotics vet I have used since then always let me come back with him when he was examined. They even gave him air (really not sure how they did it, I was too worried to ask) when I was in the room. The only thing I have not been allowed in the room for was when they had to put him under for a procedure or when they were doing xrays. Their normal exam rooms have everything they need to care for him or it can be wheeled in from another place in the building. A few times I left him overnight when his teeth were filed so he could have care I could not provide easily at home. At those times of course I was not there but I trusted my vet to do what was best for him and they always called me with updates or to ask if I was okay with a procedure. There were never surprises on their end.

You could ask your vet to explain why you are not allowed to go back with them. I am not sure I would trust a vet if I could not see them handle my pet.

 

[andreya]

Please correct me if I'm wrong, because I'm not really understanding the issue with "going in back". I've never in my life seen them let anyone in the "staff only" part of the vet office. Every vet office that I have ever been to has a back (staff only) area where they do their x-rays, blood draws, cysto's, etc. Just as you wouldn't be allowed to go poking around the lab in a human doctors office. Sure, they weigh them and do the exam in front of me and give shots to my dogs or cats and stuff like that but anything invasive where they need a sterile environment is done in the back area and not in the exam room. So are people saying that they are frequently allowed in the "staff only" parts of the vet office? Because I don't believe this to be standard practice.

 

[Ratchilla]

X-ray 2 bothers me, the upper teeth occlusal plane looks odd, the teeth look peg like and splayed, the lower teeth apices also look strange. X-rays are easier to read IMO when the chins teeth are not wide open, not sure what was up there.

I don't know. That worries me a little but for right now I don't know what else I can do. She isn't drooling or pawing and is eating sticks and wood fine. No other issues save the watery eye. I guess I'll just have to watch for other signs of something? She said it could be an allergy as well so really after xrays I'm back at where I was earlier. Also, it seems my little girl has had an allergic reaction to sedation? She's got what would look like if you stuck a tire tube around her midsection right under her arms. It's just like an extra roll of puffy skin? I feel no hardness or anything and I can't even get a good feel of swelling, it's just there. She's going back in today as a precaution just to make sure it's nothing serious.

Thanks for the input everyone, guess I'll just take it a little bit at a time.