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.
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.