Weird Smell to Poop

[CrystalH]

So, those of you familiar to my story...my chinchilla had diarrhea in january that we countered with albon/panacur. i've done both giardia and bacterial infection checks with negatives (2x). he hasn't had anything as bad as the watery **** i'd seen before but sometimes (usually at night when he is most active) he will exhibit problematic poos. the troublesome poop looks like this: light brown, roughage a little undigested, shiny stuff on it (dried mucus or dust from cage...idk), sometimes one or two small holes in it..., soft--doesn't hold together well when i squish it between fingers, tear shaped, a little plumper than usual. the thing that i noticed is when i break it open--there's a foul smell but only when i put it to my nostrils that i failed to notice before OR has just arisen (i know super gross that i'm so obsessed with his poo...but). it smells faintly of (human) baby poo...

here's the thing: energy up and consistent...appetite good (i've limited his oxbow pellets to 1/8 cup a day) and increased orchard grass/timothy hay although he's not a big hay eater...

should i still put him on a metronidazole course anyway even though most of the time his poo looks fine? also, i've been thinking of buying albon from chocolate chins and just using that prevantatively...is that beneficial?

 

[CrystalH]

ps. thank you ticklechins and azchins for being such constant contributors to this madness. really appreciate expertise

 

[ticklechin]

Smell almost always means infection, that with the holes and mucous points towards parasites, I would do the flagyl at this point.

 

[CrystalH]

i should mention the recommendation for flagyl comes from a non-specialist. he says he has experience with exotics before, but i'm not sure.

 

[AZChins]

Trying a round of the Flagyl isn't going to hurt. It could definitely help with things. If that doesn't help, I guess there's other things to try with changing the diet a bit or maybe looking into some different herbal remedies.

 

[CrystalH]

screw it...taking him to the exotics vet tomorrow. will see how she feels about flagyl

 

[ticklechin]

Flagyl got a bad rap years ago, it was not true and the statements were retracted by those that brought it on. Its as safe as any heavy duty antibiotic avaliable, there will always be side effects and every chin is different.

 

[CrystalH]

Flagyl got a bad rap years ago, it was not true and the statements were retracted by those that brought it on. Its as safe as any heavy duty antibiotic avaliable, there will always be side effects and every chin is different.

i'm not really questioning flagyl...i'm just hesitant to put him on antibiotics or medication for the wrong reasons, you know? i've read that it can screw up the system and he's been on metoclopramide before from a non-specialist emergency after i spotted really teeny poos. (i stopped treatment after like 2 dosages...prbly dumb. but he got better the next day). i don't know if the stimulant screwed up his regulation or if it was an over presence of oats/and shredded wheat treats (both of which i've nixed from diet).

 

[ticklechin]

I know how you feel, it just sometimes sucks dealing with chin health issues and the non-diagnosis and shot gun approach to treatment.

 

[CrystalH]

yeah i want to be proactive but i don't want to also do further damage!! all this paranoia/worry will be worth it if my chinchilla is happy and healthy though. thanks for all your insight!!!

 

[jennmessenger]

follow up….

I really wish people would follow-up and post the results of their stories.