What a LONG night!!!

[JodiO]

As some of you know, I am a fairly new chin owner (since Oct). I have 2 young boys, Ben & Jerry. They live in a very large cage, are fed water, quality pellets, hay & supplement & are given at least 20 mins of play time each night. I am continuously on this forum ( and other sites) learning as much as I can about chinchillas and believed I was giving my chins the best of everything.
Well, lastnight when I went down to clean their cage ( and let them out to play) I noticed that Jerry was not acting himself. He is usually at the door begging to be let out & the first one out to play. Instead he was not wanting to come out, hiding in a tube, and laying his head down. I quickly checked him over but saw no obvious injuries. He squeaked when I touched his left side and wanted little to do when offered his dust bath. I quickly called the vet and grabbed the carrier.
An hour later I was at the vet (an exotic animal hospital) and they did an exam & xrays. 2 gas bubbles were seen on the xrays and they diagnosed Jer with stomach upset / stasis. $475 later I was sent home with these meds: Critical care to feed 2x daily for 7 days, metoclopramide, cisapride, and sucralfate ( all to be given 2x daily).
While I was there I was also told that 95% of his diet should be FRESH GREENS. Also, after seeing the pine shavings in the carrier I was asked if this is in his cage. I explained that his cage is tiled and the only shavings are in their 2 pyrex dishes. They said I should be using Carefresh. All this info just seemed so conflicting from what I've read here...ugh
Also, do chins like Critical Care? Jer didn't seem to crazy about it. Is there a trick to get him to eat it? I'm supposed to feed him 10 mls of CC 2x daily. Lastnight it was a battle to get 8 down him!!!
Any input would be appreciated. I feel like I was doing my best to give my chins the best and now I feel like its the diet I'm giving them that may have caused all this! Ugh. Thanks for reading this. Sorry I'm rambling...not a lot of sleep ( got home @ 3am!)

 

[Brittany]

I am so sorry Jodi. Sometimes these things happen, you shouldn't feel like it's your fault. I know some members will chime in soon with great advice but I just wanted to start off with this:

Even the best vets can give bad advice. NO fresh greens and no carefresh. They need hay and pellets, period. Simethicone (baby gas drops) will help with the gas. 1 dropper full every 3-4 hours. Simethicone is inert so it is safe to use with the other medications that they've perscribed. If he's not eating you will need to feed the critical care more often. When my chins are eating nothing but critical care I feed about 20ml every 4 hours or so, trying to get 90-120 ml into them per day. With stasis it's recommended to give smaller feedings every 2 hours. Good Luck with your baby!

EDIT: Here's a great thread on stasis http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6553

 

[alli713]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with shavings, I and many other owners and breeders use them with no issues. I'm curious as to why the vet would feel that would be an issue. I mean, chins chew wood, shavings are wood. Some people don't like carefresh because their chins try to eat it. So you'd be fine sticking with shavings.

I doubt it's the diet you feed causing this. Fresh greens given to a chin not used to them would cause a problem though.

I can't be a huge help with handfeeding since I've never had to do it, but I have read that adding black strap molasses may help. I'm sure others will chime in on this.

 

[Gabby88]

Sounds like that vet has chinchillas confused with guinea pigs! That all honestly sounds like guinea pig advice: no pine shavings, switch to carefresh, feed fresh veggies.

It could be that they have a lot of guinea pig experience and assume since they're both rodents that they are very much alike.

 

[Brittany]

While the molasses is a good idea, I wouldn't use it with a chin that is having stomach issues. If he won't eat you'll need to force feed him with a syringe. Sometimes dipping the tip of the syringe in simethicone with make it easier. But most likely you're just going to have to force him to eat. Get the syringe behind the incisors and over the tongue so he can't spit it out. Squirt the tiniest amount of food into the side of his mouth and wait until he swallows. "Rinse and repeat." Hand feeding can be messy until you get the hang of it. Just take it slow.



EDIT: Is he pooping at all? How did they determine that it was stasis? Can you post pictures of the xrays so we can see the bloat (gas bubbles)?

 

[JodiO]

Thanks everyone! He is eating hay and acting a lot better today. I am still worried about him though. When do you know they're "out of the woods"? Are some chins just more prone to stasis? Do I need to worry about his cagemate too since he is given the same foods? Should I introduce some fresh greens (spinach, kale, Parsley, etc - I was given a list)? If stasis is caused by their diet, then what should I change?

 

[Sandi]

Hey Jodi, what exactly are you feeding including treats? Is this vet Midwest Bird & Exotic Animal Hospital? I've mentioned them before and yes they and most vets will recommend fresh greens but DO NOT give the chins any fresh greens. I'm going to shoot you a pm in a minute.

 

[alli713]

While the molasses is a good idea, I wouldn't use it with a chin that is having stomach issues. If he won't eat you'll need to force feed him with a syringe. Sometimes dipping the tip of the syringe in simethicone with make it easier. But most likely you're just going to have to force him to eat. Get the syringe behind the incisors and over the tongue so he can't spit it out. Squirt the tiniest amount of food into the side of his mouth and wait until he swallows. "Rinse and repeat." Hand feeding can be messy until you get the hang of it. Just take it slow.



EDIT: Is he pooping at all? How did they determine that it was stasis? Can you post pictures of the xrays so we can see the bloat (gas bubbles)?

I haven't ever heard of adding a small amount of the black strap molasses to CC being an issue? Hence why I suggested it. It's not normal molasses with tons of sugar. You only add a tiny bit to perhaps help with the taste. But no matter what, some chins just don't like being force fed no matter how you try to dress it up.

 

[JodiO]

Brittany - I was not given a copy of the xrays. ( You'd think for $475 they would give them to me framed!!) There were 2 small bubbles...one way higher than the other. She said it looked like we caught it early????

 

[Laurie]

Jodi, sorry you had to go through that and sorry you had to listen to vets that once again do not know what kind of care ie feed and bedding a chinchilla should receive. Why so many chinchilla owners are able to find Chins-n-Hedgies yet not a single exotic vet who cares for them can is beyond me. In order to feed critical care you're going to have to force feed and burrito him in a towel so he can't push away with his arms and legs. I agree with Brittany and think smaller feedings spaced closer together is better. 20mls of critical care a day is really not very much especially if he's not eating.
Again sorry you're having to go through this

 

[alli713]

Brittany - I was not given a copy of the xrays. ( You'd think for $475 they would give them to me framed!!) There were 2 small bubbles...one way higher than the other. She said it looked like we caught it early????

I wonder if you could call and ask for a copy if you wanted one? When I had x-rays done I actually just asked to take a picture of them. So if nothing else and you do want a copy perhaps ask if you could go back in and take a picture of them on the lights. Not sure if you want a copy, but if so, I think for that price you should get one!

 

[Mt. Zion Chins]

If you are giving him quality pellets/hay and not giving him treats like raisins or any store bought treats you are probably giving both the right foods. The best way to tell if they 'are out of the woods' is if they are eating normally. Also if they are gaining weight back. Get a scale (from Walmart) and weight him every day at the same time. As for giving him CC wrap him in a towel with just his head sticking out (wrap him fairly tight so he can't get his front paws out) and force feed him.

 

[cindyv3737]

Should I introduce some fresh greens (spinach, kale, Parsley, etc - I was given a list)?

I can't really help you on your other questions. However, the answer to the one above is no. Pellets and hay are all your chins need.

 

[Laurie]

Jodi, definitely NO fruits or veggies of any kind. When students are going through vet school they are given less than a month (probably only a week) to learn about exotics. Most vets ASSume chinchilla diet is similar to guinea pig and rabbit and therefore recommend the fresh fruits and vegetables. These, in fact, are very detrimental to chinchillas diets and they often cause bloat which can be deadly in chins if not treated.

 

[Brittany]

Jodi- Incase you do get the xrays I want to show you something for comparison. This is Lily in November. She hadn't been eating for a few days due to malo. The two dark pockets are gas in her GI track. Gas builds up when they don't eat as much, and their natural bacteria levels get out of wack. At the time I was told by knowlegeable forum members that this was a relatively mild case of gas compared to others they had seen. We treated it with simethicone (no gut motility drugs) and it cleared up in a week. I'm NOT suggesting that you stop using the gut motility drugs. I just wanted to give you a comparrison for the severity of your situation. If I had been given the right gut motility drugs this probably would have cleared up a lot faster.

Alli- I've read on several threads related to stasis, and discussed it with vets that I trust, that when dealing with stasis/bloat a bland diet is best. Hay, pellets, CC, and LL. IMO I would consider using molasses and/or dyne when the chin was ill for other reasons, but not for GI issues.

 

[Sandi]

Where Jodi went they can't give you an extra copy of the xray unless you ask for it before they take it. I'm sure you were very worried and stressed Jodi as I was the 1st time I went to the vet with CJ. I know they are over any hour from you but if you want you can always go back with your camera and set it on Macro and they will let you take pics of the xray. They'll put it on that light box thing or whatever you call it and then you take pics of it.

 

[ticklechin]

So the vet did not RX a pain med? And feeding CC twice a day is going to do nothing for a chin with bloat and/or stasis, the ulcer medication is questionable. Also, did the vet not mention simethicone, exercise and gut massages?

Read this thread for the proper treatment of bloat and stasis:

http://www.chins-n-hedgies.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6553

 

[alli713]

Alli- I've read on several threads related to stasis, and discussed it with vets that I trust, that when dealing with stasis/bloat a bland diet is best. Hay, pellets, CC, and LL. IMO I would consider using molasses and/or dyne when the chin was ill for other reasons, but not for GI issues.

) I'm not ever going to argue that a bland diet is best, especially for those with gi issues. I never suggested dyne, as that is sugary. I was only suggesting a small touch of the black strap to just change the flavor slightly. Not water it down with molasses.

For what it's worth, I know Lifeline is awesome and works well with chins that are sick, but it also has tons of ingredients in it. So by adding lifeline you are kind of adding to the chin's diet. I guess my opinion just differs in that I don't think a touch of molasses to the critical care would upset the gut any more than it already was.

But ultimately everyone needs to decide what is and will work best for their chin. I was only suggesting it as an alternative to see if her chin would take the critical care a bit more readily and not stress him out with trying not to aspirate him while he fights.

As another option, there are two flavors of CC. Regular and Apple Banana. So perhaps the OP can get the other type. Not sure what their vet or other vets in the area offer.

 

[JodiO]

The vet did mention exercise and my daughter is giving both boys play time now as I type this. He seems to be moving around ok - runs a little but no wild wall surfs like usual. He is also eating pellets & hay and his poops look ok. Is it possible we caught this early? His gas bubbles on the xrays looked smaller than the xray posted above. He was definitely in pain last night / early this am (hiding, laying down, and squeaking when touched) but I have seen NONE of these symptoms this afternoon. If he continues to eat hay & pellets, should I still try to force feed CC? This afternoon my friend tried helping me & we were only able to get 4mls in him. The vet made burritoing look so easy but I am struggling with it! I'll keep trying...

 

[Brittany]

I'm glad to hear he's eating. With some chins I've found they fight the burrito more then the food. If you can hold him firmly enough w/o the burrito he may be willing to eat more? Alli made a good point, he may like the other flavor of CC better.

The vet did mention exercise and my daughter is giving both boys play time now as I type this. He seems to be moving around ok - runs a little but no wild wall surfs like usual. He is also eating pellets & hay and his poops look ok. Is it possible we caught this early? His gas bubbles on the xrays looked smaller than the xray posted above. He was definitely in pain last night / early this am (hiding, laying down, and squeaking when touched) but I have seen NONE of these symptoms this afternoon. If he continues to eat hay & pellets, should I still try to force feed CC? This afternoon my friend tried helping me & we were only able to get 4mls in him. The vet made burritoing look so easy but I am struggling with it! I'll keep trying...