Worried about Chin - Not doing well!

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stormyhogs

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Sorry for yet another post, but I am worried about the chin, Walter, I am babysitting. His teeth were extremely overgrown and curling up into his mouth. The vet clipped/grinded them and put him on SMZ-TMP (seen Saturday). He also said to feed him veggies, green beans, and baby food - yeah right - he obviously knew nothing about chinchillas. I have been giving him critical care, but he is barely eating any of it, and every time I feed him he seems to hiccup.. I thought maybe I was feeding him too much/too fast, but no matter how slow I go, he still seems to do it. He is still extremely lethargic, doesn't move in his cage - although he will hop around on the floor a few steps. Then he just sits there. He just sits there in his cage and barely moves. His breathing is fast and his eyes look listless. He is not eating or drinking anything. I've offered him food, rosehips, water, etc, but no go. I'm trying to feed him CC 4-6x a day, but most of it ends up on me and him, and not in his mouth - it just pours out of his mouth. I also noticed that everytime I touch him or go to pick him up, he squeels and cries, and he didn't do this before. I am going to call my vet tomorrow when they open at 7am (where I bring my hedgies) and see if she can see him in the morning.

Is there anything I can do tonight to help him? What is probably wrong with him? Could he have malocclusion or bloat? Please help! I am very worried about the little guy (P.S. he is a little over a year I think - maybe a year and a half?? if that matters). Before he was eating raisins, petstore treats like dandelion drops (that have dairy in them), and other junk daily. Thanks.
 
When you say baby sitting, do you mean that this chin is not yours? Then do you have the responsibility of taking it to the vet and things?
Honestly the way you make it sound does not sound good at all. Did the vet not give any pain meds for after the trimming? If he is making sounds when you touch him chances are he's in pain. And if he's in pain he's not going to feel like eating or anything really.

Being lethargic is not a good sign. Chins are good at hiding illness and pain, so for him to be lethargic is not good at all.

I'm sorry I'm not more help, but hopefully those with more experience with ill chins will chime in and help more
 
He needs to see an experienced vet. Yes, he has malocclusion, that's why his teeth were trimmed.

He should have been given pain medication by the vet, to ease him through the pain of the tooth trimming. Since he wasn't, that's probably what put him off his feed, and now that he's not eating, you may be dealing with gut stasis/bloat.

At the very least he is going to need subcu fluids and he needs to be checked for bloat. Lethargy is the kiss of death in a chin, so it's not something you can wait until morning for. He needs to see a vet now.
 
thanks for the info. no he is not my chin, but my friend said if he needed to go to the vet, then take him, and i obviously would either way. he was already sick before I started watching him on sunday. isn't malocclusion when the roots grow , not just the teeth? i dont know much about it. i dont think he was given pain meds for his teeth. my friend said he had been drooling for months, and not knowing anything about chins, thought it was normal. give me a break. for the past couple of days/weeks - not sure - my friend said he has been inactive and not really eating, but didn't take him to the vet until this past saturday.
should i have the vet do an x-ray? i assume that is how they would tell if he was bloated?
 
An experienced vet can palpate, but the far better diagnostic tool is an x-ray.
 
Poor Walter! Peggy is right, he needs to see the vet now ( can you see emergency vet?). If he has bloat he needs meds: Reglan, Propulsid, Metacam,simethecone drops(baby gas drops, also available at CVS,up to 3 dropperfuls a day ) . I just afraid that he will not make it till tomorrow.
You can do belly massages.Massage his belly in a circular downwards motion (to his anus). No sugary treats, add acidophilus to the critical care or just mix with water.
Please take him to the vet NOW.
 
i called my friend and he said he wants me to wait until tomorrow because he can't afford to pay $120 for an emergency vet visit. he seems okay, and is curled up sitting on my shoulder right now.. lol. but im just concerned about the "hiccups" he keeps having. it seems weird. i've been rubbing his belly, and im going to keep watching him, and if he does get worse I will bring him in to the ER. Ugh.
 
I really really suggest you bring him in now. It may be the only thing that saves him, just an hour of time. He needs motility drugs and pain meds and really just needs to be seen by a vet. They don't do well when they get to this point, and go downhill fast. I would be surprised if he makes it until morning.
 
yeah.. ugggghh. i feel like i should bring him. but my friend is only concerned about money. i guess im gonna have to end up paying for it, cuz i doubt he will pay me back, but if that's what i have to do to save the poor little guy, i don't care. thanks. he is hopping around the room right now though.
 
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stormyhogs said:
i called my friend and he said he wants me to wait until tomorrow because he can't afford to pay $120 for an emergency vet visit. he seems okay, and is curled up sitting on my shoulder right now.. lol. but im just concerned about the "hiccups" he keeps having. it seems weird. i've been rubbing his belly, and im going to keep watching him, and if he does get worse I will bring him in to the ER. Ugh.
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If he wants you to wait until tomorrow, then pay for it today and have him pay you back tomorrow when he can afford it. If an ER visit is a lot more expensive, just have him cover what a regular visit would've cost. Ultimately this animal is his responsibility but I believe like everyone else has said, take him to the vet. It could save his life. There's only so much a forum can tell you to do, a vet is your best bet.
 
Is he pooping? If not, and tummy rubbing doesn't help, you need to take him to the vet now!

When you make the CC, don't make it too runny. A thicker paste makes the feeding much easier. I found that feeding syringes are so much easier to use. Those are the ones with the long and curved tips. Feeding does take a lot of time and patience... and cleaning afterwards. CC already has probiotics in it, but I am not if it is enough. He will also need pedialyte if he is not drinking.
 
With the state he's in, it's going to cost way more than 120$ honestly.... And as mentionned before, if he is to survive, he needs to see the vet ASAP. I really hope he's making through this. Good luck to both of you!
 
urgent

i couldn't go to the er vet last night, there exotic vet wasn't in, and its the only er vet around. he made it through the night, although hasn't moved at all. my question is, how much subcu fluids should he get at the vet? he's around 550 grams, granted my friend said he thinks he's lost some weight over the past month - hmm i wonder why. thanks. im leaving for the vet in a few minutes,
 
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hi, thanks again for everyones advice. i dropped him off at my vet's. they are going to keep him until about 4-6pm tonight and push fluids and give Critical Care and nurse him for a while, giving him meds, etc. So hopefully that will help. Then they're gonna give me meds and such to give him. I gave them what's left of my CC, because they dont carry it, so I am going to try and find a vet around here that does so I can pick up some more. Thanks again, and I hope he pulls through this.
 
It's a good thing that you care so much and got him to a vet. Sure hope they are able to help him and nurse him back to health.
 
An exotics vet, who treats chins, doesn't carry critical care? Interesting.

I'm sure there are vets in your area that do carry it. It seems to be everywhere now.
 
Yeah, try exotic bird vets and hospitals--a lot of them carry it, too. Good luck with him.
 
im actually gonna bring my guinea pig to the vets - a different one - because i didn't originally take him there - and he needs to have his staples removed from where his leg was amputated, they originally gave me CC, which is why I had it on hand, so Im gonna grab a couple more bags when I bring him there. thanks for everyones support. :)
 
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