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Post by alexhwhsjuxnxnz on Dec 8, 2016 23:52:44 GMT
Ive sent my chinchilla for castration as i didnt want to have little babies. He spent at the vet two nights after the surgery amd its his forst night at home. He still eats out pf the syrgine and doesnt behave his normal way. Its worring me amd i dont know what to do. I know its only hos first night home. All he does is lying around, not eating nor drinking. The vet said to just gibe him the wet food and pain killers but... Help pleasee
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 9, 2016 0:41:40 GMT
Oh my! I am so sorry. Of course you are worried. Have you had a look at his surgery site? How does it look? Do you know of a different veterinary clinic that you might consider going to to have him checked on if you are in doubt? Perhaps a second opinion is needed?
Do you have a hot water bottle, or heated pad that you can warm up in the microwave for him? Heat can help with pain and not feeling well, and he may need that right now. Has he ever been very welcoming of cuddles? If so, perhaps you could snuggle him up inside a hoodie with you, or a house robe, or something?
Do you know if they were successfully feeding him while he was in the vets care?
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Post by natnat899 on Dec 9, 2016 8:38:12 GMT
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Post by randomname on Dec 9, 2016 10:26:23 GMT
I'll be honest, none of the chinchillas we've had have been castrated.(always had boys, never girls, so didn't need to) Am very interested to follow this thread to learn more. I have had many other small rescues castrated - rats, guinea pigs, degu, rabbits & one hamster (who had a growth, so needed the operation anyway) I totally echo what natnat899 says - I have never NOT been given Metacam after a castration, I have always found it very helpful too. Usually they feel much better after a dose & will get up, hobble around, eat & drink, then sleep again. When the dose wears off they act like yours is acting, just lying there. It does sound like he would benefit from some painkillers, at least for a week or so. I tend to find there is a lot more activity on day 2 : the anaesthetic takes a while to totally exit the body & the shock has worn off a little. The painkillers usually really help at this point. I also think you should try & check the site. If you can get him to stand up (maybe using his favourite treat) you could have a look? Again, I think he'd be more likely to do it if he wasn't in so much pain. I wouldn't handle him if you can help it though (EDIT Unless he wants a cuddle of course) His recovery needs to be as stress free as possible. He may be wary of you for a while, I had a chin who blamed me for his dental operation for ages, I had to re bond with him all over again. They can be cranky & hold grudges when they want! I'd give the vet a call, ask why they had him in for 2 days? & also did he eat/drink while he was with them? I'd also ask for some painkillers & something like the Supreme Recovery Plus (lots of animals will eat it from a bowl, you don't always have to syringe feed it) Keep an eye on the wound & take him back if it looks red , puffy or wet. You could try making his food pellets into a mash using hot water, when it's cooled he might eat it. The water should release the scent which might encourage him to start eating. A heat mat is a good idea too as Deguconvert says, but make sure he can get off it if he overheats. (Put it away from him, let him walk to it - don't put it under him in case he's too weak to move & ends up overheating) Sometimes I've had success with mixing a fresh herb with a strong scent (mint, thyme, basil etc) into the hay & forage - the scent tempts them to start foraging sometimes. Of course their favourite treats are good too. You could try syringe feeding water too, sometimes it stimulates them to go to the water bottle for more. Hope he's feeling a lot better today & continues to get well quickly. As someone who hates to see animals allowed to breed when there are so many in rescue I really commend the fact you've had him neutered. He'll probably live much longer (no reproductive cancers) & be much happier without the sex hormones in his system. I take it he has a female friend? If so, are they back in together yet? Be careful if so, as they're still fertile for a while after castration (not sure how long, but with most rodents it's around 6 weeks) Keep us updated
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 9, 2016 17:30:47 GMT
How is he today?
In a case like this I would always be straight on the phone to the vet, sometimes you just need a bit more information and instructions on how best to care for him and the vet can set your mind at rest. Important things are that you get the painkillers into him, that he is eating and drinking, and can move about if he wants to. Watch out for any heat or redness or anything wrong with the wound. A very gentle heatpad may be comforting to him, but obviously you need to be careful with temperature with chins.
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Post by polly on Dec 10, 2016 10:52:35 GMT
Chinchillas do not react well to either neutering or spaying. It's only an action I would consider if life was in danger. I'm sorry your boy is suffering, but would advise that you simply keep males and females separate in order to prevent pregnancy.
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 20, 2017 5:18:42 GMT
I have been in contact with the OP by email, and today she sent me an update that I will post here so you can all see how things have been going for her and her chin. Hi, Im writing to you again Im going to start off with saying that my baby chinchilla is good now and gaining weight As it turned out my chinchilla was in pain the few days after surgery. I went back to vet, but she didnt notice anything that might have been wrong with him at the time to why he was not eating. Few days later during the feeding him with wet food by syringe, I squirted too much in his little mouth and he start choking (nothing happened to me I just over panicked). I got in the car shaking and crying thinking Ive done something terrible and thinking of the worst. As we arrived at the vet (40 min drive, the only exotic vet) she looked at him, checked everything, nothing was wrong but she noticed a little swelling on one of his testicles... And that was when the big problem started. Turns out that the stitches that they used inside him to tie off some kind of cord (they dissolve between 3-6 weeks), the body start rejecting it by filling up the empty space where the testicle used to be with puss. The vet took out half of ml by syringe. So she decided to put him on flygile (some kind of antibiotic) and expect to see me next week. Only after two days I had to go back, because the swelling was twice the size. So she decided to cut out a little hole in him so the puss can escape. I had to clean him twice daily and feeling guilty as he looks at me with a 'you betrayed me'' look. This lasted for another three weeks. Meanwhile we changed the antibiotic and he started to eat again as the pain was slowly going away. Until today. I went to the vet, shaking and scared that she will hurt my baby again, as she said last visit that if it doesnt go away, we will have to do another surgery to take the stitch out. But I was so happy as I was standing in that room waiting as she was checking him, and told me that its gone. ;') After over month of being anxious about him, and feeling guilty telling myself how stupid I was to make that decision of castrating him... Now hes on the good antibiotics until next week just to make sure its gone for good. Im writing to you about my experience as I thought i might be of use to someone with similar problem. Once again I want to thank you for the previous emails youve sent me with a good advice Me again. HAPPY, HAPPY news!! So thankful for a good vet and healing that is finally doing so well!
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Post by Emziedee on Jan 20, 2017 8:29:06 GMT
Gordon Bennet I was reading this with bated breath! I'm so glad it has a happy ending and I hope the wee lad forgets that awful experience soon 🙏🏻
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 20, 2017 11:34:39 GMT
thank you to the OP for updating us, and good to hear that things are going much better now. wishing him a full and speedy recovery
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