fliddie
Burrowing Degu
Sleeping Scratcat
Posts: 138
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Post by fliddie on May 18, 2009 21:22:44 GMT
Hey all
My little Vespa is poorly, he was absolutely fine on Saturday night but was very subdued yesterday morning and I didnt see him moving around much. Today he is still very lethargic and seemed to be having issues with eating. He has taken a few bits from me but was grinding his teeth a lot and pawing at his mouth afterwards. He wasnt hopping around, rather walking on all fours but only a few steps here and there and he was becoming very verbally irritable with Spyro who wanted to sit next to him.
I got really worried and took him to the vet, both he and I thought it would be a problem with his teeth but the vet said they look fine. Vespa is a tiny little thing and only weighs 375g even though he normally never stops eating so the vet wormed him and gave him an injection and I now have anti-biotics to give him twice a day for 5 days. The vet couldnt find anything obviously wrong with him and said he would start off by medicating him for a tummy upset and if he is still not getting any better then to take him back and consider x-rays and specialist referrals.
Has anyone got any ideas as to what might be wrong with him or how to get him feeling better? Its stressing me out looking at the poor little critter being so miserable!
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Post by jackdaniels on May 18, 2009 21:27:25 GMT
Hey all My little Vespa is poorly, he was absolutely fine on Saturday night but was very subdued yesterday morning and I didnt see him moving around much. Today he is still very lethargic and seemed to be having issues with eating. He has taken a few bits from me but was grinding his teeth a lot and pawing at his mouth afterwards. He wasnt hopping around, rather walking on all fours but only a few steps here and there and he was becoming very verbally irritable with Spyro who wanted to sit next to him. I got really worried and took him to the vet, both he and I thought it would be a problem with his teeth but the vet said they look fine. Vespa is a tiny little thing and only weighs 375g even though he normally never stops eating so the vet wormed him and gave him an injection and I now have anti-biotics to give him twice a day for 5 days. The vet couldnt find anything obviously wrong with him and said he would start off by medicating him for a tummy upset and if he is still not getting any better then to take him back and consider x-rays and specialist referrals. Has anyone got any ideas as to what might be wrong with him or how to get him feeling better? Its stressing me out looking at the poor little critter being so miserable! Best person to ask would be Susie. But do you have any rope/plastic items in the cage? |
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Post by jackdaniels on May 18, 2009 21:34:29 GMT
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fliddie
Burrowing Degu
Sleeping Scratcat
Posts: 138
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Post by fliddie on May 18, 2009 21:55:29 GMT
Thank you for your ideas, there is nothing plastic or rope in the cage, all wooden stuff and the metal flying saucer, and a couple of hammocks but they havent taken any interest in chewing them.
The room is normal room temperature, there is no heating in there and the heating in my house hasnt been on for a long time. Spyro is the one who overheats more easily and looking at them both, neither are suffering from overheating, the vet took his temperature and it was ok.
Am a bit stumped as to what the problem is, it has come on quite suddenly really. I will have a good look through that website tomorrow, thanks!!
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Post by susiechinchilla on May 20, 2009 21:16:14 GMT
Sorry to hear Vespa is unwell . Could he be constipated? what are his poops like? Is he eating on his own?
If he is listless and his movements are limited ( by walking on 'all fours' does he looks as though he is dragging his tummy on the floor ?) then he may be suffering from bloat .
This is a serious condition in chins and can be fatal unless dealt with quickly and by an experienced chinchilla vet ( sorry honey but if your vet has treated him for worms I would not say he is experienced with chins ailments)
However it can be dealt with successfully in chins with metroclopromide( sp?) so I would stress that you get him to an experienced vet asap. He will also need a painkiller as bloat is painful for a chin .
If you let me know where you are then some one on our chin forum may know of a local experienced vet .
In the meantime please do not offer him any sugary treats , he needs a basic bland diet of hay and pellets
Please let us know how you get on.
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fliddie
Burrowing Degu
Sleeping Scratcat
Posts: 138
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Post by fliddie on May 21, 2009 10:42:26 GMT
Hi Susie
Vespa is eating a little on his own, he has been having some hay and I have seen him eating a couple of pellets. As he is in with Spyro its a bit difficult to figure out who has eaten what. His poos have changed in that (without going into too much detail!!) they used to be bigger than Spyro's but now I cant tell whose is whose, there arent as many in the cage as usual and there was a brownish liquid with one of them yesterday. So, he is passing them but not as many as usual which would tie in with him not eating as much?
He seems to be a little bit perkier and more alert today, he has stopped walking around and resumed hopping. He hasnt been dragging his tummy or stretching at all through this. He has stopped the aggressive verbals that he was giving to Spyro and has been cuddled up to him for the last 2 days. I did get up in the middle of the night and Vespa was up and about mooching around the cage and came up to the bars when I walked past. He has had a little jog on his flying saucer wheel aswell and is taking sand baths. He seems to be up and down really.
As for the vet, I think the worming was because he is so tiny despite normally eating like a horse rather than as a treatment as anything to do with this illness. Kimberley on here recently took her chin to the local specialist vet as he is thin and doesnt eat much (I dont know which vet it was, I will ask her - we are in Swindon if you know of any decent ones), the vet looked him over, I think he did an x-ray and gave him medication which made him really ill for days afterwards and charged her £160 for the pleasure so I am less than inclined to take Vespa there either!!
If Vespa doesnt significantly perk up I am taking him back to the vet on Saturday when the anti-biotics run out. He seems to be better than a couple of days ago so I am keeping my fingers crossed, if you can find any recommended specialist vets please can you send me the details.
Thankyou xx
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fliddie
Burrowing Degu
Sleeping Scratcat
Posts: 138
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Post by fliddie on May 21, 2009 13:36:52 GMT
Vespa is a lot more lively this afternoon, he is eating constantly - seems to have found his appetite, and is jumping around the cage. His poos are getting bigger, still seem soft but hopefully he is on the road to recovery now. I have tried to give the anti-biotics but find it impossible to hold him still and get it in his mouth! He ended up with a dose up his cheek and I tried with a second one and am not really sure where that went but he didnt pull his completely revolted gaping mouth open face afterwards so I doubt it went in his mouth!! Anyway, I am much happier with him this afternoon, he looks a lot more like his normal self. I have a vet appointment booked for him on Saturday just in case he nosedives again but am keeping everything crossed that he is over the worst of whatever it was.
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Post by deguconvert on May 22, 2009 1:24:19 GMT
Awwww! They are SO cute! I hope he keeps getting better, and stays that way.
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Post by susiechinchilla on May 22, 2009 20:12:53 GMT
I have found wrapping a chin in a small towel helpful for getting antibiots inot them or you could try hiding it in a raisin . Whilst he is on ABs he will also need probiotics in his water to balance the gut flora .
Personally I would get him out on his own and let him have a short run so you can have a proper look at his poops .
Looking at him in your other pics he looks to have quite a pronounced hump honey which can signify weight loss. In your position I would weigh him on a regular basis so you can monitor his weight and also try to build him up with some healthy treats such a mini shredded wheat( one a day) and some healthy dried chin leaf mixes a couple of times a week as he does look small on those pics
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fliddie
Burrowing Degu
Sleeping Scratcat
Posts: 138
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Post by fliddie on May 23, 2009 6:35:04 GMT
He is tiny, he has always been really small, I will start to give him a mini shredded wheat a day and to weigh him often and see if it makes any difference. I mix the chin special stuff in with their daily food and he scoffs that down. Unfortunately not knowing his background I dont know what sort of genetics he has running through him and with the state he was in when I got him I doubt he had a very good start in life to build him up. They do look like little and large when they are sat together as Spyro is the complete opposite and absolutely massive.
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Post by susiechinchilla on May 23, 2009 18:24:29 GMT
If hes small but got plenty of 'meat on his bones' and does not feel bony then it could well be down to poor breeding honey . Hopefully you will be able to get a bit more meat on him  |
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fliddie
Burrowing Degu
Sleeping Scratcat
Posts: 138
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Post by fliddie on May 23, 2009 19:34:18 GMT
Well the mini shredded wheat was a hit and he wolfed it straight down. Will keep that up. Is there anything else like that that I can give him? It has to be something I can hand him and he will eat straight away, not sonething in the food bowl or Spyro will have it away before Vespa sees it! He does feel bony though, he isnt just a titchy but chunky thing, he is skinny. Any other ideas to fill him out a bit would be appreciated.
He is back to his normal self today, whatever it was that was wrong seems to have passed now. There is the usual incredible amount of droppings all over the cage and thrown out all over my carpet, nice! They all look pretty much back to normal and he is eating everything in sight again.
Am just happy that he is back to his happy little self.
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Post by susiechinchilla on May 23, 2009 21:20:36 GMT
Well the mini shredded wheat was a hit and he wolfed it straight down. Will keep that up. Is there anything else like that that I can give him? It has to be something I can hand him and he will eat straight away, not sonething in the food bowl or Spyro will have it away before Vespa sees it! He does feel bony though, he isnt just a titchy but chunky thing, he is skinny. Any other ideas to fill him out a bit would be appreciated. He is back to his normal self today, whatever it was that was wrong seems to have passed now. There is the usual incredible amount of droppings all over the cage and thrown out all over my carpet, nice! They all look pretty much back to normal and he is eating everything in sight again. Am just happy that he is back to his happy little self. Good news he enjoyed the shredded wheat . I am really pleased his poops are back to normal and he is much livelier in himself When trying to get some weight on alot of chin owners give a mix of oats/ wheat flakes/ barley flakes / wheat germ and wheat bran , adding a few dried herbs ( they are a good source of phyto-nutrients) However as chins need a diet of 2 parts calcium to 1 part phosphorus you do need to add a good multivitamin supplement as grains tend to be high in calcium and low in phosphorous Some people also give a pea sized blob of enervite a couple of times a week ( its a supplement for dogs ) when trying to get some weight onto chins ( short term only though) the only problem is that its no longer available in the uk so can only be bought online from america but I have found it useful for underweight chins . Just a thought I noticed on one of your posts that you have a flying saucer wheel in the cage it might be an idea to take it out whilst you are trying to get some weight back onto him honey If you would like to pm me your address I would be more than happy to pop you a mix I give my chins in the post |
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