underweight chinchilla - advice sought please

[Duncan Di Saudelli]

Hello

My chinchilla has had his teeth checked on account of his slobbers; several
molars had spurs growing, one of which was irritating the inside of his
cheek and another was pressing against his tongue. They've all been ground
down and he is now on a course of orally administered Baytril (broad
spectrum antibiotic).

However, when he was weighed he was measured to be 336 grams which equates
to 12 ounces - he's always been small but not that small! He wants to be a
good 50g heavier (1.5 - 2 Oz). He seems in good spirits except when we catch
him to give him medication.

Twice a day we're "cutting" the 0.05ml Baytril dose with 0.5ml of food (baby
formula milk or with honey or fruit-based baby food). We are yet toi find
anything that he likes, so we are having to force-feed him and it is not
easy (avoidance of inhalation pneu. being just one concern).

So my questions are:

1) Can anyone recommend a "sure-fire" dead-cert food with which to syringe
feed him and help him gain weight?

2) Would you be inclined to syringe feed him more frequently than twice a
day - i.e. administer his medication and then in between, get him fed?

3) He's due back in a week's time for as checkup and a re-weighing. What
would be a sensible weight increase to hope for in that time, bearing in
mind that his teeth and gums are likely to be pretty sore at the moment and
he hasn't any analgesics?

4) Could I risk a small dose of calpol for example, to help with pain?

I will of course be asking my vet all of this and mor, but I certainly
welcome informed ideas from here too. I want to do the best I can for him.

Thanks for any guidance or thoughts

DDS

[John Jung]

Hi Duncan,

Post by Duncan Di Saudelli
1) Can anyone recommend a "sure-fire" dead-cert food with which to syringe
feed him and help him gain weight?

My chin is a good sized chin but when he lost 10% of his body weight, I
started getting worried. I gave him some Nutri-Cal and he just loved the
stuff. He hated the smell at first, but once he tried it, I couldn't get him
to stop.

It's a high calorie paste, so it should be fine for syringe feeding. Worst
case is to put some in a spoon and let him lick it up.

You might also want to try the Chins 'n Quills Web board, that gets a lot
more activity than here.

Good luck!

John

[Duncan Di Saudelli]

Post by John Jung
My chin is a good sized chin but when he lost 10% of his body weight, I
started getting worried. I gave him some Nutri-Cal
You might also want to try the Chins 'n Quills Web board

I will - and also I think Chinchillas Unlimited is a forum worth flicking
through. I will also see if I can get some nutri-cal.

Thanks for the tips!

Best wishes

DDS

[Betti Cogswell]

well there is a lot of info out there on teeth
first, get some critical care from your vet, if you cant, go to a health
food store and get a shake powder for atheletes to buff up.
grind up pellets really really fine, powder fine... mix with equal
amounts of that buff powder or the cc.
now, you should have at least a cup of dry materials mixed.
take a teaspoon of that, add some baby fruit. the earth's best
blueberry and whatever is one favorite.
add about a teaspoon of that, and at least a teaspoon of live culture
yogurt.
add enough fluid to make 5 cc. you want it smooth and wet.
give those 5 cc 3 times a day until his weight gets over 700 grams

now for the teeth. go the www.cachins.org and look at the tooth
discussion under health
and then buy the book THE JOY OF CHINCHILLAS. there is a whole chapter
on teeth, it is a little outdated, but still good. and ask your vet if
he/she is willing to consult with Dr. Wendy Beers mentioned on that web
page. she really knows chinteeth.
yahoo groups has a good chin list too. I think better than chins n
quills. but that is a personal opinion

Post by Duncan Di Saudelli
Hello
My chinchilla has had his teeth checked on account of his slobbers; several
molars had spurs growing, one of which was irritating the inside of his
cheek and another was pressing against his tongue. They've all been ground
down and he is now on a course of orally administered Baytril (broad
spectrum antibiotic).
However, when he was weighed he was measured to be 336 grams which equates
to 12 ounces - he's always been small but not that small! He wants to be a
good 50g heavier (1.5 - 2 Oz). He seems in good spirits except when we catch
him to give him medication.
Twice a day we're "cutting" the 0.05ml Baytril dose with 0.5ml of food (baby
formula milk or with honey or fruit-based baby food). We are yet toi find
anything that he likes, so we are having to force-feed him and it is not
easy (avoidance of inhalation pneu. being just one concern).
1) Can anyone recommend a "sure-fire" dead-cert food with which to syringe
feed him and help him gain weight?
2) Would you be inclined to syringe feed him more frequently than twice a
day - i.e. administer his medication and then in between, get him fed?
3) He's due back in a week's time for as checkup and a re-weighing. What
would be a sensible weight increase to hope for in that time, bearing in
mind that his teeth and gums are likely to be pretty sore at the moment and
he hasn't any analgesics?
4) Could I risk a small dose of calpol for example, to help with pain?
I will of course be asking my vet all of this and mor, but I certainly
welcome informed ideas from here too. I want to do the best I can for him.
Thanks for any guidance or thoughts
DDS