Hi,
Sorry if I'm going to be long-winded. I'm really desperate. If anyone has the time and patience to read all this, thank you so much!
I've got a chinchilla, Egon. He's thirteen years old. I've been to over a dozen of different vets all over Sweden and no one understands why he has trouble eating. It's so frustrating and he's getting worse every day.
Background
Five years ago, he started to crumble some of his pellets when he was eating. He pawed at his mouth but kept eating. We noticed his top-left incisor was curved and white (the others were yellow and straight) so we took him to the vet, who trimmed it down. We did this every 3 months or so.
Over the years it got worse and we started to give him metacam. His regular vet said his back-teeth are worn down and not aligning very well. She said chinchilla teeth don't grow forever and that they might not grow back. We took him to another vet for an x-ray and they said he has malocclusion and that there's a high chance he was going to be dead in 12 months. This vet is one of the most reputable exotic vets in Sweden. That was 4 years ago.
Recently
Egon stopped eating on his own. I had to mix down his pellets with water and he ate that with delight. He's still very energic and doesn't seem to be in any pain as long as he's not eating. He's started to chew on cage-bars more often which is odd to me - wouldn't that hurt?
My regular vet says he's got a foul smell from his back teeth and that it might be an infection. He was perscribed antibiotics but suddenly he got a lot better and started eating on his own again so we never gave him any antibiotics. His left eye was wet from time to time and his breathing can be heard like he's got a cold.
I've been to four vets during this time and no one can see any issues on his respitory system. The vet which diagnosed malocclusion says it might be his airways are getting pressured from the roots?
Now
Egon has stopped eating anything but very thin Critical Care mixed with lots of water. He's got a lot of appetite on that but struggles with anything else. He paws (and sometimes he sneezes) when I give him his metacam. His left eye has also started to water itself.
We went back to the malloclusion-vet and they did another x-ray. They say his malocclusion has gotten worse and that we're not allowed to leave the place before we make a decision, either put him down or let them put him in for surgery, which is only a temporary fix anyway.
We left anyway and went to my regular vet and they found a scratch on his eye. He was given eye-drops (with antibiotics) - which I've been unable to use yet because he struggles when I try to. My regular vet says from what she can tell he's in good shape except for his back teeth and the fact that he's getting old. She can't figure out why he doesn't eat.
He's still very very happy, chirps and runs around. But I've noticed he sleeps more. Is there anything I can do? Could there be a crack in his front tooth? He's a cage-bar-chewer.
I've attached both x-rays. Thanks a ton for your time.
/Steve
X-rays 2010
X-rays 2016
Sorry if I'm going to be long-winded. I'm really desperate. If anyone has the time and patience to read all this, thank you so much!
I've got a chinchilla, Egon. He's thirteen years old. I've been to over a dozen of different vets all over Sweden and no one understands why he has trouble eating. It's so frustrating and he's getting worse every day.
Background
Five years ago, he started to crumble some of his pellets when he was eating. He pawed at his mouth but kept eating. We noticed his top-left incisor was curved and white (the others were yellow and straight) so we took him to the vet, who trimmed it down. We did this every 3 months or so.
Over the years it got worse and we started to give him metacam. His regular vet said his back-teeth are worn down and not aligning very well. She said chinchilla teeth don't grow forever and that they might not grow back. We took him to another vet for an x-ray and they said he has malocclusion and that there's a high chance he was going to be dead in 12 months. This vet is one of the most reputable exotic vets in Sweden. That was 4 years ago.
Recently
Egon stopped eating on his own. I had to mix down his pellets with water and he ate that with delight. He's still very energic and doesn't seem to be in any pain as long as he's not eating. He's started to chew on cage-bars more often which is odd to me - wouldn't that hurt?
My regular vet says he's got a foul smell from his back teeth and that it might be an infection. He was perscribed antibiotics but suddenly he got a lot better and started eating on his own again so we never gave him any antibiotics. His left eye was wet from time to time and his breathing can be heard like he's got a cold.
I've been to four vets during this time and no one can see any issues on his respitory system. The vet which diagnosed malocclusion says it might be his airways are getting pressured from the roots?
Now
Egon has stopped eating anything but very thin Critical Care mixed with lots of water. He's got a lot of appetite on that but struggles with anything else. He paws (and sometimes he sneezes) when I give him his metacam. His left eye has also started to water itself.
We went back to the malloclusion-vet and they did another x-ray. They say his malocclusion has gotten worse and that we're not allowed to leave the place before we make a decision, either put him down or let them put him in for surgery, which is only a temporary fix anyway.
We left anyway and went to my regular vet and they found a scratch on his eye. He was given eye-drops (with antibiotics) - which I've been unable to use yet because he struggles when I try to. My regular vet says from what she can tell he's in good shape except for his back teeth and the fact that he's getting old. She can't figure out why he doesn't eat.
He's still very very happy, chirps and runs around. But I've noticed he sleeps more. Is there anything I can do? Could there be a crack in his front tooth? He's a cage-bar-chewer.
I've attached both x-rays. Thanks a ton for your time.
/Steve
X-rays 2010
X-rays 2016
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