Dear Chinchilla Owners,
As you know, or may not know, alfalfa is extremely high in calcium. Calcium, in high levels, can often result in your chinchilla forming a stone within his/her bladder- commonly referred to as a bladder-stone, uncommonly referred to as cystolithiasis. When a chinchilla is subject to bladder-stone(s) his/her health can rapidly decline. Preventative actions are the best way to prevent this health hazard, of which can be cause for expiration of your chinchilla, or other major health concerns resulting from an untreated bladder-stone.
One of my two chinchillas, Clarence, recently underwent bladder-stone removal surgery, otherwise known as cystostomy. The aforementioned procedure involves a small incision into the abdomen, and then another to enter the bladder. Upon removal of the stone, the bladder is closed, most commonly by using a "rolling" technique so as to reduce a possible reopening of the bladder, and also prevent other risks associated with a bladder-stone removal procedure. The incision is then closed by means of a tissue adhesive - which prevents infections, reopening of the incision, and allows for the tissue to heal at a normal pace. Along with tissue adhesive, staples are often used in conjunction, this to ensure the wound does not become opened under stress and movement.
The main source of alfalfa for my chinchillas was their food, Oxbow Essentials Pellets. This food, despite being the best that I knew of, had alfalfa listed as its first, and therefore, most abundant ingredient. I slowly weaned my chinchillas from this food by beginning at a 50/50 dilution of new and old food, and then increasing the amount of new food by ten percent every five days. You do not want to remove calcium entirely from your chinchilla(s) diet, so you will want to provide them with small amounts by means of chew toys, treats, food, and/or ledges made of calcium.
Though the procedure my chinchilla underwent was a success, many chinchilla owners lose their chinchilla due to surgery complications, the bladder-stone(s) being too advanced and spreading into the urinary tract, the chinchilla unable to awaken from the anesthesia, and other risks. It is best to avoid this sort of medical emergency as quickly as possible. This post is meant to be an informative post to advise you of the possible risks associated with providing a chinchilla foods/treats/etc. that contain high concentrations of calcium and/or ingredients that are high in calcium. Please feel free to add any sort of input you feel could be useful to the members reading this post. If you would like to share with us your chinchilla surgery stories, I would enjoy reading them. But, I do not want to become depressed due to the loss of your loved, little chinchillas, so please no details on the deaths. I am in no way trying to be offensive, but it breaks my heart to read about the loss of a chinchilla, because I know personally the attachments and bonding that takes place between us and our animals.
My chinchilla procedure story:
http://ift.tt/2kBKf59
Best Regards,
Sleeis
As you know, or may not know, alfalfa is extremely high in calcium. Calcium, in high levels, can often result in your chinchilla forming a stone within his/her bladder- commonly referred to as a bladder-stone, uncommonly referred to as cystolithiasis. When a chinchilla is subject to bladder-stone(s) his/her health can rapidly decline. Preventative actions are the best way to prevent this health hazard, of which can be cause for expiration of your chinchilla, or other major health concerns resulting from an untreated bladder-stone.
One of my two chinchillas, Clarence, recently underwent bladder-stone removal surgery, otherwise known as cystostomy. The aforementioned procedure involves a small incision into the abdomen, and then another to enter the bladder. Upon removal of the stone, the bladder is closed, most commonly by using a "rolling" technique so as to reduce a possible reopening of the bladder, and also prevent other risks associated with a bladder-stone removal procedure. The incision is then closed by means of a tissue adhesive - which prevents infections, reopening of the incision, and allows for the tissue to heal at a normal pace. Along with tissue adhesive, staples are often used in conjunction, this to ensure the wound does not become opened under stress and movement.
The main source of alfalfa for my chinchillas was their food, Oxbow Essentials Pellets. This food, despite being the best that I knew of, had alfalfa listed as its first, and therefore, most abundant ingredient. I slowly weaned my chinchillas from this food by beginning at a 50/50 dilution of new and old food, and then increasing the amount of new food by ten percent every five days. You do not want to remove calcium entirely from your chinchilla(s) diet, so you will want to provide them with small amounts by means of chew toys, treats, food, and/or ledges made of calcium.
Though the procedure my chinchilla underwent was a success, many chinchilla owners lose their chinchilla due to surgery complications, the bladder-stone(s) being too advanced and spreading into the urinary tract, the chinchilla unable to awaken from the anesthesia, and other risks. It is best to avoid this sort of medical emergency as quickly as possible. This post is meant to be an informative post to advise you of the possible risks associated with providing a chinchilla foods/treats/etc. that contain high concentrations of calcium and/or ingredients that are high in calcium. Please feel free to add any sort of input you feel could be useful to the members reading this post. If you would like to share with us your chinchilla surgery stories, I would enjoy reading them. But, I do not want to become depressed due to the loss of your loved, little chinchillas, so please no details on the deaths. I am in no way trying to be offensive, but it breaks my heart to read about the loss of a chinchilla, because I know personally the attachments and bonding that takes place between us and our animals.
My chinchilla procedure story:
http://ift.tt/2kBKf59
Best Regards,
Sleeis
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire