Nic died...

[LdyRhiann]

My Nicodemus died last night. I don't know what happened to him. he was fine yesterday morning, bouncing around to the door when I feed them. Then when I got home from work he was curled up in the corner. He died about two hours later in my lap. I took his body to the vet's this morning to see what happened, they took some blood tests. My other chinnies are there till they get cleared. He was nothing but bones..he was always a skinny chin but not like that. And my mom and I have watched him eat all the time. I just don't understand.....

[Vyxxin]

Sounds like it could be silent giardia...only a vet could tell you but this type of giardia, the chin can eat as much as they want and there are not really any signs...but the body is robbed of all nutrients causing anorexia

[Karin]

i am sorry for your loss... its never easy losing a pet..
but am sorry, how do you NOT notice a chin getting down to the bone's? there is a difference between *always been skinny*, to now *he was down to just bone's*..
silent giardia? wouldnt you still notice significant weight loss?? enough to get the chin to a vet? i hope you are able to learn what caused poor nic's death and that the rest of your clan is healthy..

[Vyxxin]

If you monitor weight you would notice...I don't feel the need to jump at this. I'm sure if there was error made it was realized (ie-monitor your chins health daily) BUT that'd be my best and only guess. I've only ever personally dealt with easy/common things such as pneumonia and mastitis. But I've read on a lot of other issues and that's the first thing that popped into my mind. Other than (and including) that, your vet will hopefully be able to figure something out from necropsy.

[parkerspetchins]

Sorry about your chinnie...hope all of your other chinnies get a clean bill of health. :heart: HUGS :heart:

[chin_gal]

I'm so sorry for you loss. :( Hang in there and I agree, you need to get a necropsy done to determine the cause, not just blood tests. Just one of the many reasons weighing is very important for chinchilla health. It can be quite difficult Karin(?) to notice weight loss with an animal with that much fur. (unless it's handled a lot, because if it was skin and bones, then you would def. be able to see a difference) It's over, and it happened, now they just have to keep it from the rest of the chins.

[lauraboo]

*Hugs* I'm so sorry for your loss.

[Karin]

ok, yes.. i can understand it that way chingal..
i wasnt trying to come across as being mean or unsensitive for her loss, i was just so perplexed on how you wouldnt know..
this is definately a reminder to us that we need/must do inspections on our babies.. regardless of they like being held or not..

[chin_gal]

Oh, I understand where you were coming from. :) Just wanted to add in my opinion as well. What did you decide LdyRhiann? Did you get a necropsy done?

[LdyRhiann]

I did one one done. I had to take him to another vet because my now old one told me "It's just malnutrition, no need to waste money on a necropsy." ...Jerk....The one I did take him to, Dr. Andrey, told me that Nic had a tumor growing in his stomach/intestinal opening that was big enough to block it and cause a problem. It had apparently been growing for atleast a year and that my other vet should have been able to catch it in their usual 6 month checkup. ( I usually get them x-rayed to catch stuff like this.) But since I only had Nic for 8 months he had only one checkup so far...Gods it ticks me off. I could have done surgery to have it removed and Nic would have been fine! I'm going tomorrow to talk to my old vet and ask if he had seen it and why he didn't say anything....

I understand where DustysMom is coming from. Why didn't I notice him lose weight. Nic didn't like to be held of picked up so I generally didn't do it. I had noticed that he was losing some weight a few weeks ago and was giving him some calf manna pellets with his feed. I'm not trying to excuse myself for not taking him to the vet right away or letting him get like that. But I don't like been painted as ignorant or neglectful..even if that is not how the person meant it...

Sorry if I'm snippy...I just really upset...Atleast my other chinnies got a clean bill of health.