Next "Case" - Chenoa - confirmed CHF but good update :)

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lilspaz68

lilspaz68

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2007
Messages
24,427
Location
Toronto, Canada, Earth
She is supposed to be about 14 months old according to her former owner. She was always a small delicate little girl with soft sleek fur, and weighed about 320 grams. She lives with Goliath and his gals, and she was active, happy, and a bit of a wheel runner.

Now she is 256 grams despite supplementing, her fur has recently become rough like some rats do over 2 years old, she is heaving when she breathes costally (thru the abdomen) but there are no lung sounds and she doesn't respond to baytril/doxy, etc, she isn't very active at all anymore, and I thought I saw darkness in her nail beds. Sound like possible heart issues to you? She looks like Beni and Laila before I started treating them.

She got her first dose of lasix and enalapril tonight. We'll know more tomorrow.

Chenoa, my girl who used to live in a bird cage (with perches) by herself.

Chenoa4feb3.jpg

Chenoa2feb3.jpg

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Chenoa5feb3.jpg

Chenoa1feb3.jpg
 
That's a pretty dramatic weight loss over the past few months, and shes not even that old. I don't know much about heart issues but it does sound like I could be that. :sad3: Poor girl.
 
I looked for a name that meant bird and found Chenoa. It actually means "bird of peace" in Cheyenne, and suited her sweet personality. Her former name was Bird. :wink2:
 
Sounds alot like what my Misha went through. Was fine one day and PTS the next day. I had no indication she was not doing well, her weight was good. Checked them at night went to work she had bottomed out during the night. The main difference was she had not had any weight loss. I hope the meds help. Hugs to you Chenoa :hugs:
 
Would that be a typical age for heart troubles to start or progress?
I sure hope she feels better with the meds.
A few of ours, we thought they had clear lungs, or couldn't hear anything off but a post would show the lungs were badly infected. Sadly, doing the telephone rat is a hit or miss.
 
jorats said:
Would that be a typical age for heart troubles to start or progress?
I sure hope she feels better with the meds.
A few of ours, we thought they had clear lungs, or couldn't hear anything off but a post would show the lungs were badly infected. Sadly, doing the telephone rat is a hit or miss.
Click to expand...

and because of the hit-and-miss ogf Rat Phone she was on abs for 2 weeks with no improvement...if I squint at her, I can imagine her agouti and teeny and identical to my Wildlings. :(

But she seemed more alert and a bit more active after her 2nd dose this morning...tonight should tell the tale.
 
Poor sweetheart. I hope that the meds help. My Maude sounded OK, but last spring I noticed that her respiration rate was much increased. Her lungs sounded OK, even to the vet with his stethoscope, so we did nothing.

I really regret that now. Her lungs eventually did fill with fluid, so she probably had an untreated myco infection that scarred her lungs. She has since been put on Lasix and Baytril for life. She will be two tomorrow, so the problem started at about the same age as Chenoa is now.

Kisses to Chenoa; may she feel bouncy and hungry again with the meds' help. :heart:
 
I was on the phone with Sarah/Alicemcmallis last night and I was asking her about how to adjust the dosages of heart meds since no one really tells you that...she told me that with guineapigs they start them off on high end doses until they are stabilized, then you decrease a little at a time, until they regress a little, then bring it up to the previous dosage. Last night I saw some improvement with Chenoa but decided lets try this instead, since I only gave her the recommended dosage. Wellll...this morning she is much happier, was actually bouncing and running, and even though her breathing is still rapid its not that full abdominal suck in that looks so scary. I started Linny on high end dosages as well, since she didn't respond to the regular one.

Wheeeee!!! :bliss:
 

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