HEALTH CARE
First Aid Supplies:
- Your Veterinarian's phone #'s
- hair ball treatment (Petramalt)
- Electrolyte solution
- Small syringe
- Small forceps
- Eye ointment
Most Health problems:
Problem | Symptoms | Cause | What to DO* |
Dehydration | When skin is pulled up, it is slow to fall back in place; lethargy, weakness, depression | Diarrhea, heatstroke, infections and diseases, stress | Clean wounds and allow to drain, separate animals that are not compatible |
Ear problems | Scratching, discharge from ear, head shaking, loss of balance, head tilted to one side, pain, yellow or red coloration | Trauma, infection | Identify and treat cause; if problem is nutritional, correct dietary deficiency |
Eye problems | Discharge, watery eyes, cloudy, dulll eyes | Infection, injury, irritating substances, disease | Gently clean eyes with mild eyewash, place in dark area, isolate from other animals, apply prescribed eye ointment |
Heatstroke | Lying down, rapid breathing, unresponsive | High temperatures, high humidity, inadequate ventilation | Remove from hot area, submerge body (not head) in tepid water, give fluids as soon as conscious. |
Most Common contagious (Infectious) of the Digestive Tract & Dental Problems:
Problem | Symptoms | Cause | Treatment | Prevention |
Diarrhea | Watery feces smeared in cage, fur around anus matted with feces or stained | Sudden onset, often caused by incorrect diet, such as overfeeding green foods or feeding moldy hay; gradual onset, often caused by bacterial and parasitic infections | Correct diet, add electrolytes to drinking water, make sure animal remains well hydrated, and give subcutaneous fluids if necessary | Good diet, parasite control |
Gastroenteritis | diarrhea, dehydration, weight looss, painful abdomen | Change in diet, contaminated feed, misuse of certain antibiotics | Roughage, (sometimes a small amount of dry, shredded wheat may help control diarrhea), supportive care, Lactobacillus acidophilus | Good diet, fresh food |
Trichobezoar “hair ball” | Unusual body position, depressed, lethargic, lack of appetite, abdominal pain | Eating fur, fur chewing |
| Prevent fur chewing, feed a nutritious diet, offer lots of toys and play time to prevent boredom |
Parasitic enteritis | chins may not show signs of disease unless they are heavily infested, suffer from inflammation of the colon and diarrhea | Worms: trematodes, nematodes, cestodes, Physaloptera, Hymenolepis, heamonchus | Anthelmintic (worm-killing medication) | Good hygiene, clean housing, isolate and treat affected animals |
( Dental Problems) Slobbers
| Dooling; mouth may have foul odor; wet chin, chest, and forepawa; weight loos; gradual wasting; death | Inability to swallow or pain, often associated with malocclusion of the cheek teeth | Trim and file affected teeth | Eliminate affected animals from the breeding program |
( Dental Problems) Malocclusion | Misaligned or misdirected, protruding teeth, loss of appetite, weight loss, depression, drooling, wet chin, inability to swallow, painful mouth, “slobbers” | May be inherited or caused by trauma, possible caused by poor diet | Trim and fild affected teeth, give pain medication as needed, and in all cases use only medicines prescribed by your veterinarian | Elminated affected animals from breeding programs, feed a good diet |
