Bordetella in Chinchillas

[Sassy]

Anyone ever heard of a chinnie having bordetella? One of my friends has three chinchillas that were diagnosed with it.

They are being treated with baytril injections for 10 days.

[CTChin]

I saw a thread somewhere...possibly cng...that explains that "yes" chins can get bordetella and it is very dangerous to them. I work at an animal hospital and I'm always worried about bringing it home.

[CorinasCritters]

What is bordetella and where does it come from?

[Chinchilla_Girl]

There are 2 or 3 different strains of bordetella...Kennel Cough (seen in dogs) is NOT transmitible to chinchillas. I know this for a fact. So if you work at a kennel or vet's office, do not be concerned about bringing it home to your chins. I had a rescue dog that got bordetella when she was spayed and brought it home to my own two dogs. All three dogs got it twice before we finally licked it. At the time, the chins I had were housed in the living room. I probably called about 10 exotic vets all over the US and Canada who ALL said not to worry about the chins getting it. They couldn't get that strain. Sure enough, NONE of the chins ever got it and they were around the dogs pretty much 24/7.
The strain of bordetella that chinchillas CAN get is environmental. It's due to VERY poor husbandry. From my understanding, that is the only strain of bordetella chins can indeed get. Chances are that the chins that got it, most likely were in a very unkept environment. This type of bordetella can be the cause of pnemonia.

[Sassy]

Yes Mandie they were in a very very bad enviroment before she got them. They are also being treated for coccidia with I think it is called Albon. They also have ringworm... Poor babies

[CorinasCritters]

Thanks!

[Chinchilla_Girl]

Yes Mandie they were in a very very bad enviroment before she got them. They are also being treated for coccidia with I think it is called Albon. They also have ringworm... Poor babiesPoor babies! I'm glad she got them out of there and got them the medical attention they need :hug: to you all

[grlunderrainbow]

I've actually seen resources stating (and been advised by two vets)than Chinchillas can contract Bordetella bronchiseptica , the strain canines get (as well as cavies and other rodents). I've also heard Chinchillas can also get a strain of Bordatella that rabbits carry. While the rabbits may show no symptoms, it can be fatal to chins.

[CTChin]

Ahh...good to know Mandie. I still will be cautious though.

[Chinchilla_Girl]

I've actually seen resources stating (and been advised by two vets)than Chinchillas can contract Bordetella bronchiseptica , the strain canines get (as well as cavies and other rodents). I've also heard Chinchillas can also get a strain of Bordatella that rabbits carry. While the rabbits may show no symptoms, it can be fatal to chins.I too have heard that about rabbits and chins, but the vets I talked to, and I'm talking top of the line vets who specialize in Exotics and chinchillas from all over the US and in Canada all said that Canine/Feline bordetella (kennel cough) absolutely can NOT be passed to chinchillas. Like I said, I had 3 dogs that went round and round with bordetella a while back and were around the chins constantly. One of my dogs even coughed on my petstore chin Phil through the cage and he ran to the back of the cage and wiped himself off...he did NOT contract it. Never been ill a day in his life. Never has been constipated, never had soft poos...nothing! I would think with 3 dogs coughing all over the place for a month straight, if chins were suseptible, Phil would have gotten it. But he didn't. I dont' know, maybe I have super-chins or something, but that strain did NOT affect them in any way, shape, or form. Believe me, I was freaked out about the chins when the dogs started coming down with it, but every vet I talked to said they couldn't get that strain. Only the one from unsanitary living conditions that compromise respiration.

Of course, especially if you work in the vet field, caution is a constant must...you should see me. :lol: Whenever I see that blacklight come out to check an animal for ringworm, I'm outta there! I wash my scrubs and take a shower the second I walk in the door. Whenever an animal comes in that needs to be placed in the infectious diseases ward (like for parvo) I usually shower and change at the office (we have a very nice shower in the employee bathroom) and throw my scrubs into the washer at work. My dogs are kept up to date on all their vaccines religiously including the bordetella vaccine every 6 months (before I started working there I thought they only needed it once a year...that's why my dogs got it when the rescue brought it home). So yeah, caution is a must ;)