Chinchilla death

Question
I recently lossed my 6 year old male chinchilla. He was prone to teeth problems and for the second time had to be anesthetized for a tooth filing. He looked like he was making progress but his appetite did not return and he had to be syringe fed. The vet gave him special gut bacteria formula as well as painkilling injections he had these over a three day period. His weight was at the low end of normal and he had stopped passing stools and sometimes sat in a hunched position. The vet was competent and seemed to think my chin had digestive problems. His diet was reasonable to good although he had to be coaxed to eat hay although loved pellets. He was happy and playful before the anesthetic although had the odd off day. He dies 8 days after the anesthetic Was there something I could have done to save his life or was there an underlying cause to his death?

Answer
Hi,
 I'm very sorry about the death of your chinchilla. Chins are very delicate animals. Their digestive systems are extrememely sensitive. Once a chinchilla has been seriously ill it is very difficult for them to make a full recovery. I am not a vet, but I feel that you and the doctor did exactly the right thing. Tooth problems must be taken care of or there is no hope for survival. From your description of him, he did seem to have digestive problems. I think that this may have been something that could not have been cured. He seemed to suffer from more than one illness. You were in a circle because he had to be treated and, yet, he was weak. You could have done nothing more to and neither could the vet. It sounds as if he were suffering. You did exactly the right thing. Again, I am sorry. You were a good chin parent to your baby and I'm sure that he was loved and knew it.
Ann