chinchilla recently died

Question
Last week we found our chinchilla, Sophie, laying on her side and non-responsive, I assume she was in shock, she had sticky stools on her (diarrhea) and on one of her perches it looked like some watery diarrhea too.  We took her to the vet within a couple hours of finding her, but it was too late.  Sophie was 5 years old, and we did purchase her from a pet store.  She has had a leaky eye for the past 6 months or so, it was checked out by the vet and she didn't think it was malocclusion.  She seemed alright the few days prior to this, maybe a little withdrawn.  I has just bought a new bag of timothy hay and some treats for her, brands I've bought in the past.  I just can't stop trying to figure out what happened, I'm so upset that I wasn't there to help her sooner, she hadn't been out for a run in a few days.  Could this have been stress induced do you think?  Is this normally how they die if they do have malocclussion?  I just need some opinion on what may have happened, I'm just devistated over it. I miss her so much, and I just hope she didn't die over being lonely or stressed out and I didn't know it.  What do you think could have happened to her?

Answer
Hello Christa,
It sounds like your chinchilla had Tyzzer's Disease. Tyzzer's Disease is an illness that causes cell death in the liver and intestine tract. They can die within 48 hours of the first signs of the disease. The symptoms include lethargy, depression, watery diarrhea, dehydration, scruffy coat and straining around the anal area. There is no known cure for the disease and it's often fatal in young or stressed animals. You said she seemed a little withdrawn, could it be that she was depressed or lethargic? There isn't a lot that is truly known about the disease and the problem is once an animal shows signs of the disease there's not much you can do, you did everything you could do and I am so sorry for your loss. I know it's horrible losing a friend and a pet because you can never replace them. I have enclosed a link that explains more about Tyzzer's disease. I hope you don't give up on taking care of another chinchilla when you feel like you are ready to take care of another one. It's not your fault that this happaned. I am really sorry for your loss.
-Shawntiah
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=18&cat=1800&articleid=2846