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Post by anita on Feb 25, 2014 20:02:23 GMT
The vet called me today, and i explained what was going on. She also said that it shouldn't be an abscess because he is on antibiotics. It could just be a wound from fighting with his buddy. From what i've seen on google images, the wound doesn't look like an abscess. She also told me that regardless of what it is, he is not getting better from the baytril. He is still sneezing more than ever, and his nose is wet and runny. She has encouraged me to think about letting him rest, and knowing my budget i simply can't afford all the treatment he needs. The situation is very upsetting and i can't stand the thought of him leaving this early. And not only leaving me but his friend too. They're not actually releated but they get along very well despite their totally opposite personalities. And everytime i look at him i have second thoughts about what to do. Yea he is sneezing badly and his nose is runny, he is drained for energy but still runs around with his torn up sock with a curious look on his face. I am gonna try out the new bedding i've ordered, and see if it will do the trick to his sneezing. As for the "abscess" that might just be a wound, i am just forced to wait for now, and see if it heals like a normal wound would. The wound is pretty much flat with the skin after the pea sized crust fell off. i have uploaded a few images of the wound. postimg.cc/gallery/3djz3i92/Hi Gerald who had breathing problems for three years had a wound just like that my vet thought that maybe he had a splinter and when the top came of it was just that it had worked it's way out. As for antibiotics the best for him was septrin and occasionally a few drops of metacam if he was very wheezy. I could just phone up for more antibiotics and it cost me about £5 a month. He was never as lively as Teddy and Max are but I think he was happy and was very loving he passed away in his sleep without any major trauma and I am glad I gave him all the time I could. It is a hard choice you have to make but seeing how happily and long Gerald plodded on for take your time and dont make any hasty desicions |
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 26, 2014 13:06:54 GMT
Call the vet back and ask about trying a different antibiotic. It will only cost a few pounds to try a different one, you probably won't even need to take him in to see the vet.
It definitely looks like a decent sized wound there. It is possible for it to be infected with a bacteria that is resistant to baytril.
You can try without bedding at all for a few days too, depending on what the new bedding looks like. Some ripped up kitchen roll or toilet paper is OK for a couple of days to try eliminating more dust.
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Post by yasmas on Feb 26, 2014 16:48:50 GMT
The vet was very busy today, she will call me tomorrow morning. I bought something called "chipsi super". its really soft and smells nice, there is also no dust in it as far as i can tell. For the past few years i've been using some really cheap stuff i bought in bulk, and it smells pretty bad, and looks like garbage compared to the new bedding. I can't try the no bedding right now as i just finished cleaning and setting up the cage a few hours ago.
As for the wound it is ALOT smaller today, atleast half the size of yesterday, although there is a small crust developing on it.
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Post by rmazeds on Feb 27, 2014 20:27:06 GMT
maybe it's just scabbing over so it can heal.
Did the vet call and did she give you different antibiotics?
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Post by yasmas on Feb 28, 2014 14:58:43 GMT
The vet had never heard of septrin before, and its not in their databasa. So they give some other antibiotics called doxycycline, it comes in small pills and i have to give him 1/4 of a pill everyday for 8 days.
But feeding him these pills is harder said than done, i tried just giving him it to chew on and he did for seconds but it doesnt taste good nor bad.
Do you guys have any clever ways of feeding them pills without having to crush them up and mix with water?
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Post by anita on Feb 28, 2014 17:06:06 GMT
The vet had never heard of septrin before, and its not in their databasa. So they give some other antibiotics called doxycycline, it comes in small pills and i have to give him 1/4 of a pill everyday for 8 days. But feeding him these pills is harder said than done, i tried just giving him it to chew on and he did for seconds but it doesnt taste good nor bad. Do you guys have any clever ways of feeding them pills without having to crush them up and mix with water? Hi Yasmas all the antibiotics have always been in liquid form I have no idea how you would go about feeding a pill that doesn't taste good hopefully someone will have some ideas. I am with my vet on Tuesday to have my rabbit spayed so will ask him if there is another name for septrin Gerald quite liked it it smelled like bananas. |
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Post by deguconvert on Feb 28, 2014 17:15:22 GMT
The only idea I have is that you could crush it to a powder and then mix it in with a tiny amount of peanut butter? Most degus are so greedy for such things as peanut butter but it they will just gobble it down.
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Post by rmazeds on Feb 28, 2014 20:19:55 GMT
Thats a good idea deguconvertHow odd that they've given you a pill, i looked it up on the net and it says you can get those antibiotics in liquid form also |
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Post by yasmas on Feb 28, 2014 22:14:06 GMT
I'm gonna try some peanut butter tomorrow, i know he loves peanuts more than anything so i'm sure he will eat it.
As for the wound, it has pretty much healed completely.
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Post by anita on Mar 5, 2014 7:58:32 GMT
The vet had never heard of septrin before, and its not in their databasa. So they give some other antibiotics called doxycycline, it comes in small pills and i have to give him 1/4 of a pill everyday for 8 days. But feeding him these pills is harder said than done, i tried just giving him it to chew on and he did for seconds but it doesnt taste good nor bad. Do you guys have any clever ways of feeding them pills without having to crush them up and mix with water? Hi Yasmas as I said I was at the vet last night with Cheeky my bunny so asked about Septrin for you as it was the only antibiotic that helped with Geralds breathing problems. It is a pediatric suspension that has proved effective in small exotics and is also called Co-trimoxazole and contains 40mg trimethoprim and 200mg Sulfamethoxazole. I hope you can get hold of this as all the other antibiotics had little effect with Gerald at least this gave him some relief even if it didn't cure him. |
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Post by yasmas on Mar 5, 2014 20:15:13 GMT
Hi anita, i'm gonna ask for some co-trimoxazole if what i'm currently using doesnt work, i still have 3 days left to try it out.
What i'm currently using seem to give him more energy and a less drowsy look all the time, but his breathing remains the same.
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Post by anita on Mar 5, 2014 21:49:21 GMT
Hi anita, i'm gonna ask for some co-trimoxazole if what i'm currently using doesnt work, i still have 3 days left to try it out. What i'm currently using seem to give him more energy and a less drowsy look all the time, but his breathing remains the same. good luck I suppose like in humans different antibiotics work differently for individual goos let me know how you get on |
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Post by yasmas on Mar 26, 2014 23:20:42 GMT
Okay, so it's been quite a while since my last post, and i've tried the co-trimoxazole for 8 days and its not helping at all. Infact he was getting back to sneezing. The doxycycline i used before did wonders compared to this. When using the doxycycline he would regain most of his energy, and ONLY sneeze when allowed in the dustbath every other day.
They used to be freely allowed to use the dustbath 24/7. But now only every other day to minimize dust intake until the sickness is gone. And i've noticed that both of them have started to "lick" the dust as soon as they get to use the dustbath. Why do they do this, is it to help them digest?
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Post by anita on Mar 27, 2014 8:22:33 GMT
What a shame yasmas looks like maybe another course of doxycycline then, as for licking the sand it could also be some minerals I had carried a matchbox of sand around with me to eat like sherbert when I was pregnant doc rather than locking me up told me it was was body looking for minerals and was quite common!!!!!
Also in my herb research there are some herbs that are recommended for helping with respiratory problems, Marshmallow leaf,Plaintain leaf, Nettle leaf,Lime flowers (Tillia sp) are just a few they are all degu safe and they might be worth a go in conjunction with treatment from your vet.
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Post by yasmas on Mar 27, 2014 12:29:38 GMT
Thanks for the suggestions, i'm gonna try and find plantain leaf and nettle leaf.
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 30, 2014 18:13:57 GMT
There should be a few nettles and plantains about  Maybe try a selection of oil seeds too, they have lots of minerals in them, or it could be that they just like eating sand  |
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Post by anita on Mar 31, 2014 8:26:35 GMT
There should be a few nettles and plantains about Maybe try a selection of oil seeds too, they have lots of minerals in them, or it could be that they just like eating sand Yep there are loads coming through at the moment if not interested fresh try drying them in an airing cupboard, oven on a low heat or even on a radiator my boys will only eat them dried! |
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Post by rmazeds on Apr 1, 2014 6:36:12 GMT
ratrations sell a lot if you cant find any x
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Post by anita on Apr 1, 2014 7:30:31 GMT
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Post by rmazeds on Apr 1, 2014 21:55:01 GMT
Aw sorry Anita!! lol x
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my leaf mix also has those ingredients amougst others! -Raspberry Rubus idaeus 10%Marshmallow Althea officinalis 10%Olive Olea europaea 20%Dandelion Taraxacum officinale 20%Plantain Plantago major 10%Nettle Urtica dioica 10%Ginkgo Ginkgo biloba 10%Basil Ocimum basilicum 10%