Dental Health Question

[drachinifel]

Hi, I was wondering if I can get some advice, we have three degu, Onyx, Pebble and Gravel, Onyx is the largest and normally the most enthusiastic about food. However, in the past few days she's been off her food and today we noticed:
-She seems to be fussing around her mouth with her paws as if she was eating something, but doesn't have anything in her paws or mouth.
-Her left eye is half-closed.
-Her upper front teeth are of different lengths and quite pointed, it almost looks like one has broken off part-way, the longer one is visible even when her mouth is closed. Her lower teeth are fine.
-She goes through odd head twitches whilst eating.

I am booking a vets appointment tomorrow, but is this likely to be just the front teeth or something more?

[deguconvert]

I suspect she is having difficulty with her molars. If they have spurs on them, they can impede the function and movement of her tongue. It can make it hard to breathe or swallow, and can cause lesions on her checks and tongue. Molars can also grow really long roots that can grow up into the brain, or down into the lower jaw. You vet may have to sedate your degu in order to see into her mouth well enough to see what is going on. If there are spurs they will then want to trim and buff them off. Recovery isn't always easy, and the improvements that come with having the teeth taken care of can take a couple to a few days to show, depending on how much swelling and injury had resulted in the mouth before treatment.

Even degus with lots of great fiber in their diets can have trouble like this if their diets don't contain enough calcium in the foods they eat.
Have a read through these,
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/16425/degu-feeding-guide
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15602/vegetable-seed-nut-nutrition-charts
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15795/links-interesting-food-threads
There are tons more threads to read through as well, but these are great for getting you familiar with the options you have for healthy feeding practices.

Please let us know how it goes at the vets tomorrow!

[moletteuk]

Just make sure the vet checks all the teeth including all the molars, which as deguconvert says, may require sedation.

Let us know how you get on.

[ilikedegus]

And Drachinfel, Welcome to the forum!

I hope your vet is experienced in degus?

[drachinifel]

Thanks for the replies!

I think her diet should be ok, I reviewed the linked threads, they get a mix of two types of degu nuggets, plus hay and dried flowers etc, about the only thing they don't get from that list on a regular basis is nuts and seed. The other two seem fine with perfectly healthy teeth, and Onyx is usually first to any feeding time

The vets have said they will do an initial exam tonight, with treatment and more detailed exam tomorrow so she will have to stay over (they have said sedation is required and their specialist in small animal sedation with gas is not working today). They apparently see degu on a semi-regular basis so they should know how to deal with them.

This is Onyx the Large, who is the one with the problems:


This is Pebble the Bold:


And a family shot with Gravel the Scared poking out from behind the wheel:

[drachinifel]

Hi again, quick update having spoken to the vet, they did some minor filing to the front teeth and molars, however, the main problem appears to be some kind of growth/mass just behind her lower front teeth and slightly to the left (but in front of the molars). The main swelling is about 5mm across with additional inflammation spreading to her lips. This is displacing her tongue and appears to be the primary cause of her problems. They don't know for certain what it is or if it has spread further than what is visible.

They have said that because of where it is removal or even biopsy carries a lot of risk due to bleeding and the short time they can keep her under. In the interim we are going to take her home and feed her a mash/paste with an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory course for a week or so to see if this has any effect.

Has anyone else run into a problems like this or has any idea what it might be? Would a specialist be able to remove the mass safely or is it just dangerous across the board? If the medication doesn't work I'm guessing it might be cancer, and if so we might have to puther to sleep, which would be heartbreaking for us and her sisters.

Any guidance or experience in this field would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[saddlers]

Sorry to hear about the swelling, hopefully if it is something infection related the antibiotics may help. If the antibiotics don't help then I am sure the vets will talk you through the options. Thoughts are with you

[deguconvert]

Oh, that sounds scary. I hope the very best will come of the prescribed treatment. My thoughts are with you, and am sending you hugs.

[moletteuk]

I don't think we've had an unexplained mass in the mouth before on the forum, it's not something I've come across. I can tell you that abscesses are very common though and can occur almost anywhere, so it's definitely possible, so fingers crossed she responds to the antibiotics. I can also say that we very rarely come across degu cancer on the forum, obviously it's not impossible, but it does seem like a slightly strange place for a cancerous growth.

I'm a little surprised the vet didn't quickly put a needle in it to see if it was an abscess. Did the vet mention an exotic specialist or dental specialist that they could refer her to if you wanted? I think it depends what it is attached to as to whether it would be removable or not.

[drachinifel]

The good news is that whilst she seemed very put out the night she came back, she has been eating mashed degu pellets mixed with medication and seems a bit happier. I will keep everyone informed.

[deguconvert]

That is good news! I'm so glad she is eating it, that is so important for her. Keep it up, Big Onyx!

[yasmin]

How is she doing today?

[drachinifel]

Off to the vet for a follow up check in about an hour, she was very good with mash until a few days ago, but she is still quite bright so we aren't sure if she's off the mash and that's bad or if its because she's going back to solid food.

[yasmin]

I hope she's eating solid food again.

[saddlers]

Hope you got positive news at the vets

[drachinifel]

Vets say she seems much brighter and feistier than before, which is good. They have recommended to cease the antibiotics but keep in the anti-inflammatory for another week and see what happens.

[drachinifel]

Onyx passed yesterday, she had recurring issues around her tooth but fought through them and what seems to have been a strike that left her with a permanent tilt last Christmas, she was a strong and determined goo, but she at rest now.

[Bexi87]

I'm so sorry

[deguconvert]

I am so sorry for your loss! RIP Onyx.

[moletteuk]

I'm sorry for your loss. Rest well Onyx x