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Post by deguconvert on Apr 12, 2018 4:08:41 GMT
WOO HOO!!!
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Post by bouncy on Apr 12, 2018 7:14:11 GMT
Amazing!! Have you changed anything?
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Post by misscatafer on Apr 12, 2018 8:25:09 GMT
This is really encouraging Boo has gone 12 weeks now since her dental so it is useful to see what sort of time frames you have been working with. I also got her checked over after 8 weeks and all was good. It will be interesting to see when she will need to go back in. (maybe this could be an idea for a poll on here to monitor lengths of time between spur removal?)
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Post by yasmin on Apr 13, 2018 4:13:22 GMT
Haven't done anything differently except that I found that my degus with teeth issues stop eating normal (Timothy) hay so I am giving Peridot and her cagemate, niece Ni, alfalfa hay every day instead. They like it enough to try to eat at least some of it. I also give them baby food mixed in with some Critical Care (tablespoon or so of baby food mixed with 1/4 tsp Critical Care - divided into two portions, one for each degu) every two or so days.
The rate of regrowth of spurs seems to vary so much for each individual degu that I don't follow a timeline except that at 6 weeks I become hypervigilant.
(Bought the Estella Bohmer book "Dentistry in Rabbits and Rodents" – and it recommends that any degu with dental issues have their teeth checked by a vet every three months.)
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Post by misscatafer on Apr 13, 2018 7:32:24 GMT
When Boo first had her trim she was eating hay and chewing on toys, which I couldn't believe! But this stopped about 4 weeks ago.
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Post by moletteuk on Apr 17, 2018 10:56:27 GMT
I think the alfalfa is a great idea, we could probably make that a recommendation for USA & Canada given the difficulty with finding forage. Which alfalfa are you using, mine have all liked the Oxbow in the little blue bag and also the Hansemann's one?
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Post by yasmin on Apr 17, 2018 13:48:02 GMT
Mine like Oxbow Alfalfa Hay too.
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Post by yasmin on May 15, 2018 3:15:01 GMT
Took Peridot to the vet again. She was pawing at her mouth, there looked like there was some wetness too, and one of her eyes started to become squinty. I had also not seen her eat a pellet in the last week or so. The vet removed three spurs. Other than it taking her a little longer than usual to wake up from the anesthesia, she seems to be doing fine. Think this is the 9th time she's had dental work in the last two years – could this be so? Just checked (awesome to have this thread to refer to) – First dental procedure was done in March 2016. Spurs removed: 1) March 2016, 2) May 2016, 3) Feb. 2017, 4) April 2017, 5) June 2017, 6) August 2017, 7) November 2017, 8) February 2018, and today 9) May 2018.
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Post by deguconvert on May 15, 2018 4:01:37 GMT
WOW!! This last lot came on fast!! Good watching and jumping on top of it, Yasmin!!
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Post by sarmandhammer on May 15, 2018 6:19:38 GMT
Is there anyway to get rid of them and keeping them for returning? Peridot is beginning to look poorly. She is eating but is probably developing spurs again. Not bad considering her last de-spurring was in May. I will be keeping an eye on her and will take her in to the vet if her eating becomes impeded or she starts drooling – some indication that it is indeed spurs.
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Post by yasmin on May 15, 2018 14:44:52 GMT
I know of no way to get rid of them for good.
Making sure that the degu's diet has the proper Calcium:Phosphorus ratio might slow the development of the spurs - but even that is not a cure as far as I can tell. Adequate Vitamin D in their diet (but not too much Vit. D) and/or providing them with direct access to sunlight or simulated sunlight will also help.
The problem is exacerbated because once they start getting spurs (which I believe is often a hereditary issue caused by a misalignment of teeth, so can't be prevented in many cases), they have problems eating pellets and chewing on hay and wood. It is a spiral downward - and all I have been able to do is make sure they get enough calories in their diet to keep them alive and happy, and to bring them to the vet as soon as I notice any issue so that the spurs can be removed quickly, easily, and before they cause injury to the tongue or cheeks. This issue also seems to eventually lead to molar root overgrowth which cannot be treated and eventually leads to death.
Peridot is actually a success story for me personally because she is now 8 years old (8 and a half next month) and is still enjoying life. Many of her family members suffered from dental issues and none of them lived to this age (only her niece Ni is still around - she is 6 and a half years old).
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Post by moletteuk on May 16, 2018 10:09:17 GMT
Wow, that seems like a lot of trims when you lay them out like that, but absolutely awesome that she copes so well with it and most of all that they aren't getting closer together
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Post by yasmin on Jun 22, 2018 3:25:52 GMT
Yesterday, Peridot had two spurs removed – both on bottom molars - one large one growing toward her tongue on one side, and a smaller one on the other side. (Took her in because on Saturday she stopped eating hard food - couldn't even grab sunflower seeds with her mouth. Kept her fed on baby food, Critical Care, and ground sunflower seeds for those few days.)
The vet told me that it took a lot less gas to sedate her and that she is taking longer to recover from the anesthesia. All to be expected at her age (8.5 years) but not a good sign.
I notice that she sometimes misses when jumping onto the wheel, but she still runs it. She also sleeps very deeply - sometimes I think she is dead, but she's not. Wakes up if I poke her a bit. Ni (she will be 7 years old in September) also sleeps very deeply. I've poked at her too and once she just fell over on her side before waking up. That totally freaked me out.
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Post by deguconvert on Jun 22, 2018 5:41:52 GMT
NO KIDDING! That would freak me out, too!! So, just wondering . . . if the vet notices that less is needed to knock her out, does he give her less rather than what is the usual amount for her weight?
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Post by yasmin on Jun 22, 2018 15:38:47 GMT
Yes, he does give her less.
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Post by yasmin on Jun 22, 2018 15:40:36 GMT
Peridot fell last night. She walked right off the edge of the second level half shelf. I have now put up temporary barriers to prevent that from happening again - will be working on finding a more permanent solution.
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 22, 2018 17:49:33 GMT
Your heart must fall through your ribcage when they are so fast asleep! Mine have all been very light sleepers, there's no sneaking up on them even in the middle of the night.
Do you think she might have fallen due to grogginess from the anaesthetic combining with her being a bit less steady with old age? -rather than suddenly getting less steady?
When Flossie (& Molly) was poorly we did quite a lot of cage modifications making all the climbs easier and safer, and then when Alice was fitting we had to make a lot of safety mods to stop her falling - they took quite a bit of observation and imagination to figure out the problem areas and make them safe. We mainly used various sizes of planks of wood to make extra steps and barriers.
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Post by yasmin on Jun 23, 2018 2:39:56 GMT
Peridot has been having steadiness issues for the past few weeks - she jumps to get someplace and misses, and her walking is a bit wobbly. I talked to the vet about this - it is likely that her eyesight as well as her hearing are fading as well.
It does freak me out when they look like they have passed away but are just sleeping. Always happy when they do wake up. My mouse, Waverly, is also elderly. He usually sleeps in one of his dens but lately he just seems to fall asleep where-ever. The first time I found him asleep out in the open I thought he had passed away - poked him, and then he woke up, thank goodness. (Though my OH doesn't like the way Waverly stinks up the place. Says that this is the last male mouse coming into our house. He prefers gerbils.)
My only experience with putting up barriers to prevent falls was for Makoto who had both cataracts and a stroke which left him with impaired sight and mobility.
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Post by yasmin on Jun 28, 2018 2:43:08 GMT
It looked like Peridot was straining to pee today. A good amount of pee did come out, and then she seemed to be okay after that ("okay" might be exaggerating her state - she is becoming frailer and frailer with each passing day).
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Post by moletteuk on Jun 28, 2018 11:51:17 GMT
thinking of you x
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