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Post by Emziedee on Dec 12, 2016 10:16:48 GMT
So today is the big day for Tibbs to go under and have Spurs removed (if any) and the incisors trimmed and jaw x-rays. Thing is, he is happy and active and is eating his pellets and other foods. This makes me question whether this stress and strain on him his necessary?
Yes he has lumps under his jaw which is most likely overgrown roots, so an X-ray is only just going to tell us what we already know.
My main concern is, (watching him eat now and run around) what if he doesn't pull through this? And I've done this to him without it appearing to be an emergency? What if when he's home he doesn't eat at all and I go through what I've seen many on here go through - the desperate attempts to get food into their little guys. I won't be able to live with the thought that this may not have been necessary at this point in time, but also i can't bare the thought of a possible spur in the back and he's just soldiering on and not showing his pain until it's too late. Aaaaargh I wish they could talk to us!
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 12, 2016 10:50:17 GMT
Has the vet attempted a look in the mouth without sedation? My vets can usually get a view of some of the molars and get an idea if there is an issue, but the sedation and/or xray is the only way to be sure.
How have his incisors progressed in the last week, any change?
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Post by Emziedee on Dec 12, 2016 10:53:57 GMT
No Jo couldn't get a good look at the back, to be honest she was even reluctant to hold him. She called a nurse in or asked me to.
The incisor has grown again but is still not inline with the other. They're both lovely and orange though although she said this is still not indicative of a healthy root.
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Post by Emziedee on Dec 12, 2016 10:57:31 GMT
This is it right now
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 12, 2016 12:02:23 GMT
Can I see his top left broken off (as well as the V shape)?
What are you like at holding him? We quite often do the holding while the vet does the looking, just so the vet has two hands free, we always take an old towel with us for burrito holding.
If you are really, really nervous about the sedation then it could be worth having the vet try to look while you hold him. But given the problem at the front, I think there are enough grounds to go ahead with the sedation to get the front sorted and have a proper look elsewhere. I think it's normal to question yourself on the day they go in, I find it very stressful when you have to drop them off and leave them all day for any sedation procedure.
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Post by randomname on Dec 12, 2016 12:06:28 GMT
I don't know, but I really feel you're doing the right thing getting it sorted now. I'd say that it's better to face the stress of the anaesthetic & op while he's fit & well-ish. The recovery should, in theory, be better because he's eating well & isn't ill at the moment. If you waited until it was worse, his recovery could be slower or more painful. Just my thoughts. Hope it goes ok, let us know how he is when you get home.
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Post by Emziedee on Dec 12, 2016 13:02:31 GMT
Just home now Garf is looking for him 😭😭😭 They will phone me in the evening and let me know if he can be picked up or if they'd like to keep him overnight. I'm hoping he can be picked up. She said they'd be giving him pain relief as his jaw will be sore from it being opened wide and they'd give him a feed via syringe. He has lost 8g since last there but could be from his new love of running on a wheel, or could indeed be from a struggle eating. So I feel I've done the right thing here. Just praying he'll be ok 🙏🏻
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Post by Emziedee on Dec 12, 2016 13:03:21 GMT
Have just seen Garf has a swollen finger from a nip no doubt and my dogs dew claw has been ripped!
Lord!!!
Always happens in threes
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Post by Emziedee on Dec 12, 2016 13:16:16 GMT
moletteuk the teeth aren't a V shape at the ends I think this is just the angle of the photo. I think you're right about the holding thing now I think of it. Hopefully he's in good hands, she did sound like she knows what she's doing. I'd ask questions I know the answers to already just to see if she answered them correctly and she did each time lol. I also mentioned that I'm on a very popular degu forum and that their vet came highly recommended so hopefully that gives her the extra encouragement to do an excellent job!
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Post by Emziedee on Dec 12, 2016 15:16:49 GMT
My mans on the case 💪🏻
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Post by spottydegu on Dec 12, 2016 15:47:43 GMT
This is why everyone needs a hubby
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Post by Emziedee on Dec 12, 2016 15:54:56 GMT
Update: he's staying over night. His teeth are in pretty bad shape as suspected.. he had a tooth at the back hanging by a thread and a ball of puss behind it Spurs were growing over his tongue and they are surprised he has been able to drink from his bottle! He's come round and doing well after sedation but they'll be keeping an eye and syringe feeding him tonight and administering his meds. His roots at overgrown but we knew that, they're not in his sinuses but they are overgrown at the top as well. He'll have to have antibiotics orally for a week twice a day and anti inflammatories. Poor boy!!! How has he been coping 😩 What should I do now? What's recommended food wise after something like this? Should I get some critical care and baby food?
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 12, 2016 16:15:08 GMT
WOW!! I am SO glad you have heard back, and super glad that you took him in and have learned just how right and good it was that you did so! The poor little love!! Critical care and baby food may well be an excellent thing to have ready and on hand, if he is showing any hesitation to eat, which would be pretty normal. I think that the trauma to their jaw from being stretched open must be pretty painful, and the reason why some recover so much more slowly. When I think about the dentist that was trying to remove a molar from my husbands' jaw, and had spent most of two hours with his foot propped on the arm of the chair for extra leverage, while pulling with both hands and that leg . . . my poor husband had put up with it because he was desperate to have the tooth gone, but was beginning to fear he might lose his jaw, if not his head, in the process. Finally the dentist grew a brain and cut the molar in half, and then it came out like it was being removed from hot butter. THEN I think of tiny little degus with their jaws stretched for the vet to look in and I can't help but wonder if they are cautious in how hard they force the mouth open. Really, dental work is not easy to endure whether human or animal. I HATE seeing the dentist, but I think at least 75% of us do!! LOL! NOT a career I would choose, that's for sure!!
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Post by Emziedee on Dec 12, 2016 16:27:08 GMT
I know I was thinking about the same thing! How sore his little jaw will be. Your poor husband! Eye watering ordeal 🙈
To top it all off now, Garf is showing his first signs of DEPRESSION! fgs if it's not one thing it's the other in this house. Now if any thing happens to Tibbs (touch wood) Garf will no longer go back to being the spoilt only child that's for sure.
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 12, 2016 16:51:34 GMT
ROLLS EYES!! Can't help but snicker a tiny bit . . .trust a degu to decide that he is really attached to that other degu after all in the middle of a crisis. Mind you . . . we humans kind of do the same thing, don't we? Well, I hope he puts that realization to good use and loves Terry Tibbs with great sweetness from now on, once he is back home! You know . . . he didn't want the Tic Tac wheel till Tibbs was in it and having a blast. I think Garf must have a rather broad streak of contrariness in him, LOL. Just don't count on it though, degus always seem to know when we are using reverse psychology on them and refuse to play along!
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Post by Emziedee on Dec 12, 2016 18:03:31 GMT
That really made me LOL 😂 you're so right! He doesn't realise what he has until it's taken away from him!
You should've seen him last night on the metal wheel!! Reallllly showing of how much faster he can run on it now Tibbs has a sore arm! Now Tibbs isn't here, he hasn't been near the wheel!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2016 18:23:50 GMT
Poor Tibbs! I hope all goes well and I'll be keeping him in my thoughts! Please do let us know if the farm replies, it will be interested to see what they say. This is what worries me about these rescue places (granted I don't know much about this farm), it really makes me question when they have 10-150 rescues how well they can look after them! I mean you could probably sufficiently look after 15-20 and figure out who was who, and if they were acting strange based on personalities and handling. But when there's more than 20 HOW in heavens do they know who is who and what is wrong? The food is also shocking. 😢
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Post by ntg on Dec 12, 2016 19:36:49 GMT
Poor Tibbs! I bet that's a weight off your mind though now that he's out of surgery and you know it was absolutely necessary. Definitely have critical care on standby (advice I would give to anyone just incase there's a crisis) simply because it's not worth the panic of trying to source some when you absolutely need it.
He seems willing to eat softened pellets though from your previous post so that's a bonus, you could just soften a few for him and see how he goes before moving to the critical care if he's still a little sore once he gets home.
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Post by Emziedee on Dec 12, 2016 22:58:29 GMT
Any idea where I can get critical care? Is it a online job or is it in a store? Also which baby food do you recommend? Thanks guys, you've all been such a great help 🙏🏻
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Post by ntg on Dec 12, 2016 23:24:51 GMT
You should be able to get some from any vet practice but amazon and pets at home sell it online too. You can get a herbivore version which is preferable but in my experience usually needs ordering in. It is an absolute nightmare to syringe feed unless you alter the syringe by widening the tip. The one the vets generally keep in stock is a general one that can be used on all animals but I believe contains higher levels of sugars and less fibre. If you get this one from your vet and they say they only have a big tub in, ask if they're able to split it and give you a few spoonfuls instead as that's what my vet did when I phoned up for some.
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