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Post by Bexi87 on Mar 25, 2017 21:22:43 GMT
I'm so lucky - I've never had tonsillitis. I remember my sister had it when we were young and I was so jealous, she got to eat so much ice cream and jelly! And didn't have to go to school.
Really hope his jaw starts improving soon titchy
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 25, 2017 22:31:36 GMT
Had to have my tonsils out at age three because I was just one big infection after another. One of the best things that was done for me . . . though I did have a fist/kicking fight with both nurses that came in with the needle in plain sight. It was supposed to knock me out for the surgery, and my Mom warned them, but they didn't listen. I was fed lime flavoured Popsicles after that, and to this day I HATE THEM mightily. LOL! Much better at taking needles now, though.
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Post by yasmin on Mar 26, 2017 3:06:46 GMT
I had mine taken out as well when I was five years old. All I remember is passively throwing up when I came to, and also getting to eat as much ice cream as I wanted. (Also deadly afraid of needles at that age – would yell and cry and curl up in a ball in the corner of the doctor's office when I saw one.)
I feel for you, titchy - always difficult tending to sick goos but especially when you yourself are not feeling well. Hope both of you get better soon.
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Mar 26, 2017 17:21:46 GMT
So he's still draining pus, I've managed to keep the drainage hole from clogging, but the pus just keeps coming.
I've honestly hit "can't afford much more now". Over the last 3 months, I've spent more than £1000 on him. I've just-about managed to afford it, but... I can cover fortnightly burring. I can just about manage anaesthetic costs when needed. Anything else is unmanageable, and this is going to be chronic even without the infection.
I guess I'm not asking for permission for anything, so much as trying to work out whose best interests I'm currently looking out for - mine or his?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2017 17:32:19 GMT
It's about balancing both isn't it, nobody takes on a pet and expects to have to fork out £1000+ in 3 months and you just do the best you can do. You HAVE done the best you can do, which has been an incredible amount of support for him.
I don't really know what to say, because if any of mine were ill to that extent there is NO way I'd be able to afford it. Teeth burring with anaesthetic is £19 approx for me, so that's fine. Anything above that on a regular basis I'd be in trouble. What do you do? I don't know. Worry I imagine, which is only natural, but harmful to you both. You just do what you can, nobody can ask for any more than that.
What would happen if you stopped vets visits and just did the vets for teeth burring? Would it get badly infected from not being drained?
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Mar 26, 2017 17:54:41 GMT
It's whether the infection will get into the bloodstream, and cause... well, in humans, that would be sepsis, but I think that's what happened in January when the second abscess happened - the original abscess"seeded" a new abscess. I'm wondering whether the laser therapy has hindered rather than helped, in that the infection seems to have kickstarted up again since then. I've only afforded it at the expense of a lot of other things, and with the house move coming up and the expenses that will bring... I feel like such a witch to be considering this at all, but I have hit the end of the never-ending money pot.
I've got a little doxycycline left over, so he's getting that twice a day while he's oozing goop, and I think I'm just going to watch and wait. If he's looking deathly-miserable, I'll make the call. The thing I'm not sure of is whether he'd tolerate the tooth burring without anaesthetic if he's got an infection - the vet techs have to hold his head completely still while they're burring, and he currently won't tolerate anyone touching his jaw at all.
Edit: I think I'm going to just try with the 2 weeks of doxycycline I've got left - I can't afford to take him tomorrow for them to say "yep, he's got an infection..." I know that. If we get to tooth-burring time and he's not improving... I'll make a call then.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 26, 2017 18:15:07 GMT
I'd just do what you can, continuing with the two weeks of doxycycline sounds like a good plan. I'm wishing you the best of luck, you're his star
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 26, 2017 21:41:56 GMT
Titchy, you've done SO much, and worked so hard. I think you have truly been heroic in your efforts, and you have certainly not withheld anything from him. As much as we hate to look at it, we all know that at some point there will be an end. You and he have had a hard fight to pull him out of this terrible infection and to deal with the horrible complications from his teeth and jaw. I support you no matter what comes, and will be praying and sending love for you both!
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Mar 27, 2017 15:43:58 GMT
Edinburgh have emailed back, they have no additional suggestions on how to manage him; apparently Molly and Vicky are currently providing the highest level of care available to him. Which is great to know, apart from it adding fuel to the fire of "this isn't going to improve" :/
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 27, 2017 19:46:23 GMT
You are doing an amazing job, miles beyond what 99% of keepers could do. I think it's easy to get a bit muddled in your head over what is the best thing to do when money comes into it. Sometimes I think we do more and spend more just to know we tried everything, even when trying everything perhaps isn't in their best interests. I think when money gets tight we possible have a tendency to do this even more because the potential to feel we denied them something because of money gets closer to the front of your mind and we can't bear it. I'm not saying that's happening in your case, I'm just trying to demonstrate how difficult it can be to think clearly when love and money and potential for regret all fight.
The thing that jumps out at me is that the infection has got worse since you stopped the doxycycline, so I think you are right to start this up again. And hold off on the laser for now, if that helps you.
Don't be afraid to speak honestly with the vet about the money situation and ask about long term prognosis and what they advise.
I think you could be right and that you could have a difficult situation if his cheek means they can't bur without sedation, but maybe he is just having a blip with the infection and the doxy will sort it again.
See how he is and how you feel tomorrow x
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Post by ntg on Mar 27, 2017 20:17:10 GMT
Oh titchy, you've done so much for him and it's understandable that you're worried about money with the new house and everything else. No matter what happens and what you decide after this point, you've went above and beyond for the little guy. It's a hard balancing act with the antibiotics too if you're worried about bone damage being caused by the doxy, but if not taking it is causing it to get worse so quickly then it's maybe going to be a case of giving him them as a stopgap until he's reached the point of saying his quality of life is no longer good enough to justify it. We'll be here to offer our support no matter what you decide
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Post by yasmin on Mar 27, 2017 20:32:58 GMT
Do what you can – that is all you can do. When I have to make a choice, I weigh the cost to the outcome. If the outcome is a total recovery for at least half a year or more, then I am willing to spend whatever it takes. If the outcome is unlikely that it will do anything more than prolong life for a week or so, then I stop spending money, and stop stressing myself and the beloved creature. Quality over quantity - and you have to look out for the quality of the other lives around you too, including the humans.
I echo ntg in saying that we are here to offer our support no matter what you decide.
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Apr 4, 2017 11:31:25 GMT
I'd just like to do a cautious happy dance that BratFace is currently outdoing my best hopes/expectations for him!
Teeth are still misaligned, but actually a lot less-bad than they have been. The abscess is no longer spewing gunk and is merely...oozing slightly? Still not great, really, but much better than it was. And he's maintaining weight at 200g, which is the biggest surprise for me, and currently running hell for leather on the wheel with Nyota.
Honest to god, I can't believe he's the same goo I was heartbrokenly considering putting down a week ago. He's still not "normal", but I sure as hell ain't putting him down the way he is at the moment. Money is painfully tight this month, I screwed up with keeping track of the credit card last month, so I'm carefully waiting to see how he goes. His teeth are not "normal" by any stretch of the imagination, but they're actually in better shape at 2 weeks post-trimming than they have been in the past, so maybe the laser therapy did some good? IDK. Gonna have to see how he goes, but update-wise he's still lively, running about, hindering all attempts to make a wound-care video, and generally getting away with murder.
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Post by deguconvert on Apr 4, 2017 14:58:48 GMT
YAY!! Cautiously dancing with you!!!
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Post by yasmin on Apr 5, 2017 2:28:45 GMT
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Post by Bexi87 on Apr 5, 2017 20:41:02 GMT
Bit late to the party but I'll join in with the cautious dance Just realised that I'm on doxycycline too
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Apr 5, 2017 20:58:15 GMT
Not wanting to disrupt any happy dancing with concern, but a shiny-with-wet nose is not ideal, I'm guessing? Everyone else has a dry nose, Zoe's is shiny and wet, not actively dripping though. Doesn't seem to be having any problems breathing at present, but trying to work out if a wet nose is a sign of things :/
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Post by yasmin on Apr 6, 2017 1:26:05 GMT
Might be a sign of a respiratory infection or a runny nose due to allergies (?) Or perhaps the wetness is coming from elsewhere.
If he is not having any issues breathing and is otherwise acting his usual self, I would give it 24 hours and see what develops.
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Apr 6, 2017 17:10:01 GMT
I hate to say it, but Friday night or Saturday morning I'm taking him to the vets for euthanasia He's still running around, chipper and cheerful, but his bottom tooth has sharpened to a wicked point and it's making a dent in the soft tissue of the upper lips - which means very shortly that will get cut by the tooth, and that's going to be painful. He's burying any treats that I give him, and is currently scraping away at a hay cookie (highly compressed cylinder of hay) - this is the degu who has never eaten a strand of hay in his life (as far as I can tell). His nose is still slightly wet - it's not streaming or dripping, but there are beads of moisture on it. And I wouldn't swear to it, but I think he is perky only because of the Metacam. As we get closer to next-dose-time, he really withdraws into himself, but perks up again once the Metacam kicks in. The infected abscess is being held at bay - not gone, but not improving. I still don't know whether I'm doing this for me or for him. But I'm slowly coming to the conclusion that it might be better for him to end it now while the pain and suffering are only moderate, rather than making him wait until I'm sure he's really suffering, because given as they hide it so well he could be thoroughly miserable by that point. I don't think I can ever know whether things would have been better if I'd waited longer, but I can be sure that they won't be worse. Am I better taking Nyota to the appointment with him, so they can be together at the end, or is that going to be too hard on Nyota? (Or, is it worse for me to just take Zoe, leaving Nyota at home on his own, and not bring Zoe back?)
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Post by ntg on Apr 6, 2017 20:48:33 GMT
I'm so sorry you're having to make the hard decision titchy, particularly when things were looking slightly more positive a couple of days back.
You've done so much for Zoe, and you obviously care about him so very deeply. I can only imagine how difficult it will be for you to lose him after the long fight you've both had. We're here for you if you need us.
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