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Post by 00victoriapacker00 on Dec 30, 2016 20:15:03 GMT
I have 2 degus; Egg and Toast. Toast seems fine, is eating the same amount as always, drinking fine, running on the wheel fine etc etc. However the other day I checked on his brother Egg and he seems really ill. He was eating a few days ago and drank the same, but was sleeping most of that day. His left eye also was, or appeared to be, glued shut? I cleaned it with salt water to get whatever I could out of it but now the other eye is in the same condition. He is virtually blind! He can't run on his wheel, he can't even get up on it anymore. He seems to be hobbling but not in a painful way. More of an uncomfortable way. He can't eat on his own but he can eat. I have to feed him on my hands because he can't hold the food in his paws anymore? Someone help please!! He's been sleeping for the past 3 days straight now and i dont know what to do. there's no vets near me that specialise in degus or know anything about them. what do i do!!??
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 30, 2016 20:46:07 GMT
I'm sorry to say that I think the only person that can help is a vet. Where do you live? Have you phoned every local vet to ask if they will see him? Are there any rescue places locally that could recommend a vet?
How old is Egg?
Dental disease is common in degus and could explain his difficulty eating and also the gunky eyes. He will need a proper examination to check for this that may require some sedation and xrays. Of course there could be a completely different cause to his problem.
You can feed him crushed food and nuts and seeds or mashed food like veg or veg baby food, you can also feed Supreme Recovery or Critical Care Emergency food, it may also comfort him a little if you can keep him warm with a heat pad.
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 30, 2016 20:49:07 GMT
Ditto everything that Moletteuk said.
I hope you are able to have him looked at by a vet soon. The sooner the better for Egg.
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Post by 00victoriapacker00 on Dec 30, 2016 20:53:13 GMT
He's only about 4 so not at all old. Just seems very out of character and only eats things I offer to him. The only local vet is at Pets At Home. When Egg had bumblefoot and we took him there, the vet had to google the symptoms because he had no clue! but will try tomorrow and see if they can do anything for him. Thank you!
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 30, 2016 20:59:12 GMT
A "vet" that doesn't know what bumblefoot is? I'm beginning to wonder if they are actual vets or if they are just given that term loosely to make the customer feel more at ease.
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 30, 2016 21:01:08 GMT
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Post by moletteuk on Dec 30, 2016 21:04:26 GMT
Oh, I was worried you are in US where degu vet coverage can be terrible. Since you are in the UK and near a town big enough to have a PAH vet, there is bound to be an independant vet not too far away too, get googling and on the phone! If you tell us where you are we may be able to help.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 30, 2016 21:40:52 GMT
Egg definitely needs to see a vet, if he doesn't I'm afraid he will probably die. We can help you find a vet, if you let us know your general location we can find the closest ones for you.
Or just google every single vet, with how far you are willing to go.. I probably wouldn't go further than two hours away in case he doesn't make a longer journey, and ring them all and state it's an emergency and ask if they see small animals. It's super important you get the little chap to the vets as there is very little we can do to help you.
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Post by bouncy on Dec 30, 2016 22:24:35 GMT
Ditto the vet! Let us know where you are and we can maybe recommend goo vets in your area! Poor little Egg! Keep her warm, and continue to feed/water as much as you can  |
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Post by 00victoriapacker00 on Dec 30, 2016 22:51:07 GMT
Thank you for the replies! Im based in Buckinghamshire and I wouldn't like to travel far due to Egg getting stressed as he can't see and won't know his surroundings. I need to get him to a vert straight away, it's just finding one close enough! I've noticed that Egg's eyes are glued shut so maybe some kind of infection has formed which explains his lethargy and lack of confidence to move around the cage. Poor thing keep bumping into things and falling over everything! Does anyone know why he can't hold his food himself? I'll give him a little bit of sugar free cracker to encourage him to eat but he seems to either hold it in his mouth and not do anything with it or I'll hold it for him or he'll balance it on the ground so he can eat it. not at all himself and im very worried about him!
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Post by degulover21 on Dec 31, 2016 0:39:36 GMT
He might not be eating due to stress of not being able to see or cant see what hes eating , I looked at vets in your area , you could try vets4pets, Ive been there for check ups for my degus.
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Post by yasmin on Dec 31, 2016 4:18:41 GMT
I wouldn't worry about stress caused by transporting him to a vet. Put him in a small carrier and cover it with a towel. All of my goos have no issue with traveling this way, even my blind one.
It is important that you get him to a veterinarian soon because it is likely something that can be treated. The sooner he sees a vet, the more likely he will be able to pull through this.
I don't know why he can't hold the food himself unless it is because it hurts too much to open his mouth except at a very specific angle (he might have a tooth infection, a molar spur piercing his tongue or cheek.). There is a possibility that he has suffered a stroke; however, the eyes closed shut would indicate some sort of infection – most likely dental and/or nasal.
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 31, 2016 4:25:44 GMT
Whatever you transport him in, just make sure you put in a few handfuls of substrate from his cage so that it smells like home. You can also take your other degu with him so that he is not lonely.
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Post by winic1 on Dec 31, 2016 6:11:29 GMT
If he has a nasal or sinus infection, he may not be able to smell his food to find it, which would be why he only eats when you hand him the food. With his eyes so gunked up that he cannot see through them, he can't see his way to his food. He really needs to see a vet immediately. If the infection doesn't get him, the lack of food and water will. Rather quickly.
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Post by goolover on Dec 31, 2016 8:57:24 GMT
A awful and stressful situation to be in hun. 4 is old enough to have teeth/molar problems and it does sound like an infection that is affecting his mouth and nasal/sinus area, which explains the eyes being shut through the infection spreading. If the infection festers for too long it will kill him. It's always a good idea to have Recovery food in that you add water to and feed them through a syringe, it can be a life saver in situations where your goo can't eat solids for themselves for whatever reason as once they stop eating, their in serious trouble. They must eat constantly to keep the gut active and stop the body from shutting down. I have a blind goo like Yasmin and they cope by sound and smell just fine, although if your boy has nasal problems he will be functioning through sound and touch. A covered carrier is a great idea and you can travel to a vets without causing him major stress. You should be able to get an emergency appointment today and I forget the name but ask for an injection of vitamins for him to keep his body going and critical care/recovery food so you can feed him and it also helps to get antibiotics and painkillers into him if he wont take them straight.
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Post by bouncy on Dec 31, 2016 10:25:07 GMT
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Post by 00victoriapacker00 on Dec 31, 2016 18:24:55 GMT
Thank you so much for the advice. I fed Egg through a syringe today and he seemed to be doing fine. Although he was reluctant to swallow the mushed up food. The water in the food wasn't a problem for him. It wasn't like he was in pain while eating, it was more like he didn't have the energy. Despite this, unfortunately Egg died earlier which makes me and my family incredibly sad. He went downhill so fast over the last day or so, so i don't think there was much I could do for him, despite my best efforts to find a vet who could treat him.
How do you think my other degu, Toast, will deal with his death? I think he knows he died as Egg was in the cage for about 10-20 minutes before my family noticed his death while they went to check on him. Toast visited Egg in their bed every now and then so I think its possible that he knows about Eggs death. but who knows! he seems a lot less stressed compared to when I would take Egg out of the cage to feed him and check him over. So maybe he does realise about what happened to Egg. Does anyone have any advice? Will Toast get lonely? Will he stop eating and drinking, and how can i sort this? Shall i get another degu for company or is it better leaving him by himself as long as he gets loads of attention?
Thank you so much for everyones help, it was greatly appreciated.
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Post by bouncy on Dec 31, 2016 18:40:50 GMT
So sorry about little Egg! I think Toast has realised what's happening, but he will likely still need mourning time. He will need another friend (or two), perhaps jam and butter?  No hooman slave can replace another goo. |
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Post by deguconvert on Dec 31, 2016 21:56:04 GMT
I am so sorry, Victoria! My thoughts are with you! Toast and your family need a bit of mourning time, but then Toast will be looking for company, and it would be good to get him one or two other degus to live with. Before doing so, check Toast and compare him to this . . . deguworld.proboards.com/thread/13070/degus . . . and be sure of Toast's sex. Unless, of course, you have seen him indulge in the male activity of self cleaning. However, you will want to ensure that any future degus you bring into the house will be the same sex as Toast. |
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Post by degulover21 on Dec 31, 2016 23:33:25 GMT
I'm so sorry about egg,hope you and your family are ok
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