jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90 
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Post by jr on Jan 22, 2017 12:07:28 GMT
Haha! My genuine guess was a large bird of prey. Prob a good thing for the degu that it was in a thick box! Birds of prey aren't that heavy, dinosaurs on the other hand..... Ah hmm who knows then, a big old python maybe! Either way something that was probably keen to meet my degu. Then again at 153g maybe she's not worth the effort. The ultimate defence. Not interested in metacam today  Still a glutton for porridge, think I'll try mixing in some sunflower seeds into it for more calories but don't want to put her off if she's not that crazy about them (hard to tell, she does eat them mixed with her favourite pellet type). What a world! |
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Post by bouncy on Jan 22, 2017 13:13:38 GMT
I'll stick with the dinosaur - still tickles me!
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 22, 2017 17:27:07 GMT
Porridge still the favourite splat.... the only one she doesn't get bored of....  |
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Post by yasmin on Jan 23, 2017 4:44:11 GMT
That picture looks just like what I am dealing with. I have to feed my degu Ichi (she has temporal mandibular joint disorder making it painful and impossible for her to chew) an assortment of wet, lickable food four-five times a day. I lay out about three different ones each time for her – just like what your are doing for your girl.  She gets bored of the same food day after day so I too have to mix it up. Right now, Ichi is especially enjoying ground almonds mixed with water and Critical Care, as well as cooked mashed sweet potato. |
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Post by bouncy on Jan 23, 2017 10:46:24 GMT
Let us know how she gets on today!
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 23, 2017 12:53:00 GMT
Took her in at 10:30, just got a call to say the work is done and she came around perfectly!!!  Clearly a belly full of oats is never a bad thing for a patient. Apparently did need a great deal of work on the back gnashers so I have a proper appointment booked with the surgeon to discuss aftercare this evening. Hope her mouth is not too sore as she only just recovered from last time!! May be a difficult few days ahead but I feel incredibly happy and lucky with how the timing has fallen. She was JUST ready to travel on Saturday, JUST plumped up a bit more this morning from Wednesday's state (no more sharp shoulders) - was extremely lucky everything fell into place as it has so far. |
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 23, 2017 13:01:48 GMT
That picture looks just like what I am dealing with. I have to feed my degu Ichi (she has temporal mandibular joint disorder making it painful and impossible for her to chew) an assortment of wet, lickable food four-five times a day. I lay out about three different ones each time for her – just like what your are doing for your girl. She gets bored of the same food day after day so I too have to mix it up. Right now, Ichi is especially enjoying ground almonds mixed with water and Critical Care, as well as cooked mashed sweet potato. So sorry to hear about Ichi having a tough time, but from my experience I 100% agree degus still have quality of life even with very sore mouths so it's definitely worth putting in the effort for them! |
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Post by savvy on Jan 23, 2017 13:03:16 GMT
That is such great news! Once her mouth has healed there will be no stopping her.
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 23, 2017 13:04:33 GMT
God look at the absolute state of my office after these past few days. Sister caught mid roll for comic effect. Attachments:
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 23, 2017 14:34:20 GMT
That's fantastic, I'm so relieved for you. Hope she bounces back quickly, and that the chat with the surgeon is informative and useful - let us know what (s)he says. You are probably going to be looking at a full natural diet, with high calcium seeds, few if any pellets, possibly UV lighting for vit D.
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Post by bouncy on Jan 23, 2017 15:30:12 GMT
Woohoo! You might find she gets back to eating more quickly, now her teeth are better.
It'll be interesting to see what the xrays show, so will wait to hear from you. And remember - the vet wouldn't have gone through all of that if she was ready to be put down!
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 23, 2017 17:36:00 GMT
YAY!!  So relieved!! I expect that all the work you have put in over the past many days to help her put on weight, will be especially helpful now that she has had all that work done on her molars. Great hopes for her speedy recovery and relief of ongoing tooth/mouth pain. I, too, am interested to hear what the surgeon will tell you. May she come home well and ready to have some gourmet porridge! |
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 23, 2017 19:21:07 GMT
Ok, so, interesting! The vet did not take any x-rays because he felt when he looked in her mouth he could see sufficient evidence for all her symptoms (see next paragraph....). He said he didn't want it to cost me more than it already was. Meh I'd rather he'd have taken them, will insist next time she goes back, but undeniably this guy knows his stuff so didn't want to push it this time. So onto her mouth.... he had taken a picture with his phone because it was "near enough a one-off" and indeed... it was... in just two months 3 of her teeth had grown perfectly sidewards and trapped her tongue under a hard huge lattice of teeth (this explains why she was no longer very good at using the water bottle). The rest were generally overgrown and all over the place. The biggest tooth had actually grown so large and weird it was partially blocking the entryway into her throat! Because of the sideways teeth, the mechanical damage of her chewing on top of them had loosened them at the root and so they just easily came out and must have been painful to chew on!! He said losing those teeth isn't a problem, though it's apparently impossible to tell if the root came out with them because it's anatomically almost identical to the normal tooth matter and so they may regrow if root remains. He advised minimal chance of infection from this due to the nature of degu teeth. Ultimately he said the op was a "serious amount of dental work", but did proclaim it wasn't that difficult and would be no prob to treat again. I'm to keep an eye on her weight and teeth over the next weeks as he expected at least a couple of recurrences in future, but that they may improve given the truly problematic ones may never grow again and the other ones will now receive proper wear. I discussed the diet stuff and how I'd look to switch to what I've been advised on here. He admitted that the community likely knows more about the best degu diet and where to source it than he so I'm going to research it over the next few days. Oh he also said she's one of the sweetest degus he's met and indeed he's right - friendly with everybody and truly incapable of violence even against other degus! Her sister bites her not entirely irregularly though  Always the innocent who suffer. She has some more metacam, baytril, Oxbow crit care fine powder... the works. I'm pretty angry now about the original vet. This new vet seemed pretty humble, but was adamant it wasn't too hard - they are only 30 mins away from the old vet and have a specific referral programme for exotics. Why very firmly suggest euthanasia and then give me no suggestions re referrals? The old vet almost sneered when I suggested putting weight back on her and finding specialist care - giving me one tiny sachet of CC and a frown. Because I took her home that day, they said they wouldn't "treat" her again, as if I was cruelly keeping her going. Not that I'd ever take her back there, but what the hell. I'll write to them and be polite and suggest that they consider this referral scheme for future treatment of degus at their practice as they are long lived animals who need more than they are able to offer there. I'll email the new vet to see if they might send me the tooth pic for the forums. So. Yes. Trinity Vet Centre in Maidstone for anyone in South London/North Kent.... highly recommended for anything above a standard check up and worth a journey for procedures. |
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Post by winic1 on Jan 23, 2017 19:43:45 GMT
Wow! That is one tough little degu, with a big will to live, to have been putting up with all of that in her mouth and still hanging on!
Did you pay the first vet for treatment? They owe you a refund. Total incompetence to have missed all those problems because it was too difficult to bother looking. Be sure to warn away anyone else even thinking of taking a small animal to them!
Here's to a quick recovery for your little girl.
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 23, 2017 20:08:26 GMT
Wow! That is one tough little degu, with a big will to live, to have been putting up with all of that in her mouth and still hanging on! Did you pay the first vet for treatment? They owe you a refund. Total incompetence to have missed all those problems because it was too difficult to bother looking. Be sure to warn away anyone else even thinking of taking a small animal to them! Here's to a quick recovery for your little girl. Her name is Ripley btw - she was always very very brave as a pup (and since) and so we named her after the Sigourney Weaver character as a tough lady. The plan was to give them Chilean/Spanish names, but she needed something different haha. Her sister is called Noelia. I did pay them because they did treat her incisors and I think that made it easier for her to deal with these pastes. Once the incisors overgrow they really seem to struggle. Should I mention their name on here?? Thank you - she's already had some oatypaste! |
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Post by ntg on Jan 23, 2017 20:22:04 GMT
I would speak to them first, see if you might be able to get some sort of refund from them for being inept and then put a bad review up on any site they're on - facebook, yell etc explaining what happened. Pet owners need to know wgether or not their vet is competent after all!
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Post by bouncy on Jan 23, 2017 21:08:31 GMT
Ditto ntg! They were willing to put down a perfectly happy and healthy animal than take the time to treat her. In all honesty, once she's plumped back up again etc, I'd take your story to the local press. It's the sort of thing they like and Ripley (LOVE that name) is so photogenic. Don't worry about it being one sided, because they'll approach the other vet for comment anyway. Don't be afraid to mention the practice on here either. Better than someone not being aware and losing their ball of fluff!
Regarding the roots, my vet was telling me it's very difficult to know if the root has come out with the tooth as part of an extraction. Whilst goo dentures don't exist, it could lead to some uneven wear if one side grows back and the other doesn't. If you haven't already, I'd book a follow-up to check on her mouth again in three weeks or so. That gives time for her to heal, for any potential molars to show themselves, etc.
Here's looking to Ripley reaching a ripe old age (barring any pesky Xenomorphs)!
EDIT - You can also leave a feedback rating by going to Google maps!
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 24, 2017 5:48:17 GMT
I'm so horrified by your description of the condition of her teeth, and is such a short frame of time! Also by the fact that the original vet did not offer a referral to the new vet clinic. Unless there is a strong rivalry? Wouldn't be surprised. I'm really glad that she has already has something to eat! Her mouth must feel SOOO different to her now. What a relief!
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jr
Foraging Degu
Posts: 90
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Post by jr on Jan 24, 2017 9:51:34 GMT
Thank you for everybody's comments and recommendations - I will definitely think on them, but for now still having to put the work in to help her recover again.
Her lack of variety concerns me a bit now as she turns her nose up at the "healthier" pastes with CC for gut function etc... I've warned her there's a pretty big chance she's askin for a burrito'in by early afternoon... and that it'll be both CC and baytril in one go. The horror. Does anyone know if they prefer standard or fine grind? I have both now. The latter smells less of aniseed, but maybe they prefer that I don't know.
It's the plaintive begging cries that destroy you during a force feeding.... as if nothing in the whole world could be worse than this very moment of being gently held and fed a liquid which doesn't even taste that bad... and then her scabby mouth on top - distressing!
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Post by bouncy on Jan 24, 2017 10:27:47 GMT
My Scaredy won't be force fed, but I just have to trust him to get on with it (just try and stop him!). Has she tried to eat anything in the cage?
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She gets bored of the same food day after day so I too have to mix it up. Right now, Ichi is especially enjoying ground almonds mixed with water and Critical Care, as well as cooked mashed sweet potato. 
Always the innocent who suffer.
