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Post by elfkindler on Mar 21, 2017 1:28:08 GMT
Lucy update! First the good news: She has started passing poop on her own! It is still a bit soft and slimy, but the droppings finally have the proper shape. It isn't just squeezing out of her anus like toothpaste. For the first time in days there isn't a plug of poop stuck in her anus that I have to squeeze/dig out for her. She is also more lively today. She still sleeps a lot, but she is definitely less flat and much more responsive when we open her cage.
The bad news is that her weight has dropped by 40 grams since this all started. She is definitely looking thin. So we are doing our best to bulk her up. Today we syringe fed her a mix of Critical Care, almond meal and Flora4 (which is just a ground mixture of sprouted organic barley, flax, and green and red lentils). She ate about 7-8 mls of it (hard to tell exactly because some of it dribbles out of her mouth, but it was a 10ml syringe). She is also still picking at her regular food a little bit.
The vet who saw her couldn't tell if she had a mass or not, but she wasn't a degu expert. The vet that Lucy will be seeing on Wednesday is, so hopefully they will know more. I am definitely eager to get their opinion on the status of her butt.
Thank you all so much for all your support and advice. I appreciate it so very much. I am still quite worried for her, but still I am more optimistic that I have been in days!
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Post by goolover on Mar 21, 2017 4:45:21 GMT
Great job elfkindler , hopefully this week will see a turn in her health. Keep up with her feed and her weight will improve in no time. Like the rest I am sending you best wishes for you and your girl.
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Mar 21, 2017 10:22:51 GMT
If you're still struggling with getting her to move her bowels, my vets have just said (in an unrelated conversation) that they use Zantac (rantidine) - it's an anti-heartburn medicine in humans, but in herbivores it also acts as a prokinetic (keeps guts moving). That might also be a useful option?
Baby food mixed with ground-up pellets also works as a thing you can leave in the cage for her to munch on herself if syringe-feeding multiple times a day isn't happening for whatever reason.
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 21, 2017 16:09:00 GMT
I'm so glad and relieved to hear that things are moving along better and looking more normal. Hopefully now her recovery will dramatically improve and her weight will begin to return. Scary times for you, but I hope this is a complete turn for the better.
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Post by yasmin on Mar 22, 2017 0:02:29 GMT
So relieved that there is improvement. Good luck at the vet's tomorrow.
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Post by yasmin on Mar 24, 2017 1:54:37 GMT
How did it go at the vet yesterday? How is Lucy?
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Post by elfkindler on Mar 24, 2017 4:34:01 GMT
Lucy's appointment went well? The vet removed the pursestring stitches around her anus. We discussed possible causes of the prolapse (still unclear). He isn't convinced she ever had giardia, though it isn't impossible. We asked about a probiotic for her and shared our concern that she hasn't been eating much on her own. He recommended ProGut and said that it might help stimulate her eating. So we got some and she has had three doses. And she has started to eat! Not as much as normal, yet, but definitely more than she has in over a week. She probably had a third of her pellets today and three seeds. We will continue to watch her weight. We let her visit with another of our girls, Emma, tonight also. It was very heartwarming to see them chittering to each other. Hopefully if Lucy continues to improve, she can be back in with Emma and Elizabeth soon.
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 24, 2017 11:00:04 GMT
Good to hear she is improving
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Post by goolover on Mar 24, 2017 14:16:35 GMT
Glad to hear she is doing better
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 24, 2017 17:01:26 GMT
YAY!! Really glad that she has started to eat. Keep it up, Lucy!
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Post by elfkindler on Apr 3, 2017 3:13:32 GMT
Lucy is better! She's back in with Emma and Elizabeth and seems very happy. No sign of the prolapse recurring. She's eating well and has gained most of her weight back. We are so proud of her! I really thought this was the end for her. Turns out she's a real fighter! Thank you all so much for your support and advice. It was so helpful. You are all rad!
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Post by deguconvert on Apr 3, 2017 15:14:24 GMT
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Post by goolover on Apr 3, 2017 19:12:20 GMT
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Post by yasmin on Apr 4, 2017 2:43:37 GMT
WOW! That is absolutely fantastic. Way to go, Lucy! Way to go, elfkindler!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2017 7:41:46 GMT
Yay!!!!! Xx
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Post by moletteuk on Apr 6, 2017 13:11:08 GMT
Great to hear she is doing so well. I just thought I would mention it's probably worth carrying on with the probiotics for a while and keeping them on hand for the future.
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Post by Karma on Apr 6, 2017 19:31:26 GMT
Woot happy end!! I obviously came into this late The only thing I would have also said at the beginning would be an xray to ensure he didn't have an impaction and trying to pass that was causing the pressure to build up and prolapse. There would have been room for diarrhea to come out but not the large clump that was impacting. Critical care, probiotics and increased hydration would have helped as well as the treatment for giardia. I know over here in alberta (okotoks) there is some issue with our tap water having small levels of the parasite - apparently caused by a record flood we had back in 2013. My vet recommended using bottled water because of how many cases of it she was seeing - thus I still use brita filtered water for my brats. I will add to one small change to your food - instead of using the martin rabbit, I would switch to the martin timothy guinea pig. One of the few foods available to us Canadian owners (and not grossly overpriced in tiny bags like sunseed). It has only been out for 5-9 years now (cant remember exactly when they brought it in) so your vet years ago would not have known about it. It is a good degu food with correct (or close to correct) levels without the antibiotic added for rabbit usage (I also forget its name lol but is added to almost every single rabbit food currently on the market). Any store that you are getting the martin rabbit from would have or be able to get you this food. other possibilities would be living world timothy guinea pig, living world extruded guinea pig, versele laga degu nature, or vita garden by Higgins guinea pig (my boys favourite food right now lol). We want to get them to 13-14 years if possible!!
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Post by elfkindler on May 9, 2017 21:20:36 GMT
Thanks for the tip, Karma! We actually used to have them on the Martin's guinea pig food, but we switched to the rabbit pellets because they are lower in protein/higher in fiber. I didn't know about the antibiotics. That's a thing in rabbit food?
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Post by elfkindler on May 9, 2017 21:25:21 GMT
Also, sadly, Lucy's prolapse did recur recently. My husband and I have decided that it isn't fair to her to put her through surgery again (she's old and her recovery was really rough last time). So, for now, we are checking her a couple times a day and using a moist q-tip to gently push the prolapse back in if necessary. She is still bright, energetic and eating well despite this, so we'll see how it goes. It has been about a month now that we've been treating her this way (sorry, I disappeared for a bit! We were on vacation!. The prolapse, so far, hasn't gotten worse; it's out about the same amount each time and goes back in easily. Somedaysshe isn't prolapsed at all, but it usually comes back the next day.
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Post by moletteuk on May 10, 2017 13:55:42 GMT
It's a shame it has recurred Did you try her with more forage and preferably some fresh forage?
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