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Post by elfkindler on May 17, 2017 3:55:04 GMT
Yes, she's getting fresh and dry forage and hay in addition to pellets.
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Post by yasmin on May 19, 2017 2:30:44 GMT
Oh, no. So sorry to read that the prolapse is recurring.
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Post by elfkindler on May 21, 2017 21:50:34 GMT
Thank you. Today she is worse. The prolapse is out further and I wasn't able to get it back in. It looks like we might have to get her put down. My poor girl. She is still herself otherwise, but we don't know what else to do.
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Post by yasmin on May 22, 2017 3:45:54 GMT
I hope she continues to be herself tomorrow and that you can enjoy Victoria Day. (All vets closed except for the emergency ones. I have had to go to the one near the Train Yards twice with budgies in emergency situations.) You will know when it is time. Until then, enjoy each day with her.
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Post by moletteuk on May 22, 2017 14:47:24 GMT
I'm sorry to hear that, and sorry I don't have any more ideas for you
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Post by deguconvert on May 23, 2017 15:51:57 GMT
Have you taken her back to the vet, or did she improve?
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Post by animalmadchloe on May 23, 2017 19:33:44 GMT
Sorry to hear this
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Post by elfkindler on May 25, 2017 1:58:52 GMT
The earliest appointment we were able to get for her is this Friday. I'll let you all know how it goes. But yesterday, her prolapse went back in by itself!! I can hardly believe it. It was out pretty far and quite swollen. I couldn't replace it myself and had stopped trying because it was hurting her. We were just checking it often and keeping it clean. I honestly don't know what to expect anymore! She's amazing.
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Post by moletteuk on May 25, 2017 9:56:13 GMT
Well, that's good news Are you putting anything on it when it is out, like vaseline to protect it? Can you think of anything at all different over the last couple of days that might cause it to go back in again, any different food/ forage? I wonder if it's worth doing an xray to see if there is any blockage in the bowels?
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Post by elfkindler on May 25, 2017 16:13:24 GMT
We don't usually put anything on it. We noticed that her body produces mucus that tends to cover it over when it is out, so it seems to do a good job of protecting itself. We clean it with a q-tip a clean water, make sure nothing gets stuck to it. And honestly, no. Her diet over the last few days hasn't changed. We did a road trip over the weekend and took her and Emma with us (we couldn't leave her when she needs this much care), so the stress of travelling might have contributed to it coming out again. But I don't know why it has gone back in on its own. And she has also had prolapses at home, so I'm not sure the travelling made any difference. And yes, we are planning to ask the vet to do an x-ray.
Today her prolapse is still in! How many lives does this girl have?
We did, very sadly, lose our degu Elizabeth last week. She became ill very suddenly and we rushed her to the vet. They did an x-ray and it turned out that her liver was hugely enlarged. It had expanded into her chest and was putting pressure on her other organs. We discussed the various things that could cause this (liver disease, cancer, a tumour, a mass, heart disease, etc) but none of these things are something she could survive and she was in very poor condition. She was very miserable and hated being syringe fed. So we agreed to have her euthanized. It was very hard. After all this trouble with Lucy, we definitely weren't prepared to lose Elizabeth.
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Post by deguconvert on May 25, 2017 16:18:26 GMT
I am so sorry for your loss, Elfkindler! What a shock for you! RIP Elizabeth.
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Post by goolover on May 25, 2017 17:17:09 GMT
Oh no, so sorry to hear about Elizabeth RIP little one. YAY for Lucy, what a little fighter she is, it really is amazing, fingers crossed it stays in x
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Post by moletteuk on May 25, 2017 19:32:07 GMT
I'm very sorry for your loss. RIP Elizabeth x
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Post by yasmin on May 27, 2017 16:30:18 GMT
Oh no 😞 My heart goes out to you elfkindler.
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Post by fb1928 on May 27, 2017 19:51:30 GMT
RIP Little Elizabeth, So sorry to hear about your lose. Keep strong x
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Post by Deleted on May 27, 2017 20:29:26 GMT
RIP Elizabeth, I'm so sorry xx
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Post by elfkindler on May 29, 2017 13:57:39 GMT
Lucy update! We saw a vet on Friday. Unfortunately she wasn't able to give us any real insight into the cause of Lucy's recurring prolapse. We asked about her getting an x-ray, but she didn't think it would provide any useful information. What she was able to do for us, however, was provide very useful advice for managing Lucy's condition going forward. She agreed with us that there is no point in repeating the surgery. Getting her sedated and her butt stitched up was a gruelling process that nearly killed her in and of itself, and didn't even fix the problem. But as long as the tissue remains healthy, she can live with a recurring prolapse, especially since otherwise she looks completely healthy. She's back to a good weight and she's eating well and pooping normally. If the prolapse gets too swollen to put back in, she recommended we use a solution of equal parts honey and water. Basically soak Lucy's prolapsed butt in it and that will reduce the swelling enough to get it back in. I knew they used a glucose solution to reduce the swelling when they stitched her up at the emergency vet. It is so helpful to know we can do this ourselves! Another trick she recommended is to use a water-based lube. Yes, a sex lube, like KY. Put a bit of that on our fingers and very gently massage the prolapse back in,basically using a gentle pinching motion. We actually had to do this Friday evening and it worked like a charm! I definitely never thought I'd be using lube on my degus... :/ I asked if we could use Vaseline, but she recommended against it. She said that because it is going inside her body, it isn't a good idea to use anything oil-based. Other than that, she recommended putting Luce back on the probiotic and vitamin C. We were struggling with getting vitamin C into any of our rodents because they all dislike Oxbow's new hay tabs. They loved the old pills they used to make. The vet told us we can get a regular children's chewable vitamin C and give her a quarter of that. So cool! So while we didn't get the answers we were hoping for, it was still a very helpful appointment overall.
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Post by Deleted on May 29, 2017 14:23:35 GMT
Woohoo!! That's great news!!!
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Post by zenaida on May 29, 2017 14:26:42 GMT
Degus are hard enough to catch as it is without putting lubricant on them!
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Post by deguconvert on May 29, 2017 15:06:11 GMT
I am impressed with your vet! She sounds lovely, easy to work with, and willing to go the extra mile to help an animal that is challenged but otherwise healthy and embracing life. So glad you have been so well helped!!
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