Poorly gu

[adsh]

Hey guys

I have had a very poorly Degu over the weekend please see details below.

Got woken up early hours friday night by a bumch of squeeking eunning etc went back to sleep its nothing unusual for them to do that.

Went to give them some breakfast and one has a missing part of their tail,limping swollen face slightly and shaking. Shes also makijg a growling type noise and breathing real fast and closed eyes

The most alarming thing for me is that she seemingly has no fight I picked her up to have a close look (not something i make a habbit of doing) and she didnt fight run etc

Last night prior to going to bed she was freezing so I wrapped her up and cuddled her to warm her up then gave her a big of alone time in a large travel container she seemed to perk up but tonight shes looking sad again

Any advice? Shes going to the vet tuesday but i dont think she will last

Thanks

[savvy]

Do you have a snugglesafe you can put in to keep her warm?

It sound very much like there has been a fight and she has come off worse. Keep her separate, keep her warm, and keep her quiet. Make sure she has access to food and water.

Have you checked the other(s) for injuries? She she eating and drinking? You may have to syringe feed her if she can't take sold food.

I'm sure someone will respond soon with more knowledge than me.

[adsh]

The other 3 look fine and happy will pop over for treats etc.

I have since named her stumpy for obvious reasons! Shes off food and water.

I re introduced her and they all got on she was part of the sleep pile and they dont seem to shun her at all

I also forgot to mention she seemed to sturggle with balance. I wonder if she had a fall?

[savvy]

Could be, I'd still put a snugglesafe in there to encourage her to rest if she has injuries.

[adsh]

I dont own one so i have loaded uo the house with hay and she got in and is resting, shes making a noise while breathing which i mistoke for grinting. Fairly sure its fall related. She could not even climb the cage bars

[savvy]

If she will let you, is it possible to gently clean her wounds with boiled, but cooled water? Make sure the water is room temperature.

[deguconvert]

I wonder if there has been an illness that she has hidden, which might have compromised her balance and brought on a fall . . . or she could have snagged her tail and in desperation leaped badly and further hurt herself. Maybe it would be a good idea to have a vet look at her?

The fact that you can hear a noise with her breathing causes me concern that she could have a respiratory infection, which needs immediate attention. They can be difficult to treat if there is an infection, so the sooner the treatment starts, the better.

When you looked at her, did you push the fur forward so that you could see beneath it? That is really the only way to get a good view of the skin as the fur is so very thick. This will help you see better if the injuries are the result if bites or something else.

[adsh]

Good news, she made it through the night. good reason to be positive but not out of the woods just yet. When I came down she was on the wheel having a little run she kept slipping off which is unusual. I have also taken a pic which I will upload shortly.

There are no obvious signs of injury to her, I had a good look and feel of her all over I could not feel anything out of place although the area around her eye seemed sensitive. The cage I have is fairly tall with loads of shelves and gnaw toys. I assume she caught herself on one during a fall.

She was also a bit faster around the cage this morning, hopefully with a bit more TLC she will be better by the time I am back from work.

Have not seen her eat yet but it is hard to watch her all the time

[deguconvert]

Not eating is a concern. Have you tried any of her favorite treats to see if she has interest in them?

[deguconvert]

In case you are not sure what things are good and healthy treats for degus, this link . . . deguworld.proboards.com/thread/5408/treats-edibles-degu will give you great options to look at and consider.

[adsh]

Yeah, I put her in the hammock last night with treats and she was not interested at all.

at the moment she just wants to be left alone, I will not be home until 1800 or so, my wife is keeping an eye on her today hopefully a bit of R&R will help.

[adsh]

best free photo hosting site

[adsh]

Thats the best pic I could get, I did not want to spend time chasing her around making her more stressed. she pretty much looks like that all the time

[Deleted]

She looks a little thin especially around her lower half.

Did you say you're taking her to the vet? Xx

[Deleted]

What are her favourite treats? As she's losing weight, feel free to temporarily abandon total healthy eating for her, give her lots of nice things to encourage eating.

[adsh]

Yeah she will be going tomorrow night, its the earliest I can get there

Yeah I thought she felt a bit light than the rest, at the moment I am fairly sure shes not eating at all. I have ordered a couple of syringes so I can make some liquid food for her.

She literally stays like this all the time generally hiding in the corner by herself.

[adsh]

She usually loves pumpkin seeds and oats but shes not taking them (as far as I can see)

Is it best to segregate her and put her in a travel cage by herself for the evening? I am thinking that because I can then fill a dish with a counted amount of food and see if she has eaten after? My only concern is that Degu are social and I don't want her to be anxious about being alone.

Having read the link above I am going to get some fresh greens on the way home from work to see if I can entice her that way (grass and dandelions)

I will get a pic of her face tonight too, as I think she may have hurt her nose, one side looks a bit lower than the other, only problem is I will have to handle her in a non degu happy way!

[adsh]

SLight update, I called the vet had a moan and I am seeing them over lunch (1300) I don't like to see her suffer so hopefully they can give her something

[savvy]

That's excellent news about the appointment. Hope it all goes well at the vets.

[uglibug]

That's great news about getting her in earlier. Do let us know how you get on.