Mouth infection??

[degumummy137]

Boris is making pretty much constant gargling/chattery sounds, holding her mouth slightly open. She's still eating as normal, but her mouth seems like it might be bothering her. Her poos are also a funny shape (sort of jagged). She's still being her normal self so I don't want to put her through the stress of a vets trip if she isn't in pain, but something seems off. One of her front teeth looks whiter than usual too; could it be a mouth infection? If so, what could have caused it? Should I take her to the vets?

[savvy]

I would, just to be on the safe side. I know it's stressful but better a little stress and finding out its nothing than leaving it and finding out it could have been treated sooner.

[ntg]

Does it seem like she might be breathing through her mouth with it being held open a little more?

Definitely get her to the vets though - white teeth aren't a good sign and gargling may be a sign of excess salivation (which is a sign of dental issues). The vet should be able to use a scope to check her molars without any sedation.

[deguconvert]

I say take her to the vet as well. She could be growing spurs from her molars and they could be interfering with her tongue or throat, or anything. Do you ever weigh her? It is often hard to tell by appearance only if weight has been lost, until the loss is scary dramatic. I would take her in as soon as you can and have them lightly sedate her so that they can look at the molars well.

[degumummy137]

I managed to get a closer look at her mouth, and there's definite swelling at one side. She's never been weighed so can't judge if she's lost any weight, but her appetite doesn't seem affected.

[goolover]

Apr 30, 2017 14:53:50 GMT degumummy137 said:

I managed to get a closer look at her mouth, and there's definite swelling at one side. She's never been weighed so can't judge if she's lost any weight, but her appetite doesn't seem affected.

Hi degumummy137 , poor little Boris. She may be using the other side of her mouth to eat if one side is swollen, given the impression that she is eating ok but she will may be compensating for the pain/discomfort. If we had a swollen mouth on one side, we would still eat but just use one side and eventually the one side you use to eat also becomes tired and sore. Eating only using one side of her mouth will also cause future problems for her molars so its important that her mouth is checked. She can also get medication prescribed to manage any pain she will be experiencing and help fight any infection.

[deguconvert]

There isn't a lot of tissue around the head, and most often swelling on the jaw or cheek is the result of infection, even an abscess. You would do well to get her in and seen to. Degus use a great deal of energy to disguise and hide their illness so as not to attract the attention of a predator. It is instinctual and not lost even in our long domesticated loves. Though she appears to be eating, she may not be eating as well as she appears to be. Frequently degus that have over grown molars or spurs are unable to swallow because of their throat being blocked, or their tongue being pinned, and though they chew furiously, and gnaw up a lot of food, it is spilling out the sides of their mouth not going down.

I know it is a big pain to do all that needs to be done to get a degu to a vet, but I encourage you to do so. Or perhaps you have a vet that would do a house visit? Some are willing if they are asked.

[yasmin]

I agree – Boris needs to be seen by a veterinarian, the sooner the better.

My experience: Long-term compensating for any issue on one side of the mouth can lead to even more serious issues. My degu Ichi has not been able to chew ever since she had a spur one one side of her mouth that caused her to compensate by eating on the other side. As a result, she now suffers from a permanently misaligned jaw likely due to irregular use of the ligaments on either side (one side overstretched, the other side atrophied). She now lives on Metacam and soft food (it takes me an additional hour a day to feed her), and continues to experience further complications (and vet visits) due to not being able to wear her front teeth down and an imbalanced diet.

[degumummy137]

Thank you all; I'm ringing the vets first thing in the morning when they open. Everything always happens on a bank holiday weekend!

[degumummy137]

The vets have her booked in for a dental examination on Friday under gas anaesthetic - do I need to worry? Anyone else had a degu under anaesthetic? They think it's her back molars, as expected.

One other thing - we tried a few drops of propolis on her two days in a row and it brought the swelling down noticeably (we've used it for the rabbit in the past with positive results so thought it was worth a try while we couldn't get her into the vets). Should we keep using it if it's helping with the swelling or stop? Obviously the sugar content is probably a concern.

[deguconvert]

I think I would continue?

[Deleted]

I wouldn't worry yourself about the anaesthetic, lots of us have had degus go under they usually use gas, which is safer x

[bouncy]

I've got one goo who's regularly under anaesthetic for dental treatment (roughly quarterly). We have a routine now, which includes mummy cuddles until the vet is happy for him to leave. I would keep going with the meds, as it's only short term.

When you go on Friday, ask about metacam. This is the goo anti inflammatory and pain relief of choice, and this particular brand is honey flavoured, so you shouldn't have much of an issue with them taking it.

[yasmin]

There is always a risk with anesthetic but there isn't much choice – if there are spurs, they will need to be trimmed.
That said, most of my degus have had to be anesthetized for dental work – multiple times for some of them – and most of them have had no problem whatsoever.

I don't know about propolis – Metacam is the anti pain/anti-inflammatory that I use for my degus. Most important is that Boris is eating.

Wishing you and Boris all the best on Friday.

[degumummy137]

Those of you who've had your goos in for this before, are any of you based in the UK? What am I looking at in terms of cost?

I'm also a little concerned that they're going to come back and say she needs a full anaesthetic - is this likely to happen? The vet classed my rabbit as high risk for anaesthetic, and poor Boris is about the size of Valentine's head ...

[moletteuk]

The price varies widely, from £30 to £400 so it's best to phone in advance and ask for an estimate.

Last time I took one in for anaesthetic they asked me to sign a consent form for full anaesthesia even they though were planning to use gas, I think it's because when they are working in the mouth area it can be awkward to keep the gas anaesthetic topped up to the right level. Gas anaesthesia is getting very common now as dental issues seem to be so common and is usually well tolerated, full intravenous anaesthesia is still uncommon but still seems to be quite rarely a problem for healthy degus.

If your vet is concerned about the correct levels for the gas, I think there is some degu specific info on the degutopia medications page www.degutopia.co.uk/deguvetlist.htm

Try not to worry too much, as Yasmin says, you don't really have a choice, you are doing the right thing, good luck.

[bouncy]

A straight forward anaesthesia and spur trim costs me £145. An xray, important for a first look to check the roots, takes the cost up to £200. I'm based in Hampshire, and this is for Anton Vets.