Kev has some problems..

[Deleted]

Hi all..

Tonight I've noticed Kev's mouth is quite wet, seemed to be grinding his jaw. So I fed them and watched him eat, he's really struggling 😫. He's trying to eat some dandelion root, seems to be munching away, not much is disappearing and he keeps opening his mouth wide, then really teeth chattering and then leaving the food alone, paws at his mouth a little.

He definitely didn't have this problem last week, I watch all of them to make sure they're eating properly.

I haven't weighed him as I still haven't bought digital scales.

His eyes are clear as are his nostrils.

I'm going to ring the vets tomorrow to see how much it will be, I don't want to prolong his pain but I don't have any money - I've just blooming ordered Pickle and Pumba's Aventura, paid for my boyfriend's 22nd birthday present, paid the last £525 to Shipways... my hoover broke this morning so I had to go and buy a new one for £200... cheapest I could find that was going to last reasonably well considering what it'll be sucking up. Ugh. ☹️

I'm feeling like an awful goo parent not having the money for treatment.

I'll let you all know how much they quote tomorrow when I can ring them.

[ntg]

Oh no, I'm sorry he seems to be having more dental issues!

Fingers crossed the treatment isn't too expensive. It always seems to come at the worst possible time doesn't it?

[Deleted]

Thanks!

Yep, always at the worst of times haha.. 😫 bloomin' Kev.

I'm guessing it's molar spurs?

It was £18.50 to have his front teeth burred - they seem a bit better now - they went long again but since living with Poppy they seem a better length.. so it's not his front teeth causing the issue.

I'm unsure how they'll work out the price to be honest. When he had his neutering (£65) they did the front teeth burring and nail trimming for free whilst he was under..
But I asked for a cost in case his front teeth became long again and they said £18.50, which must include anaesthetic because it would be too risky to try and do it conscious surely? I'm hoping it's not much more than that? If it's £50 or below that's manageable if it becomes a long term thing.

Of course once I finish university and I actually have a regular income it wouldn't and won't be an issue re cost - I'd spend as much as it took to keep him going and keep him happy and healthy for himself and Poppy.

It's not that I don't usually have the money - everything has come at once these past two weeks and my student loan is looking rather low... I have £300 to last me until October.

But then I also do nails, so if I push them, I could save regular amounts away for degu related problems.

[ntg]

I get the feeling that for £18.50 that wouldn't be under anaesthetic or it would be extremely cheap!

Molar spurs are the usual suspects, particularly if all looks good with the incisors, I know for Sherlock I paid around £160 for his dental work (closer to £180 including the consultation fees) but he hasn't needed any dental work done since (just the CT scan). I wouldn't insist on imaging straight away though! Particularly with it being yet another added expense you could do without atm and there's no indication of overgrown roots being an issue!

[ntg]

Saying that, £65 for a neutering seems low so perhaps your vet is just cheap?!

[Deleted]

Okay! Thanks for sharing your experience.

I had a full breakdown of the neutering I wonder if I can find it to see the cost of anaesthesia..

How much have others paid for neutering? I thought £65 was expensive lol, but maybe that's just me - it was the same as a rabbit and usually vets work out neutering costs based on size, I think? So I was expecting less than the rabbit cost.

I hope it's not £160 🤔, I wish they did payment plans lol.

[Deleted]

Figured out why you thought the neutering was cheap.

Here's the breakdown.



LIVID lol I think molar spur removal is gonna be £££.

[ntg]

A degu neutering is more like a female animal being spayed so that's why I thought it was pretty cheap - you don't just chop off balls that are right in front of you! But hey, at least you didn't pay £270 for the neutering, you have to take the small victories wherever you can!

I'll see if I can find out where I put the costing breakdown for the dental work I had done if you like? Seems odd that there's a charge for room hire rather than just putting it down as an examination

It might also be worthwhile looking around to see if there's any other good vets in the area. Prices can vary so much from practice to practice. Some might also have a pay within x amount of time policy too as I know with mine you have 3 months to settle your bill but they do prefer that you pay before you leave.

[yasmin]

Oh no. It is likely molar spurs but could also be an infected or cracked tooth.
Hopefully you will be taking him to the vet soon to at least find out what the problem is – the sooner it is dealt with, the lower the risk of the anesthetic, and the quicker his recovery.

(These degus are very expensive to care for. I am in my mid-fifties with no kids and no debt, but when I was in my 20s and going to school, it would have been extremely difficult to afford the vet care.)

I wish you and Kev all the best. Please keep us updated.

[Deleted]

Thank you for your help guys.

Ntg, they're the only vets within my area that'll even see the degus. There's Manor Vets in Birmingham but it's a 2 hour public transport journey at the very least and it's an expensive vets. X

[misscatafer]

Poor Kev I took my Boo to Bham Manor vets, they are pricey but it's reassuring knowing they are 'exotics' specialists I guess.

[Deleted]

£30 consultation and they can't tell me anymore price wise until they've seen him. 😑

[Deleted]

Ugh I don't know whether to take him to P@H as I know what they're like and I trust them, or try Shepherds vets which is literally 2 mins down the road, also £30 consultation fee, said they treat degus, but I don't know what they're like.. 🤔

I might just go P@H.. gotta find £30 from somewhere first. I don't wanna postpone it though. It just annoys me they won't tell me an approximate price for say molar spur removal. 🤔

[savvy]

Vets can't commit to a price until they see the work involved em. Otherwise you could hold them to their quote and they'd lose money. I can see the arguements on both sides, although I know it doesn't help.

I'd take him to p@h as they know him. I wouldn't trust an unknown vet with molar spurs.

[Deleted]

Okay savvycat! Thanks, I'll go for P@H.

Most of the other vets were able to give me a price, Manor Pets were brilliant and quoting me a rough estimate of a minimum and a rough top end price, of £500. 😧

I do understand though, I just wanted a rough guess from them was all, rather than a quote.

I've given him a peanut just and he's slowly working through it. I tried him with millet but he buried that. Poor Kev 😢.

[winic1]

If he can't chew, grind up his food and add a little water or babyfood to make it a thick paste.

[Deleted]

Hi winic1, yeah I did that this morning the same thing I did for when he was recovering from his neutering, he didn't touch it then and won't now ☹️

[Deleted]

I'm gonna try and get an appointment for tonight I think..

What are my options re not being able to afford it yet?

[ntg]

You can ask companion care if they do any payment plans or contact the pdsa, rspca or blue cross and any other animal charities that might have a vet scheme to see if you're eligible.

[Deleted]

Great minds think alike ntg! Thank you.

Companion care and no vets around here do payment plans.

I've contacted all of the above and they only see animals for neutering/spaying / vaccinations and other basic healthcare for cats/dogs/rabbits ☹️

I've rang all the local ones just to double check and they don't do degus - plus I don't think we qualify anyway.