Degu First Aid and Caring for a Sick or Injured Degu
Aug 31, 2018 12:59:33 GMT
deguconvert, yasmin, and 1 more like this
Post by savvy on Aug 31, 2018 12:59:33 GMT
Basic first aid and caring for a sick or injured degu
Owning pets is a big responsibility and degus are a bigger responsibility than most!
They are masters at finding new ways to get into trouble and sometimes this can lead to illness or injury. No one likes to see their pet suffering so it’s important to know what to look for and what you can do before, during and after you consult your vet.
If you do not have a vet, we have compiled a list of forum member recommended vets here; deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15521/vet-guide
There are several indicators that all is not well with your degu, these indicators (red flags) can come on suddenly or over the course of a day or two. Below is a list of the main RED FLAGS to look out for, RED FLAGS require IMMEDIATE VETERINARY ATTENTION;
• Persistent and / or heavy bleeding.
It can be hard to see some injuries as degus have very thick fur. Should you spot blood in your cage and its not obvious where it’s come from, check each degu carefully for injuries by brushing their fur forwards so you can see the skin beneath.
• Does the area feel hot?
An area of increased heat can be an indication of an infection.
• Does the area feel cold?
An area which feels colder than normal, particularly paws, could be an indication of reduced blood flow to the area. Reduced blood flow can lead to the loss of the limb.
• Is the wound deep?
Deep wounds may not heal without either being stitched or glued by a qualified vet.
• Does the area look red or angry?
Again this could be the sign of an infection.
• Is there any misalignment of joints in the area?
Degus are excellent runners; unfortunately no one has told them they are not great climbers! A bad landing can easily lead to a dislocated joint or broken bone. Misalignment can cause loss of circulation which can lead to the loss of the limb if veterinary attention is not immediately sourced.
• Is the degu moving easily or at all? Are they lethargic?
During cold or hot weather it is normal for degus to be less active than usual, however, they will still come out to eat, drink and have an explore of their cage – just to make sure no one has moved anything! But if your degu is unusually quiet, it is a sign that all is not well. It is important to remember that, as a prey animal, degus are masters at hiding less obvious injuries and illnesses until it overwhelms them. Lethargy is often an indication that either an injury or illness is either entering into, or is already in, the overwhelmed stage. Quick action is needed.
• Are they hiding or cowering or abnormally skittish?
Again this can be a sign that they are ill or injured. On going signs of fear or nervousness or hyper-alertness behaviour can be a sign of illness or pain.
• Are they eating and drinking normally? Is there any loss of appetite?
Degus need to eat almost constantly and their digestive system will stop working if they don’t. Once it has stopped it is difficult to get it started again and they will continue to get worse VERY quickly. If you suspect that your degu is not eating, try to tempt them with their favourite treat. Loss of appetite and lethargy usually go hand in hand in a sick or injured degu. We have some recipes here which you may want to try; deguworld.proboards.com/thread/6023/recipe-food-entice-sick-degu
• Is there any drooling or pawing at their mouth?
A wet chin can be a sign of dental problems, meaning that they cannot eat properly. Only an x-ray can identify issues with their tooth roots. A good vet will and should perform a full examination of the degus mouth using an otoscope, with sedation if necessary. This is the only way to check for over grown molars. If a dental problem has been identified, further information can be found here; deguworld.proboards.com/thread/21967/guide-degu-dental-health please also see; deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17319/important-recent-research-dental-health
• Does their poo and urine look normal?
The smell, colour, texture and size of their pee’s and poo’s are an excellent indication of the health of your degu. Check for any changes to their bodily functions regularly. Their pee should be straw coloured and should not have a strong odour, while their poo should be big, fat, and brown, and dry, again with no strong odour.
• Have they suddenly lost a lot of weight?
Degu weights will fluctuate during the course of the year and can change on a daily basis. A drop or increase of between 1-5g is normal, but sudden changes should be investigated by a vet.
• Is your degus fur fluffed up?
If your degu looks fluffed up and puffy it can be an indication that they are not well.
• Is your degus breathing rapid, noisy or laboured? Are they wheezing? Are they coughing?
Noisy, rapid or laboured breathing and/or a persistent cough can be a sign of many things from tooth problems to serious chest/respiratory infections. To check for noisy breathing, hold your degu up to your ear to listen to their lungs, this is sometimes referred to as the ‘degu telephone.’ Further information can be found here; deguworld.proboards.com/thread/3349/coughing-degu
• Lumps.
This should go without saying but the appearance of a lump anywhere should be checked out without delay. Should your degu have a lump it is vital that it is monitored for any changes in size, shape, colour or texture. Your vet will want to take a biopsy from the lump to determine if it is cancerous or benign.
• Fitting/Seizing.
There are various causes of fits/seizures and all require an IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY VETERINARY CONSULTATION. Try to place the degu in a safe environment, somewhere which has padding, and on one level so that they cannot injure themselves. The temperature should be kept constant; not to hot when fitting, nor too cool after a fit. When they have recovered sufficiently, a solution of glucose, dextrose or liquid honey can be applied to the inside of the mouth or on the lips using a cotton bud. When they have sufficiently recovered then water and food can be offered.
If any of these are present, then it is vital that you consult your vet without delay. Make a note of anything that is unusual behaviour for your degu. The more information you can give your vet, the better, don’t be afraid to mention something which you feel may be insignificant, it could be more important than you realise.
Think about what your degu was doing just before the illness or injury, were they in their cage, their playpen or free running? Was another degu or pet present? Is there anything they could have chewed, swallowed or come into contact with which is harmful? Could they have fallen from a height or got trapped somewhere?
Should your degu unfortunately become ill or injured, it is important that you try to keep both yourself and your degus as calm as possible. Not as easy as it sounds I know, but a panicking hooman slave can really unnerve an already anxious degu.
Some hooman degu slaves find it easier to keep a supply of items to hand, just in case they are needed, a sort of degu first aid kit. The items to have in your degu first aid kit could include;
• Cotton buds for cleaning wounds etc.
• Corn flour (corn starch). This is very good to stop bleeding in minor wounds.
• Snugglesafe/heatpad to keep your degu warm and also to encourage them to rest following and injury.
• Sterile syringes – various sizes. These are used for meds and also for feeding liquid foods such as specially prepared mixes or water if your degu is unable to drink by themselves and recovery/critical care to encourage your degu to eat should they be unable to or off their food.
• Recovery / Critical care food.
• F10.
• Powdered glucose or dextrose.
• Olbas oil. This can be used if steam inhalation is required.
• Infacol (Ovol Drops.) These can be used to relieve bloating in degus.
• Petroleum Jelly/Vaseline (KY Jelly.) OK this is a bit gross, but sometimes male degus can suffer from a prolapsed penis (where the penis just won’t go back into its hiding place.) If this happens, you need to give it a helping hand, – that’s where the jelly comes in – the area has to be slightly lubricated to enable the penis to retract. Luckily, this doesn’t happen very often. Canaural, a lotion for cleaning dog ears, can sometimes be used for penile prolapse as well. It has anti-inflammatory properties that also help to soothe an "unhappy, sore, irritated penis" which can help it to stay in better, but please check with your vet prior to using Canaural.
• Suitable travel case for journeys to and from the vet. This should be big enough to safely contain a snugglesafe/heatpad, be roomy enough for your degu to move around in, or hide should they wish, but also be as escape proof as possible.
• Somewhere to isolate the recovering degu if necessary. This could be a spare cage which can be used as a hospital cage or something to block off a level of the main cage.
• Puppy training pads. These are great to use in a travel case or hospital cage as you can monitor urine and poo without having to search through substrate. Substrate can also get into wounds and cause infection.
Some minor injuries can be treated at home prior to consulting a vet. Minor cuts should be bathed in cooled boiled salt water or diluted F10 using cotton buds. This will help you to see how deep the wound is, if it looks like it’s infected and also how big the wound is. Sometimes small injuries look bigger when they are bleeding.
Should your degu have an open wound, remember to remove their sand bath as sand can become embedded in the wound, leading to infection.
Laboured breathing or wheezing can sometimes be eased by sitting with your degu in a steamy atmosphere, such as a bathroom with the hot water running. Please ensure that your degu is safely contained within the room and unable to escape. You do not need to stay in there for a long time, a few minutes each day will help.
Common degu injuries.
Losing toes.
Degus can very often lose a toe or two and when they do, they bleed. A LOT! Corn flour can be used to help the blood to clot, but as with the red flags above, make sure that the wound is not hot to the touch as this would indicate an infection.
Tail degloving.
This is a very gruesome looking injury! There is a lot of blood involved and usually a small piece of bone protruding from the end of the shortened tail. Degus are very good at taking care of this injury on their own in the long term, but again the injury should be bathed, checked and if necessary dipped in corn flour to stop any bleeding. A particularly messy degloving may require veterinary attention.
Sometimes if there is an infection or an injury, more than just the visible degloving of the tail, or even if the degu fails to take care of the injury, then the tail can begin to die back. This die back can continue up the tail and spine, leading to serious complications. Indications of this include the skin tissue beginning to have a strange discolouration to it, as well as an abnormal texture that can be seen, there also will be a foul odour emanating from the injury site. Until the diseased tissue is successfully removed by surgery, the die back of the tail will continue to progress up the spinal column, and if left unresolved will result in the death of the degu.
The degu may chew at it, but because it is a degu, it might also completely ignore it. If it has companions, a cage mate may even take to chewing on the sickly tail if it is dying or diseased. This means that both the degu with the degloving and their friend will both have the infection going into their systems. This is a serious thing and needs to be seen by your vet as soon as possible.
After care following surgery.
Degus will almost never do what you expect them to do and they are masters of manipulation.
Following anaesthetic some will be up and running within a couple of hours, where others will need more time to recover and some will milk it for all the attention that they can get.
It is important that you confine your degu to one level of the cage only; this will help prevent further injury. Remove the sand bath and the wheel together with any ramps. It can be helpful to confine them to a level which is easy for you to interact with your degu so that you can easily give meds, check on progress etc.
It is sometimes necessary to remove a sick or injured degu from their cage mates. In this case you need to place the hospital cage as near to the others as possible to allow for interaction through the bars. Your degus should be able to see each other and talk to each other, but not be able to reach each other. This will help when reintroducing the patient back to their cage mates. The hospital cage should be one level only, no ledges or ramps, and no loose substrate if they have an open wound.
They should be provided with a snugglesafe or heatpad to encourage them to rest and also to help maintain body temperature. The water bottle should be placed at an easy height for them to reach and food offered where they are resting. The golden rule is everything they need should be within paw reach.
Place a small pile of bedding near them that they can either hide in or pull closer should they need it, but be careful not to overheat your degu.
To encourage them to eat, it’s a good idea to offer their favourite treats etc.; these can be liquidised if necessary and fed through a syringe.
The most important thing to remember though is that if you are in any doubt about the health of your degu, CONSULT YOUR VET.
If you wish to discuss any ailment or injury could you please start a new thread so that taylored advice can be offered.
Owning pets is a big responsibility and degus are a bigger responsibility than most!
They are masters at finding new ways to get into trouble and sometimes this can lead to illness or injury. No one likes to see their pet suffering so it’s important to know what to look for and what you can do before, during and after you consult your vet.
If you do not have a vet, we have compiled a list of forum member recommended vets here; deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15521/vet-guide
There are several indicators that all is not well with your degu, these indicators (red flags) can come on suddenly or over the course of a day or two. Below is a list of the main RED FLAGS to look out for, RED FLAGS require IMMEDIATE VETERINARY ATTENTION;
• Persistent and / or heavy bleeding.
It can be hard to see some injuries as degus have very thick fur. Should you spot blood in your cage and its not obvious where it’s come from, check each degu carefully for injuries by brushing their fur forwards so you can see the skin beneath.
• Does the area feel hot?
An area of increased heat can be an indication of an infection.
• Does the area feel cold?
An area which feels colder than normal, particularly paws, could be an indication of reduced blood flow to the area. Reduced blood flow can lead to the loss of the limb.
• Is the wound deep?
Deep wounds may not heal without either being stitched or glued by a qualified vet.
• Does the area look red or angry?
Again this could be the sign of an infection.
• Is there any misalignment of joints in the area?
Degus are excellent runners; unfortunately no one has told them they are not great climbers! A bad landing can easily lead to a dislocated joint or broken bone. Misalignment can cause loss of circulation which can lead to the loss of the limb if veterinary attention is not immediately sourced.
• Is the degu moving easily or at all? Are they lethargic?
During cold or hot weather it is normal for degus to be less active than usual, however, they will still come out to eat, drink and have an explore of their cage – just to make sure no one has moved anything! But if your degu is unusually quiet, it is a sign that all is not well. It is important to remember that, as a prey animal, degus are masters at hiding less obvious injuries and illnesses until it overwhelms them. Lethargy is often an indication that either an injury or illness is either entering into, or is already in, the overwhelmed stage. Quick action is needed.
• Are they hiding or cowering or abnormally skittish?
Again this can be a sign that they are ill or injured. On going signs of fear or nervousness or hyper-alertness behaviour can be a sign of illness or pain.
• Are they eating and drinking normally? Is there any loss of appetite?
Degus need to eat almost constantly and their digestive system will stop working if they don’t. Once it has stopped it is difficult to get it started again and they will continue to get worse VERY quickly. If you suspect that your degu is not eating, try to tempt them with their favourite treat. Loss of appetite and lethargy usually go hand in hand in a sick or injured degu. We have some recipes here which you may want to try; deguworld.proboards.com/thread/6023/recipe-food-entice-sick-degu
• Is there any drooling or pawing at their mouth?
A wet chin can be a sign of dental problems, meaning that they cannot eat properly. Only an x-ray can identify issues with their tooth roots. A good vet will and should perform a full examination of the degus mouth using an otoscope, with sedation if necessary. This is the only way to check for over grown molars. If a dental problem has been identified, further information can be found here; deguworld.proboards.com/thread/21967/guide-degu-dental-health please also see; deguworld.proboards.com/thread/17319/important-recent-research-dental-health
• Does their poo and urine look normal?
The smell, colour, texture and size of their pee’s and poo’s are an excellent indication of the health of your degu. Check for any changes to their bodily functions regularly. Their pee should be straw coloured and should not have a strong odour, while their poo should be big, fat, and brown, and dry, again with no strong odour.
• Have they suddenly lost a lot of weight?
Degu weights will fluctuate during the course of the year and can change on a daily basis. A drop or increase of between 1-5g is normal, but sudden changes should be investigated by a vet.
• Is your degus fur fluffed up?
If your degu looks fluffed up and puffy it can be an indication that they are not well.
• Is your degus breathing rapid, noisy or laboured? Are they wheezing? Are they coughing?
Noisy, rapid or laboured breathing and/or a persistent cough can be a sign of many things from tooth problems to serious chest/respiratory infections. To check for noisy breathing, hold your degu up to your ear to listen to their lungs, this is sometimes referred to as the ‘degu telephone.’ Further information can be found here; deguworld.proboards.com/thread/3349/coughing-degu
• Lumps.
This should go without saying but the appearance of a lump anywhere should be checked out without delay. Should your degu have a lump it is vital that it is monitored for any changes in size, shape, colour or texture. Your vet will want to take a biopsy from the lump to determine if it is cancerous or benign.
• Fitting/Seizing.
There are various causes of fits/seizures and all require an IMMEDIATE EMERGENCY VETERINARY CONSULTATION. Try to place the degu in a safe environment, somewhere which has padding, and on one level so that they cannot injure themselves. The temperature should be kept constant; not to hot when fitting, nor too cool after a fit. When they have recovered sufficiently, a solution of glucose, dextrose or liquid honey can be applied to the inside of the mouth or on the lips using a cotton bud. When they have sufficiently recovered then water and food can be offered.
If any of these are present, then it is vital that you consult your vet without delay. Make a note of anything that is unusual behaviour for your degu. The more information you can give your vet, the better, don’t be afraid to mention something which you feel may be insignificant, it could be more important than you realise.
Think about what your degu was doing just before the illness or injury, were they in their cage, their playpen or free running? Was another degu or pet present? Is there anything they could have chewed, swallowed or come into contact with which is harmful? Could they have fallen from a height or got trapped somewhere?
Should your degu unfortunately become ill or injured, it is important that you try to keep both yourself and your degus as calm as possible. Not as easy as it sounds I know, but a panicking hooman slave can really unnerve an already anxious degu.
Some hooman degu slaves find it easier to keep a supply of items to hand, just in case they are needed, a sort of degu first aid kit. The items to have in your degu first aid kit could include;
• Cotton buds for cleaning wounds etc.
• Corn flour (corn starch). This is very good to stop bleeding in minor wounds.
• Snugglesafe/heatpad to keep your degu warm and also to encourage them to rest following and injury.
• Sterile syringes – various sizes. These are used for meds and also for feeding liquid foods such as specially prepared mixes or water if your degu is unable to drink by themselves and recovery/critical care to encourage your degu to eat should they be unable to or off their food.
• Recovery / Critical care food.
• F10.
• Powdered glucose or dextrose.
• Olbas oil. This can be used if steam inhalation is required.
• Infacol (Ovol Drops.) These can be used to relieve bloating in degus.
• Petroleum Jelly/Vaseline (KY Jelly.) OK this is a bit gross, but sometimes male degus can suffer from a prolapsed penis (where the penis just won’t go back into its hiding place.) If this happens, you need to give it a helping hand, – that’s where the jelly comes in – the area has to be slightly lubricated to enable the penis to retract. Luckily, this doesn’t happen very often. Canaural, a lotion for cleaning dog ears, can sometimes be used for penile prolapse as well. It has anti-inflammatory properties that also help to soothe an "unhappy, sore, irritated penis" which can help it to stay in better, but please check with your vet prior to using Canaural.
• Suitable travel case for journeys to and from the vet. This should be big enough to safely contain a snugglesafe/heatpad, be roomy enough for your degu to move around in, or hide should they wish, but also be as escape proof as possible.
• Somewhere to isolate the recovering degu if necessary. This could be a spare cage which can be used as a hospital cage or something to block off a level of the main cage.
• Puppy training pads. These are great to use in a travel case or hospital cage as you can monitor urine and poo without having to search through substrate. Substrate can also get into wounds and cause infection.
Some minor injuries can be treated at home prior to consulting a vet. Minor cuts should be bathed in cooled boiled salt water or diluted F10 using cotton buds. This will help you to see how deep the wound is, if it looks like it’s infected and also how big the wound is. Sometimes small injuries look bigger when they are bleeding.
Should your degu have an open wound, remember to remove their sand bath as sand can become embedded in the wound, leading to infection.
Laboured breathing or wheezing can sometimes be eased by sitting with your degu in a steamy atmosphere, such as a bathroom with the hot water running. Please ensure that your degu is safely contained within the room and unable to escape. You do not need to stay in there for a long time, a few minutes each day will help.
Common degu injuries.
Losing toes.
Degus can very often lose a toe or two and when they do, they bleed. A LOT! Corn flour can be used to help the blood to clot, but as with the red flags above, make sure that the wound is not hot to the touch as this would indicate an infection.
Tail degloving.
This is a very gruesome looking injury! There is a lot of blood involved and usually a small piece of bone protruding from the end of the shortened tail. Degus are very good at taking care of this injury on their own in the long term, but again the injury should be bathed, checked and if necessary dipped in corn flour to stop any bleeding. A particularly messy degloving may require veterinary attention.
Sometimes if there is an infection or an injury, more than just the visible degloving of the tail, or even if the degu fails to take care of the injury, then the tail can begin to die back. This die back can continue up the tail and spine, leading to serious complications. Indications of this include the skin tissue beginning to have a strange discolouration to it, as well as an abnormal texture that can be seen, there also will be a foul odour emanating from the injury site. Until the diseased tissue is successfully removed by surgery, the die back of the tail will continue to progress up the spinal column, and if left unresolved will result in the death of the degu.
The degu may chew at it, but because it is a degu, it might also completely ignore it. If it has companions, a cage mate may even take to chewing on the sickly tail if it is dying or diseased. This means that both the degu with the degloving and their friend will both have the infection going into their systems. This is a serious thing and needs to be seen by your vet as soon as possible.
After care following surgery.
Degus will almost never do what you expect them to do and they are masters of manipulation.
Following anaesthetic some will be up and running within a couple of hours, where others will need more time to recover and some will milk it for all the attention that they can get.
It is important that you confine your degu to one level of the cage only; this will help prevent further injury. Remove the sand bath and the wheel together with any ramps. It can be helpful to confine them to a level which is easy for you to interact with your degu so that you can easily give meds, check on progress etc.
It is sometimes necessary to remove a sick or injured degu from their cage mates. In this case you need to place the hospital cage as near to the others as possible to allow for interaction through the bars. Your degus should be able to see each other and talk to each other, but not be able to reach each other. This will help when reintroducing the patient back to their cage mates. The hospital cage should be one level only, no ledges or ramps, and no loose substrate if they have an open wound.
They should be provided with a snugglesafe or heatpad to encourage them to rest and also to help maintain body temperature. The water bottle should be placed at an easy height for them to reach and food offered where they are resting. The golden rule is everything they need should be within paw reach.
Place a small pile of bedding near them that they can either hide in or pull closer should they need it, but be careful not to overheat your degu.
To encourage them to eat, it’s a good idea to offer their favourite treats etc.; these can be liquidised if necessary and fed through a syringe.
The most important thing to remember though is that if you are in any doubt about the health of your degu, CONSULT YOUR VET.
If you wish to discuss any ailment or injury could you please start a new thread so that taylored advice can be offered.