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Post by deguconvert on Apr 1, 2022 16:40:25 GMT
CELEBRATING!!! That is such AWESOME news, Bouncy! I'm SO happy and thankful for this news!
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Post by savvy on Apr 1, 2022 16:53:16 GMT
When I read it had gone black I thought oh no! Then I read it has gone pink and I thought yes!
On the downside, he's going to be harder to catch for meds, lol.
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Post by moletteuk on Apr 1, 2022 18:02:04 GMT
Crikey, I don't like the sound of the foot turning black, I'm glad it improved quickly after that. Is it the doxycyline that has turned it around or hasn't he been on that long enough for it to be that? So must be the sulfatrim?
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Post by bouncy on Apr 1, 2022 18:21:02 GMT
I'm hoping it was just some dead tissue! He's had two lots of debriding, it was just the battle to stop it from turning into septicemia. I was worried that the lack of movement more recently would mean the foot was dying. He initially developed a skating action with the leg, but he then switched to just dragging it behind. As long as he forgives the burritoing!
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Post by savvy on Apr 2, 2022 9:50:55 GMT
Could it have been bruising?
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Post by deguconvert on Apr 2, 2022 23:36:24 GMT
That's an interesting thought, Savvy! I wonder if that might be at least part of it?
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Post by bouncy on Apr 3, 2022 1:49:10 GMT
I'll see if I can get a picture tomorrow.
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Post by teemu on Apr 3, 2022 9:36:16 GMT
Oh, this sounds like quite an unpleasant case of bumblefoot! That's a catch-all term for a number of different animal foot infections caused by various different types of bacteria. Staph is a common one. Usually, it happens due to the animal getting a small wound, cut, ulcer or whatever in the foot, and then walking over dirty surfaces with it so that bacteria get in. The nasty thing is that it's almost impossible to really predict, since the original cut can be very small and not bother the animal at all - there just needs to be broken skin so that the bacteria gets in. It seems to be a lot more common in other rodents, like rats and guinea pigs. Degus have pretty tough feet (probably because of how they've developed into climbing animals in rocky environments, you need tough soles for that), so this probably isn't as common with them, but there's clearly no reason it can't happen. My experience is that they can be really stubborn (I had a rat that never really got over it totally, and would periodically start trailing blood everywhere) and hard to treat due to how the area gets stressed all the time from just walking, so it's definitely great news that Spud's getting over it. About the sudden turn to black, and then normal again, that sounds like it could have been blood pooling into the foot, similar to a bruise (well, not exactly the same, since it's more about a lot of blood packing into the area instead of blood vessels bursting, but still). There's been a lot going on in the area, so it would not be too strange to get some non-infectious swelling, which can be caused by blood. Since it went away so quickly, it clearly wasn't septic in nature at least, which is the main thing
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Post by bouncy on Apr 3, 2022 10:51:47 GMT
Oh, it's definitely not bumblefoot. There's a specific wound that's caused all this, probably caused by a boxing stint outside of the cage.
The foot was still hot this morning, so there's still infection in there.
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Post by teemu on Apr 3, 2022 21:19:34 GMT
Ah, I see. I was under the impression something like that qualifies as bumblefoot too, but I guess I was mistaken. In any case, it sounds like things are looking better for him, as long as the infection doesn't start worsening again.
One thing that a vet recommended me for situations in which an animal has a difficult wound low to the ground (in the belly or in a limb etc) that needs to be kept as clean as possible was replacing bedding temporarily with newspapers, or something similar, so that they can easily be swapped for clean ones as needed and the wound won't come into contact with any bodily waste. I don't know if that would help here, though.
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Post by bouncy on Apr 3, 2022 23:24:20 GMT
They've been on parcel paper since it happened, which is severely frustrating Sausage and his treat storage tactics lol
Bumblefoot is a progressive injury caused by walking on inappropriate surfaces. The surface creates a sore spot and, if they continue to have to walk on the surface, it compounds the issue because it builds a sore on a sore on a sore. It's like a human damaging a foot walking on stones, creating blisters, cuts, and sores, and continuing to do so without letting it heal.
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Post by bouncy on Apr 14, 2022 15:04:49 GMT
Update - Spud now has white toes, but the actual foot is still black. I think the fur will grow back to look normal. He's still taking both antibiotics (he really does hate me right now), and has absolutely no problems getting around. He still uses his skating action on the back leg, but is getting faster and faster!
Slight complication developed today - the ice skating action with the smooth surfaces of paper in the cage, as well as the normal kitchen floor tiles during free-range, have created a sore on his heel. It finally started bleeding today. He didn't mind me cleaning it, stopping the bleeding after a while (a little bleeding always helps clean the wound). Because of this, I've put some Germolene Skin over the wound to protect it and help with healing, and they're going to get their woodshavings back!
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Post by savvy on Apr 16, 2022 13:48:44 GMT
Poor Spud. I can't work out if the white toes is good or bad, the sore on his heel isn't and I keep imagining him zooming around on roller skates to save his poorly paw from friction.
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Post by bouncy on Apr 17, 2022 0:43:14 GMT
I'd love to put him on skates until he's healed! I'd have to put some automatic brakes on them (like shopping trollies) for areas where he has to jump or climb.
He was very relieved not to be burritoed and drugged today (the heat has left his leg), but still expected his treats.
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Post by bouncy on Apr 20, 2022 10:40:23 GMT
Hooray! Last night, Spud's foot finally stopped being black! He's also now not skating as widely with it, trying to bring it underneath to run normally This will stop his sore spot on his heel, caused by the skating. This has taken almost two months, a lot of vets bills, a stroppy goo, and he's still got some time to go before he'll be able to use the leg fully, but he's definitely turned the corner! village.photos/images/user/69083821-90a2-4a21-a972-2069f5119619/df61c64c-dc07-44fc-80aa-6d32264d6909.jpgTop left - the original club foot and one of the wounds Bottom left - black foot. Will he lose it? Top right - the added complications caused by skating everywhere Bottom right - yesterday!!
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Post by moletteuk on Apr 20, 2022 18:32:43 GMT
Woohoo! It looks a lot better, I hope that's him on the final stretch now
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Post by deguconvert on Apr 21, 2022 2:45:01 GMT
WOW!! WHAT A TRIAL!! That black foot . . . UGH! I'm thrilled to see a food that looks so much more normal . . . CELEBRATING!!!
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Post by bouncy on May 19, 2022 18:03:01 GMT
Well, I'm going to Cyprus again on Tuesday so, of course, the goos have to make their dislike known!
Spud's toes on THE back leg looked a little swollen on Tuesday night. Wednesday, I got a better look and found there's an issue with the secondary wound that appeared on the inside of his heel that was caused by his funny gait. Up until then, he was almost back to normal. Now, he's doing his clumsy skating thing again. The earliest appointment I could get was John's emergency appointment tomorrow evening! Agreed with the vet, though, that I'd give ABs again as of yesterday......
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Post by savvy on May 19, 2022 18:22:33 GMT
Oh Spud!
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Post by deguconvert on May 19, 2022 18:34:57 GMT
OH NO!!
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