Very rapid deterioration

[creggle]

I don't think Blinder is going to make it thru the night. About 2 days ago I noticed he was losing a ton of weight suddenly and seemed to have some mobility troubles with his back legs. His spine feels crooked and dull but pointy like a blunt saw (sorry, it's the only way I can think of describing it) and there are several lumps on his body. There is a really bad one under his left arm where his ribs are that is pointy and protruding but he doesn't mind it being felt. He has been eating and drinking much more than normal, and I have been hand feeding him sunflower seeds and rolled oats alongside his hay and pellets and he has had no problems wolfing it down. I even put his treat tray in his cage to get some more calories in him, the chinchilla trail mix, and he up until tonight spent several hours in it eating. Despite all of this he's lost even more weight and has no fat on any of his body at all. Even his arms and head are very bony with what feels like nothing under the skin. In the span of a few days he has lost far more weight than his brother did in 3 weeks with overgrown molar roots.

I cannot for the life of me understand what has happened. He is 6.7 years old and has been happily flying solo since his brother passed away 16 months ago. The only thing that has happened out of the ordinary is that he degloved his tail a few weeks ago while I was out. I don't know if that is relevant. 

My Dad came around to see him today and think's it is cancer as he has had a lot of Gerbils die this way and that was the cause.

Can Degu get cancer, and is it like this?

I need to stress again that he has gone from a 250 gram Degu to less than 130 almost overnight.

His urine also smells awful and he has very smelly diarrhoea, is generally lethargic and extreme wobbly. Completely unresponsive to anything I do except touch him, and he doesn't like that at the minute  

[savvy]

I am really very sorry to read this.

I'm afraid I agree with your father, it does sound like he has multiple tumours and degus, like all rodents, are susceptible to cancers.

The only thing you can really do at this point is either get him to a vet who can ease his passing or make him as comfortable as possible at home.

Again, I am so very, very sorry and I really wish I had better news.

[moletteuk]

They can lose weight frighteningly quickly with serious illness, I've seen 20g a day lost in not such serious circumstances.
Tumours are increasingly common and there isn't usually much to be done for multiple tumours, so the best you can do at this point is ease his passing. I'm sorry.

[creggle]

Yeah he just passed in my bed glad that he didn't suffer long. Snow closed the local vets and I was worried he would suffer over the weekend.

[savvy]

I'm glad his passing was mercifully quick, but I am sorry for your loss.

Rest in peace little on, run free over the rainbow bridge.

[creggle]

Thanks, I'm glad he really took to being by himself well after his brother. I'm upset but not nearly as stressed as I was back then as I had no idea how Blinder would be by himself. If I now had a lone rescue mourning his cage mate too, I'd be in pieces lol.

How did he pass so fast though, If I told week-younger me I was going to lose him today, I would never have believed it.

I thought he would live forever too, he was so SO energetic and squeaky.

How much did he suffer, do you think? He died less than 36 hours after last stuffing himself on food, but towards the end he only had a little bit of wet rolled oats and some syringed water.

[moletteuk]

I'm very sorry for your loss, Creggle. Rest well Blinder.

I could only guess that the tumours left him vulnerable to something else, or perhaps one of his organs reached a tipping point and suddenly wasn't functioning well enough and then his whole system got in a rapid downward spiral. I truly think a very rapid decline like this is one of the better ways to go. The speed makes it harder for you to take in though, give youself some time and space to process what has happened.

[creggle]

Thanks. Definitely a nicer way to go than ingrown roots like his lil' bro had, he was wasting away for weeks the speed is just shocking though.

His little coffin has been built and he is in it but I can't really bring myself to nail it shut lol.

[moletteuk]

Wishing you strength, Creggle.

If you have him somewhere safe, or don't mind having him in tupperware in the fridge, there isn't really any rush, we've usually waited a week or so to feel ready to bury our degus.

[bouncy]

If mine pass when I'm away, my sitters will pop them in a plastic bag and into the freezer. When I get back, I can say goodbye and take them to the crematorium.

[deguconvert]

I'm so sorry for your loss, Creggle! So very heartbreaking! RIP Blinders!