Somethings very wrong with my degus legs

[kobalt]

I saw her fall from the second platform in her cage and after I went to check on her there were no clearly broken bones but she could not walk properly there are no exotic animal vets anywhere near me and all the normal ones I called said they don't treat degus and to just give her some vitamin c and leave her be or euthanize her so I just left her alone occasionally hand feeding and bringing her water to her nest
She eats fine though her poop became small and brittle and I'm not sure if she's drinking whenever she tries to walk she ends up crawling somewhat pushing forward with her legs but not standing if she tries to stand the legs wobble and she falls on her side i try not to handle her but she keeps crawling on my hand so I don't really have a choice in the matter
Is there anything else I can do?

[bouncy]

This sounds like a spinal injury to me. How long ago did this happen? Can your goo move any back limbs or tail, even if they can't bear weight?

There are two approaches to make. The first is to euthanise.

The second is more complicated.

First of all, you do need a vet. Whereabouts are you? We have people in lots of locations, and may be able to recommend someone. This is the only way to get an informed assessment. It's also the only way to get pain relief and antiinflammatories if the vet decides it's soft tissue damage rather than a broken bone. If it's soft tissue, you will need to restrict your goo's movements, so ensure there is food, water, and nest all in close proximity, and limit them to one level. You're also going to find a heat pad handy.

It sounds like they're not drinking, so you may have to bring the bottle to them, or offer water another way (syringe or pipette). Also monitor weight closely to make sure they're still eating enough.

First things first, though. You must find a vet!

[teemu]

Yes, definitely try to reach a vet that deals with exotics, and offer her water. Be careful not to spray water into her mouth, just put the bottle, syringe, or whatever up to her and make sure that she realizes that there is water there.

Does she move around in the cage at all, or does does she remain totally in one place when you are not interacting with her? If she moves at all, you'll want to make sure that it is as easy as possible for her to move around, and that there is no way for her to fall off anything.

While you should definitely be careful about her back end right now, I don't think you need to avoid being in contact with her. She is very scared and stressed right now since she is in pain and can't move well, so she will definitely not feel good being all alone. Try to spend time with her, even if you are careful about her legs. Is she the only degu in the cage?

[kobalt]

She fell three days ago, can somewhat move her back legs though I have not seen her moving her tail. I live in šiauliai, Lithuania. I could probably get her to any vet in the country just not immediately

I cant always be with her so I took out all the platforms and placed her food and water bottle next to her nest all of its on hay there should be no way for her to injure herself more, she's also alone in a separate cage.

Also immediately after she fell and I didn't know how bad it was I examined her legs and spine and felt no out of place bumps, during the whole process she neither bit nor struggled and she usually makes it very clear when she wants me to stop doing something so I'm unsure if it's painful or if she just can't move well (I don't have experience with serious injuries so that could be totally off)

[savvy]

I'm sorry to hear about his accident.

I found this in the vet guide, its a post for a vet recommendation in Lithuania, unfortunately I'm having trouble linking the post so I've just copied the thread. The original post is on page 5 of deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15521/vet-guide?page=5

"Seiki Lietuviai! / Hello, Lithuanians

If you live in Lithuania and can't find a vet that could help your degu. I can help. If you live in Vilnius, there is vet that we are going to for more then 7 years. So when I got my degus, we went to that same vet.
They neutered my boy. She never had bad surgery with any rodens.

valveta.business.site/?m=true&utm_source=local&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=skambu%C4%8Diai&utm_term=skambinti

It is near Mandarinas

Hope it helps ❤️❤️"

They may be able to help.

[bouncy]

You won't necessarily be able to feel a broken back. I've broken my neck before, and it took a while to work out!

It's not the best way to do it, but do you know anyone with pets who has had metacam before, and had some left?

[kobalt]

Thanks a lot for finding the vet I'll try to get her there as soon as possible

I'll ask around for the metacam too

[bouncy]

If you can, you can give 0.1ml dog strength, or 0.3ml cat strength every day. If you can get to the vet, they'll prescribe it for you. The medicine is Meloxicam, and Metacam is one of the brands. Metacam is popular with degus because it is honey flavoured

[teemu]

If her back legs move, then it's not total paralysis at least. But it could be a spinal injury that still makes functioning very hard, or there could be something broken, so for now managing the situation until she can be taken to the vet is the only thing to do. If you do get her Meloxicam, keep an eye on her behavior, as reduction in pain can sometimes encourage the animal to be more daring than they should be - essentially, make sure she won't get a second wind and try to climb somewhere or some such.

Have you been able to offer her water via syringe or the bottle, and does she seem intrested?

How old is your girl, by the way?

[bouncy]

Do you have any update?