Inflamed Ear

[19Uhr30]

It seems 2012 is not a good year for my degus. Just two months after Loki's death, I am worrying about Kruemel.
Yesterday I looked after her in the morning and she had a lot of trouble keeping balance. She could barely walk a few steps without falling on the side. I thought she might have had a stroke, but since Loki showed neurological deficits shortly before she died I was also worried, that there might be some contagious disease.
Well... At least it is none of those possibilities. The vet found an inflammation in her right ear. The ear canal is swollen and there is some pus in it. We just hope that the brain is not affected by this as well. So she is being treated with cortisone and antibiotics.

After returning from the vet I made this video of her...


Needless to say that I have removed the stairs after that. So at the moment she cannot leave the bottom level. Lieselotte and Wanda are able to get up using the cage grid. It is just safer for Kruemel to stay where she can't fall down at the moment.
I have also put the food bowl downstairs. She wants to eat but she can't simply because she would need her paws for that. But she can barely stand on four feet at the moment. She eats a good ammount of pap from a spoon though.
I am under the impression that she is doing a little bit better this evening. Although I can only judge that from the short distance she walks back into her box after feeding or giving her medication. She stays inside there to rest pretty much all day.

I just hope that she will be okay. I doubt she will make a full recovery. After all she is almost 7 years old. I would really miss the old lady around here. I have known her for almost her entire life...

[NightwishRaven999]

Benjamin, I am so sad to hear this.

I was so saddened when I learned of Rufus' passing and Fetti too. I have been watching Kruemel in your videos and photo albums for many years and although I do not know her like you do, I feel an attachment to her and your two degus that passed away some time ago. I have known them longer than I have owned my own degus.

I am wishing Kruemel a few more years of life and a quick recovery. Please keep us aware of her situation.
Hopefully Lieselotte and Wanda will take care of her.

Your friend

[deguconvert]

If I may address you as Benjamin, please let me say I am sorry for this change in health for Kruemel. It broke my heart to watch her shaking and stumbling as she does her best to walk. The poor sweet little lady. I will be hoping for her best possible recovery!! As Josh asks, please do keep us informed as to how she is doing. She certainly has a wonderful owner in you, and one that is well able to give her the best of care. I'll be hoping and praying with you.

[Ady]

I hope she will bounce back soon. It must be hard for you to watch her like this. Poor little sweetie.

[NightwishRaven999]

How is Kruemel today ?

[19Uhr30]

Thank you all for the sympathies with Kruemel and me. That really helps.
I guess I was a bit pessimistic because of how helpless she suddenly seemed to be.
As you can see here she is already doing better.


So now I can focus on thinking more about modifying the cage for a disabled degu (depending on how much she recovers) than about having her euthanized. She is showing a lot of will to carry on as good as she can. So it is my job to help her doing that.

I am having another appointment at the vet this afternoon to check her again and I am thinking about bringing back an old tradition: Going to the vet with the whole group...
I had to stop doing that when I had 5 degus. And so Lieselotte and Wanda have never been there before. They can get to know the place in case they have to be there in the future and give a little company to Kruemel.

[deguconvert]

Sounds like a great idea to take them all. I'm sure Kruemel will be glad to have the company. I am so glad that she is showing improvement!! That is a relief. I hope she will continue to get stronger and better!!

[luna1]

Hello,

I have recently had a Degu who had to have very drastic ear canal removal surgery due to a nasty ear infection. He had the operstion on the 1 Feb and he is still, slowly recovering.

He was on antibiotics for 6 weeks before the surgery, this was something we didn't want to do but the infection was too deep in his ear. The ear that was affected was ripped a couple of years before due to a fight with his Brother, so this is how hay or something similar got into his ear and set up infection.

He has a head tilt now and does display circling behaviour, but at one stage, we thought that his life was not viable.

He has improved greatly and continues to do so. Kruemel looks like she is improving, my Degu is 3, so younger than Kruemel, but it is amazing how resilient they can be and can make up for balance issues once they get used to it. I also had to consider euthenasia at one stage because of how bad he appeared. We have adjusted his cage so that he cannot fall and there are no big jumps - he now jumps in a curve, his coordination is very bad - but he is enjoying his life and that is what made my decision to keep going with him!

There won't actually be neurological issues, rather the messages sent to the brain will be diffferent and this will present itself as neurological. I have a very good, experienced exotics Vet who has explained every symptom and I saw the infection in my Degus ear through endoscope, which at the time we thought was Cancer because of the growth, shape and colour.

Good luck with Kruemel

[19Uhr30]

Kruemel had her last planned ear check at the vet today. It does not seem to be inflamed anymore.
In the last days I have also reduced her pap rations. She can keep her weight with normal food.

But the vestibular system of her right ear seems to be permanently damaged. She has a head tilt and can't really keep her balance on a slope. She can move up and doen a ramp, but if the difference in height is sidewards to her, she drops to the right. That also happens, when I hold her in my hand and she tries to move, which really annoys her and she starts biting.
She can move in a straight line pretty well, if she knows where she wants to go. But if she is just strolls around she circles to the right. And she stumbles if she has to run (e.g. after a warning call).

Tomorrow I will get some material for ramps and banisters. So I think that she will have access to the upper levels on the weekend again.

[yasmin]

Question: Is there any way to tell that a degu has an ear infection before it get to the head tilt, lost balance stage? (ie; does the ear canal turn purplish? Is there pus? Is there redness on the ear? etc.)

[19Uhr30]

I generally have a close eye on my degus and did not realise anything. The inflammation and pus were only inside the ear. You could only see it with an otoscope.
It is like any other sickness. The degu will not show it is sick until it feels really bad.

[yasmin]

Thanks 19Uhr30.

A few of my degus are experiencing deteriorating ears which my vet thinks is vasculitis. I'm very worried about them so I'm desperate to find out all I can about ear issues.

It freaks me out how they don't show their sickness until its really bad. You got Kruemel to the vet just in time. And it's inspiring to hear how you are modifying her surroundings so that she can adapt more easily to her condition. Best wishes to Kruemel.

[deguconvert]

I second what Yasmin has said, what you are doing in your cage is inspiring and I hope it will make things so much easier and happier for Kruemel!! I'm glad there is no further infection in her ear . . . I hope that time is all that is needed now to complete the healing and restore her balance.