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Post by hpdegus on Mar 12, 2024 17:13:08 GMT
Update on Q! They sedated him (injectable so that they could reverse quickly if needed) for an x-ray and a quick ultrasound. He did start having some issues with his right leg, that they noticed during the appointment. Unfortunately, he has previously undiagnosed arthritis.
-His teeth and roots look perfectly fine -Didn't see evidence of a nasal tumor -Heart is slightly enlarged, but not bad -Arthritis of hips and knees significant -Some spondylosis -Looks like pocket of air in chest, don't know if it's nothing, a hernia, or a bolo. Can't really do anything about it anyway. -Some gas in GI tract too (normal) -Something in abdomen is weirdly formed. Did an ultrasound and it doesn't look like a tumor.
Keep on gabapentin to see if we can control pain. Keep on pimobendan as well.
All in all, none of it really explains the drooling. But I guess that could be a pain response? The goal is to try to get the pain from his arthritis under control. Hopefully we can get him comfortable and he'll start eating more again.
The vet tech said he did really well during all of this, aside from a bit of a scare when he sneezed blood (thinking just from the stress). He was up and (trying) to run right after the woke him up. And he was begging for food as soon as they brought him back to me!
He looks pretty pathetic at the moment, but I'm hoping that's just drowsiness from the sedation. He's sprawled on his heat pad, which I'd think would help.
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 12, 2024 19:59:22 GMT
Sounds like they did thorough checks on him Good that his teeth and head are OK, good to get confirmation there is a heart issue worth the side effects of the meds. Bad that he has arthritis and spondylosis, but you have already started pain meds, so hopefully that will tell us something and also help. I think the other stuff you can more or less file away in the back of your mind. Really weird about there not being an obvious direct cause for the drooling. I suppose pain can do weird things and certainly put you off your food. I wonder if you might get any weight gain on gabapentin like humans sometimes/ often do. Is the tramadol short term? I hope recovers from the days events swiftly. Probably worth having a look over the cage to make it easier to get around when you get chance.
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 12, 2024 23:14:04 GMT
I think they did! I honestly really like my vets, totally worth the 3 hour round trip! Yeah, I'm really hoping the gabapentin helps with the arthritis pain. I know metacam would probably be better, but we're giving him at least a few weeks to recover before trying that again. I think the metacam is only an issue if he hasn't eaten enough. I don't know if I'll see weight gain, I didnt with either Mooney or Tom. Hoping for it though! And yes, I can't do anything about the other stuff, so it doesn't need to take up space in my mind at the moment It's so weird that he doesn't have teeth issues. I would have bet big on that being the main problem here! Vet was also very surprised by that. I only gave the tramadol 3 times. He was such a zombie on it, I'll probably try to keep that for emergencies. Vet seemed to agree, he needs to be able to be a degu, not just a blob zoned out. Thanks, hes mostly spent the day on the heat pad, but he has eaten some! Absolutely, that's on the agenda for tonight. I think I just need to lower one of the half levels to reduce one of the up ramp angles. As for the heart issues, I thought my vet was super professional about it all. I asked her to check him one more time and she heard the gallop again. When I mentioned that the ER specialist hadn't heard anything, all she said was that she probably had better luck since she'd heard his heartbeat before. On the other hand, the ER vet on Saturday kinda made a face, and said yeah, but our specialist didn't hear anything so.... He probably didn't mean it, but anxious and sleep deprived me felt like that was not nicest way to phrase things.
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 13, 2024 11:36:17 GMT
Any tips on burritoing/admin of meds to very stubborn degu?
Q very much is not interested in taking meds. It seems like he'll eat during the day, but morning and later evening are nos. Especially anything that's medicated.
He's been up and walking on the wheel this morning and physically looks OK (not floofy), but again, not at all interested in food.
I've given meds via syringe, but it's honestly hard to tell if he gets any in him, since he just lets it dribble down his chin.
I'm hoping this is just him needing time to get pain meds on board/get over the vet visit, but I'm worried we missed something. I don't think my mom (pet sitting for 9 days) will be able to syringe meds in him. I don't leave until the 31st, but I don't know what state he'll be in by then. So I don't know what to do.
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 13, 2024 23:59:54 GMT
Could it be an ear infection? I'm not seeing the signs I would usually see (ear scratching and head tilt), but I touched his ear a few times while burritoing and he shook his head every time.
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Post by bouncy on Mar 14, 2024 4:14:47 GMT
This is all really curious! Not sure what else to suggest, unless it's just a general infection or illness?
I find the key to burritoing is making sure the front paws are secured. Having said that, Spidey never needed burritos. He was such a grumpy git, he knew you were picking him up for a reason, gave a filthy look saying "yes, I know you're doing something for my own good, so get on with it". He'd let you give meds/eye ointment etc, wait for his sunflower seed, snatch it from your fingers, THEN demand to be put back.
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 14, 2024 9:56:21 GMT
Yeah, it's really weird! I've got a note in with my vet, asking if she thinks it could be an infection. Last night he picked up rice puffs/other treats, kinda sort made an attempt at a first bite and then dropped them. He would do this on several treats in a row. His poop is also super thin and kinda tiny at the moment too. If this isn't teeth issues, I really don't know what's happening. Awwww, Spidey! Such an adorable grump I tried a bit of syringe feeding last night (went poorly), but it seems like if I secure both his front paws below the towel, it's easier for him to slip down and chew on the towel rather than taking the syringe.
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 14, 2024 10:15:31 GMT
Did you try touching the other ear?
I think ear infection is a possible explanation.
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 14, 2024 10:23:54 GMT
I'll try when I give meds this morning. EDIT: Yes, he does shake his head after me touching both ears. The other part of his right ear is also kind of red. The right ear is also folded down more, which I generally see when something is touching the ear or when they have ear pain. I'll also ask the vet if this could be a side effect of the pimobendan somehow. Its been well tolerated in the pups, but who knows. Edit: he has been hold his right ear more pinned back than normal for some time. I thought it was maybe pain? But maybe it could be from an ear infection? Yesterday morning/evening: hiding in his tube tunnel and hard to shift. Did not want to eat anything, not even baby oatmeal. This morning: immediately jumped when I nudged him the first time (second time was more stubborn). Currently eating baby oatmeal Potential differences: 1) gave tramadol last night, I hadn't given that since Sunday evening. 2) time since sedation/vet visit. 3) time since last metacam dose. 4) something I'm missing. He didn't seem to be interested in food at the moment. But it looks like he ate some of the rice puffs I scattered around last night.
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 15, 2024 0:13:00 GMT
Q was eating forage when I came home from work He ran(ish) on the wheel quite a bit and ate some baby oatmeal too. He still won't eat medicated food, but I've given him his first dose of antibiotics. Vet said he could very well have an infection. And, honestly, at this point, it seems worth it to try antibiotics. He shook his head a ton when the burrito towel touched his ears. I'll gave tramadol tonight since I'm not sure what caused him to perk up today. I dont know if I should cut either that or the gabapentin tomorrow though. That's a lot of meds, especially once with potential GI side effects. And since his poop is still so thin, I'm definitely worried about GI side effects. Not sure if the thin poop is from that, or whatever is causing his illness/issues. Even if none of this ends up working, I'm glad he's had a good day and doesn't look miserable!
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Post by bouncy on Mar 15, 2024 3:44:18 GMT
The poo could also indicate dehydration?
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 15, 2024 10:13:06 GMT
True! He peed in the play area several times last night and they didn't seem too yellow, but hopefully the thin poop is just some dehydration + getting over the metacam side effects.
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 15, 2024 23:09:13 GMT
I'm trying not to look over there too frequently, but it looks like Q is sitting at his food bowl eating pellets Edit: just weighed him, he's up 3g! Which I know isn't a lot, but it's something!
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Post by bouncy on Mar 16, 2024 0:46:26 GMT
If a tree falls in the forest, and there's no one to hear it, does it make a sound? Does a degu do what they're supposed to if there's no one to see it!
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 16, 2024 0:51:05 GMT
Hah! I like to think that they're perfect angels while I'm gone. They get all the niceness out of their system so they can be naughty once I'm back haha!
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Post by bouncy on Mar 16, 2024 16:58:00 GMT
I have no such delusions!
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 18, 2024 0:05:59 GMT
Well, the weight gain didn't last long! Unfortunately, I think the antibiotics are causing him some stomach upset again. But he's been much more active in the play area, the last two days! Plus, he's back to running on the wheel and sleeping in his nest, not just the hidey tunnel.
I'm still having to syringe meds into him. I ran out of the herb crocks and he's definitely still very, very picky about treats. I tried the apple crocks but that was a no go. So was hiding them in baby oatmeal, which is the only consistent thing he'll eat at the moment.
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 18, 2024 11:01:21 GMT
Well done gettings the meds into him, I hope he's turning the corner if you are seeing more activity.
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Post by bouncy on Mar 18, 2024 22:32:26 GMT
Go for it Q!
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 18, 2024 23:56:40 GMT
Hoping Q feels the encouragement! He's holding steady around 179g. Which is such a huge drop from his 230g in early December. Still active today, which is good. His eyes are also bright and completely open. I do think he's been less fluffy over the past few days and he's not holding his right ear as folded down. However, still really picky about food and not eating much at all. So I have no idea if the antibiotics will really solve the problem or cause another issue, but he seems to be feeling a bit better at least
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