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Post by hpdegus on Jan 14, 2023 0:11:35 GMT
Pickett was making me nervous about a week ago. He just wanted to cuddle during playtime and didn't seem to be as active in general. But I also noticed that his right eye (the cloudy one) was squinty. I have some eye drops from the vet and decided to see if they helped. And he seems to be doing much better! Eye is no longer squinty, he's much more active
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 14, 2023 19:28:51 GMT
Well done, Hpdegus!! I'm so glad he is doing so much better, so quickly!
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Post by hpdegus on Jan 26, 2023 0:21:32 GMT
Just noticed a cataract in Newt's right eye. It's still fairly faint and this is the first time I've seen it. Same eye as Picketts. Anyone know if heart issues are linked to cataracts?
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Post by moletteuk on Jan 26, 2023 10:17:35 GMT
Not that I know of.
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Post by deguconvert on Jan 27, 2023 6:49:44 GMT
I don't know of any relation either. I have Googled it, and apparently there are studies being done about cataracts and heart disease, but most of them seem to center around an increased rate of cardiac morbidity following cataract removal if cardiovascular disease is already present in the patient. As of yet, while they suspect that there may be connections between the two conditions, they are unable to determine what it may be.
Now, how it may be for degus . . . I don't know. I think you should ask your vet, so as to get the best possible answer you can get, but from the small amount I've read, at the moment it is really a huge unknown. Don't let yourself worry, love. I know . . . easier said than done.
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Post by savvy on Jan 29, 2023 11:24:36 GMT
The only thing I can add to this is that Reggie had a cataract in one eye, BUT she not only had a heart problem we (me and the vets) knew nothing about, also her tests for diabetes, were very confusing. When I diastix her urine there was always a small brown fleck, but no more than a very small fleck surrounded by a clear negative test.
I'm not sure the three are related.
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Post by hpdegus on Jan 31, 2023 23:53:19 GMT
I saw that too, DC! It honestly wouldn't surprise me if they're connected, what with all we're still learning about the human body (gut microbiome and mental health link is so interesting!).
I'll definitely ask, unfortunately haven't gotten the chance to yet. I'll keep you all posted on whether she has ideas! And absolutely working on the not being anxious about it thing, haha.
I didn't know that about Reggie! I might have to give the diastix a go, see if I see anything similar.
I did see that Newt has a faint cataract in his left eye too. Unsure how long it's been there, it's less developed than the right.
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Post by deguconvert on Feb 1, 2023 3:02:20 GMT
There is so much illness, mentally and physically, that is related to gut health! It is a very interesting topic!
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Post by hpdegus on Feb 3, 2023 23:54:38 GMT
It really is! I need to be better on keeping up with the research, it advances so quickly.
Well, left and right eye cataracts are about the same shade now. They matured quickly. They aren't bright white unless I shine a light directly on his eye, so I believe he still has at least a little bit of vision.
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 18, 2023 23:51:21 GMT
Newt had been running a ton the past few days. He's also lost a bit of weight. I'm hoping it's due to the change in the weather (much warmer the past few days) or the daylight savings switch last week.
I'm a bit worried since I'm seeing more and more parallels to Picketts' health journey (but I could absolutely be overthinking this). Pickett also started running a ton and losing weight right before he was diagnosed with an enlarged heart. Newt has been on the same heart meds Pickett is on for the same amount of time. I'll watch out for continued weight loss and talk to the vet if it progresses. He's still within his range, just the lower side of it.
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 19, 2023 16:10:03 GMT
I'm sorry I can't really offer any reassurance on this as I don't think we've had any other similar cases on the forum. It would seem odd to me that increased activity is linked to a worsening heart issue. And I always saw increased activity in springtime in my goos.
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Post by savvy on Mar 19, 2023 16:18:30 GMT
If its any help, Reggie had a heart condition and would only run on her wheel when she was on heat, the rest of the time she was either chewing or resting. There was certainly no increase in activity.
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 19, 2023 18:01:24 GMT
I agree, the extra activity seems counterintuitive! That's one of the reasons I was so shocked about Pickett's diagnosis. He was running near constantly and I wouldn't have figured out anything was wrong without his severe weight loss. Newts weight loss isn't as dramatic at the moment, but he's also on heart medication.
I'm hoping its the extra springtime activity boost. Their neighbors have also lost a bit of weight, so fingers crossed it's just that!
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 19, 2023 22:46:08 GMT
I just looked over his weight data from last year. He dropped at about the same rate at the same time of year. He's actually slightly heavier not than a year ago, so maybe it really is a spring thing!
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Post by bouncy on Mar 21, 2023 15:45:17 GMT
Snoozy has lost 20g, but I put that down to the additional level and continued interest in the new neighbours!
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Post by hpdegus on Mar 22, 2023 22:46:34 GMT
Hah, that's fair! Snoozy has to keep a close eye on the neighbors!
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Post by deguconvert on Mar 23, 2023 21:00:20 GMT
Neighborhood watch!
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Post by bouncy on Mar 25, 2023 22:13:56 GMT
Neighbourhood terrorism!
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Post by savvy on Mar 26, 2023 2:05:17 GMT
Every neighbourhood has its problems, lol.
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Post by hpdegus on May 27, 2023 23:17:38 GMT
My needed win from this month: Newts cataracts have almost entirely cleared up! I've started using rice puffs instead of oats to soak up the pimobendan, maybe that helped? He's also back up in weight On a separate note, Pickett was UPSET early today! He was all cuddled up with his brother one moment, yelling and tail wagging the next! Not 100% sure what set him off, but they're back to being besties again
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