Degu Tumours

[bouncy]

I appreciate that this is a topic that many may feel horrible.......... 

We have noticed what appears to be a surge of Degu tumour deaths. As tumours are not unusual in rodents generally, it's an interesting spike that could be down to a few things:

• Our degus are living longer 
• It's being highlighted more because we're more comfortably dealing with dental issues, so it's the progression through our concerns   
• There's another indication from the pet trade that we previously associated with dental problems and inbreeding

Or it could be anything else! Quite simply, I think it's important to start gathering data on this.

If you've lost a goo to a tumour,  could you please answer the questions below:

1. Name and sex of your goo
2. Their age when they passed
3. Whether it was a confirmed diagnosis (either visually or by the vet) or suspected 
4. Time between diagnosis and death 
5. Any previous health issues 
6. Any signs/symptoms noted

Thank you! 

[bouncy]

I'll start........

1. Scaredygoo, male
2. At least six years (adopted as adult, age unknown)
3. Confirmed. Tumour was in the abdomen, only spotted when admitted
4. Tumour was found on the Wednesday, he was pts Saturday 
5. Molar roots, arthritis, required hospital admission earlier in the year he passed
6. He stopped eating or moving, just listless. Occasional blood in urine

[moletteuk]

Alice (female) died of a neck tumour aged 8.5yrs. She suffered seizures and then within weeks a tumour on her neck became apparent, the vet believed the seizures were related to the tumour. She survived for over a year with the tumour gradually increasing in size until it was enormous and affecting her mobility too much and she had to be PTS.

No previous health issues. In retrospect I wondered if the tumour had been present at a very small size for approx two years prior to diagnosis because the fur on one side of her neck would sometimes look paler than the other side.

[misscatafer]

I have had two, unfortunately

Toby, a 5 year old male
Diagnosis was only suspected, a large mass was found in his abdomen
Toby showed extreme lathergy, stopped eating and drinking and lost mobility suddenly, and was PTS approximately 15 hours after symptoms emerged.
He had no previous health issues.

Boo, an 8 year old female
Diagnosis was confirmed by a vet, she had a large tumour behind her ear.
Boo showed slow decline over several weeks. She developed open wounds to her ear and the mass could be seen within her ear. Her mobility and activity slowed down and she lost weight. She was in constant pain and discomfort. We made the decision to have her PTS 5 days after diagnosis due to her suffering.
Boo had ongoing dental disease which had been managed with regular teeth trims since the age of 5.