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Post by hpdegus on Sept 11, 2021 23:15:39 GMT
Good news! I passed!
Not as good news, Ollie was at 162g when I got home a few hours ago. But he does traditionally lose weight when I leave, so who knows.
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 12, 2021 0:48:00 GMT
OH YAY! CONGRATULATIONS!!! That is SO AWESOME! Well done, Love!! WOO HOO!! *hooray* I'm sorry Ollie lost weight . . . but I'm glad he didn't fall too far, and you weren't gone long!
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Post by hpdegus on Sept 12, 2021 1:13:54 GMT
Thank you so much DC! I'm so happy its finally done! And I have a bit of time before starting my new job. New company sent me a package containing a bunch of goodies and the new employee packet Yeah, it wasn't an awful drop compared to when I left. I just wish I knew if it was the ear drops, not having pain meds, or something else. Maybe being at such a low weight for such a long time damaged something? Was just tidying up their cage and saw red stains on a few pieces of bedding. I think its the same color I saw last time and freaked out over. But that went away in a day. I did put in a new bird toy before I left, same as last time. photos.app.goo.gl/Vtuf4i8KSDk2TR47A
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 12, 2021 8:02:39 GMT
Any food with beetroot in it can stain the urine . . . as can apple wood (I think I have that correct) . . . so if these are things he has been eating in treats or wood he has been chewing on/bark he has been consuming, it could be that which you are seeing. I suppose you could always have his urine checked for an infection . . . but lets see what others think of the photo evidence?
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Post by moletteuk on Sept 12, 2021 9:32:37 GMT
Woohoo! Congratulations! 🥳💐
I think the amount of redness is so large and the way it's soaked and spread make it very likely to be pee. Probably the bird toy if it has red colouring on it.
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Post by savvy on Sept 12, 2021 10:15:36 GMT
To me it looks too red to be blood, blood dries more brown than I can see in the photograph. It could be urine.
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Post by hpdegus on Sept 12, 2021 17:20:57 GMT
Thanks all!
Yep, was pretty sure it was just red coloring in his urine from chewing on the bird toy. The culprit last time was Tom, so wouldn't be surprised if it was him again! I'll obviously keep an eye out, but not too concerned at the moment.
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Post by Bexi87 on Sept 13, 2021 21:02:55 GMT
Well done! That is amazing
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Post by hpdegus on Sept 27, 2021 0:37:10 GMT
Hi all!
Poor Ollie has still not gained the weight back. I'm hoping it's at least partially because my mom was visiting and we out together a bunch of furniture. But she left on the 20th, so I'm not sure how likely that is.
His poops are still small so I've decided to try him on the probiotic (benebac) again. Hoping this will help. He's as active during the play time as he usually is, which is good. I still just don't know what the issue is, unless maybe being at a low for such a long time was damaging in and of itself?
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Post by deguconvert on Sept 27, 2021 5:18:32 GMT
Hmmm . . . I don't know. I think it is a good idea to try the benebac again. I wonder how it would go if you were to give it to him every second day for a week and then increase up to every day? Sometimes our bodies can't use all of the good thing we are giving to it, and it overwhelms it. Starting out slowly can give our body time to adjust and use and then be ready for more. I hope that makes sense.
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Post by moletteuk on Sept 27, 2021 11:07:47 GMT
I don't really know either.
The Benebac is definitely worth a go. I suppose increasing fibre would be the most obvious theoretical solution to small poos, but how you would achieve that beyond what you are already doing, I don't know.
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Post by hpdegus on Sept 27, 2021 13:22:02 GMT
The container says to use benebac every other day, so I'll stick with that I think. I'm also giving around a half dose, just due to concerns about the amount of sugar present. That absolutely makes sense though, DC!
Fiber was definitely my first thought as well, Molette. Oats are pretty high in fiber though, right?
Odd thought, but could it be the oats? I'm still supplemental feeding twice a day with oats. Maybe its too much of one type of fiber? I only have a general idea of how this works in humans, not herbivores, but I believe too much of one type of fiber can actually cause pain/constipation/bloating/false feelings of fullness.
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Post by moletteuk on Sept 27, 2021 17:30:06 GMT
Oats are primarily carbohydrates with some fibre, but overall not much fibre per calorie. I think it might be worth trying reducing the oats, but you would need to think about what you supplemented instead, as reducing the oats will immediately reduce his calorie intake. It might be worth trying some dried veg, maybe nuts and dandelion root. Can you find any forage based treat type products? if you could find something that was forage, veg and oils that tasted good, that could be beneficial. Forage is obviously the best thing for healthy poos, I think some fresh forage, even quite small amounts like a few blades of grass would be great for his gut. Maybe he would eat alfalfa, I think that is easily available in USA?
Degus can digest a lot more types of fibre than humans, so what would be indigestible fibre for us can be wholly or partially digestible to degus - hence why degus are designed to eat majority fibre foods - it's their niche being able to digest it.
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Post by hpdegus on Sept 27, 2021 23:40:10 GMT
Makes sense! I was able to find a rosewood degu forage mixture, now just to see if he'll eat it. I also grabbed some alfalfa.
That makes a lot of sense. Thought that was the case, I just feel like I'm grasping at straws atm.
Since he wasn't gaining weight I took him off the metacam for a few days, but he's started to drop again and exhibit signs of being in pain. I really should just accept it and keep him on permanently. I also cleaned their cage out last night, his nose has not been great. I don't like to eat with a stuffed nose either, so that could be contributing as well.
If he's not doing better in the next few days I think I'm going to try to get an appt with a different vet. Not that I don't like or trust my current one, but they're a ways away now and having another pair of eyes could be helpful.
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Post by hpdegus on Sept 28, 2021 23:14:46 GMT
Was checking on Ollie just now and saw that his right nostril was completely blocked. He also had his mouth open while trying to breath, which doesn't seem like a good sign. Am I off base by thinking bloating could be an issue here?
I've ordered some Infacol to be delivered tomorrow. I don't think there's any harm in trying him on 2 or so drops a few times a day, but I'd love to hear if anyone has any thoughts on this.
His weight is also super low, 156g this morning and just now. He's eating the benebac on oats happily though.
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Post by savvy on Sept 29, 2021 0:46:39 GMT
I'm not sure if this will help, and you'll need to check with your vet, but when Dixie was really struggling with mucus he was given Bisolvon. It dissolves in water and has quite a pungent smell.
I'm not sure it's available in the USA, but it may be worth mentioning it to your vet.
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Post by hpdegus on Sept 29, 2021 0:59:25 GMT
Thanks Savvy, I'll call my vet tomorrow and ask.
I've just posted on the Facebook page, seeing if anyone else has thoughts since I'm so stumped. Peter mentioned that metacam can cause loss of appetite, though its rare. May see if the vet would be willing to try a different pain med.
He was just running around humping Tom, so at least he's in decent spirits!
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Post by hpdegus on Sept 29, 2021 1:02:08 GMT
So looks like bisolvon is not in the US, but based on the name (dextromethorphan), its also found in robutussin pediatric, delsym 12 hour, and a few others. So I'll look and see what is the most similar.
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Post by savvy on Sept 29, 2021 1:09:35 GMT
I'd check with your vet for any interactions with his current meds first. I know in the UK, it's vet prescription only.
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Post by hpdegus on Sept 29, 2021 16:32:00 GMT
Called the vet's office, just waiting to hear back.
I also gave Ollie a crock to see how he's doing. He took it readily (improvement from a day or so after stopping metacam), but it's taking him about 11 min to eat most of it (up from 6). He was having issues with the harder corners and made more crumbs than he did when it only took 6mins.
Forgot to add I caught him eating alfalfa hay last night and just now.
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