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Post by teemu on Nov 8, 2021 14:24:16 GMT
Pulla's really not having any luck in life. Now I've noticed that he has a weird, lumpy growth around his chin/throat area. I noticed a small, maybe peppercorn-sized bump there earlier, but it's been getting bigger now. I'll have to call up the vet and get him a new appointment soon...
I don't think it's a dental abscess, though. It's more like a strange, hard and solid lump that is connected to the soft tissues on the underside of his chin/throat (as opposed to being an abscess clearly around the teeth are). Doesn't seem to be tender at all when I examine it, but it is often a bit hard to find because it's pretty deep between his lower jawbones and doesn't come to the surface unless carefully examined. It also feels that there's some softer mass along his throat area farther down, but of course I can't really feel for it too much since it's on his neck.
I've also noticed that he sometimes does this weird gagging/heaving thing while eating, as if he's got something stuck in his throat or has trouble keeping food down. It's only momentary and passes quickly, and he has no trouble eating as such, but something's obviously happening there. Might make sense if there is some sort of a mass pushing down on his windpipe...
It's rather worrisome. The location is very difficult for this kind of stuff, I would guess, and the way this thing is behaving is making me think it's a tumor of some sort. That would really not be great. I doubt even a specialist is willing to perform throat surgery on an animal this small, or that there's a good prognosis even if she will. But I'll just have to see what she thinks.
One thing that I'm wondering is whether or not this might be related to the way his gut really swells up after eating. I don't think the way his stomach can be clearly felt from the side (and hard) is exactly normal. Or at least I haven't felt anything like that with any other degu (or any animal at all) earlier. But despite everything, he is energetic, active and feisty and I haven't seen his behavior or health showing any signs of suffering, so maybe there's hope for him.
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Post by moletteuk on Nov 8, 2021 17:39:27 GMT
That does sound rather strange and worrisome, I hope the vet has some ideas for you. It could certainly be related to the swallowing issue.
My Alice had a tumour on her neck, in retrospect I think she had it for quite a long time before I decided it wasn't something I was imagining, so I think it grew very, very slowly for a long time and didn't affect her at all for a long time.
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 8, 2021 19:06:10 GMT
OH GOODNESS! That is a concern! I think you are right to have it looked at, and I hope the vet is helpful as well. Do let us know what you learn. I hope it is not something scary.
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Post by teemu on Nov 8, 2021 21:43:12 GMT
Yeah, I don't want to spell any premature dooms, but this lump and the nearby softer mass unfortunately feel rather similar to the tumours some of my rats developed. It's right around the area of the larynx, which was where the rats got them (likely due to all the various nodes that are located around there) too. But yeah, impossible to say what it really is until a vet takes a look at him.
But man, this year has totally sucked for him. It's hard to see how this would be related to any of the earlier stuff, but it just seems to be one thing after the other with him now...
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Post by moletteuk on Nov 8, 2021 21:58:29 GMT
He has had a rubbish year, at least he has you looking after him, maybe that took up all his luck allocation!
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Post by bouncy on Nov 8, 2021 23:03:58 GMT
My suspicion is also for a tumour. The sooner a vet can do their thing, the smaller the complications
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Post by teemu on Nov 9, 2021 15:33:24 GMT
He's got an appointment for next monday. We didn't discuss whether it's just for a checkup or if they'd also operate if needed, but this vet is usually pretty hands-on, so if they find something, they grab the tools right away.
I can just hope for the best now. At least it isn't causing Pulla any serious discomfort at the moment.
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Post by moletteuk on Nov 9, 2021 19:04:42 GMT
I'm hoping for the best for him too.
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 10, 2021 8:12:06 GMT
DITTO
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Post by teemu on Nov 13, 2021 12:50:44 GMT
I've had an opportunity to inspect the lump a bit more, and I'm not totally sure what to think. It's probably positive that it's actually very free-floating in there. I think the technical attachment point is closer to one jaw than the other, but it's very loose and moves a lot when prodded. Pulla doesn't really care about touching it at all. But at the same time, I am worried that there seems to be a lot of soft, formless extra tissue in his lower neck area. I've compared between him and the girls, and the girls certainly don't have any mass like that. Of course, they are younger and leaner anyway, but it still doesn't seem good at all.
It probably won't be a big issue for the vet to remove the lump if it seems like it needs to be removed, but if there's actually some wider tumorous growth in the neck area... that might not bode well. Of course, if it's benign in nature, then just removing the lump that puts pressure on his esophagus and windpipe is all that's needed. I don't care at all if he'll end up with some growths as long as they don't cause him harm. I just want him to be alright...
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Post by yasmin on Nov 15, 2021 1:43:21 GMT
Wishing you and Pulla all the best at the vet tomorrow.
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 15, 2021 6:19:01 GMT
Me too!!
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Post by teemu on Nov 15, 2021 12:23:36 GMT
Good news! They gave him a thorough examination (and I mean thorough, they took an xray and even scoped his throat in addition to everything else!), and all signs point to a swollen lymph node. We're starting antibiotics to see if that shrinks it back down, but it does not look like any serious situation regardless.
If it persists, there might be need to take another look at it, but from all they could see, it's nothing to be concerned over by itself, especially since they did a general checkup on him while they were at it and said that he's in a very good condition. Also checked his teeth, and they're all healthy and fine too.
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Post by savvy on Nov 15, 2021 12:36:14 GMT
Excellent news!
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Post by moletteuk on Nov 15, 2021 13:13:05 GMT
Great
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 15, 2021 20:55:06 GMT
WOO HOO!! What a relief!! So very glad for Pulla and for you, Teemu. You must be SO very glad that you have had that checked out and can relax now.
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Post by teemu on Nov 15, 2021 21:38:52 GMT
Yeah, very relieved. I'm really happy get a second false alarm, after all the crap he had to go through earlier this year. AND we got his dental checkup done while we were at it, so it's not like it was a wasted trip in any case!
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Post by bouncy on Nov 15, 2021 22:48:12 GMT
I wonder if he goes up to the others saying "I feel rough. Can you feel my glands? Are they swollen?"
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 16, 2021 6:06:17 GMT
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Post by teemu on Nov 18, 2021 14:24:53 GMT
I'm not totally sure, but the lump feels possibly a bit smaller already. I'm not even sure it's due to the antibiotics, since I've only given them for two days. Could be that whatever originally caused the inflammation is starting to die down. In any case, a very welcome thing!
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