HELP! Is my degu sick or old?

[googoodolphins]

First off I did take my degu to the vet yesterday and they could not find anything wrong with him. Please note I live in the United States and most vets do not know anything about degus. I got my degu 4 years ago, making him at least 5 and a half years old. Possibly more as I am not sure how reliable the lady was I got him from. I got him and his brother. A couple months ago I noticed one of them having moisture around the mouth then slowly he started losing weight. A few days ago I noticed he was literally skin and bones so I brought him to vet. I know I should have gone sooner but I had a baby 6 months ago and I also have 12 animals, a husband, house, full time job, etc so I just assumed he was old when I first noticed something. I only feed them degu food, hay, oars, and flower medley as I know they can easily get diabetes. I asked vet to check teeth and make sure no tumors etc or diabetes. The vet said no lumps, fever, no issue with teeth or lymph nodes. And blood sugar 155 so no diabetes. So what is wrong with my degu? He eats still and is still active just extremely skinny with the moisture around mouth constantly. Is he just old? I've never had another degu for comparison. His brother that I also have has lost a little weight but nothing like him. And his brother doesn't have the moist mouth. Someone please advise! Is he sick or old? I am worried about him.

[savvy]

When the vet checked his teeth, did he look with a scope or just open his mouth and do a visual check. Moisture around the mouth sounds very much like a dental issue, possibly with his back teeth.

[moletteuk]

Did the vet look inside the mouth with an otoscope? If they didn't then there is no way they could have checked all the teeth. It can be difficult to do properly without sedation. It is very, very likely to be a dental issue with the molar teeth.


...apologies for crosspost

[googoodolphins]

I don't know but I seriously doubt they did. My husband actually was the one who talked to the vet, as they didn't answer when I called four times. But he didn't mention a scope or that they sedated him so I doubt it. Like I said the US vets don't know how to handle degus.
When I researched the symptoms I saw it was likely teeth and I Wrote that on the sheet when I dropped him off. Ugh local vets do so little with small animal care. All I know is I was charged for an exam and what my husband told me the vet said to him. I wish we had a good small animal vet locally but I've been to many many local vets, even worked for one, and they don't. Maybe there may be a good small animal vet a town or two over. Although I dunno when I'd ever find the time. 😣

[googoodolphins]

Would the degu continue to eat if it's a teeth issue? He still eats heartily.

[googoodolphins]

Ok so my husband said they mentioned they gave him some gas so I guess he was sedated. He said they didn't mention a scope.
Is there anything yall recommend that he can eat, maybe soft foods, if it is his back teeth? To put weight on him? I'll call other vets around town but I probably can't get him in tomorrow so that'd be another few days.

[savvy]

Can you get Critical Care food in the USA? Its a powdered food for herbivores that you mix into either a paste or soup consistently depending on what your degu prefers. You can also try mixing nuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds etc into a paste.

It can be trial and error to find a mix and consistently they like.

[googoodolphins]

Yes I have some. Forgot about it so it's probably old and expired but it'll have to do until I can get new fresh one! I'll have to order as I don't think local pet stores carry it. I'll grind up nuts too. Great idea! Thanks!!! 😃

[hpdegus]

I'm also in the US and was able to find Critical Care (herbivore version) through Amazon. You can also ask your vet, they usually sell it.

I hope you're able to find a degu-savy vet! I know the struggle. I was driving about an hour to the nearest exotics vet when I lived in NH.

[googoodolphins]

Yes I'll order one from Amazon. Thankfully I do have some old critical care until it arrives.

I will try to call vets around town. And look further if needed. But I still don't know when I'll find the time. Maybe I can beg an in law to watch the baby all day on a day off so I can go.

Thank you everyone for your help!!!

[savvy]

Have you looked at our vet list to see if there are any near you? deguworld.proboards.com/thread/15521/vet-guide

[googoodolphins]

I live in Louisiana in United states so nothing is near me. Hopefully new Orleans might have some good vets. We have a local vet school that I had a bad experience many years ago with when I had chinchillas. I stopped getting chinchillas when I had 2 that I took to multiple local vets and they couldn't find anything wrong with them. I knew there was something wrong! And they both died.

[bouncy]

I agree with the others that it's likely a dental issue. It's the molars that can cause big problems, either with spurs growing off them, or the roots becoming ingrown. The roots are more likely to be uncomfortable, but untreated spurs can restrict mouth and tongue movement, hence drooling/wet mouth. In extreme cases, spurs can grow through the tongue.

Critical care is great. I personally mix mine 50:50 with ground almonds, which they munch their way through happily.

Good luck!

[googoodolphins]

Hey everyone! I gave him some critical care with the smashed pumpkin and sunflower seeds last night. Should I be separating them when I give him that since I noticed the critical care has cane molasses?

Also I talked to the vet that saw my degu the other day. She said she used the scope they use to check ears with, not sure the name but it's probably not the same scope yall are asking about. She said she looked down and everything looked fine no swelling, absesses, tumors, etc. However she mentioned that sometimes xrays show what she can't see. So I'm assuming she doesn't have the scope yall are referring to.

A few more questions for you degu experts, if it is the teeth , what is the vet procedure for fixing it? Do they grind teeth down or surgically remove them or what? With his age it is very dangerous to put him under. Sigh.
Also, she mentioned checking bloodwork for organ failure. Does what I describe possibly be from Organ failure?

Thanks for all your help. I know so little and vets here probably know even less than I do. 🙄

[savvy]

The scope she used is the right one. An x-ray would show any problems with the roots, which are impossible to see any other way.

I've never come across organ failure in degus so I can't comment on that.

I think you need to either syringe feed the CC if its runny enough or feed him separately as you need to make sure the right degu is eating it. If they have free time out of the cage, you could feed him then to make sure he's eating it.

You can also mash up seeds into the mix, as well as nuts.

[savvy]

Fixing the teeth would depend on the problem, spurs can be removed, so can teeth that are rotten, but I'm not experienced in root overgrowth; others are, so they can advise better.

[bouncy]

I've got dental degus.

If there's root growth, a daily dose of Metacam is sufficient to make life comfortable. It's safe to be given long-term, and some of mine have been taking it for years (0.1ml dog strength daily). For spurs, Your lad will be sedated, and the spurs ground away. They're usually fine straight away but, if there's damage to the tongue or cheeks caused by the spurs, it may take a while to get back to normal as they get over soreness.

If the teeth are rotten, they'll be removed. If they're misaligned, the vet will usually leave them. The reason is that the opposite tooth would have nothing to grind against.

Have a look at the stickies at the top of this section - there's a couple on dental issues and teeth, as well as supplements.

[bouncy]

Forgot to say - if you ever are prescribed pain relief for them, try to get branded Metacam. It's honey flavoured, and mine drink straight from the syringe (tapping paws at the bars if I'm late), so degu burritoes aren't necessary.

[savvy]

Yeah, I've got one on meloxidyl, which is the same as metacam, and she even gets her tongue into the end of the syringe to make sure she's got it all. Degu equivalent of licking the spoon, lol.

[moletteuk]

They use the same scope (otoscope) for ears and mouth, it's just a fancy magnifier with a light but it's essential for seeing inside the mouth.

Xrays are quite commonly done on the head/ mouth and can be very useful for finding what you are dealing with. If they find overgrown roots then metacam can be given long term usually with good results.

Blood samples are not usually taken from degus because it's not simple to do and carries some risk and there is very little treatment to be given for organ failure. Heart failure can usually be seen on xray.

Degus usually handle sedation pretty well, gas sedation is fairly low risk because they can bring the degu round very quickly if there is any difficulty.

If you can separate them to feed the critical care without too much upset caused, then that may be worth doing, as you say it contains sugars so it's not to ideal to feed if not required, although again is using tolerated long term with no difficulty.

If I were you I would probably try the Critical Care for a few days and see if any weight is gained, and then consider either a trial of metacam or getting an xray.