Degus and Anaesthetic

[saggy]

Hi Lovely People

I know I haven't been on here for ages but the last unexplained death really got to me due to how it happened etc etc - but thanks for all your help in the past regardless. My two remaining Degus have stayed in good health but have needed to add more ramps because they won't jump as far etc but expected of old age and both still running a lot - in fact Fatsy's lost weight and not so fat because she did start running quite a bit in her later years - go figure! Fatsy's vision is questionable also but seemingly not too much an issue.

I had another problem come up and just not sure what is to be expected.

My runty degu called "little one" was a little ostracised from her original family and is socially awkward and cannot tolerate humans apart from me. Will take a special treat from my daughter sometimes and run off but that is the extent at which she'll go. She's fine with me though and will stack up on me for cuddles etc. My other one Fatsy is very food orientated and will go up to anyone and do anything for food! I don't think anything could traumatise Fatsy as she honestly doesn't care about much lol.

 Anyway, Little one suddenly had what I hoped just to be a cyst in June but I also kinda knew it was a tumour also. She is 7.5 and with this in mind and because of the way she is with people, I figured the chances of her surviving any op if the stress didn't kill her first was slim - she's never been seen by the vets because of it. They once looked into the back of the cage at her when the other two were pulled out but left it at that not to stress her unecessarily. I regret leaving it now but she seemed completely herself and not bothered by it at all so figured leaving it was the best course of action and let it run it's course. She's always been a bit of a running wheel fiend as her way to de-stress and the lump was above her arm so she was a little bit frustrated at this but ate, behaved and did everything else normally. Then, it just kinda grew and grew, then while I went on holiday for two weeks, it doubled in size. The person coming round to feed them didn't see it though as she won't come out for strangers generally. I saw it when I got back although she was still mostly herself but it took ages to get appointments etc and I couldn't find anything with someone who dealt with exotics never mind degus near by (refuse to take her to petsathome) and it doubled in size again last week. She then took the decision to chew it off herself so became urgent and had to just see anyone. They said it was probably best to put her down but could also try sugery although very high risk and unlikely to survive and weight had dropped to 190 - she's always been small but not this skinny. However, I felt I had to give it a shot because she had to go through the stress of being handled whether it was to be put down or put under for op. It took a while to even get a surgical slot as everywhere just too busy so she lost a bit of blood the past couple of weeks (she rushes to lick the blood back up so assuming she's low on iron and ears have gone pale) and I stayed up with her a number of nights just to stop her chewing herself - the metacam helped but just when it wore off. It was pretty grusome by the end and probably twice the size of her head. I would add a photo but it might actually be a bit too disturbing to look at to be honest - it was horrific and was that big and long that it touched the floor (started at the shoulder) and ended up being about an inch or maybe 1.5 inches in diameter.

Anyway, she had the surgery today and she surprisingly pulled through. she was there a total of 1.5 hours and I had waited briefly in a quiet room with her until the moment they put her under due to her higher than norm nervousnous. She was okay when just with me at that point - very stressed but still running all over me if no one else there. She was under for about 15 mins but she nearly died towards the end of it as her heart dropped suddenly and they just had to do a rushed and messy stich job while pulling her out of anaesthetic as they had to get her off asap - I just hope she didn't come round too quick at this point and wasn't aware. I took her home half hour later at 2pm as they knew it was better in her case not to stay too long even though she hadn't quite come round properly as there would be no way of knowing whether she was still struggling from effects of anaesthtic or whether frozen/heart rate bad from being terrified. They did tell me that unexpectedly, there was a large cyst under the tumour and they suggested perhaps maybe her body had tried to seperate the tumour from body with the cyst as they hadn't quite come across that before. Other than the cyst beneath popping and flooding everywhere as they accidentally cut into not realising it was there, they said the tumour was unexpectedly a piece of cake to remove - nothing was attached to anything and just enough skin to stich back up where it had stretched.

The first half hour on the drive home, she was pretty groggy and just wouldn't budge from her corner looking away from me at the wall and was obviously still a little wobbly - she didn't even want comfort from me which is unusual but figured normal when you're coming round confused at what the hell just happened. I expected her to be sleepy rest of the day or hide in her den or out of sight maybe even chirping alerts like she does when she's scared but since she got back, she's staying in one spot in the cage, not even that hidden on full alert on a cold hard shelf in a very sat up position - paws almost not touching floor (considering she's now half naked on one side of her body, I would have thought she'd have gone in nest for warmth). Not sleepy or resting at all, not even hiding down a corner, just full alert in the same spot literally like a statue not really doing anything and it's now gone 2am? I put a tea towel in that spot thinking maybe she'd rest on something soft but she just decided to partially put her front paws on it and stayed in the same upright position. SHe's come away from there a couple of times and I thought oh that's okay now but after few minutes, goes back there. She's not really eating properly neither. I managed to get her to eat a few oats, a few buckwheat flakes and a few quinoa flakes (not normal diet, just has no interest in normal food right now so anthing to tempt her) and she nibbled on a small bit of chocory root and had a a couple of seeds but she even dropped half the root and left it which she wouldn't normally do. Wouldn't touch the sugar snap pea which she would normally run for. THe few times she has moved, eaten, her movement was fine, not unbalanced - in fact she bolted far faster than she could before and then she jumped on me twice for very short minute and then back to her spot. Just after two minutes - back to statue.

She won't drink anything. Actually, scrap that, literally as I wrote that, she finally just went to the water bottle for a couple of seconds then back to statue on shelf lol!!!

She's not in as much pain neither I don't think as apart from scratching with her back leg a little irritably at the stiches, she's not trying to gnaw on it any longer. I think the remaining skin and the way it's been stitched is probably somewhat tight, not quite in the right place for her arm, and uncomfortable but I don't think you can expect much better with the size of tumour they removed and the speed at which they had to get the stiches done. Not looking to cuddle Fatsy for comfort neither. Showing no signs of going to bed anytime soon! 


So just a couple of questions as a little concerned:

I know she probably had a very high level of adrenalin today so do you think it's just taking it's time to go back down because she's a particularly stressy animal and today was probably the most traumatic thing ever for her nature? (Fatsy literally had bone sticking out her finger after a fight in the early days alongside other nasty wounds and and as long as she had a bit of food in her gob, she will put up with vet prodding/touching her broken hand or picking her up etc etc even though she's rather not be there so the complete opposite). Is there any other reason they might act like a statue for 12 hours or more apart from a few minutes here and there???

When should I start worrying about her not eating properly - I'm aware of gut stasis but she's nibbled on a few bits for 30 seconds at a time and the vet said she definately pooed a couple of times after the surgery when she was still wrapped up?

Do I need to be concerned about her scratching in that non careful fast back foot way they do at her stiches - will they hold if she keeps doing this?

How quickly do their teeth grow too long to sort themselves? She hasn't been chewing on wood etc the past few weeks due to the pain she's in I imagine and can see maybe a slight problem there. Do you think that they won't be too long for her to get back down herself if she starts feeling better and chewing properly again soon?


They're keeping the tumour for 10 days for me while I decide whether or not to pay the additional £200 for the testing how bad a tumour it was and the level of how much might be left on remaining skin or the margins they called it (single working mum so surgery cost already hard to swallow). They said it won't really change future treatment options for a degu and it's a case of if it grows back, same choice on the table but would it help in anyway that I can't think of right now? I'm assuming because of how aggressive it was and the way it looked, scabbed and different textures of it, it probably isn't going to come back with good news so would be the margins of any real use at this point in time?


If any of you have any experience, any help would be gratefully received.

Thanks in advance, Sarah

(Apologies for the essay, just figured better for you to have all the details)

[deguconvert]

I would think she is in pain as well as shock. I hope that they sent you home with some Metacam to give to her morning and night? There is a banana flavor that gets higher reviews from degus than other flavors do. Definitely do not let them give you meat flavored Metacam.

She needs to be kept warm, so if you have a snuggle safe that you can offer her, do so. I would offer whatever favorite foods she has to entice her to eat. Calories are important at this point. Try seeds, nuts, oats. I would also suggest getting some . . . rats, suddenly I am drawing a blank . . . recovery food . . . Critical Care. Make sure it is for herbivores.

It is NOT a good thing for her to be scratching her incision. She could so very easily tear it wide open. Scratching is an indication of discomfort, so pain or itching can both cause that reaction.

As far as teeth . . . do you ever see her pawing at her mouth, or any signs of wetness on her cheeks or throat? When she has been eating, does food fall out of her mouth as she is chewing? These are some signs that often indicate that there are dental issues that need to be attended to.

I do hope she has begun to drink and eat in the time since you posted?

[saggy]

Hi deguconvert

She has Metacam still. I've just given her a bit on a dried bean and she ate that (dog version with an odd smell but not had any trouble getting her to eat it if on a treat). She hasn't moved from that spot though. She won't seem to go anywhere but on this shelf. I've tried even putting a whole roll of toilet roll in the small space next to it to try and entice her into somewhere warmer but she's paid no interest. I've put hay and stuff right near where she's sitting but seemingly uneaten still. I keep putting food next to her but she had a tiny bit and then before long Fatsy come alongs and wolfs the rest up even though I distracted her with her own in another section. I haven't wanted to seperate them and I don't want to Fatsy to get the hump as she can suffer from food jealousy and can get nasty about it in a longer grudge - and she always knows when others have been given treats and not her or even just more than her. I will seperate them a bit in mo and just dump a whole load of oats, buckwheat and quinoa near her so she can take her time in eating it. I'll get some nuts later too. I suppose I can give her some millet and sunflower seeds from my bird's food too.

Critital care didn't go down at all well with my last degu when she was very poorly. They've always been 100% wheat/grain free and last time I looked, you can't get any critital care without it. It seemed to cause worse gut stasis shortly after I gave it to her possibly where they're not used to it? She didn't like it either and had to be forced down which caused more stress and I don't think this degu will do well with any more harsh handling.

Yes, I don't like the scratching but I'm not sure what I can do about it? Maybe she's doing it more lightly than it looks as so far not broken anything and the skin is not red at all even though they told me it would be today. It's also not in as destructive way as before she had the tumour off which was ripping it open.

No pawing at mouth or any really bad indications like wetness or food falling out. Maybe just like the food has got stuck somewhere a couple of times somehow and thinking maybe just slightly longer than usual.

I haven't been up long but will keep a close eye on her this morning.

THanks, Sarah

[saggy]

It's Metacam 1.5mg/ml oral suspension for dogs Meloxicam

[saggy]

I seperated them and gave her about two tablespoons of oats etc and she got through about half of it. She then had a go at a millet sprig for a couple of mins. A bit more normal behaviour as she quickly took that to a different space than her statue spot (she normally takes treats to specific corners away from Fatsy) - then hid it after she made an attempt at it. I pulled it back out her hiding place to see how much she had got through and she ran at me annoyed, took it back in a huff and had another go at it for a few more minutes elsewhere. She hasn't been protective over her food or caring if Fatsy took it up until now so I suppose a good sign in some ways. She also had a longer drink finally - not enough still but I suppose it's all little improvements.

Still went back to her spot thereafter but has decided to put her feet on the tea towel as well this time and is not sitting so upright so in a more resting position!! Maybe she just felt so claustrophobic and trapped yesterday, especially being held and waking up wrapped, so perhaps she just doesn't want to be anywere confined for now? I don't know anyway I can force her to stay warm as don't think she'd appreciate being forced in a box right now.

Fatsy was getting irritable upstairs as she could hear all the munching noises even though I gave her a smaller amount too and tried to dig through the cage to the bottoom half as she does when starting to get moody. I cleared the rest up and unseperated them but Fatsy is currently licking the oat dust from the shelf! I've been trying to keep her away from foods that are not conducive for diabeties since she got her cataracts but I suppose a few days isn't going to hurt and it's best to get little one fed so I shall just keep doing this and seperating them for 10 minutes until Fatsy can't bear it any longer. I don't want to not give a small portion to Fatsy because she will know and will end up with food rage and definitely don't want them to squabble/fight right now so I suppose I have no choice.

Little one just made a 25cm jump too instead of using ramp so I suppose a good sign she can't be in unbearable pain like before as she wouldn't have done this a few days ago.

Degus - what do you do with them huh :-D !!

[saggy]

Hi again Deguconvert


I've just realised what you meant by a snuggle safe - i thought you meant some fluffy hidey hole but can see now it's a heat pad. Do they not just tear the material off though. I can try and pick one up. She did go into her den finally but is still restless and only five mins each time and then back out looking irritable and scratching. 

I think she's scratching elsewhere too and behind her ears actually. I'm wondering whether it's the metacam too as does seem to scratch more after a dose. I think I may have unconsciously noticed the same before the op as well but at this point, anything was better than her self multilating and she's not having diaorhhea like they told me to watch out for. Are there any other options than metacam or are they all likely to come with side effects? 

I've added some photos of her stiches - which are probably quite uncomfortable where it's bunched in a couple of places and already has hair growing back through longer.

[teemu]

It sounds like she's slowly coming back to normal, which is very good! Her small size and old age mean that anything like this will hit her much harder than a younger, larger animal. Some degus can also just get really, really stressed out by vet visits. When my Munkki was still alive, he developed a really big trauma about vets, and after each vet visit, it would take days for him to get back to any normalcy. He actually behaved very similarly, refusing to drink or eat almost anything because he was convinced that something horrible was going on.

All in all, it sounds like you're doing just about everything you can to make sure that she'll pull through, and it seems to be working!

About Fatsy getting some small scraps of the treats, it's probably not going to do her any harm. While diabetes is a serious issue with degus, they can't get it from one or two unhealthy snacks in a special situation like this, as a one-off thing. It requires a longer period of unhealthy feeding and bad habits. You can in all likelihood rest easy even if she gets to lick off a bit of the dust or maanges to steal an oat or two. As you say, it's most important for the Little One to be fed and get her energy back now

You might also want to try mixing some oats in water to make a porridge and see if Little One would like any of that. It would put some more fluids in her without stressing her out. Or if she likes seeds more, it's also possible to crush seeds into flour, and then mix water in with that. I had some success giving a very picky degu fluids and food with this kind of a sunflower seed gruel.

[savvy]

Oh the poor girl!

A snugglesafe is very hard and very heavy, but they can still move it around. The fleece cover is removable and washable. I tend to wrap mine in toilet tissue so they can scratch around to make their nest comfy, plus it soaks up any wee, but I also put a load of bedding on top so the snugglesafe sits more or less on the cage.

She may chew it, she may not, it's down to the individual degu. Ideally you need a couple so you can swap them over when the other is cooling.

[teemu]

Sept 7, 2022 12:50:31 GMT saggy said:

Hi again Deguconvert


I've just realised what you meant by a snuggle safe - i thought you meant some fluffy hidey hole but can see now it's a heat pad. Do they not just tear the material off though. I can try and pick one up. She did go into her den finally but is still restless and only five mins each time and then back out looking irritable and scratching. 

I think she's scratching elsewhere too and behind her ears actually. I'm wondering whether it's the metacam too as does seem to scratch more after a dose. I think I may have unconsciously noticed the same before the op as well but at this point, anything was better than her self multilating and she's not having diaorhhea like they told me to watch out for. Are there any other options than metacam or are they all likely to come with side effects? 

I've added some photos of her stiches - which are probably quite uncomfortable where it's bunched in a couple of places and already has hair growing back through longer.

Yeah, no wonder she's scratching that, that's a huge wound! Luckily, it's in a place where she can't really grab it with her teeth, so if she's only using her back leg to scratch herself, that will likely not tear the stitches or worry the wound too much. Like you said, it looks really good now, and I can see no redness at all, so I think that it's probably going to be fine if it keeps like that.

As for the snugglesafe, in my experience it's pretty rare that the degus try to tear off the covering. It's a kind of a fleece pouch that fits tightly around the pad (you take it off when you heat the pad up), so usually the degus don't seem to recognize it as a separate piece of cloth. But in the case they do damage it, the stuff inside is nontoxic, so it should not harm them. It does leave a horrible mess, though! But I've used these for a couple of years with my degus, and there's been only one situation, after a pretty long period of use, where Pipari decided to see what was inside the pad. Usually they're way too busy just lounging on the warm pad to think about mischief

[saggy]

Sept 7, 2022 12:54:53 GMT teemu said:

It sounds like she's slowly coming back to normal, which is very good! Her small size and old age mean that anything like this will hit her much harder than a younger, larger animal. Some degus can also just get really, really stressed out by vet visits. When my Munkki was still alive, he developed a really big trauma about vets, and after each vet visit, it would take days for him to get back to any normalcy. He actually behaved very similarly, refusing to drink or eat almost anything because he was convinced that something horrible was going on.

All in all, it sounds like you're doing just about everything you can to make sure that she'll pull through, and it seems to be working!

About Fatsy getting some small scraps of the treats, it's probably not going to do her any harm. While diabetes is a serious issue with degus, they can't get it from one or two unhealthy snacks in a special situation like this, as a one-off thing. It requires a longer period of unhealthy feeding and bad habits. You can in all likelihood rest easy even if she gets to lick off a bit of the dust or maanges to steal an oat or two. As you say, it's most important for the Little One to be fed and get her energy back now

You might also want to try mixing some oats in water to make a porridge and see if Little One would like any of that. It would put some more fluids in her without stressing her out. Or if she likes seeds more, it's also possible to crush seeds into flour, and then mix water in with that. I had some success giving a very picky degu fluids and food with this kind of a sunflower seed gruel.

Yes definitely now. I just gave them their usual degu seeds in the bowl upstairs as normal and she came up to eat them. Fatsy did her usual quickly try to pick out her favourites and then swap bowls but little one growled at her to stay away so definitely much more normal. She's now chilling in the wheel next to fatsy too for five mins and visiting her more normal areas so much better all round. Still restless though and not slept properly but hopefully soon.

I'm having to actually give Fatsy portions too as she'll take it out on on little one if she feels i'm being unfair and she can smell a snack or hear a tupperware lid opening from the opposit side of the house so can't sneak them to little one. She even jumps to the door if I so much as open the fridge at 3am in the morning and she can't open her eyes properly!!! I feel better now you've said that - a few days won't hurt.

I could never get them to eat wet food with the exception of a sugar snap pea so will try that again in a mo and see if she's interested this time - might at least give her a little more fluid.

Thanks, feeling a bit more confident now :-)

[saggy]

Sept 7, 2022 12:58:13 GMT savvy said:

Oh the poor girl!

A snugglesafe is very hard and very heavy, but they can still move it around. The fleece cover is removable and washable. I tend to wrap mine in toilet tissue so they can scratch around to make their nest comfy, plus it soaks up any wee, but I also put a load of bedding on top so the snugglesafe sits more or less on the cage.

She may chew it, she may not, it's down to the individual degu. Ideally you need a couple so you can swap them over when the other is cooling.

Thanks Savvy

THe problem is Fatsy eats material too 

I've always had problems giving them cold things to cool them down with wrapped in tea towels as fatsy starts ripping the threads out and eats them. SHe also spends long periods of time pretending to snuggle up on me whilst eyeing the threads of my dressing gown/top and waiting for me to not look. SHe just chews it up and swallows!!! lol. She's not called Fatsy fo no reason!!

I'll have a think about it. She's cuddling up with Fatsy now for warmth so maybe can do without it.

[savvy]

I think I have Fatsy's twin sister, lol. Ruby the Foody eats everything in sight too and she didn't get her name by accident either. The shell of a snugglesafe is a hard plastic, Reggie has had a chew at one of mine and left teeth marks, but I've caught her chewing in small bricks before now!

Degus will be degus I guess.

[saggy]

Sept 7, 2022 14:49:39 GMT savvy said:

I think I have Fatsy's twin sister, lol. Ruby the Foody eats everything in sight too and she didn't get her name by accident either. The shell of a snugglesafe is a hard plastic, Reggie has had a chew at one of mine and left teeth marks, but I've caught her chewing in small bricks before now!

Degus will be degus I guess.

Yes maybe some shared genetics  I might leave it if plastic then as Fatsy will eat that too. Gotta be so careful with her - anything accidentally left propped against the cage like the plastic broom handle and plastic wrap of the hay and she'll give it a go! And she must eat it as can't find any remains!!!

Blinkin rediculous!

[saggy]

Hi again guys

Just a quick update and a couple of quick questions if that's okay - just because I can't stop worrying!

I'm worried about her sometimes as seems really weak/wobbly (like slipping slightly and falling over to one side when snoozing on my hand with weird shaking/noises when drifting off like someone having a nightmare) but then I keep reminding myself that she's really been through it, been traumatised and didn't actually sleep at all for two days after the op and then only lightly snoozing here and there for another day and anyone else would also be a little off under those circumstances plus she's probably had to compensate for some time by leaning to that side because of the weight of the tumour on the other side. I'm also sure the metacam makes her a little off too but maybe not too bad. She's had some better sleep since last night I think though and definately more chilled out today. She's still runs a million miles per hour to a very small hiding place if there's a sudden loud noise etc but that's to be expected and will take a while in that regard.

I started to really worry as Fatsy wouldn't let her come close for a couple of days sitting only 5-10cm away from her - not in a moody way or aggressive way - just avoidance as she would greet as if she wanted to cuddle up for a short time and then sit near but not together even if Little one was sleeping with me which Fatsy would normally join in on or even push her off lol but instead she would keep that same distance and just plonk her nose touching my fingers so still seemingly wanting to cuddle up - so worried maybe she could sense/smell something I couldn't but they're back to snuggling up today and they're sleeping together as I speak.

There was a little fluid build up beind the skin on the lower section too but I suppose there's a lot of skin not quite firmly attached as it should be and vet nurse said should be okay. Her arm on her operated side was feeling slightly warm for a bit but cooled back down a little today since got some sleep and no sign of oozing from the stiches. They ideally want to see her at 5 days post op but I just don't want to traumatise her more uncessarily at the moment and I can't take anymore days off work next week (plus the vets is a £50 trip in taxi's as I don't drive) and they agreed sending photos would be good enough for now.

She has started chewing a little on wood and cage bars again so hopefully sort out the slightly long tooth concerns I had as she hadn't done that since nearly the time the tumour began - and again a little more normal behaviour is good I suppose.


She was 190-ishg before tumour removal and I weighed her today and she was at 178g and but it's hard to know how much the tumour weighed - I probably wouldn't have put it much less than 20g as it was huge and heavy so even that could be an understatement so no real way of knowing if she's put weight on since op or not at this point so will just keep weighing her.

So my questions are:

She's finally eaten quite a lot of hay and basic stuff today so should I stop with the mounds of oats/buckwheat/quinoa/millet? I was quite happy to go on longer to fatten her up a bit but I'm sure I noticed a tiny cataracts forming in one of her eyes earlier so perhaps should now start to lay off the excessive carbs now? I could have just been seeing a reflection but I'll have a proper look tomorrow when the lighting is better. What else could I fatten her up with that's less carby? I'm assuming nuts would be the best bet? This is bearing in mind that all her 3 brothers and sisters born at the same time who were not taken by me were pretty diabetic, in bad shape with bad cataracts and all died two to three years ago which is why I've always been so careful with Fatsy lol. I never had to worry about Little one due to her overly athletic nature but she's not really run for two months now lol! (Fatsy for some reason has decided to become more atheletic the past six months and is in the wheel all the time for some reason - earlier years were pretty non-existent in the exercsing department). Also, is there anything particularly good for helping build blood reserves back up - she lost quite a bit of blood the last month with ears going paler and she was literally trying to lick her spilt blood back up which screams as low to me and I only know human biology and iron etc so no idea whether degus are the same - I know they can't have things with protein like might help with us but maybe I could try some spinach? Is their basic biology in this respect similar to us?

Little one actually ran on her wheel for five minutes earlier which hasn't happened since two weeks after the tumour showed up. I know she was super happy to be running as it was always her thing but she soon exhausted and snoozed. I'll take it as a very good sign that the pain is more bearable and helps me worry less that she's somehow hiding a near death state from me but also suddenly realised the vet instructed me to stop her from moving around too much while recovering and putting strain on her wounds/stiches etc and it's totally over using the arm where it is located if she starts going for it. Should I remove the wheel???

She's still a little too itchy/scratchy for my liking (on her other side too and behind her ears/head) and some flakiness began on the skin yesterday on the part where she was shaved but Fatsy does look a little itchy every now and then too so I wondered whether this might be expected if they haven't had their sand bath since June? Haven't really wanted to put it in there since the tumour first showed up where there was always a bit of broken skin or bleeding from it when caught with toenails etc. There were no signs of mites or anything else untoward on her shaved skin straight after the op.

Many thanks again for your advice guys :-D

[saggy]

I could get some alfalfa hay tomorrow as well - I ran out a little while ago but that has a little more protein etc in I think?

[savvy]

I'll answer as best I can, but may miss a couple of points.

Switch the oats, buckwheat etc for nuts and sunflower seeds. This should help her appetite and reduce the carbs, metacam can make them feel slightly sick and she has been through a lot. She will be very wary of anyone touching the op site, so its natural for her to want to protect it. Technically she has an injury so again, she'll sleep as sleep is the best healer.

As long as the wound doesn't look red, swollen or is hot to the touch or weeping, it should be ok. Has the vet given her antibiotics as well as metacam?

[teemu]

Like Savvy, I would also recommend switching to nuts and seeds. They have a lot of fat and calories in them, so they should actually be better with helping her gain lost weight. I would not recommend feeding her spinach or other greens right now, because she is already in a weakened state and that could upset her stomach. In case you are worried about iron and the like, peanuts actually contain quite a bit of it (actually more than spinach or the like). Since she is old and small, it will take her a long time to mend, and the most important thing is to make sure that she suffers no other issues during this time and gets a lot of nutrients. Encouraging her to eat hay when possible is also good, since that will keep her stomach working well.

Essentially, I would not try to make any large changes to her diet in general now. Unless she actually starts to show signs of some serious issues that require correcting, getting back to normalcy with the food, with added sunflower seeds and nuts to help her build weight, is the right move.

20 grams of tumor sounds very plausible. My Pulla had a mass that, when removed, slimmed him up by at least that much.

I would wait with the sand bath until after the wound has closed up completely. They often pee in the sand, and it's not sterile in any case, so it would be very dangerous if any of the sand got into the wound site right now. Keep monitoring the drying skin, and contact the vet if it starts to become a big issue. If they have an email or other way to contact them, you could send them a picture of the injury site and ask for their opinion.

All in all, things sound like they're going quite well. It's normal for there to be a bit of fluid build up or some irritation, as long as it does not progress into actual infection or another serious complication.

In case you're worried about what an infected wound site can look like, here is a picture of my Munkki after he was castrated (this led to complications due to an allergic reaction to the sutures used, and he suffered serious infections). This is some days after the initial situation, when it turned out that the wound was suffering from serious complications:

imgur.com/5wtbzM0

[deguconvert]

Ditto what Savvy and Teemu have said.

[deguconvert]

I've just realized that I haven't read all the posts here, and had completely missed the photos of her wound and your replies, Saggy. That is such a big wound, the poor little love!! Little wondered she was so altered in her behaviors for a couple of days. She would have been somewhat altered anyway, because anesthetic is hard on them, but her body would have been feeling very strange and unnatural, and as you said she may also have been feeling claustrophobic because of unfamiliar hands holding her and being wrapped. I am so glad she is beginning to behave a little more like herself. You are taking very good care of her!

[moletteuk]

Sorry I've been absent, you've done really well to get Little One to this point, hopefully you are over the worst now.

I think your girls have had oil seed mixes before, haven't they? I would try those again for their mineral content and fatty acids. And any mix of dry forage, the alfalfa is worth a try. You may have to compromise on the carbs, when my degus were unwell or really old all they really wanted was carbs, roots and dried veg can be a good option. My old and sick degus also all developed a taste for fresh grass, which is really good for them if you introduce very slowly. I think her weight is surprisingly good given the removal of the mass itself and the ordeal of the last few days, so overall I would just aim mostly to get her back on her normal diet.

If she gets carried away on the wheel I would consider removing it. You might be able to see if her movement is pulling on the wound. I think a few minutes is OK though.

In your position I don't think I would pay for the histology, the tumour will come back or it won't so I don't think the type of tumour would help with any future decisions.

There's nothing really to be done about her teeth or flaky skin at the moment. Concentrate on checking she is ok in herself and wound care. She would normally have been on antibiotics post op, has this been the case?