Really worried about Barbara's eye... HELP!

[tortielicious]

Hi All

I'm hoping somebody can help....
I noticed my goo Barbara had a white gooey discharge in the corner of her left eye last weekend. It wasn't there all the time, just at certain times. Her eyes are not as open and bright as normal and she just seems to be moping about. She seems to be eating ok and goes for the food when it's put in the cage.
I took her to the vet Tuesday and she checked over Babs' eye, put some dye in it and looked into it but couldn't see a problem with the eye. She suspected it may be her teeth and said they would only know by putting her under anaesthetic but as she's an exotic species it's even more of a risk than it is with domestic pets. I really don't want to go down that road unless necessary. The vet gave me 7 days supply of Baytril to put in the drinking water but I haven't seen her have any and the water doesn't appear to be going down much. Babs is no better really and I've just noticed the white in her eye again, it looked a little frothy and her eye is partially closed?? I've just given her a treat and she took it off me and is eating it fine..

Really worried about her

Has anybody had this problem before or had experience of their goo(s) going under anaesthetic ??

Thankyou

[philbailey1806]

Although I've never had this problem before, I've certainly heard of overgrown molars causing eye infecions I'm afraid. As I'm sure you're aware, a degus teeth are constantly growing and being worn down, mainly by hay, but also by chew toys etc, but as degus are unfortunately such an interbred species, it can quite usually happen that their teeth (molars especially) grow too fast for them to be able to keep up with the wearing down of them.

Unfortunately, this does indeed mean that poor babs will have to be put to sleep to have her teeth burred down (theres no other way of doing it) even if the baytril works and fights the infection, if she does have over grown molars, it will just be a matter of time before it comes back again.

A tell tale sign of overgrown molars is drooling! Check your degus mouth just to see if theres any moisture/ damp fur around the general area, but unfortunately the only way to tell for sure is for the vet to put her to sleep and have a look around in her mouth, and if she is prone to overgrown molars, I'm afraid teeth burring is going to be a regular thing for babs.

It's such a shame, but you can never be sure of how well bred she is, because even if you (unlikely) got to see mum and dad before you bought her, sometimes these genetic hiccoughs skip generations, and are mostly caused by interbreeding.

I'm sorry to sound all doom and gloom, but she can still live a happy and (relatively normal) life! teeth burring is not such an invasive procedure and she should bounce back very quickly afterwards, providing your vet knows what they are doing anaesthetic wise.

[tortielicious]

Hi Phil - thanks for the advice. I would have thought she would have trouble eating if it was a problem with her teeth but she seems fine in that respect. Can't see any drooling from her mouth either. She looks so down in the dumps and her mate wants to cuddle and play with her but she's all nowty and wanting to be alone. Have you had any experiences of goos going under anaesthetic ?

[philbailey1806]

I'm afraid I haven't got any personal experience of goos going under anaesthetic no, but from what I've read it varies from degu to degu how well they react, and dare I say it? from vet to vet. Has your had any experience with degus before? or perhaps guinea pigs or chinchillas?

IMO I'd go with what your vet thinks is best, if s/he has experience with malocclusion, s/he might be able to tell the warning signs better than any of us on this website. Also, don't be afraid to ask him/her how confident they are that she'll be fine with the anaethetic, if they aren't overly confident I'd perhaps try another vet, but if they are confident Babs will be okay, I would advise letting them have a look.

Even if it isnt that she has overgrown molars, it is still likely something thats somehow happening in her mouth, and would benefit being looked at, so if your vet is confident in putting poor babs to sleep for a little while, I'd recommend it, its always better and less stressful in the long run to get to the root cause of the problem, rather than treat the symptoms.

Also, if you don't mind me asking, what are you using as substrate and bedding and how often do you change it?

[tortielicious]

Hi Phil - not sure if the vets have any experience with degus, there are a few vets within the practice I go to, some are nicer than others!I'm going to take her back tonight, it's only been 2 days since she went but I don't want to watch her suffering another 5 days until the antibiotics are finished.

The goos are in a large chinchilla cage and I use Bio-Catolet with P@H hay. They are cleaned out once weekly.
Do you think that has anything to do with it ??

[philbailey1806]

nope, Ive just looked it up, its made from recycled paper and is dust extracted so I'd be very surprised if shes having an allergic reaction to it, plus cleaning out once a week is plenty, and I also use the P@H hay so I know that thats also dust extracted and so shouldnt be causing a reaction.

Again, the only thing I cna think of that could be causing it is her teeth, I think its well worth taking her back for a second opinion from a nicer vet that you trust. I've heard of some vets beng very abrupt and unfriendly when it comes to smaller pets, more than likely because they don't charge as much for the bill as they would a cat or dog and theres a higher mortality rate due to their size and how complex it is, so my advice would be to make sure you are happy with the vet and make sure it is the vet you see that will be attending her.

Don't forget that you have the right to ask if they have any experience if not with degus, then similar species, you're a responsible owner thats concerned about your pets wellbeing and any vet that doesn't understand that isn't one that I would trust to be honest

[tortielicious]

Hi Phil - just got back from the vets' - it was the vet that I don't like!! He picked her up by the scruff of her neck last time I saw him and flipped her over he was a bit jumpy this time and asked me if she could be handled. So I held her whilst he looked in her eye, he's given me Tiacil eye drops to put in, I told him that she appeared to be eating ok so he thinks it's an eye infection. Have got to put in one drop, 3 x daily... should be fun! Hopefully it will clear up. Keep you posted.

[kovu07]

I'm glad he let you handle her this time, and thank you for promising to keep us posted I hope she gets better soon.

[philbailey1806]

picking up by the scruff of the neck is never a happy experience for a degu! but heres hoping its just an eye infection and thats the worst of it! Hopefully she'll get much better very soon, let us know how she gets on!

[moletteuk]

Degus should not be picked up by the scruff of the neck at all.

It's more usual to give a degu antibiotics by squirting a small amount onto a piece of treat food so you can watch them eat it, so you know they had the right dose at the right time. It might be worth considering having another go with the baytril with this method, but you would need advice on dosage, and would need to know the concentration of baytril you have.