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Post by sunshine on Aug 17, 2011 19:25:27 GMT
Hi all, how are you?? Well, I'm having problems with Sam and his teeth. Yesterday, I noticed that his bottom teeth have overgrown, so I took him to the vet this morning for him to cut them. Now he eats, but I don't know if he can eat properly, and he has his cheeks wet. It is possible that he has pain? I'm very worried, because Gollum started with this same problem, and finally he died  Any advice, please?? Should i give him some antibiotics or vitamins? Thank you all in advance  |
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Post by sunshine on Aug 17, 2011 19:43:09 GMT
I've just read this: Mouth and Dental Disease: Degus are prone to infections of the mouth and dental problems. Make sure that the water bottle is kept spotlessly clean. To keep their teeth healthy they also need plenty of low quality forage to wear them correctly. If your degu has lost weight or is having problems eating, is pawing at her mouth, drooling or has weepy eyes then suspect teeth problems. As with chinchillas their molars can grow spurs causing lots of pain. The teeth of a healthy Degu are orange coloured. Light yellow or white teeth are an indication of a serious disease or deficiency and loosing front teeth, except due to an obvious accident, is also a bad sign. There is limited information available about degu teeth problems, but information on chinchillas is relevant. There are some information and links here. However, Degus have smaller mouths than chinchillas and so it can be much more difficult to work on them. Sadly sometimes the kindest thing to do with a degu with dental problems may be to have them put to sleep. Dental abscesses in particular are very painful and can rarely be treated successfully. As with all medical problems discuss it carefully with your vet and ask for an honest opinion on quality of life. Just because a vet is willing to try something does not necessarily mean it is in the best interests of the degu - this is particularly true for extreme procedures such as teeth removal which are likely to cause a lot of damage to the jaw and large amounts of pain with little chance of success. It is always heartbreaking to have a perfectly healthy animal put to sleep due to dental problems but it also isn't kind to extend a life if it is a life full of pain. Is it that serious?? |
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 17, 2011 21:12:11 GMT
It can be, but it doesn't mean that it is in Sam's case. Did your vet check on his back molars? Sometimes when the molars are starting to over grow, it can also lead to the incisors over growing because of the difficulty in closing the mouth. I suspect he could have over grown molars and that they may need to be ground down.
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Post by sunshine on Aug 17, 2011 22:09:54 GMT
No, i don't think he did it. He just cut him his teeth and nothing more. Can i do it on my own??.
The problem is that here in Spain, degus are not very known, so vets doesn't know how to treat them and do it like a rat or a chichilla.
If this is the reason, he will have to cut them the same way that the incisors?
So... do you think it could be good to give him something for the pain or for a possible infection, apart from check the molars? I'm really scared and worried about his health, because though he's not so thin and looks better than Gollum, i'm afraid that he'll go worse quickly and i won't have time to do the best for him...
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Post by sunshine on Aug 17, 2011 23:01:04 GMT
Well, i've managed to take a photo though isn't very clear. Hope you can see something. But, I'm afraid this is the problem. I think i'll have to take him to the vet again. Any advice for him (the vet)??  |
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Post by deguconvert on Aug 17, 2011 23:27:16 GMT
No . . . not myself. I was hoping that some of the other forum members who've also experienced the need for molars to be burred would reply here. I think it would be similar to other rodents that need to have the process done. Just be careful with the anesthetic.
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Post by sunshine on Aug 18, 2011 10:20:45 GMT
Well, I'm back from the vet. He has examined Sam's mouth thoroughly and has found that one of the molars was stucked in the mouth, and when he was searching for more problems... the tooth has fallen down!! Is this normal? (i don't think so...)
Apart from that, the vet says that the rest of the mouth seems to be well and has given me one drop of metacam a day for the pain and an antibiotic syrup called "septrin" for a possible infection, and i have to go back next monday to see how he's going. Hope he gets well soon...
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Post by fred on Aug 18, 2011 12:05:01 GMT
Hi there, I am sorry I can't say anything about the acute situation. A lot of problems with degu teeth are due to, or at least exacerbated by, their diet. Unfortunately, there is a lot of poor information around. Can you tell use what you are feeding yours, so that we may be able to help with advice for the longer term?
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Post by sunshine on Aug 18, 2011 14:29:06 GMT
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Post by fred on Aug 18, 2011 17:01:40 GMT
As far as I can see this looks fine. The reason I asked is that there have been two recent studies showing that hard feeds with a poor calcium to phosphorous ratio may be a major cause of tooth disease (not the only one of course). I couldn't find data for Degu Premium or Degu Spezial. Is there anything on the bag, and do they eat all of it or do they pick only certain bits? Anyway, I think the calcium stone should probably take care of this. I didn't want to worry you but make sure there isn't a problem which most of us don 't even know exists (I certainly didn't until recently).
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Post by Maravilla on Aug 18, 2011 18:06:07 GMT
Hello sunshine,
JR Farm Degu Spezial and Premium are well known here. It is okay, better than pellets, but still includes some things which are not so healthy: quite a high amount of grain, corn, bell beans [Vicia faba]. These are things I only give as a titbit.
I am worried about the cereal bar. As far as I found information about the product (if it is really the bar from your link), it contains honey (=sugar).
Can you buy other products by JR Farm? I know that they sell as well different herbs, leaves etc. If you have any chance to buy these, I would recommend to mix them with the Degu Spezial or Premium.
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Post by sunshine on Aug 18, 2011 19:07:14 GMT
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Post by fred on Aug 18, 2011 19:20:42 GMT
I am afraid my Spanish is rather poor, but as far as I got,
Hierbas especial
Flores de prado
Flores de jardin para chinchilla
Pelatos rosales
seem to be good suggestions. Can you translate the ingredients so that we can make sure I am not saying something stupid here?
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Post by Maravilla on Aug 18, 2011 19:30:31 GMT
I have no problems with spanish ;D. Good herbs or weeds out of the list are: diente de león flores de prado menta (don't mix all of it at once) ortiga avena verde ramas de perejil (my degus are not very keen on it) Pelatos rosales You can try to give them parsley, basil, and other herbs. Have a look here which plants you can offer you degus. |
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Post by sunshine on Aug 19, 2011 0:41:03 GMT
Perfect, tomorrow i'll order all of it and start the new diet ;D I just hope that Sam gets well soon and can enjoy his new meal ^_^ I'll keep you informed Thank you very much for your words, they have been a great help and I really appreciate it |
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