|
Post by kristyblitz on Jan 22, 2012 3:02:43 GMT
My eldest Degu, Wilma, has had a really runny nose for the past month or 2. It's not causing her any problems and she doesn't actually sneeze. But it is always running and because of it her front paws are just disgusting the amount of gunk on them. Her fur underneath her mouth is all matted as well. Is it something I should be worried about? Bit of back story about her health: I've had her since about mid October when I adopted her and her sister from the local shelter. They were both severely underweight and unfortunately her sister passed 2 days after I adopted her. When I rang the shelter about it all, they told me that she'd been completely healthy and they absolutely adored raisins. They had loads of them every day! As an educated Degu owner you see the problem. Plus, obviously they weren't healthy. So now, Wilma is a healthy weight and she has a good diet, I kept an eye on her for diabetes and she has none of the symptoms, fortunately. Her fur has finally got thicker and.. it just looks a whole lot better. She really is doing well. But it's just this runny nose I'm worried about. She lives with 3 other Degu's and none of them have the runny nose or even a little sniffle. Thank you in advance!
|
|
|
Post by NightwishRaven999 on Jan 22, 2012 3:21:17 GMT
Hello kristy To me this would sound like a respiratory infection. May I inquire as to what type of bedding is used in the degu cage ? Of course, this may not be the source of the problem, but some degus become prone to respiratory illness when there is dust in the bedding.
Since you mention the fur underneath her mouth, might it be possible she is drooling as well ? Does she spend a lot of time pawing at her mouth ? Does she visibly eat slowly ?
The best advice I could give you would be to avoid giving Wilma a sandbath, which could provoke further respiratory problems. Even though this has been going on for a while, I can guarantee it will only worsten with time if left unnatended. Wilma needs to see an excotic animal vet.
There are a few members here who are based in Ontario. In what area do you live ? Perhaps someone nearby could point you towards a vet that has experience with degus.
|
|
|
Post by kristyblitz on Jan 22, 2012 3:45:26 GMT
I didn't realise it could honestly be something so bad. I'm going to take her to my vets right away, there's an exotic one just outside Brantford and I know they handle Degu's so I'll book an appointment Monday morning, assuming they aren't open tomorrow.
But yes, she does spend a lot of time pawing at her mouth and thinking about it she does eat slowly but I thought that was just my others being fattys and gorging quickly.
Thank you for answering so quickly! I feel awful for letting it carry on so long.
|
|
|
Post by NightwishRaven999 on Jan 22, 2012 4:09:26 GMT
Dont feel awful, the important thing is that you take her to the vet as soon as possible. If you have observed her pawing her mouth often and eating slower than the other degus, I would assume this to be teeth related.
One of the first things the vet will most likely want to check on is the back molars, which can often grow or become sharp, causing lacerations and swelling of the tongue and inner cheeks...hence the constant drooling, dampening of the fur, leaving the mouth, nose, neck and paws sticky and noticeably foul smelling.
The positive thing I see here is the fact that you mentioned she has managed to keep an acceptable weight. If this is indeed the problem I suspect, she will start loosing weight rather quickly and degrade from there if the problem is not solved.
The pain caused by the sharp molars will usually cause the degu to eat slower and consume less food.
I really hope you manage to see a vet about this in the next few days. The sooner the problem is taken care of the better.
Please keep us updated about Wilma !
|
|
|
Post by kristyblitz on Jan 22, 2012 4:15:00 GMT
I'm beginning to think that's why her sister passed away. Her sister was so underweight, way worse than Wilma ever was. On Betty's final day as well she was struggling to breath, it was awful to watch, and she turned so quickly that there wasn't any time to get her to a vet.
Seriously though, thank you so much! I would've felt awful if Wilma ended up like her sister. I will definitely keep you updated as to whats happening, right now just gathering various vet numbers in case the vet I want to go to doesn't have a spot open for a while or something.
|
|
|
Post by kristyblitz on Jan 25, 2012 0:36:52 GMT
I just came back from taking Wilma to the vets. The woman there said that she didn't seem to have any sort of respiratory infection as she'd have been sneezing, which Wilma never does, and it was likely the others would get it too. So that's good. Regarding her teeth, her molars a little bit pointy but she wasn't sure whether they were actually causing her any problems because she does eat so well and is very active. The patch of fur missing from around her mouth is actually dermatitis (I think that's right) and I've been given some medication to give to Wilma 2 time a day through a syringe. Basically, the idea is get that cleared up and see if Wilma keeps pawing at her mouth or if she starts losing weight which if she does then she will have surgery just to file her molars down. Wilma did very good though apart from a nasty bite she gave the vet.
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Jan 25, 2012 1:15:52 GMT
LOL . . . so Wilma faired very well, but the vet not so good. I'm glad that she is not suffering from a respiratory infection! That's a relief!!
|
|
|
Post by kristyblitz on Mar 9, 2012 1:36:58 GMT
Unfortunately Wilma is not well again. The medication did her wonders but in the past week she's seemed to do a complete 180 and she's back to where she started but this time 2 eyes are clogged up! I've thought that maybe it is her molars, but if that were the case then surely the medication, designed solely for infections, would not have worked so well. Or is that naive to assume? Anyway, along with 2 messy eyes, her nose was really running bad today and her weight has dropped slightly. I haven't noticed her eating much but I did manage to get her to eat a sunseed today so it's something... My family have suggested putting her to sleep because she's obviously struggling and isn't happy but the reason I'm against that is because when she was on the medication she was on top of the world. Even without it she's still feisty and will boss the others around. I just don't want her to struggle or die as torturous as her sister did. I wasn't able to save her sister, so I feel like I really have to do all I can for Wilma or I'd feel like a failure. I'm taking her back to the vets ASAP but what do you guys think?
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Mar 9, 2012 3:26:38 GMT
I don't know what to think . . . I really wish I did!! Please, please let us know how the vet visit goes??
|
|
luna1
Burrowing Degu
Nozzle, my miracle!
Posts: 143
|
Post by luna1 on Mar 9, 2012 21:21:07 GMT
Hi,
Poor Wilma seems to have really gone through it.
Can you try and get a whole body X-Ray, including full view of the head as this sounds like an upper molar root/sinus problem. The X-Ray will confirm what is going on, or not and then you can take advice and make your decision from there.
My heart goes out to you on this but please find out from images what may be going on first.
Best of luck
|
|
|
Post by kristyblitz on Mar 9, 2012 23:02:02 GMT
I've just got home and put new food in the cage. Tink, Penny and Baby Daisy (Wilma's cage mates) were straight over and getting what they wanted. Wilma sniffed it and went back to her dark corner behind the wheel. I put some food in front of her and a pumpkin seed which she nibbled a bit on then left. Right now, she looks awful. Both eyes and full of white liquid and barely open; she's basically walking around blind. She just looks a mess. So, we got her out and gave her some of her medicine and noticed she had poop all over her hands, but not hard... so she now also has diarrhoea. This is just turning into a repeat of her sister now so I'm thinking this is a genetic thing too? Anyway, I rang the vets up because her sister's health deteriorated so quickly and they've squeezed her in for tomorrow right before they shut. Thank god! I'll ask the vet about an X-Ray though, because she did mention molars before. I just really think this is something genetic now that she has exactly the same symptoms her sister did 2 days before she passed away.
|
|
|
Post by parisng on Mar 10, 2012 0:03:41 GMT
Best wishes from a fellow owner. Hope Wilma gets well soon and all your Degus are happy and healthy
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Mar 10, 2012 5:46:56 GMT
I'll be thinking of you as well, Kristyblitz. How very distressing for you!! I wonder if there is any way of determining if there is any viral involvement? How is she doing now, I wonder?
|
|
|
Post by kristyblitz on Mar 10, 2012 15:14:58 GMT
She's going to the vets in a hour but I wanted to write how she is in case I forget later. So, during the night I checked on her like I always do, and her cage mates had basically made a fortress of themselves around her. 1 either side and the youngest laid across them all. The material they were sleeping on (from a toy) is white and when they all moved a bit I thought I noticed blood but my bf didn't think so, so I let it go. Woke up this morning, and it was definitely blood. Wilma had buried herself into a tunnel with this material and it was coated with blood... okay, maybe I'm exaggerating but it was quite a bit. Wilma's bleeding from her mouth now and it's every time she paws at it it bleeds more. Currently she's asleep on me, wrapped in a towel. She still has a little fight in her, which I'm thankful about because her sister didn't but I really don't think she'll be coming home later.
|
|
|
Post by kristyblitz on Mar 10, 2012 19:57:45 GMT
Unfortunately Wilma had to be put to sleep. Basically it was her molars that were the cause of all her problems. They were horribly misshapen and had grown both over her tongue and into her gums. I am so angry right now that the vet we saw a month ago failed to mention just how bad the situation was. Because her molars were so big, one had literally snapped off and sliced her tongue open, hence the bleeding during the night. The vet said that we could spend $500 on surgery and medication but she would usually only have a 50/50 of surviving, with how ill she was and weak, he doubted she'd make it. I knew she wouldn't myself so I made the decision for her to be put to sleep so at least she could be out of her pain.
I'm just angry at so many people. I'm angry at the SPCA for not treating them right (no hay and half a dozen of raisins per day!), I'm angry at the other vet for not noticing how severe the situation was. I just wish she was still here because now her little friends are searching for her with no idea where she has gone.
|
|
|
Post by deguconvert on Mar 10, 2012 22:33:45 GMT
This is grievous news indeed, Kristyblitz, and I am so very sorry for your loss of Wilma. It is deeply frustrating when so many things combine to create a doleful situation, and certainly Wilma has suffered from just such a mixture. The poor little lady! I am truly sorry!! My thoughts are with you, Kristy.
|
|
luna1
Burrowing Degu
Nozzle, my miracle!
Posts: 143
|
Post by luna1 on Mar 11, 2012 18:15:08 GMT
So sorry Kristy for you and little Wilma. Poor little girl, you did the very best that you could in what was a no win situation. At least now she is out of pain but that, I know, is no consolation to you.
Truly sorry for you. xx
|
|