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Post by steffholmes on Oct 14, 2012 11:54:00 GMT -8
im sorry if this is mentioned elsewhere but i feel like im running out of time
yesterday my cat managed to open part of my gerbils cage and caught one. I bathed my gerbils wounds straight away and bathed them twice more before going to bed, he also ate and drank a little after the incident and seemed ok this morning he had taken a turn for the worse, would not eat, would not drink and would barely get up, so i took him to the vets where they advised me to keep picking open the scabs, give him antibiotics (that they provided) along with some painkillers and cleaning solution. They said i would have to force feed him baby food for a few days, however ive tried doing that but it just oozes out the other side of his mouth, so Im wondering if there is a technique to getting the food and water down?
thanks again for any help and im sorry if this is mentioned elswhere but I dont know how long i can leave him like this.
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Post by nikkisara on Oct 14, 2012 13:26:10 GMT -8
I dont know what to do but I hope he's okay :/
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Post by sofluffy on Oct 14, 2012 13:28:29 GMT -8
[quote author=steffholmes board=health thread=25466 post=235472 time=1350244440so i took him to the vets where they advised me to keep picking open the scabs[/quote] Why did they advise you to do this?
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Post by steffholmes on Oct 14, 2012 13:47:54 GMT -8
they said to clear out any puss that might be in there, but it puts him in pain an obviously he wont heal if i keep doing this, but two vets told me to do this :/ so for now im thinking of just bathing it and putting savlon on each time
Ive looked up syringe feeding and tried the one drop at a time technique, i think he took a bit of water just now, so im gonna try again in the morning
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Post by sofluffy on Oct 14, 2012 13:58:39 GMT -8
Yeah, be careful with 'force-feeding' because you don't want to drown them. Just place little droplets, one by one on to their lips at a time. Wait until they've swallowed that droplet, wait a couple of seconds, then repeat the process This worked well with my pups when they were poorly Patience.
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Post by steffholmes on Oct 14, 2012 14:02:21 GMT -8
tried that but he wont even clean the food off his face so now im trying to put each drop into his cheek to encourage him to swallow, vet said he could be in a lot of pain which is why he doesnt want to eat
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Post by sofluffy on Oct 14, 2012 14:08:03 GMT -8
He might not want to, but unless he does, he won't get better Only worse Okay, try 1 drop at a time though and wait until you can tell he has swallowed it. It is very easy to drown/choke him etc. They can't last long without water so making sure he gets SOME is essential :/
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Post by steffholmes on Oct 14, 2012 14:20:56 GMT -8
yeah i think i managed to get some food into him and just now i gave him some water which i think he took a bit
hopefully tomorrow he will be more willing if the pain meds kick in, might not bother with the picking scabs though, seems a bit barbaric when his wound seemed clean when the vet looked at it :/
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Post by sofluffy on Oct 14, 2012 14:25:35 GMT -8
How bad is the wound? I personally wouldn't want to put him in any more pain :/ He definitely won't take any water or anything off you if he learns to associate you with causing hi more pain :/ I've never heard about picking them though.. bit odd that.. Hopefully a poster who has heard about that will be able to shed some light on it for you Make sure he's drinking often, eating and staying warm. You may need to place a WARM (not hot) hot water bottle in his cage for him to sit on if he does start to become lethargic, not eat or drink and a bit cold, just to get him warm and make sure he is comfortable and greaten his chance of survival.. I know it isn't the nicest thing to think about, but if he refuses food and water for too long, he will deteriorate quickly So I hope that helps to know I'm not sure if the savlon is safe to put on animals, though.. did the vet suggest this?
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Post by steffholmes on Oct 14, 2012 14:44:26 GMT -8
vet said it was shallow, and i cleansed the wound straight away so bacteria shouldnt have got in, ive got him next to electric fire and i keep checking his feet an stuff so make sure he isnt going cold, luckily im doing an animal care course so tomorrow i will be going to see my tutor for advice too and yeah the first vet i spoke to said savlon is fine for animals and the second vet didnt tell me otherwise
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Post by catnut on Oct 14, 2012 15:56:44 GMT -8
sorry to hear your cat injured your gerbil,hope he improves and just try to get him to eat,his fave treats or whatever is safe. Wish him much good well wishes. What kind of cage was he in? an aquarium with a good top,with clips,a bungy cord wrapped around whole cage and put aluminum foil around the edges as cats are supposed to hate walking on it. I don't have a cat but will be soon so am making sure my Tia will be safe and am keeping the cat out of my room so she will be fine when we are both asleep.
Tammy
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Post by hlauber on Oct 14, 2012 15:58:55 GMT -8
Make sure the baby food is watery and processed well (not sure how you're giving it to him). I have to syringe feed baby kittens and we add the kitten food (sometimes baby food) and water into a blender and mix it up really well. It's smooth and watery but is easy to get through the syringe.
Remember they generally don't eat and drink a ton as it is, don't over feed him. Hope he gets to feeling better soon.
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Post by animelover10143 on Oct 14, 2012 17:31:03 GMT -8
Is your cat allowed in your room frequently? None of my cats are allowed in my room i always have the door closed.
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Post by steffholmes on Oct 15, 2012 0:18:31 GMT -8
the cage is in the living room and its a rotastak, cat managed to knock part of the pipe work off, luckily i was in the room so i could get my gerbil straight away an clean him up. I saw that its better to water the food down which is what i tried last night but i think he had managed to eat some earlier. My cat is only allowed on my lap now when he's in the living room, or he has to go out, hopefully he will learn. Thanks for the replies guys, it helps
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Post by sparky on Oct 15, 2012 1:55:05 GMT -8
I hope he heals up well xxx
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