Surgery recovery questions

[Nightingale]

Hello, my lone girl Mocha underwent surgery on a scent-gland tumour today and all went fine. She has an appointment on Monday to check on her stitches.

Although my vet assured me they had done the operation plenty of times and so on and I do think I was right to trust them with it, they weren't very useful at giving me aftercare advice in the way I assumed they'd be and I'm rather worried. Do I need to make adjustments to her living arrangements (moving her to a smaller place that's easy to get around in, changing the substrate, etc), her diet, etc? And is there anything I can do to prevent her worrying at her stitches? They're dissolvable (?) with some glue as well to help keep them in place. I have already seen her trying to groom them a bit and I am very worried about that but can't be there all the time to make sure she isn't chewing them.

Also, I was told she didn't need antibiotics but that doesn't seem right? Should I press it on Monday or is that fine?

In retrospect I know I should have had a plan already, and in future if something like this happens again I will, but I was rather focused on just getting the operation done quickly to give her the best chance, and I had assumed the vets would have some more advice for me. In future I'll know to be more prepared. D:

[ninestone]

I hope she gets well quickly! Unfortunately, I don't have much in the way of answers but I did want to say you probably shouldn't worry about the antibiotics. Gerbils are hindgut fermenters, and they rely on bacteria in their gut to properly digest food. This makes giving them antibiotics riskier than other pet animals or people, so it's best to avoid them unless absolutely necessary. Giving antibiotics after surgery is usually just preventative, and the vet may have deemed it not worth the risk.

You can always just call the vet and speak to a technician about your questions.

[PurpleSheep]

Our gerbil Sukie had both antibiotics and pain meds after having surgery. However, her operation was a lot more invasive (ovarian tumour removal). It might be worth just asking about it again at the check-up appointment.

I would keep the substrate low so she can move around more easily, but keep her in her normal tank, as moving her will probably stress her out even more. Put the food and water close to her so she doesn't need to move around too much to get to it. Our Sukie was exhausted the first few days after the surgery (she was an older gerbil as well). We also put a little heat pack in her cage which she loved, as she was cold all the time. A hot water bottle might work as well? We spent lots of time with her and giving her lots of affection, which she seemed to appreciate.

I hope this helps and that Mocha recovers well!

[Nightingale]

Thank you both for your replies and well wishes!

ninestone, good point about being able to call the vet (though the one time I did try asking for advice over the phone, they were weird about it), and thanks for the info about antibiotics. With this point and the fact that the wound seems to be healing well, I didn't ask again about antibiotics. But of course I will look out for any signs of infection.

PurpleSheep, I'm sorry Sukie had to go through that, it's good she had you to look after her. Thank you for your suggestions; they would be really excellent if Mocha were having such symptoms like lethargy herself. If anything though she has the same energy as ever, isn't sleeping much extra or having difficulty getting around, eating or drinking. I think perhaps the difference lies in the invasiveness of the different surgeries? The day I got her home from surgery, she tried to climb out onto the topper in order to get closer to a treat, and she kept winking and fluttering her eyes as she does when happy. She was a little lethargic at first, but I think that was mainly due to thirst and hunger, since when she'd eaten and drank she seemed to go back to usual boisterous self. I've been checking on her lots and making sure she feels cared for. As for heat, she isn't any colder to the touch, though the room she's in is somewhat warmer than the rest of the house and she has plenty of bedding to snuggle in, and I gave her some extra tonight just in case. So I think that is taken care of alright.

Today she had her appointment and the vet was very happy about her progress, so I let her out for some free-range time for the first time since the surgery, and she really enjoyed that. Seems she's doing well.

Thanks again for the help!

[ninestone]

Glad to hear Mocha is doing well! Thanks for posting an update.

Vets are often wary of giving advice over the phone if someone just calls in because it can be a liability and they'd rather the pet was brought in (free phone advice doesn't pay for vet school!). However if the question(s) are directly related to a procedure they just did they're usually happy to help.

[Nightingale]

Another update: I don't know if she had it before or after the operation, but a respiratory infection struck her very quickly and vet intervention couldn't save her. I spent from around after 4pm on Wednesday to around 10 pm Thursday with her curled up on me, trying to keep her warm, hydrated and fed as best I could, as well as giving her her antibiotics. But she was just too weak.

She passed away Thursday night, after I had gone to bed, as I had to do unfortunately. Just thought I would let you all know, and thank you once again for your advice.

[PurpleSheep]

I am so sorry to hear that. RIP Mocha.

[catnut]

soo sorry to hear, RIP Mocha. Take care of yourself, you did all you could do for her.