I think Oliver's time has come to leave us

[t1gg3er]

I think poor old Oliver is dying.  He's somewhere between 3 & 3.5 years old & I think he's had a stroke - he can't move around very much, he just staggers & the whole of his right side doesn't seem to be working.  His fur is puffed up & his eyes are closed.  Most upsetting of all is he feels really cold & has just gone to skin & bone within the last couple of hours.  He doesn't want to be held so I've set him up in a clear plastic bin cage with a heat mat under him.  He has food & water right in front of him but isn't interested.  I did manage to get him to take a few sips of water a while ago though.

We only adopted Oliver & his brother Harry at the end of August but they've wormed their way into our hearts & it's awful seeing him like this.

I'd like him to slip away peacefully but I know he could go on like this for some time.  If he's still like this in 24 hours I'll take him to the vet but I so hope he goes naturally.

In the meantime, is there anything else I can do to make him more comfortable?

[t1gg3er]

Ollie seems to have rallied around

He's still very unsteady but he's moving around a little. He's warmed up considerably & doesn't look skeletal like he did this morning. He's also had a little drink & eaten a sunflower heart. His fur is still puffed up & his eyes are still closed but compared to this morning when I was convinced he was leaving us he's improved massively & I'm feeling hopeful we'll get to keep him around a bit longer.

My thinking is to keep him in the bin cage as it's a flat environment & keep him as snug, warm & comfortable as I can. I don't want to risk taking him to the vets & him getting cold & stressed which may do more harm than good. Or should I really take him? Is there anything the vet could do to help him that outweighs the risks of the trip there & back?

[betty]

Nope.

Warm, small, flat and easy food and water. They are your best bet until he either passes or recovers. Move him somewhere quiet and undisturbed for the night at least and make sure that you can see him without too much moving and poking.

Make everything as easy as possible for him - and make sure the food is instantly edible. When someone is ill, they don't want to have to break open shells or chew hard stuff - or climb up a ladder on jump a roof (or it might actually hurt to do that).

If he looks like he may be struggling to breath or he looks really uncomfortable or in pain, then perhaps the one way journey to the vets would be for the best rather than leaving him to suffer. Only you can decide when that time is as you are the one who cares for him and knows what he is feeling, and only you will be the one to know if he starts to look better or worse...

And make sure that at least half the container ISN'T over the heat mat - he needs a cooler place to move to if he gets too hot.

Also if Harry is around keep them together if they suit that environment as Ollie might like the hugs and cuddles. And then if he recovers they will still be together. Sometimes the healthy one just annoys the sick one so you have to split them up, but I would see how they go first.

[t1gg3er]

Thanks, the heat pad is only under the section where his nest is so he doesn't have to go far to get away from it.

Unfortunately Harry & Ollie declanned just before they came to us so they've been separate since then.

I'll keep an eye on Oliver & if he does deteriorate again I'll have to make the dreaded decision for a one way trip to the vets. Fingers crossed he either recovers (preferred option) or slips away peacefully in his sleep.

[aspiringvet]

Good luck with Ollie. One of my gerbils, Homer, had a stroke last week, and (touch wood) he seems to have recovered quite well with some nursing. You sound like you're doing everything right.

Unfortunately, the paralysis may not pass. Homer recovered his mobility from his last stroke; this one seems to have been more severe and this time, he has not.

I hope Ollie recovers or goes peacefully, sadly gerbils rarely seem too. Too tough for their own good.

AspiringVet

[t1gg3er]

Thank you. He's still moving around, eating & drinking but very unsteady & slow. One of his eyes is crusted shut this morning but he's kind of half opened the other. I'll give it a little longer & if he doesn't clear it himself I'll give it a gentle wipe with a cotton bud dipped in sterile water.

I've put a toilet roll tube in for him & if he shows any interest in it over the next couple of days I'll know he still has some zest for life. But if not I won't keep him hanging on feeling miserable & just existing. So please start chewing soon Ollie!

[aspiringvet]

Nov 17, 2015 1:14:47 GMT -8 t1gg3er said:

Thank you. He's still moving around, eating & drinking but very unsteady & slow. One of his eyes is crusted shut this morning but he's kind of half opened the other. I'll give it a little longer & if he doesn't clear it himself I'll give it a gentle wipe with a cotton bud dipped in sterile water.

I've put a toilet roll tube in for him & if he shows any interest in it over the next couple of days I'll know he still has some zest for life. But if not I won't keep him hanging on feeling miserable & just existing. So please start chewing soon Ollie!

Gerbils are such little troopers. Good luck.

[t1gg3er]

Well, Ollie has astounded me with his progress & determination to keep going.

I've just moved him from the bin cage into a large hamster cage to make it easier to keep an eye on him. He's still unsteady on his right side, his right eye is kind of droopy & his right ear is permanently down so I'm pretty sure it was a stroke he had on Monday. But although he keeps having to stop to catch his breath, he's spent the last half hour exploring his new environment, climbing on top of his houses, chewing at a pine cone & repeatedly going through the tubes I put in for him. He's tired now & curled up in the cutest ball fast asleep

He has 2 houses, one with the heat mat under it & a fleece blanket over it. Plus he has several tubes & easy chewy things. He's made no attempt to dig over the last few days so I figured I'd give him ready made tunnels & he seems happy with them.

I know he won't last forever but as long as he shows he wants to live I'll make it as pleasant & easy as possible for him.

[aspiringvet]

Nov 19, 2015 4:23:50 GMT -8 t1gg3er said:

Well, Ollie has astounded me with his progress & determination to keep going.

I've just moved him from the bin cage into a large hamster cage to make it easier to keep an eye on him. He's still unsteady on his right side, his right eye is kind of droopy & his right ear is permanently down so I'm pretty sure it was a stroke he had on Monday. But although he keeps having to stop to catch his breath, he's spent the last half hour exploring his new environment, climbing on top of his houses, chewing at a pine cone & repeatedly going through the tubes I put in for him. He's tired now & curled up in the cutest ball fast asleep

He has 2 houses, one with the heat mat under it & a fleece blanket over it. Plus he has several tubes & easy chewy things. He's made no attempt to dig over the last few days so I figured I'd give him ready made tunnels & he seems happy with them.

I know he won't last forever but as long as he shows he wants to live I'll make it as pleasant & easy as possible for him.

Good luck to you and Ollie. I hope that he continues to recover.