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Post by betty on Apr 7, 2016 0:17:48 GMT -8
I was just wondering if anyone has had any treatment for these recently (the last thread on here about draining cysts and then performing removal surgery seems to be from 2011 so I was wondering if things had improved or become much more simple since then)?
Also, does anyone have any images of how they look on an affected gerbil for identification purposes?
My oldest lady gerbil has started to show signs of bilateral widening and I am looking at the current options for a 4 year old pensioner? (They may be something else of course but I have read that these are most likely.)
I have emailed my nearest gerbil specialist vet this morning, but wondered if anyone out there had any information from elsewhere on the planet?
Thanks.
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PurpleSheep
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Bossed around by rodents & a toddler
Posts: 331
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Post by PurpleSheep on Apr 8, 2016 10:14:31 GMT -8
Our first gerbil Sukie had an ovarian cyst & tumour removed just over two years ago. Not sure if that is recent enough for you?
She was a rescue gerbil, so we didn't know her exact age, but she was definitely quite a bit younger than your old lady (probably around 2 1/2). She recovered well initially but then passed away around 6 weeks later.
I will check this weekend if we have some photos of her from that time. We initially observed her for around 7 or 8 months before opting for the surgery when it started to really impact on her, so she was quite big by the time the cyst was actually removed.
I am not sure what the procedure was because it was a while ago, but I think it was similar to the one you describe. Sukie was also a bit of a special case it turned out she had both a cyst and a tumour - apparently, this type of tumour had never been recorded in a Mongolian gerbil before, so she actually has a scientific paper published about her in a veterinary journal - it's our gerbil claim to fame!
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Post by betty on Apr 10, 2016 5:05:01 GMT -8
Really published, that is extraordinary - something to help gerbils in the future then.
I really would appreciate gerbil pictures if you had some to hand, I will be taking some of my little lady so I have a record of what hers look like, just incase anyone else gets it.
My gerbils vet hasn't got back to me, so I will call instead, I don't want her getting any bigger if I can help it.
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Post by Shooting Star on Apr 10, 2016 8:43:57 GMT -8
As far as I know, drainage and/or removal is still the only real treatment.
I thought I had some pics, but I guess not. I do have some post-mortem pics (both before and after necropsy) of a girl that had a massive unilateral ovarian cyst that I can PM, if you want.
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PurpleSheep
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Bossed around by rodents & a toddler
Posts: 331
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Post by PurpleSheep on Apr 10, 2016 9:28:35 GMT -8
The paper about Sukie is here: vetrecordcasereports.bmj.com/content/3/1/e000182.abstract We are very proud of her contribution to gerbil science! I have some pics but none from the last few months before her surgery when she got really big. I'll post them anyway in case they are useful (and because she was an extremely attractive gerbil ) May 2013: This is Sukie before the cyst - she was quite a large gerbil and well-proportioned in her prime. September 2013: The cyst first appeared in July/August, so this is her a few months on in the same location (she loved hanging out on the sofa with us!), but you can see a definite bump where her rear half starts. October 2013: You can really see the bell-shape in these ones, and her front half has got thinner. January 2014: This was around 2 months before her surgery. Sadly I have no more photos after this, but she got much bigger quite quickly in those last two months up to March 2014 and it was starting to affect her breathing, which is why we opted for the operation at this point. She was really thin and tiny after the surgery, so the cyst/tumour clearly ate up a lot of her energy. If I could go back, I would probably go for the surgery sooner, but at the time we'd recently lost one of our robos after an operation, so were very worried about it happening again. I hope this helps and good luck to your and your girl whatever decision you make.
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Post by betty on Apr 10, 2016 23:48:29 GMT -8
Thank you purplesheep for all those images, and I hope you don't mind if I save them for personal use. Your little Sukie does look similar to mine, although her swelling seems a touch further back than mine, but then I suppose she had 2 conditions really? It also goes under her belly more whereas my girl seems to be all on her 'saddles'.
Did you breed from her at all - as I was wondering if these cysts are connected to pregnancy?
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Post by betty on Apr 10, 2016 23:54:48 GMT -8
As far as I know, drainage and/or removal is still the only real treatment. Thank you for confirming this, and that these cysts can come singly too. Do you know if they are more likely to come singly or in pairs - and do you know what causes them? I want to read up on this a bit more... And yes please, I would certainly be interested in seeing your images of this condition via pm, and thank you again for your time with this.
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Post by betty on Apr 11, 2016 8:18:27 GMT -8
The vet today said they were very soft and felt like bilateral ovarian cysts. He didn't think she was in any pain as yet, and he didn't recommend any special care apart from yummy food and an easier-to-move-around tank set up (which I had already done).
I will try to upload the pictures later when I have more time.
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PurpleSheep
Member
Bossed around by rodents & a toddler
Posts: 331
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Post by PurpleSheep on Apr 11, 2016 11:32:57 GMT -8
Thank you purplesheep for all those images, and I hope you don't mind if I save them for personal use. Your little Sukie does look similar to mine, although her swelling seems a touch further back than mine, but then I suppose she had 2 conditions really? It also goes under her belly more whereas my girl seems to be all on her 'saddles'. Did you breed from her at all - as I was wondering if these cysts are connected to pregnancy? Feel free to save the pictures for your personal use! We never bred Sukie, she was a rescue so we had no idea about her background, or exact age for that matter. Glad your vet appointment seems to have gone well, hopefully she will be fine for a while without intervention.
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Post by betty on Apr 11, 2016 23:44:19 GMT -8
Yes, they seemed to quite enjoy the visit between them - like a family day out.
The sun was shining, there was a light breeze through their carrier, the vet loved them and they were scuttling all over the place. I'm not sure why they both look so healthy and wonderful at their age, I have some far younger who are showing their age?
My Latte is so handsome at the moment, he is almost at his second revival. He went through quite a dip about 6/8 months ago and I thought I was going to lose him, but after removing him from his son he perked up. Ended up pairing him up in retirement with his litter-mate sister (the one who is now ill) and he has gone from strength to strength and put back on some weight. I can't stop admiring him - his chunkyness, his lovely coat - and his lovely big eyes - he's always had them with great big eyelashes.
Might have to get a few pictures...
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Post by betty on Apr 25, 2016 5:11:06 GMT -8
Sorry it took so long, but here is a picture of her feasting on linseed and sunflowers a few months ago when I started looking into all this. It's quite dark, but you can see the shape of her: ...and here is her handsome brother:
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PurpleSheep
Member
Bossed around by rodents & a toddler
Posts: 331
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Post by PurpleSheep on Apr 27, 2016 6:57:57 GMT -8
She is looking pretty round! How is it affecting her mobility-wise? Sukie was fairly active for the first few months but slowed down a lot once the cyst got bigger, which is why we decided to have the surgery.
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Post by betty on Apr 27, 2016 12:36:30 GMT -8
So far she seems to still be quite active with it. She does occasionally bump it on the lip of a ledge if she is moving slowly, but she seems to leap up with all 4 feet to get on the shelves (!) these days.
She is currently trying to run away with the purple sprouting broccoli at the moment - she doesn't want to share it with her brother...
But then, who would?
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Post by betty on May 21, 2016 4:36:55 GMT -8
Right next week is the week I think for goodbyes for the poor old lady. She sleeps a lot and only really gets up to eat something - although I am still undecided as to whether I should let them both go together or leave him for longer?
He was quite uncomfortable last week so I got him some pain killers which really perked him up - but is that a reason to hold onto him?
If he stays, then do I leave him alone or do I see if I can split him to another friend? I know the split process can be a pain in itself?
Hmm?
Double hmm?
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