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Post by crazycritter on Nov 16, 2005 21:04:04 GMT -8
Hey everyone, I bought a gerbil a few days ago...my first petstore gerbil in YEARS! He is a lilac mottled male, and I bought him from the Petsmart that I work at. He had been quarantined for a week in the back, and had been out front (on the sales floor) for a couple of days after that. I decided to buy him. The day afterwards, he developed diarrhea. He was in with two of my pups, and I immediatley took him out and put him in his own tank in the bathroom. I started the two pups on Ornacycline, which is Tetracycline for birds. The one with diarrhea, I gave ornacycline to via syringe. He has lost weight and isn't eating much...I mixed up some KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer) and mixed in some Tetracycline which he drank quite a bit of. It has been two days, which makes me wonder if it's not Tyzzers...but I've never had a gerbil just get diarrhea without any diet change. He is now sneezing a bit, and although he hasn't gotten any better, he isn't much worse. Does anybody have any advice for me? I really love this little guy and don't want him to die! Thanks!!  |
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Nov 16, 2005 23:03:14 GMT -8
If it was Tyzzers he's be dead. But it could be any of a number things, e-coli, salmonella, etc etc. Only a culture would prove that.
Baytril or another broad spectrum antibiotic is more effective and agreed the gerbils who've been in contact need treatment too.
This means it's vet time!!
The gerbils must be quarantined from any other pets (Ed recommends at least two doors between the quarantined and healthy animals). Nothing should pass frm quarantined gerbils to healthy stock without being bleached (and rinsed). You wash your hands religously.
I would also recommend contacting the shop and letting them know in case they have other infected stock.
Good luck
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Post by crazycritter on Nov 16, 2005 23:10:05 GMT -8
If I can get baytril without visiting a vet, is it still nessacary to go?
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Post by lizzy on Nov 17, 2005 6:26:33 GMT -8
I highly doubt you will be able to get baytril without a vet visit!! Baytril is usually prescription only.
It is DEFINITELY still necessary to take your gerbil to a vet, immediately. Your vet may prescribe you another/a different medication, as well as be able to give you a proper diagnosis. These little guys go downhill quick.
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Post by meganb52 on Nov 17, 2005 7:59:05 GMT -8
Yes, Baytril (enrofloxacin) is available only through your veterinarian. I would definitely recommend a trip to the vet and treatment for the other gerbils he was in contact with.
-Megan
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Post by crazycritter on Nov 17, 2005 10:25:51 GMT -8
Yeah, I realize that. The only thing is, is that I've been breeding gerbils for years, and this has happened twice.before with a store bought gerbil. I took him to two different small animal vets. One prescribed Baytril, one prescriped Chlorpalm, and then suggested Ornacycline as the Chlorpalm wasn't working. The gerbil still ended up dying. The second time, I took the gerbil to a third vet and Baytril was prescribed again. It was the exact same thing, and nothing they did was something that I couldn't have done. I have access to vet medications, and the store I work at has taken a gerbil and hamster with the same symptoms to the vet and recieved medications for them. I have access to this medication, and am allowed to treat my gerbil at home with it (as the alternative is just returning him to the store and treating him there). I am not one of those people that won't take their animal to the vet, but at the moment, it is the exact same thing as I have faced two times before and that the store I work at is facing right now. If I have access to these vet results and medications, do you still consider it nessacary to take him? I rescue animals and am currently still paying off vet bills...
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Post by sandy on Nov 17, 2005 10:48:49 GMT -8
Oh no, that does not sound good. If you do have a death on your hands I'd highly recommend taking the body to a vet and getting a culture done. If it is e coli it could be serious business, as it is a danger not only to other animals but also to humans and yes, a big deal. In which case I think you could get compensation for vet bills etc. and a warning to the place you got the gerbil ( and the breeder they got him from) would definitely be in order. The disease becomes a danger to people, especially kids that are buying pets from the store, you understand, it is a very big deal. I would think also that there might be the possibility that all the animals in contact with the infected animal (at the pet store and also at the breeders) would have to be treated, as well.
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Nov 17, 2005 12:56:50 GMT -8
If the animals have been treated the numbers of any bug causing the disease will be reduced and the culture may not give an accurate reading.
I do agree if it spreads you should get a culture done, though tbh from what you say the store or its supplier should arrange this. As I said before there are a no of possible causes of which E-coli is just one. E-coli is high in peoples minds because there have been outbreaks in the stock of respected breeders recently.
E-coli btw is a family of bacteria which appear in mammal guts. Most are harmless, some strains though are very dangerous (as seen in a recent outbreak in Wales ). The strain that has been causing gerbil breeders trouble is not the notifiable strain (ie the one responsible for human food poisoning). But even so if it spreads through the gerbil population it could be devastating. Presumably it could also potentially be harmful to humans with reduced immune systems.
The main issue is that diarrhea in gerbils must be taken seriously. So yes use the baytril as prescribed (usually a 10 day course).
If the illness has occured before and is known to be baytril resistant then marbocyl seems very effective so it might be worth asking the vet (antibiotics become less effective over time especially if commonly used and my own vet certainly feels baytril is not longer always effective).
Question: If you have had animals from this shop before and they have got sick, why do you continue to buy from them?
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Post by sandy on Nov 17, 2005 13:49:11 GMT -8
Probably if you tried you could find an animal in the chain of contagion that had not been treated--as far as I know many pet shops do not put their rodents on antibiotics when they develop health problems...that might be the way to go to identify this bug. Since you work there anyway, maybe quietly ask around?
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Post by crazycritter on Nov 17, 2005 14:57:22 GMT -8
I work with the animals at the store, and we do take them to the vet and they do get antibiotics. Another infected gerbil (other then mine) is being taken to the vet. Our one vet prescribes aureomycin and the other small animal vet prescribed neosol. It cleared up the wettail in the hamsters which is usually fatal. It cleared up the one case of gerbil diarrhea we've had previously at the store. I am going to get the neosol for my gerbil as it seemed quite effective for the hamsters who were very close to death at some points.
I haven't puchased an animal from this store before, the other gerbils were from a different store. The store I work at, where I bought this pup, takes very good care of their animals. I am part of the animal care team.
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Nov 17, 2005 16:00:30 GMT -8
Ah right.
Do the stores get gerbils from the same source? It does sound as though there might be a common theme.
If there is then the consequences could be serious.
Do you think the gerbils where cross-infected from the hamster cages?
It might be worth reassessing how people handle the animals and whether there is handwashing between cages (or maybe your store could invest in some alcohol had gel at least for the present).
Maybe you and your manager could do a risk assessment to ensure present and/or future hygeine arrangements are adequate.
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Post by sandy on Nov 17, 2005 19:32:59 GMT -8
Well it's nice to hear a pet shop taking such concern for sick animals. Don't forget to contact the breeder with your concerns and make sure they are getting treated there, too. Good luck with the situation!
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Post by crazycritter on Nov 19, 2005 9:47:36 GMT -8
The gerbil was taken to the vet with some more of the sick animals from the store, and they all were prescribed an antibiotic called Chlorpalm. The Diarrhea has almost cleared up, his poops are formed but still a bit soft...A LOT better then he was doing previously.
At the store, we have a seperate sound proofed room called "the quiet room" where the sick animals stay. We wash our hands with alcohol in between each animal. Cross infection is unlikely as all of the tubs from the cages (it's a rodent rack system) are soaked for a day in lemon quat before the new animals arrive and are disenfected twice a week.
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Post by doomgerbiluk on Nov 19, 2005 15:01:33 GMT -8
Sounds very good. Glad to know the animals are looked after.
Good luck with them, fingers crossed that they all recover well.
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Post by RyanF on Nov 19, 2005 15:33:46 GMT -8
Yay! That's awesome news! I hope everything turns out well.  |
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