Possible Cancer Advice

[sparrow]

Hi, I posted a few weeks ago regarding a burst abscess on my gerbils stomach. He has been treated with antibiotics as the vet did think it was infected, however he also mentioned that he highly suspected cancer. My gerbil is 4 in November so any investigation wasn't recommend. He said he could euthanise if I wished but I declined as he is still eating, drinking, active and enjoying life. He agreed he seemed spirited. The lump he had which I originally thought was purely an abscess hasn't regrown yet and he still loves his food. The only worrying thing is that he is losing weight. He was 80g at the vet a week ago and now he's 75. I dont understand because he isn't eating less, does this reaffirm the cancer theory?

The vet gave me pain meds which I give him everyday. I'm still confident he has a lust for life but it makes me so sad to feel him boney. He was over 100g in his younger days, bordering on obese because he's a big eater. I asked the vet if it was a scent gland tumour and he said he didn't think so. It's under his front left leg and there's a cavity. I think after 14 days of antibiotics it isn't infected but it still looks nasty and he doesn't appreciate it being bathed everyday!

Has anyone had any similar experiences?

[betty]

Hi sparrow - hows he doing?

Minor weight fluctuations aren't normally anything to worry about - especially in old age and on medication - and like you said - he is still active and eating. I recently had two very old gerbils who naturally declined in weight due to their metabolism and lack of activity - as although they were still active when they were active - they were active much less often.

Also, I have had gerbils with SGT who - when initially put on pain killers made a huge improvement. The painkillers at first stopped them noticing their tumours and so they stopped chewing them - but eventually they got either immune to its effects or the pain increased for some reason.

Additionally - the abcess could have affected his fluid circulation and so the weight change could just be in imbalance of 'water' in his system after the amount of fluid in the abcess itself was removed?

Anyway, we will never really know what they are feeling, so we can only really gauge what WE think they feel having known them for some long. You have known them the longest - so I suppose only you can decide when he is still ok and when he isn't himself anymore.

I haven't had any experience with an abscess or tumour in that area myself - so can't help advise on cleaning or healing that, but I have had plenty of older gerbils and plenty of gerbils with SGT or ovarian cysts - so I know about working with my vet and making decisions along the way. Sometimes for one more thing, one more treatment - sometimes to stop treatment - and sometimes when palliative care isn't working anymore.

Cancer in of itself isn't something regularly talked about on the forum (SGT and cholesteotoma are though) so I am not sure if that would be more likely than and abcess - perhaps you could do a search on this forum catergory for both abcess and tumour and see what people have been saying over the years? Maybe that could help.

[sparrow]

Jun 19, 2020 19:39:10 GMT -8 betty said:

Hi sparrow - hows he doing?

Minor weight fluctuations aren't normally anything to worry about - especially in old age and on medication - and like you said - he is still active and eating. I recently had two very old gerbils who naturally declined in weight due to their metabolism and lack of activity - as although they were still active when they were active - they were active much less often.

Also, I have had gerbils with SGT who - when initially put on pain killers made a huge improvement. The painkillers at first stopped them noticing their tumours and so they stopped chewing them - but eventually they got either immune to its effects or the pain increased for some reason.

Additionally - the abcess could have affected his fluid circulation and so the weight change could just be in imbalance of 'water' in his system after the amount of fluid in the abcess itself was removed?

Anyway, we will never really know what they are feeling, so we can only really gauge what WE think they feel having known them for some long. You have known them the longest - so I suppose only you can decide when he is still ok and when he isn't himself anymore.

I haven't had any experience with an abscess or tumour in that area myself - so can't help advise on cleaning or healing that, but I have had plenty of older gerbils and plenty of gerbils with SGT or ovarian cysts - so I know about working with my vet and making decisions along the way. Sometimes for one more thing, one more treatment - sometimes to stop treatment - and sometimes when palliative care isn't working anymore.

Cancer in of itself isn't something regularly talked about on the forum (SGT and cholesteotoma are though) so I am not sure if that would be more likely than and abcess - perhaps you could do a search on this forum catergory for both abcess and tumour and see what people have been saying over the years? Maybe that could help.

Hi, thank you for your reply. Unfortunately he passed away a few day ago. He was fine for a while but deteriorated quickly within a few days. He would have been 4 in November so I would guess he had multiple health conditions. I'm devastated but I did expect it x

[catnut]

sorry to hear about your guy, you gave him a good life and it will take time. Hugs. I lost my two sweet girls last year and one had cancer and it was hard to see her get slimmer and not be her healthy self but she was a fighter until the end.

[betty]

Oh no. So sad...

Sorry to hear it.