Very sore tail

[tanzanyte]

This might be a long post as I've been back and forth to the vets for almost a month with this. It has been horrendous timing with Max's SGT and now Pepsi's SGT
I'll start from the beginning in case anyone can see a link with any of it.

Mymble started drinking and urinating lots so I was thinking possible kidney issues. Then her urine started to smell so I thought it may be a UTI as well. At the time we were wiping her with water to make sure the urine didn't burn her. Vets gave me a silly expensive antibiotic, trimoxazole, as there was protein in the urine and something else so she thought it may be both kidney and UTI. antibiotic cleared up the UTI and the smell disappeared. She does still drink and urinate lots but it's not quite as much as it was. However she then started pulling out patches of fur on her tummy, close to her urethra. This went a little bit scaley but then cleared up and grew back.
However she suddenly started pulling out the fur on her tail and biting at the skin. It then became an open wound. The vet gave me loxicom and an antibiotic cream, flamazine rather than an oral antibiotic so that her kidney's weren't affected. This helped a little but if it starts to scab over she bites it again. Back to the vets and was told to continue with loxicom and try baytril for a week. No change so back to the vets and we are now on loxicom, baytril and the flamazine cream. She suggested I bought some of the vets manuka honey so I've been putting that on in between.

It doesn't seem to be clearing up.
There are no mites, and it is just the base of her tail and close to her urethra.
He cagemate isn't attacking her.
She is eating and drinking, is bright in herself and doing lots still, but then she's always been a hyperactive gerbil compared to my others. Because she is still bright and busy it doesn't feel right to have her pts. However it looks so nasty and I feel awful even though I have tried everything I can so far. I know the vet is now reaching a dead end as this was the last of the options she could think of to try so I am at a loss of what to do.
Pic is here

Does anyone have any advice?

[LilyandDaisy]

Sorry to hear that Mymble is unwell.

One possibility that comes to mind is some kind of neuropathy. Pain or other strange sensations might cause her to bite herself.

Another possibility would be something causing a lot of itching, either external like thrush/ringworm or an allergic reaction or internal (for example liver, kidney or gallbladder disease can cause itching). Perhaps you could ask the vet about trying an antihistamine or even an antifungal?

I can see the first photo of her tummy but with the second one I get a 404 error.

[betty]

Difficult. I totally agree with the above - there are some unusual things that can be causing the itching/strange sensation - liver springs to mind (internally) but there could be many thing externally of course.

I have been trying to find out more about certain foods that can cause overheating in rodents - as this leads to excessive itching and self mutilation. Maybe consider some substrate-free areas of her enclosure raised up that are glazed, glass or slate-like etc - so she can sit somewhere cool and less dusty. I often use giant gherkin jars that have been chilled with my gerbs as they remain dust-free - and my little ones do like sitting in them anyway. If it seems to offer her some relief than that might help you decide on a next step.

Bless her.

[tanzanyte]

Thank you both, I do wonder if she is on borrowed time as it does seem like a multitude of things happening, but she's such a little trooper and battles through everything. I forgot to speak to the exotic vet today about her when we dropped Pepsi off, although I may see if I can speak to her tomorrow and see if they think there is something additional they can do. The problem is they charge £90 for a consult so I need to know there are options over and above what our local vet has already tried.
I will definitely ask about antihistamines and possible thrush/ringworm.

Also if it is liver based, is there anything that can help with that?

I'll try another link here hopefully this one works? or try this reposted photo on imgur in case it's the original link 

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

I'm so sorry to hear little Mymble is ill...

I hope there's something that you can do and you don't have to pts, like you said it just seems too early for her.
To me, like LilyandDaisy said, it seems like liver, or possibly neuropathy.
I also am suspicious of some kind of infection, or possibly thrush/ringworm.
is it only on her tail or is she biting elsewhere, too?
Yes, I'm still getting a 404 error for both of those... maybe try a different photo or website for posting again?
I feel as if I'm basically repeating what was said above, so I'm probably not needed here

I really hope she gets better, do keep us updated as you're able.

[tanzanyte]

Thank you.

I've cheated and added the picture to the other picture of her tummy. I hadn't realised I could do that so the link to the pic of her tummy should now show her tail, of course that could have messed them both up but we'll see.

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Hello,

The picture did work, that seems so painful!
I really hope Mymble gets through this, I don't know that I have a lot of advice to help, I'll do a little research and see if I can find anything on it, though.
The best of luck to you and your girl!

[tanzanyte]

That's why I've been so worried about it because it looks dreadful and every time I see it I always take a sharp intake when it opens up again. I feel awful because it clearly is so sore. I just don't know what else I can do, especially when the vet is seemingly at a loss. If Mymble wasn't so busy and up to her usual things I think I would be making the call because it can't be pleasant for her, but she is carrying on as if she's oblivious to it.
She's has no mixed bedding since this issue started so just has the Kaytee clean and cosy, which she has always had so I don't think it's an allergy to the bedding. It is just around the tail, nowhere else. Nothing has transferred to her cage mate, which I would have anticipated by now if it was a parasite or something similar.

[TJ's Rodent Ranch]

Hello,

I'm so sorry to hear about her condition. If she's happy and bouncy still, I would hesitate to euthanize, since I'm sure there's got to be some explanation.
I might try to wrap it in gauze (removing it every so often to let it breathe) so it can have a chance to heal, and she won't be tearing it back open every few hours/days to get at it. I know it wouldn't solve the problem, since it wouldn't get to the root of it, but it may let it heal if even for a little bit, and give you some time, so she may be a little more comfortable while you try to find the solution.
I really don't know if this would be an option at all, but if it worked I suppose it would be better than putting her to sleep if you amputated her tail. You would need someone with far more experience to really answer this question and find out if it were even something to consider. I would think of other possible allergens she may have. Is there a way you could test her for allergies? Maybe in the food you're giving her, or the sand she's bathing in? (if she has bathing sand). I suppose the question at that point, would be why is it in her tail specifically, and only her tail?

I really hope you can find a way to help Mymble,

Good luck to both of you

[betty]

I still can't see the images unfortunately - but if your vet isn't sure - could they send the images to a referral vet elsewhere for a second opinion. There is also a vet-answer only group on FB called Exotic Vets Corner who allow you to post images and details and get answers from exotic vets and you can also ask for suggestions from what they call A/Cs (authorised contributers with a huge amount of experience). That might be a larger circle of professional eyes so to speak (although they don't all get answers though as it is a free service and all the vets/ACs are full time elsewhere).

Otherwise, without seeing it myself - I would always revert to my extreme hospital care monitoring which involves smaller less substrate filled enclosure, reduced anything extra, increased supportive foods - along with regular images for comparison to see if it is getting bigger, darker, lighter etc - to try to identify where their care trajectory is heading - along with physical notes to see if they are changing their behaviours alone/with meds/without meds/etc.

It certainly won't be a short path to healing/fixing if you are keeping the tail - I would set in my head at least 2-3 weeks to start to see improvements if you cut out the source and possibly longer if there were any set-backs. Alternatively, removing the tail might relieve/remove this current visual issue - but if it isn't just a problem on the tail - then you may not resolve it entirely and see it recur at a later deate elsewhere. Didn't you comment earlier that it 'moved' from the abdomen to the tail initially.

Very difficult indeed - but certainly pain meds (metacam/meloxidyl - or other topical soothing/painrelief products) would be my main priority throughout either way. It is clearly very distressing for her.