More Updates

Hello again, readers,

We are going to do another post about a whole bunch of mini updates. Hopefully, this type of post makes it a lot easier to understand some of the 'less significant', though still relevant, updates about whatever it is that may have happened involving our residents. We know sometimes it can be quite difficult to get all of the information and points across on our Instagram - that is one of the main reasons why we started our blog.
So, with that being said, we will write a fully in-depth (and hopefully easier to understand) post about some of our recent events, each event is clearly labeled, so feel free to pick and choose which sections you would prefer to read:

Dave's Molar Spurs;

As you've probably guessed from the subheading, Dave began suffering with molar spurs. 

One morning, we noticed Dave was pawing at his mouth, and just seemed to be a bit more agitated than normal. So, we thought it would've been sensible to take him to the vet for some professional investigation. We already had a pretty clear idea about what Dave may have been suffering with, especially with his brother, Darious, already having complications with his molars.

The vet gave Dave a whiff of gas to have a thorough look inside his mouth, sometimes it's  difficult to have a look, even with a scope - especially if a certain someone is a bit of a wriggler (not looking at anyone in particular)!

Sure enough, there they were - some spurs on Dave's top molars. The vet managed to burr them down to a suitable length/shape, hopefully making Dave much more comfortable - thankfully it did.

It's not yet clear how frequently Dave will require dental work, if ever - though it is often a recurring theme.

Hector's Inner-Ear Infection and Organ Failure;

Hector came down with a very minor head tilt - almost unnoticeable. Still, we knew it could've been the early stages of something quite serious. We decided it justified a visit to the vet.

After a bit of investigation, the vet believed Hector was most likely suffering with an inner-ear infection, there was a slight possibility it could've been a hemorrhagic stroke, but normally with something like that there would be more signs of a severe illness (though not always). Hector was then put on a course of Enrofloxacin/Baytril (antibiotic) for a week.

Hector didn't make a full-recovery, more like a 70% improvement from being on the antibiotics. The vet thought it was possible that Hector could've been left with some permanent damage to his vestibular system, or it could've been a false positive result. Given Hector's health at the time, we believed it was more plausible that he'd been left with permanent damage than him having had a stroke.

Hector stabilised, and then very suddenly became ill again - really ill. Hector's weight dropped from 28g to 18g. That sounds minuscule, but to a Roborovski, that is an enormous amount of weight loss. On top of that, Hector's movements were 'drunk-like', he was disorientated and visibly suffering.

We took Hector back to the vet. The vet then made another diagnosis; organ failure. The vet, and us too, believed it was best to let Hector go. He had a multitude of severe chronic illnesses, and it seemed unfair to drag it out knowing there was only one inevitable ending.

Hector crossed the rainbow bridge on 01/06/18.

Rowan's Mini Stroke;

Rowan also developed a head tilt, so we took him straight to the vet. He didn't appear to have any major neurological abnormalities (other than a head tilt). 
Rowan also had a history of inner ear infections (information given by his previous owner). Given the information we had at the time, the vet thought the most obvious and sensible place to start would've been with a course of Enrofloxacin to rule out an inner-ear infection. Although, it is worth noting the vet couldn't see any irritation in his ear at the time. 

After the course of Baytril finished, Rowan didn't seem to have any response to it; he was stable though - thankfully. He went back to the vet to be re-assessed and to decide what the most appropriate next move would've been for Rowan. The vet picked up Rowan was also very slightly 'star-gazing', as well as having a persistent head tilt. To the un-trained eye, you'd never notice (even we didn't, in fact, we were the ones who were sold on the prognosis of an ear infection). Rowan could still walk in a straight line, balance well (and use his tail as a counter-balance) and seemed very alert. The vet then diagnosed Rowan with having had a previous mini stroke that left some minor neurological abnormalities. It isn't likely he will have another any time soon as he doesn't seem to have any signs of a brain tumour etc. In fact, he is doing amazing - considering.

At this stage, the vet doesn't think Rowan's symptoms justify any medical intervention with anything such as steroids, or NSAIDS. Sometimes the side effects of the medication can be more significant than the current symptoms.
Rowan is being closely monitored in case he deteriorates in the future. Though, we are pleased to say that Rowan does seem remarkably stable at present. He appears un-phased by the whole ordeal.

Roland's Mystery Illness;

Roland has been suffering with health complications for some time now. If we're honest, it's surprising he hasn't developed anything sooner. Roland is the first ever Bacchus Resident - rodent-resident anyway. He has a lot to answer for, lets put it that way!

Firstly, Roland developed a painful bump in his tail. We took him to the vet for them to give us some indication as to what the bump actually was, we'd never seen it before. The vet believed Roland had injured his tail. He was given some pain relief to help him whilst the injury healed. Though, it was likely his tail would always be deformed.

At a much later date, Roland began to lose a lot of weight over a period of time. Initially, we assumed it could've been due to age. However, Roland continued to lose more weight as each week passed by. He was also becoming increasingly irritable and developed a habit of nipping. His coat was becoming quite sparse too.

We decided to take him back to the vet. Irritability can be an indication that the animal is in some form of discomfort, or a sign of illness.

After a thorough examination the vet couldn't find anything majorly wrong with Roland (other than the symptoms we were already aware of). The vet sent him home with some Meloxicam/Metacam (NSAIDS) to see if he responded. If he did, it could confirm if Roland was in any form of discomfort.

Roland didn't really get any initial response, other than an upset stomach. Roland was also drinking more water than normal as well. We weren't entirely convinced the pain relief was really helping.

The vet gave Roland yet another examination and mentioned the possibilities that Roland may have an internal tumour impacting either his kidneys, adrenal gland, or even us upper abdomen.Though the vet couldn't feel any obvious lumps or bumps. that doesn't necessarily rule out a tumour, rather, it just rules out any large tumours. It is worth noting that even the smallest of tumours can cause complications. In this case, size doesn't matter.

There was a minute chance Roland could be suffering with a secondary infection. With Roland not having anything to lose, we decided to trial him on some Enrofloxacin/Baytril (antibiotic) alongside the Meloxicam - just to rule it out. 

The vet did mention that they themselves didn't have high hopes about there being any improvements, however, with us not being entirely confident about what was actually wrong with Roland, we thought it would be sensible to at least give it a shot.

To everyone's surprise, Roland showed some improvements in both his behavior, and even his physical appearance. We think it would've most likely been the Meloxicam which Roland responded to, as we said, nippy behaviour is often an indication for some discomfort.

We decided for the time being, and for the foreseeable future, we would keep Roland on the pain relief, though it isn't ideal, it's certainly what is best for Roland. We were really pleasantly surprised (and relieved) about  Roland showing improvements, especially since we had so much doubt about it's effects up until this point.

We are also happy to say that Roland has gained back some of the weight he'd previously lost.

Alfie's Lucky Escape From A Spinal Cord Injury;

Alfie successfully managed to give his humans a heart attack (not really, but it felt like it!).

To set the scene, we were just relaxing in the rodent's room, when we suddenly heard a horrific scream coming from the buck rats cage. For a second, we couldn't figure out what was happening. Then, we noticed Alfie thrashing about at the bottom of his cage. His head was stuck between a tiny gap in the cage. We aren't entirely sure how his head got where it was, but that wasn't as important at that point in time.

The gap isn't much bigger than a finger - Alfie's head was well and truly stuck.

Once we finally managed to set him free, he was limp and struggling to breathe. Before we could even process what on earth was going on, we were on our way to the vet (out of hours). We were expecting Alfie to have broken his neck, possibly even his spine, potentially causing damage to his spinal cord. His whole body was limp from head to toe. We thought he was permanently paralyzed.

Whilst we were waiting to be seen, Alfie perked up a lot. He began moving his head and was putting weight through his back legs. 

The vet called us in and performed an examination to check for any signs of major neurological damage - he appeared to be neurologically 'normal'. 

The vet was pretty confident that Alfie went into shock, and that was the reason behind his 'temporary paralysis'. We were warned about the possibility that pure adrenaline was the reason Alfie could suddenly walk and feel sensation. In fact, it is something we've had first hand experience with. I fell off a 2nd story building and managed to walk (albeit painfully) for about an hour. I was then found out to have had a stable compression wedged fracture to my L1 vertebrate after my reflexes suddenly began to fail.

Anyway, back on to Alfie; we closely monitored him for a while after and gave him some pain relief for a couple of days. 'Luckily', it was just shock that caused Alfie's symptoms. He is completely fine now and definitely learnt his lesson. 

Quinnie Had Another Mishap of GI Stasis:

Quinnie is known to have some-what-regular cases of GI stasis (gastrointestinal stasis), normally, when her molar spurs return. This is most likely because it becomes more difficult to eat, especially things as tough as fibrous hay - which is a vital part of a rabbits diet to promote a healthy gut movement. It's essentially a domino effect.

3 weeks after Quinnie's last dental, GI stasis suddenly hit her again one Saturday. We took her to the vet, and after examining her, the vet confirmed it was her molars causing the problem again. The practice doesn't perform non-urgent operations on a weekend, so Quinnie was booked straight in for the following Monday. The veterinary surgeon who we saw (who has performed many of our major operations previously, including Quinnie's spay) believed the spurs were as a result of some minor malocclusion of the lower jaw, meaning Quinnie couldn't properly grind them down. It is something to be closely monitored in case of any progression.

In the mean time, we had to syringe feed Quinnie some CC (critical care) every 2 hours, give her some Metoclopramide (Gastrointestinal Prokinetic) syrup three times a day, and a fair dose of Meloxicam/Metacam (NSAIDS) once a day. All of this was to help get things moving, although, typically with Quinnie, the issue only fully resolves once she had had her spurs sorted.

We got our very miserable Quinnie through the weekend, though after being syringe fed (not willingly) by us every 2 hours for the past few days, it's safe to say she was probably just glad to the back of us.

The minor surgery went well, though the head-vet who performed the surgery believed in the future, Quinnie should go under a total anesthetic in order to do a 'proper job'. She just comes round far too quickly from the gas alone - though it it less risky to do her dental work that way. We agreed in order for Quinnie to live a better life and not go into GI stasis through considerable pain every 3 weeks, it would be better for her to go under a total anesthetic. Plus, it is probably a more pleasant experience all round. The pros out-weighed the cons on this one.

We are pleased to say; Quinnie has bounced back from GI stasis again (for now anyway). She has lost some weight, but we are hoping she will start to gain that back over the next couple of weeks.

You can keep up with all of our residents on our Instagram.