Little Bear's Time is Short

Little Bear's time is winding down soon.  He barely ate anything this morning. We had him in his cozy on our lap this morning before work. He is so tired. It takes all his energy just to eat a small pea. We even took the skin off for him. Medication doesn't seem to helping much now even the Metacam.  I will be surprised if he lives to the weekend. He is the senior gerbil of  the group.  You should have seen him last night on Steve's lap. He took a long nap in his fleece cozy. Steve radiates heat. Little Bear loves it. Little Bear got some energy and climbed all over Steve. Nose twitching to the sounds of the other gerbils. I know that comforts him.  He knows that he is loved.   This hammock was a craft swap item that I received recently. Little Bear loved climbing on it and just rocked and bonked his head on it.

Little Bear

Little Bear is over 3 1/2 years old. His birthday is in October. He is currently on his third round of antibiotics for his heavy breathing. I know that his condition is probably chronic. I also give him some Metacam every other day to help with any pain. He recently took a fall off Steve's shoulder. Steve was kneeling so it wasn't that far. He hurt his one shoulder. He is still hobbling around. It is slowly getting better. We let him run around the floor this morning. surround by us and other stuff. He can't go that fast. He has fun. He always came back to the towel and his cosy as his safe point. We are just enjoying him day by day. We know his time is limited. There is only so much we can do. He is still fiesty doing normal gerbil stuff.  Eating, drinking and chewing. We are supplementing his diet with small amounts of fruit and vegetables that he loves.  He knows that we love him dearly.

 In the picture above was taken two days ago on Steve's lap. Little Bear loves to lay in his cozy now on Steve's lap because it is so nice and warm.

Dexter is Going to the Vet Tomorrow

Dexter is going to the vet sometime tomorrow. I noticed that he was acting rather lethargic. I was able to pick him up which is not normal for him. He has had a sore on scent gland for awhile. It has not gotten worse until now. He has really started licking it alot to the point of an open sore. It must be itchy to him. I gave him a little Metacam to help with any pain. I also put some of the salve that the vet gave me to help it a little. I know he is going to have to have surgery on it. There is no choice. I have seen this before with Buddy.

The vet office will call me in the morning for an appointment. I will keep you posted on what happened at the vet.

July 6, 2011 Update:  Dexter had 'minor' surgery. His little nipple sore (that he had for awhile) was lanced off. For some reason this time it was really bugging him causing him to lick and bite it. So no major surgery needed. Thank goodness. Dexter is a happy little gerbil now. Sleeping next to his buddy Toby. Vet said that sometimes this happens in male gerbils. Sometimes males get a nipple and becomes inflamed.

Simone has passed

We got little Simone when she was 5 weeks old.  She turned into a a girl at 6 weeks old. Her first partner was Mona. After a little more than 2 1/2 years with Mona, she passed. Simone was then paired up with Sam. Sam adored her. Sam took real good care of her. Simone showed Sam the art of bed making. Simone was a sweet and gentle soul. She loved to be picked up. A shoulder sitter. Simone would have made a good show gerbil but she had nose allergies all her life. She loved her peas and corn. She was on metacam the final two weeks. It helped her much especially when Sam was ill over Christmas. Simone was well enough to take care of Sam.  The last couple of days Simone was on the decline. She had a bad tumor. Simone passed at the vet this morning. She will be buried next to Spot in my parents backyard.  Sweet Dreams little Simone.

Simone is Still Here

Simone is still with us. She is on metacam. She gets a dose everyday now. Her tumor did go away once but it came back with a vengeance. Her normal weight was 75 grams. Her heaviest with the tumor was 90 grams. She is now down to 85 grams. She still eats when we feed her and sometimes from the food bowl. She still drinks when we offer her the water bottle. She has not really chewed anything in over a week. I hear her grinding her teeth. She likes to sleep in a fleece cosy on our laps. She does sometimes get a small burst of energy but she is sleeping more and more. She is peeing but I have not seen any poop. She is peeing where she sleeps but Simone is still keeping her underbelly clean. Sam is taking good care of her by sleeping close to her and groom her when needed. Her coat is becoming raggy looking. She still has the lip problem.

Simone is over 3 years old. Is there anymore I can do? Should I take her to the vet to at least get her teeth checked? She is day to day.

Take a look at her last few pictures here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/gerbilgal/Gerbils2010

The pictures are the few last ones in the folder.

The Christmas Wish

Simone is a spotted Siamese. 3 years old.  Sam is a yellow Fox one year old.  Simone has been ill since early December. She has an abdominal tumor. She is currently on Metacam. She is back to her fiesty self. Doing all the normal gerbil stuff. Not 100% but she is happy. My first miracle this Christmas.

 

Sam got sick Friday morning on the 24th. We started him on antibiotics.  He did drink and ate very little all day Friday. He did take one or two long drinks Friday if I held the water bottle. This morning he was not looking good at all. Sam would not eat or drink. I did give him his medicine. The vet told me yesterday that I doing all I can for him. I even have a small reptile heater to help keep him warm. I was very hesitant to leave this morning to go spend Christmas with Steve's family 2 hours away. There was nothing else we could do for Sam so we left.  I did make a wish for Sam before leaving that he will be ok. We got back home about 5:30pm expecting the worst.  When there in the tank we saw Sam running about being a perfectly normal gerbil. The medicine worked! I have my Sam back. My wish came true. My second miracle.  

Sam is so happly that I have seen him sitting in the wheel twirling and swishing his tail. I have only seen this behavior done only once or twice before. I got some wonderful gifts for Christmas but my best gift was my little babies.

Merry Christmas One and All!

Trixie's Weekly Update

Trixie is holding on. She still weighs about 60 grams. She has slowed down. Breathing is becoming more labored. She is still eating and drinking on her own with supplement food from me. She starting to like bread crust. So I have been feeding that also. She now likes to sit in my lap in her pouch where it is nice and warm. She is losing some muscle mass.

She still likes to chew on paper plates. She still grooms Bud. Bud grooms her and trys to keep her warm. I am still giving her twice a treatments. She is still peeing and pooing. The poo is getting a little less. Trixie will tell me when it is time to go. Not today.

I have not seen her in the wheel in the past couple of days. She is still very spunky. Eyes and ear bright as ever. Still purrs when I hold her. She still likes to sit on my shoulder when she wants to. She will sit there for minutes. My shoulder must be a warm place.

I know her time is coming soon. Her fur is starting to shed a little. Why do gerbils have such short lives? I wish Trixie could live to four (December 8 birthday) but I know that is not to be. I will cherish everyday that she is here with us. Trixie loves being with her people.

Send her comforting wishes.

Patches the Gerbil

A new gerbil came into my life yesterday. A 3 year old male name Patches. I am fostering him as he is very ill and his owners can't give him the 24/7 care he needs right now. He suffered a stroke over a week ago and might have had a relapse Saturday night. They couldn't cope so I offered to care for the little guy since I am working at home for the time being. He lasted the night so I got him in to see my vet this afternoon. His teeth needed clipping. I think that would help him overall. Patches is helpless like a young gerbil pup. I have been feeding him with a syringe and his liquids also. He has responded well. He is much more fiesty than yesterday afternoon.

I got him to drink from the water bottle for a little bit. That is progress. I am switching his Karo/water solution to organic baby apple juice. He is still getting baby food with a syringe but I am hopefully once he gets strong enough that he can lap up baby food on his own.

I will keep all of you posted.