Amy Yolanda Castillo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote
>> I am a little concerned that unnecessary amputations could cause
>> complications, including infection that was not there before.
>
>I agree that this, as well as veterinary inexperience, are very
>serious problems.
>
>But my question is this: What about blood loss? When Tootsie's tail
>was "de-gloved," she lost a great many drops of blood, and she's such
>a small animal that it did concern me. I finally held her in my hand
>and applied pressure above the wound to stop the bleeding, but it was
>the blood loss that prompted me to take her to the emergency clinic
>for an amputation. Was this unusual? Or do many gerbils lose a good
>deal of blood in degloving? And if they do, what kinds of measures or
>first aid should the owners consider?
>
It is usual for there to be a lot of blood when the tail is injured.
However, I have never know the blood lose to be a problem. As long as
the gerbil gets fluids and is otherwise healthy and well fed it
shouldn't be serious. It is likely that the large flow of blood is one
of the factors that limits infection.
--
Julian
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
National Gerbil Society
http://www.gerbils.co.uk/
