>Can anyone quickly give me some advice on caring for a gerbil with a broken
>leg?
Be calm. I know, but you have to.
>My local vet is closed at the moment, or I'd take her straight there, as I
>think she's in a lot of pain. She's hopping about on her other back leg and
>I've seen her eating and drinking, so hopefully she'll be okay.
>
>Thanks!
Confine her to a smaller area, so she has less space to move to
get to food and water. Take out everything but her food, water,
and gnaw-on wood thing.
Is the bone protruding through the skin? If there is blood on the
leg and it's not obvious she did it (by gnawing at it) then the bone
may have penetrated. If you see something white, it is bone.
Gerbils hate bandages, they hate splints, and they hate elizabethan
collars. Plus being caught to be messed with.
IF the bone has not penetrated, and she is not gnawing at the leg,
then just give her lots of food, lower the water bottle so it is easy
to reach, take out the stuff in the cage, and leave her in a quiet
corner until the vet opens. If the cage is multilevel or has tubes,
take those out or block and cap the openings, keep her confined
to a smaller area with less chance to move about.
If it has, she needs to be kept confined to minimize movement,
and she has to be kept from gnawing at it. Infection can set in,
neosporin ointment will help prevent that and keep the tissues
soft and moist rather than dried out. Tissue will die off (necritize)
and that is where infection can come from, such as gangrene.
Just get her to the vet as soon as you can in the morning.
My vet up the street is used to me being there in the parking
lot at ten to eight when they're arriving to open...and usually
will squeeze me in right away if I'm sitting there. I pay extra
for the 'emergency' service, but they prefer I be there right
away (and I call too and put the message on the machine
before going) to be able to get me in faster.
Luck.
Deb
Rebel's Rodent Ranch
