>Quieks, one of our males is going to have surgery on Friday to
>have a tumor on his gum/lip removed.
Luck.
>The vet is not sure that she can remove it all, but will at least
>'de-bulk' it, to buy him some more time. He's only 1 1/2 years
>old, a beautiful red-eyed Schimmel, and I really hope things will
>go well.
I hope the vet can remove it all.
>My question is:
>will there be problems, when we put him back with his 2 male
>companions a few hours after the surgery? He is most definitely
>the boss. Should I be worried about him smelling differently
>after being at the vets?
YES.
Clean the entire cage thoroughly and everything in it.
I keep mite spray on hand just in case I find any problems...
[once you've fought the battle, and it can be a doozy, you
keep the stuff sitting around (out of harm's way but handy)
all the time] This is a time I would spray everything in the
cage, and both animals that are in the cage, and the
returning vet-treated animal (avoid the head, but get both
dorsal and ventral sides).
Alternately, get a small atomizing sprayer and use a
few drops of vanilla extract in a little water, and use
that. The idea is to give a different masking smell to
everything.
Then with the first two wet and needing to dry off,
and the operatee also smelling the same as everything
else (make sure to keep them all warm and out of drafts)
keep an eye on them for at least four hours. They
SHOULD just dry off, fluff out, and be mellow...
>What are other peoples' after surgery experiences?
>I'd like to be prepared and do things the right way.
>
>And another question: is 156 grams a lot of weight for a male
>gerbil?
Over five ounces, that is a fairly large gerbil. Most of mine
weigh in around 4-5 ounces... (112-140 g)
'
>He is large, but not fat at all, just long. He was an 'only
>child' and is the biggest male I've ever owned. His mother had a
>lot of milk despite him being the only nursling.
Sounds like a really robust fellow <g>
>And, has anyone else ever had a gerbil with a tumor on his mouth?
>The veterinarian was a bit surprised to see it.
Scent gland tumors... and a skin lesion/tumor bit that kept
coming back...
Deb
Rebel's Rodent Ranch
