Toby Comes Through Surgery Fine
Great news! Toby came through his surgery just fine! I took the photo to the right tonight. As you can see, Toby’s doing well! Dr. Brad didn’t have any trouble removing the mass from his scent gland, and after the surgery was over, Toby woke up right away.
There was one complication: Toby tore his stitches out shortly after surgery (before he even made it home from the vet), which was quite a feat, because the vet used internal stitches! Toby was very persistent. :-/
However, his incision was small, and so we’re going to try to let it heal without giving him more anesthesia and more stitches. He’s been on Baytril for over a week and will continue to take Baytril to prevent infection. He hasn’t touched his belly since tearing out the stitches, and his belly hasn't bled, so the chances are good that he’ll heal despite messing with his stitches. We just have to keep a close eye on him just in case.
The mass was sent for a biopsy. We should know by the end of the week if the mass on Toby’s scent gland was cancerous. But we caught it early, and the vet said it looked like he got all of it. So we’re very optimistic that, even if it was cancer, Toby’s odds are really good.
It’s amazing to watch Toby tonight. You’d never know that he had surgery today. He’s doing all his normal gerbil activities: chewing cardboard tubes, digging in and under the bedding, etc. And he has a good, healthy appetite, too. He eagerly takes every treat I hand him. :)
Toby is doing great. Thank you to everyone who kept him in your thoughts today!
posted by Twin Squeaks Gerbils | 5:34 PM
6 Comments:
Great! Hurrah for Toby!
I just checked your blog sorry that Toby had to have surgery but glad that it went so well.
Thanks, Sharon and Linette! Toby continues to do well. He doesn't act like his belly even bothers him at all. He doesn't like taking his antibiotics, but other than that, he's a very happy gerbil right now. :)
Where did you find the shredded blue paper bedding? They only sell brown here.
Hi Linette,
They carry the blue and pink Eco-Bedding at Petsmart, but it seems to always be in the bird aisle instead of the small animal aisle. (In the small animal aisle, they sell the plain brown and the odor-control formula.)
You can also find the pink and blue bedding on Petsmart's Web site:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3553919.
How do you like the Eco-Bedding? My gerbils have loved it! Vacuuming is more of a challenge now, though. The stuff sticks to my clothes, and I track it all over the house. :-D But it's a small price to pay if it makes my gerbils happy. :)
I really like eco bedding. I like the dust free aspect as Im a little sensitve to dust. I like to mix it with carefresh. Although, the gerbils seem to seperate it and build big fluffy nests w/it. They will pile it up in the corner rather than sleep in a next box. :)
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