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signs of seizures?? #811239
07/24/09 01:51 AM
07/24/09 01:51 AM

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what are signs of seizures or pre-seizure symptoms that we should look at when obesrving our gliders' behavior? i read the thread on body language of sick gliders, but did not see much on other "physical" actions that may determine they're ill or lead to seizures.
days before dude passed, i would find him hunched over the "crock-dish" and head dunked on the pellet food. there were times it seemed he was digging for something. i heard gliders would sometimes shake their head when eating, but it was hard to tell when dude did it, sometimes would do it when he was grooming, lick his nails and do some head shaking.
well what worries me now is that Dolce has been doing a similar gesture....what could possibly be seizure-like....she'll groom, then lick her nails and then do a bit of head shaking from side to side. i first i thought it was b/c her nails were long and might have been poking her tongue like little needles, so i trimmed most of them. another gesture she does, but kinda always did since i had her is when she hangs up side down and stretches out like when gliding. it didn't concern me b/c i normally see her doing this after she wakes up, like a morning stretch, hanging out. but i think i remember reading somewhere in the threads that it is or may be a seizure-like gesture. tonight when she woke up she began doin it, but maybe a little more than what i'm used to seeing her do. then again, i've been observing them like a hawk since the weekend....they're back in my room. i've made a vet appt tomorrow after lunch. i've noticed she's lost some weight, but is pretty good at eating most of her fresh food but not the supplements (bml for a month, currently in the process of switching to hpw)
gabbana on the other hand is the opposite of eating, eats mostly the supplement, but not too much of the fresh food and although she still young, she's gained some weight (or it may just be that she's growing, but she looks a lil "fluffier").
i hope the vet could find a solution to help my sweet and loveable Dolce...i cannot not bare to lose another glider that has touched me as she and dude, so dear and has a special place in my heart.

Re: signs of seizures?? [Re: ] #811245
07/24/09 02:06 AM
07/24/09 02:06 AM
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 4,061
Mesa, AZ
konotashi Offline
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konotashi  Offline
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Mesa, AZ
When a glider has a seizure, it's not like what you think of when a human does. They don't fall on the ground and flop around.

A suggie seizure is when they look up at a light and sit very still, from what I've heard. Even the loudest noise cannot sway their attention.

I'm not exactly sure what's going on with your babies, but hopefully someone with more experience will come along to help you out.

Re: signs of seizures?? [Re: konotashi] #811246
07/24/09 02:19 AM
07/24/09 02:19 AM

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well i haven't seen her look up at the light and sit still, but she would sometimes do that when she just wakes up and just sit on my shoulders and sometimes stare for a few minutes.
but in dude's case, he did shake his head and when my fiance took him to the vet that morning i was working, he said he saw him face up in the bonding pouch (with dolce) and shook a bit as if his little body had like pulse-pumps or something...he passed later that morning.
that's what concerns me, over 2 months that it happened and i'm noticing dolce is doing a similar gesture. i just hope the vet could tell me why she's doing that and give her something to gain some weight, since i can sometimes feel her little ribs, compared to gabbana.

Re: signs of seizures?? [Re: konotashi] #811253
07/24/09 07:25 AM
07/24/09 07:25 AM

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Nicole87
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Originally Posted By: konotashi
When a glider has a seizure, it's not like what you think of when a human does. They don't fall on the ground and flop around.


Ouch, that sounds so cold!

I too, don't know a whole lot about gliders and seizures. In humans, there are several types of seizures. Absence/Petit Mal seizures (I think this is what konotashi is describing) are typically when a person stares off for a period of time, and becomes less alert and responsive. I've never heard of absence seizures being induced by light, though.

I'm sure someone will come along and be of more help than I was, but in the meantime, I'm going to try to see what I can find out! If your little guy isn't acting himself, it may be time for a vet visit!

In response to trying to get your glider to gain weight, try adding a little avacado to its diet every other day.



Last edited by Nicole87; 07/24/09 07:27 AM.
Re: signs of seizures?? [Re: ] #811261
07/24/09 08:29 AM
07/24/09 08:29 AM
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 3,224
North Fort Worth - TX
jacknsally Offline
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North Fort Worth - TX
there are different types of seizures that gliders have. I have one glider who has the Absent type of seizures- she is unresponsive while having her seizure. I don't get much notice beforehand when she's about to have one, I've just narrowed down what triggers them.

Their seizures are also triggered on by different things, getting to the root of the trigger is key and hopefully will help you in controlling them.

Did you have a necropsy/histopath on the glider that passed? What were the causes of his seizures? Since you have cagemates who both possibly were having seizures, it sounds almost environentally induced.


Ñancy
~Always on my mind & in my heart Jack, Sally & Serenity~


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Re: signs of seizures?? [Re: ] #811263
07/24/09 08:36 AM
07/24/09 08:36 AM
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2,511
Texas
Jackie_Chans_Mom Offline
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Texas
I have dealt with seizures in my glider for years. I have done a ton of research on seizures in gliders and the SUGAR group has an ongoing seizure study.

A seizure in a glider can manifest in many different ways. They CAN have a seizure which includes the "shaking" movements you think of when you think of seizures - called clonic/tonic movements.

They can also have an absence seizure - which means that they freeze and stare off into space, but are unresponsive to you. Often, with absence seizures, they will also grip very strongly with their front hands, or clench them if on the ground/floor.

They can also have a combination of the two. Other signs that they might exhibit are foaming at the mouth or dropping to the floor and lying unresponsive.

There are also several reasons a glider might have a seizure, but it seems the most of the time they are related to hypoglycemia. This occurs when the glider's metabolism causes blood sugar to drop and the glider then becomes active, which leads to a hypoglycemic seizure. To eliminate this risk, give your gliders a treat in their pouch about 2 hours before they wake up and make sure that they have food in their cage before they wake up. Some have also tried an additional calcium supplement (under a vet's supervision). However, I have only heard of this doing any good to treat seizures in one case.

Gliders can also have neurologic seizures. For these, there is no way to safely treat them medically in gliders as any seizure medication would have to be monitored through frequent blood draws and most people are not willing to put their glider through that. The best way to treat neurologic seizures is to identify and eliminate or significantly decrease the trigger(s). For my glider, his trigger is stress or fatigue, so I am diligent about keeping stress to a very minimum and to limiting out of cage time to short periods.

Once a glider has a seizure, you must wait for the seizure to pass and then you can give a bit of kayro syrup as a licky treat, some food, and plenty of pedialyte to get electrolytes up. Do not try to give anything by mouth until the seizure has completely stopped.

Here is a photo of my Mocha in the midst of a seizure (to give you an idea of what they might look like)
Mocha seizing


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Re: signs of seizures?? [Re: ] #811327
07/24/09 11:20 AM
07/24/09 11:20 AM

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Originally Posted By: Nicole87


I'm sure someone will come along and be of more help than I was, but in the meantime, I'm going to try to see what I can find out! If your little guy isn't acting himself, it may be time for a vet visit!

In response to trying to get your glider to gain weight, try adding a little avacado to its diet every other day.




Thank you. I made a the vet appt yesterday to take Dolce in today during my lunch break, she's with me now at work. I was concerned that she was beginning to show a few similar signs as Dude did before he passed. I tried giving her some avocado before, the small dark green kind with lumpy skin...but she's very picky, i think she only had a bite or two. is there a difference on avocadoes? any other alternatives for some weight gain? i seldom give them raw almonds. any tips for a picky glider who only eats her fresh food and not supplements?

Re: signs of seizures?? [Re: ] #816339
08/03/09 12:17 PM
08/03/09 12:17 PM

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i also have quite the same problem.. i just have wikie for few days.. i gave him baby fruit food since he still 10 weeks years old.. n he doesnt eat it that much.. can he eat strawberry cheesecake? i also dont know the quantity of it.. when should i start giving yougart? im so afraid of her getting sick.. i was told to put him in a small cage before he bonds with me.. is it right what im doing? his paws is getting paler.. i am so afraid of losing him cause i love him so much.. please let me know what should i do now....

Re: signs of seizures?? [Re: ] #816494
08/03/09 04:48 PM
08/03/09 04:48 PM
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 2,827
Southern Virginia
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Southern Virginia
I had a bit of a problem with the weight of one of my older gliders. I moved his cage away from all the other gliders, gave him extra mealies and yogies and his favories of corn and peas. He did a 180 and is gaining the weight. I think he just enjoys being away from all the excitement at night and loves the extra attention. He has never shown any signs of seizure activity though.

You did mention something about looking off into the light. That is what my dog would do before her cluster of seizures. She would be walking along and just stop and look into the lights on the ceiling within 20 min of doing so she would have her 1st of many back to back seizures. She is no longer with us. Despite several medication and numberious vets, there was not much we could do for her. We chose the humane way and had her put to sleep at 14 months of age.


*Megan*

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:wfb: Bubbles & :rtmo: Baby Girl

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