First, let me state that I have an appointment to bring Mareki to the vet this afternoon.
This morning, Mareki was up later than usual and was clinging to the front of the cage. This is very unusual for her since she rarely climbs on the front of the cage and she really likes her sleep (she's a lazy little thing On looking at her, I immediately saw an open sore on her patagium. It is on the white-furred underside, near her left armpit (see attached picture). I don't know how or when she got this sore. She rarely lets me look at her underside, so I don't know if this is a brand-new sore or something she's had for a few days. Upon touching it, it feels like there is a pea-sized lump under the actual sore Could it be an abscess that ruptured? Or an infected wound? I have thoroughly examined the cage and cannot find anyplace that she might have caught her patagium on to wound it. She is temporarily housed by herself since her mother, DaisyMae is currently recuperating from sutures on her back, so I know it was not inflicted by another glider. Has anyone experienced something that looks like this before, and if so, do you have any advice for the vet when I take her in this afternoon? Any help is appreciated,
Don't have any ideas on thiis. Better to let the vet check and treat her. About the only other advice I can offer is to check the cage and all of it's contents to be sure there is nothing that could have caused the injury.
Suz, did you read the post recently that was talking about a glider who had a very large sore on its patagium which turned out to be caused by a protien deficiency? I don't remember the title of the post. Maybe someone else can?
**edited** It was Leyna's post about Skeeter. Unfortunately, it's in Real Stories now. I hope yours is just a regular ol' owie.
Last edited by PeeperKeeper; 01/12/0603:05 PM.
Re: Open Sore on Patagium? Any advice for vet?...
[Re: ]
#77237 01/12/0606:57 PM01/12/0606:57 PM
I have seen a few hundred gliders come to us with all kinds of illnesses and diet deficiencies but have never seen one with a protein deficiency that caused open sores. I would be very skeptical of this diagnosis. Sorry Leyna but I think your glider had underlying causes that the vet did not explore. I have no doubt that there was adequate protein in the diet you were feeding. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumb.gif" alt="" /> Charlie H
[:"green"]The vet did a complete examination of Mareki, and other than her obesity, deemed her in excellent health. As for the sore, it turns out that she must have gotten the wound a few days ago and it has already started to heal. The skin is already granulated under the surface - which is the pea-sized lump that I felt and the wound is not weeping or "open" any longer. Therefore, Dr. West prescribed an oral antibiotic (SMZ-TMP) along with topical Silvadine ointment (SSD) to be administered for a week unless complications develop. I still haven't figured out how Mareki got this little wound, but she must have caught her patagium on something inside her cage <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shakehead.gif" alt="" />:. I will be going over the cage with a fine-toothed comb today when I do my weekly cage-cleaning.