I am unsure if this should really be under the diet/nutrition forum, if you feel this is mislabeled, so sorry! I just want to avoid a double post
I am sure some of you have seen other posts about my girl Zoey. She has permanent neuro damage that leaves her typically weak on her left side with an adorable head tilt. She has been doing fantastic overall; however a month or so ago things took a serious nosedive. She was hardly able to move and notably lost weight. She was taken to the vet and was given more meloxicam, like the episode last year, which seemed to help a little. She is still very weak and stumbly with her movements unfortunately, and I have been struggling to get her to put on weight again. From her visit/episode last year, she had lost about 30 grams. She still has an appetite by all means, but the other two girls she shares the cage with seem to be hogging the food...and in turn have been getting rather plump themselves....
Logic tells me to try to get her to eat more protein to help let her gain weight. I have been letting her eat plenty of mealies on almost a daily basis now, and that seemed to help a little. I think the main problem is with my other two girls who are eating all the food before she can manage to slowly crawl to the plate. Just for reference, I am using the HPW Plus diet.
I am wondering if I should put her in my hospital cage for a little while to let her recoup on her own with her own separate supply of food that is perhaps more rich in calcium and protein. My main concern is her feeling separation anxiety from the other two girls, especially since she has not been separated from them before for a long period of time. She is also the "lowest on the totem pole" out of the three .
The vet and I had a concern that she was not getting enough calcium, and we are looking into a calcium supplement for her. My vet recommended the following: Calcium glubionate suspension/syrup.
I come to you guys for your ideas in terms of how to get little Zoey the extra food she needs to help her gain weight. If there are any other vets you know of who may be able to lend some extra expertise, I would greatly appreciate it as well! It's so heartbreaking to see my girlie go through the ups and downs she does, but she is such a determined little girl!
Here is a link to a video I posted privately on YouTube so you can see her movements and how she is unable to use the left side of her body and her front hands. She has compensated by using her head to help her move around. This was taken IN the vet office in July 2014 for documentation purposes in case we needed to talk to another vet. Please, do not share this link with anyone else without my permission first. You can see she is very cognizant of her surroundings and me being around her, and has a determination to gets where she wants to go. The white plate had mealworms on it a few minutes before and she is seen going back looking for more. If you are emotionally sensitive, this may be a difficult video to watch for some.
I appreciate your continued support with my girl Zoey. I wish there was a magic wand I could wave to make her ailments disappear, but I do the best I can in the meantime
Last edited by GliderNursery; 09/07/1409:22 PM. Reason: edited text, embedded video
The artsy engineer with a pouch full of cuteness
Amelia Aurora
Zoey
Re: Neuro Damaged Suggie Needs to Gain Weight!
[Re: TiPu]
#1377500 09/07/1408:48 PM09/07/1408:48 PM
Putting her in a hospital cage at night and back with her buds during the day would allow her to eat with out them pushing her around.
You can also add avocado to her diet a couple times a week. I wouldn't add more protein as that gets taxing on their kidneys.
Kimberley Feathers-Sweetie, Mister Peanut & Big Mack Fur-Guinan, Mr. Spock, T'Mir, Cho, Toothless, Maverick & Maharet T'Pol, Elizabeth & Curzon TY, TJ, Light Fury, Madison & T'Pring Forever in my heart, Gizmo, Tucker, Khayman and the rest of my babies over the
Re: Neuro Damaged Suggie Needs to Gain Weight!
[Re: TiPu]
#1377509 09/07/1409:43 PM09/07/1409:43 PM
If the other gliders are eating all the food and she is not getting any, you need to take her out and allow her to have food for herself. A hospital cage may be the way to go right now.
I do not believe you need to add more calcium or protein to the diet as the diet (if fed as instructed) has plenty of calcium and protein. It doesnt matter how much more you add, if the other gliders are eating it first it still will not do any good for her.
If your vet would like to speak with another vet about this situation and the diet you are feeding please inbox me and I can give you Dr. Tristans number and he can discuss any concerns with your vet they may have.
Just curious, I am sure the answer is yes, but did you also get a fecal float/smear done just to rule out anything other than the neuro issues?
Yes, we did a fecal both this year and last year and nothing was found. An x-Ray was done last year and nothing was found. My vet has a feeling that there is some minor swelling that is pinching some nerves, hence the antiinflammatory meloxicam. Last year it did work, and this year it seems to be helping again, but the feeding issue appears to be hampering her progress this time around. I have seen her eat, and I have seen her drink, and she certainly has the determination to do the best she can.
I am going to try the hospital cage for a little bit to see how she does with that. Peggy, I will also be sending you a PM for your vets information, it would be nice to have another resource who may be able to shed some light on her troubles. My vet has. Taken a particular interest in Zoey being she is the first case with these types of symptoms and I am confident she would appreciate someone else she can talk to about her.
Thank you for your feedback so far everyone!
Last edited by TiPu; 09/07/1410:12 PM.
The artsy engineer with a pouch full of cuteness
Amelia Aurora
Zoey
Re: Neuro Damaged Suggie Needs to Gain Weight!
[Re: Feather]
#1377516 09/07/1410:24 PM09/07/1410:24 PM
I have a glider that has neuro damage for the past 5 yrs she was dead and came back to life she was deathly sick forfed for a month that was 5 yrs ago I have her since a baby she is almost 10 yrs now still looks like she stares into space and sometimes puts her head too far in her water dish but is my most active happy glider not showing her age as time goes on my girl got better but still has the damage and its obvious but gets around very well
Re: Neuro Damaged Suggie Needs to Gain Weight!
[Re: TiPu]
#1377518 09/07/1410:33 PM09/07/1410:33 PM
I'm happy to hear your little suggie has managed to live such a long life despite its troubles. Zoey is pretty much just a normal suggie with the exception of her ability to move around normally like the other girls. She is very playful and engaging every night and loves her treats when they come around! She tries to hop onto me when I open the cage, but has difficulty controlling her hands to grab and let go at the right times. It may be a sign of her condition progressing as she ages, but I am hopeful I can work with my vet and other resources to ensure Zoey's life is comfortable and long lasting .
The artsy engineer with a pouch full of cuteness
Amelia Aurora
Zoey
Re: Neuro Damaged Suggie Needs to Gain Weight!
[Re: TiPu]
#1377948 09/14/1403:13 PM09/14/1403:13 PM
I just wanted to give an update on how Zoey is doing. After feeding her separately for the past week now, she has notably gained some weight back and is more confident in her movements. She actually was climbing up the cage walls again, though awkawrdly, and was able to crawl into some of the hammocks. She made an attempted jump for me when I had mealies out, but had difficulty controlling her landing. She's making slow progress and I am sure she will be just fine . Thank you all for your recommendations!
The artsy engineer with a pouch full of cuteness
Amelia Aurora
Zoey
Re: Neuro Damaged Suggie Needs to Gain Weight!
[Re: TiPu]
#1377949 09/14/1405:02 PM09/14/1405:02 PM
my girl took a very long time to improve now 5 yrs later she is better than ever it could take yrs for your baby to learn to use her hands better mine is still not 100 percent but gets around more than the younger ones
Re: Neuro Damaged Suggie Needs to Gain Weight!
[Re: TiPu]
#1378000 09/15/1408:28 AM09/15/1408:28 AM