Thank you, really ....I sure am having a *down* day. AFter my son and I put the jacket on him, he FINALLY went to sleep and is still sleeping. I think that is best for him. I love him so much, he didn't even fight the jacket....more or less like, "ya done yet???"

Karin

Maybe the pressure of the jacket actually makes it feel less irritating??? Just a thought...

If it wasn't the *right* thing to do Gina...I would leave the jacket off...he really does not seem to care about the wound but I am not willing to take any chances .

Karin

Karin I've been watching this thread since you started it. All the others have said it all, I just wanted you to know I'm praying for you and your "little" boy too.

Karin we talked in IM from the start of this. You did everything I would have and mine are not as well behaved/layed back as Vu so I think he is going to be just fine. You caught it early and watched it. You saw a change and straight to the vet he went. THAT IS A GREAT GLIDER MOMMY! I love my fluffy VU and pray he will be back with Deja before long

Karin Vu is a handsome little guy.

Just remember he loves you no matter what and that you are not the only one who has gone though something like this. Even though we feel it should not happen and we do our best to prevent it can and will happen to all of us at one time or another.
The most important thing is we do just as you have and get them all fixed up and do our best to prevent it from happening again. If you were not a good Mommy you would not feel as you do. Please know we all love you just as much as the furry babies you have do. Without your caring ways many gliders would not have warm cozy beds and fun toy's. Mr Magoo say's he loves you too!

Sorry you are going through this Karin, you and Vu will be in my prayers. Speedy recovery Vu!

Karin I am so sorry you and Vu are going through this!!! You are the best Mommy in the whole world and you were right on top of it. You are doing a lot more than a lot of people I have dealth with in my past. Vu is my grandbaby and I still feel totally assured that he is in the best hands possible!!!
I am horrible about getting on here so I am so sorry that I did not see this sooner. Give Vu a huge kiss for me. The jacket is probably a great idea anyway as that will keep Deja from grooming her big hunk of a man. LOL I think the more it is left alone by the two of them the better off he is. If you need anything do not hesitate to call.

Update:

I will reply to all my PM's as soon as I can but I wanted to make an update post here really quick. Vu did great until yesterday and has managed to take out about 3 of the stitches (where he needed them most) so we are going back to the vet at 2:30 today. I will not leave them until we can come up with some sort of protection over the area (vet wrap jacket) or something. That is a whole story in itself. Wish us luck...he is such a good boy.

Karin

Karin, thanks for the update!! I will keep BOTH of you in my thoughts and prayers!

Thank you for the update Karin and we will keep you both in our thoughts till he is healed.

Many hugs

Aw man - Of course he takes out the important ones! Will be thinking about you & Vu today, remember to update us when you get back!

Just talked to Karin a bit ago. They went to the vet and things are much better than she thought they were going to be.

They did have to put another stitch in Vu along with wrapping him up and applying collastate spray and every other thing Karin told them the *Could* do!!

Karin will be on later this evening and will give the full details, but for now, get some rest Karin. You and Vu are going through a lot right now, and we all know things are going to be JUST FINE.

Peggy, do you have Karin's email addy? She called me and asked for a pic of Timmy's shirt/wrap, but I didn't know her email addy to send it.

Thanks for updating us.

I got it, thanks!

We are back! I have to say, what an uplift of a day compared to the last....well, however many it's been .

Ok...if you read above, you know big guy had to have 8 stitches due to a SMALL wound that got infected FAST, and I mean quickly. My point, even the smallest wound needs attention PRONTO.

Fluffy (obese) glider's have more issues than just their weight. We were unable to put ANY type of ecollar (tried 3 styles)on him, and for anyone thinking I didn't try hard enough, humpf...I most certainly did. We had one so tight his tongue was hanging out and he still managed to squeeze it off. In other words, too much fat, no neck.

Next, we tried jackets. Four styles...one worked. I designed jackets, took others ideas for jackets...bottom line, no go. One worked really well, however it had to be secured so tightly (fat was out the top and bottom squished) it ended up inhibiting circulation to the point I had to remove it or risk other problems.

So...Vu basically healed to this point without anything. I would NEVER NEVER NEVER EVER suggest ANYONE trying this...it is not the way to go.

Today.
The vet was very pleased with his healing progress. The wound (with necrotic tissue, etc.) was approx. 2 quarter size worth of area. Without being able to cover his wounds once the itching/healing began he did open up a relatively small area (pencil eraser size) which led to the visit today. He required once stitch today and we had him put a vet wrap jacket on his while under anesthesia (THANK YOU KEN AND DANIELLE). Both the vet and I hope we can keep this on long enough for him to heal a little bit.

The vet I used is an *exotic* vet, however he has only seen one other glider in his practice. I send kudos to him for listening to me and others and trying to do what we can for the big guy. (too bad he didn't give any discounts though, LOL....ouch and a half!) Had this been a more serious issue (which I didn't realize it was in the beginning) I would have seen Dr. Ness.

I lost my very first baby, Tira, to a wound injury. She passed away, so my anxiety and faith in myself really played its toll on my this time. I am doing my best....Vu MUST get better!!

Karin

Karin, I agree you should have the vet check Vu, but don't panic about the stitches. Glider skin is very elastic and every glider I've had sutured has gotten them out. If the wound is kept clean and Vu is only grooming, you and Vu should do fine with just antibiotics and good hygiene.

I could not get yahoo to attach pics, so here they are Karin.

First is the very first bandage. It is extreme, but he did alot of damage and needed a severe pressure bandage to try to get the skin to close (plus keep him from going after himself more, which he was very determined to do!)

Next, a more 'normal' bandage, as he began to heal.

Last, the tshirt I made when he got his bandage off on the weekend and I had to come up with something quickly.....he stayed in this until he healed and he was much more comfortable. It was made with double thick fleece and velcro.

Other good news....the boy is down to 240g!!! He has lost 15g. which is a good good thing.

Karin

Excellent Mary....I love the t-shirt! I made something similar only much more dramatic with the velcro/fleece, but this might be the way to go if he gets out of his jacket as it is on him now. I will get pics later.

Karin

What I did was when he got his bandage off, I sliced it down the back, then used it as a sort of template on the fleece (I was holding him with one hand to keep him from eating himself, while I did this, including the sewing...I held the fleece with my knees!) The things we do for our babies! Let me know if I can help in anyway! (think of the little life vests you use when you waterski....lol)

COME ON VU

Thank you to everyone who has kept in touch either by phone or PM or just in your heart...we are still hanging in there but we have a way to go yet. I am feeling a bit more confident Vu will pull through this though, and for that, I am ecstatic!!!

Here is a picture from tonight....quite a big difference from the first pic huh .

That poor baby! I hope Vu continues to heal up fine
Thanks for the update....Pat

Hugs and prayers to you both, Karin. You know my thoughts are with you that he heals up soon.

Karin - Thank you for the updates!

You and Vu are being so tough! I'm glad he's being such a good boy for you. I didn't understand about Tira and thus your anxiety about this. I'm so sorry - it must be like reliving a nightmare!

Only *this* one has a happy ending!

KarIn, I've been praying constantly since you first shared pictures. Vu is such a trooper, and you are such an amazing guardian angel to him. The latest picture looks night-and-day different than the first!

Your unfortunate ordeal is such a great reminder to all of us to be constantly vigilant for even the slightest change in our babies. There are tiny sharp points on my hex cage that could easily scratch my babies. Thank you for sharing this with us; I'm going to inspect my cage and try to make it safer.

More continued and healing prayers being sent your way.

Karin,
I'm SO glad to hear how much better Vu is doing.
What a big difference between the first picture and this one!
I'm sure he's getting a lot of TLC from his mommy.
Will keep praying for his full recovery.

Karin-been watching and thinking about you and VU-tell him to get better! His stitches look a lot like Myst's did after the vet had to cut away her necrosis, except hers was on the back and not underneath-she's still trying to heal from having it opened again. All my thoughts and prayers with you guys! You're doing great.