She's still alive. Not getting better as far as walking and eating etc, but not getting worse.

I don't think that the BML is to blame..
Granted I am just a newb as far as gliders go, but I have seen a real improvement in my gliders sense switching them to BML. Now they just seem to have more life in them, with fluffier tails....


Anyway - I just wanted to say that, and that I am sorry for your gliders being ill. I hope that they recover soon, it must be awful seeing them that way.

Best wishes to you and your gliders.

Has she been able to eat on her own? Have you seen her actually eat? She may need to be hand fed. I still have your babies in my thoughts!!! I really hope things begin to turn around for you! I do suggest getting in contact with SugareeErin and see if maybe she can even help with getting them in to see Dr. Ness.

I used to have my gliders on a diet similar to the one that the latest vet you saw feeds her gliders - difference being that mine were fed 33% protein, 33% fruits & 33% veggies each night along with Gliderade, with calcium sprinkled on the protein 3x per week. When my Pika came down with HLP it was because she was eating only the protein and the Gliderade, eschewing the fruits & veggies. This high protein intake caused her body to be unable to metabolize the calcium properly so that it stayed in her bloodstream instead of getting to her bones where it is essential. Blood tests showed that the calcium level within her bloodstream was extremely high. Xrays showed deterioration of her bones THAT is when I switched my gliders over to BML - and they've all had well-balanced calcium & phosphorus ratios ever since. EXPERIENCE is what led to my article about Hind Leg Paralysis - which I know you have already read and brought along with you to the 2nd vet. I agree that it's time to get in touch with SugareeErin and consult with Dr. Ness about your glider's condition. I'm glad she is still alive and fighting, but I'm very worried about her at this point Please let me know if there's anything I can do to help you out Also, any vet you take your gliders to may call my vet for a phone consultation about treatment - she's the one who told me about the elevated protein intake being the culprit of Pika's HLP: Dr. Kristen West @ Wickliffe Animal Hospital - 440-516-0000.

I started giving my gliders bml then switched to hpw a few months after, not that i had any bad experience with bml, but i was told hpw has great, healthy outcomes and faster to prepare. but i still feel bml has a lot of great healthy ingredients that my vet recommends such as the rep-cal powders for calcium and multi-vitamins, plus the wheat germ and baby rice are healthy....not something that hpw uses (does any one know if some the bml ingredients i mentioned are supplemented in the hpw diet?)

You may want to feed her yourself or separate them when it's time to eat, to make sure she gets her recommended dose of the daily diet.

bksmu, how far are you to Louisville, Ky?

GREAT NEWS!!! Gizmo is back to normal and Sugar is doing MUCH MUCH better. She's only at about 80% of walking/climbing ability, but she's 10x better than she was.

I live in the suburbs of chicago by the way.

Thank you so much for an update! Please do keep as posted on your little ones.

I AM SO GLAD!!! I was so worried for you and your little ones! How are they BOTH doing today? Please keep us updated!!

Sparky started shaking and having seizures 3 days go. (Sugar and Gizmo were the ones who were sick before) I gave him a calcium+D supplement. I was out of the drug Calcitriol, but I figured the supplement would be enough since I knew what to do right away before he got worse (with Sugar and Gizmo, they were shaking for a whole week before I got the medicine). I gave it to him Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. But he didn't get better, only worse. Today I decided I had to go get more of the drug because he wasn't getting better. On the way to the vet, he stopped breathing. RIP Sparky.

I am so sorry that you lost little Sparky, please have them do a necropsy on him. The result could help your other gliders. Plus we have a necropsy forum, one of the gals is collecting necropsy results for a study, I believe.

Please accept my condolences on the loss of little Sparky.

Glide Free Sparky

I am so sorry for your loss of Sparky. How heart breaking
Glide free little Sparkey

I definitely would have had a necropsy done, but he is already buried in my glider graveyard.

I am so very sorry for your loss. I pray your other kids fair well in all this. After losing my baby this morning I can understand your pain all too well.

I'm so sorry to hear this! You did all you could do.

Glide free, little Sparky over the Rainbow Bridge. You will be forever loved, forever remembered, forever missed.

I have more bad news...Sugar has begin shaking a little bit again. The vet I went to said too much calcium is even worse for them than not enough. So once Sugar was strong enough to start eating the BML again, I started giving her the calcium+D supplement less and less. (she HATES it anyway). She has started shaking a tiny bit again (not full-blown seizure-like shaking, but shaking nonetheless.) I'm not sure which of my girls is eating the BML, it might be just Gizmo. I have no real way of knowing who is eating what, short of sitting outside the cage for 24 hours. Do any of you have any ideas on what to do? Should I keep giving her calcium? Is there an easier way to give it to her, such as mixing it in with yogurt? Any ideas at all on what to do, please let me know. I can't handle losing another glider...

I think putting the calcium in yogurt is a great idea! You could also try applesause. Hopefully she will like the yoguet and that will cover the taste of the calcium up enough she will take it all down. Tapering her off it seems like a good plan so there is no shock to her system. As for whether or no to continue the calcium I would say just follow the directions given to you by your vet.

u need to have a fecal culture and sensitivity done if the meds dont work and no improvement in 3 to 4 days they are not working and you need to change meds. till you find the right one. an easy way of giveing meds is put them in a little hawaiin delight or something they like. but time is running out for these guys you need to take them to dr ness as i hear he is great with gliders and let him decide what the next cours e is or you will lose them. i dont think pushing all that calcium is the answer. as a bacterial problem will deplete them of calcium and hlp can come up as a secondary issue due to the bacteria in them. since they have meds in them already the bacterial fecal c and s wont show anything so at this point i would take the drive tell dr ness what meds you are using and them change them. are you sure they are getting all the meds or are they being spit out that could be another possibility.

have u run a snap test giardia is another posssibility

Has she had bloodwork done on her to check her calcium ratios?

I would get a second opinion from another exotic vet in this case. Something else may be going on that is being missed.