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Circulation has been cut off from leg

Posted By: Anonymous

Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 01:39 AM

When i got home from work, i went to feed my sugar glider, (2 years old) i noticed that his leg was upside down, tangled up in his sugar glider pouch. (This is a sugarglider specificly made pouch that i bought from exoticnutrition.com, it is a fleece pouch) I quickly detangled his leg from the pouch, had to cut the pouch apart inorder to get him free, anyhow, i noticed some thread on his ankle, i cut his fur off from the leg to be able to see, sure enough there was a piece of thread from his pouch tightly wrapped around his ankle. I then quickly got some skinny scissors and removed this thread. His poor little leg and foot is swollen, purplish reddish and 1 or 2 fingers i see is purplish blackish. I need to know please what must i do to get the swelling down, its been a few hours now, his foot seems to be getting circulation back Please help me!
Posted By: silverwolf

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 01:48 AM

I would get him to the vet asap. I dont know how long the string was wrapped around his little foot but I do know that in humans anyway that if the circulation has been cut off for a while the blood there can become toxic. I would have a vet check it out and make sure that it was going to be ok. The swelling will go down as the circulation comes back to the area but with the tendancy to sm that gliders have I would consider getting an e collar on him so that he doesnt try to mess with it while it is healing.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 01:49 AM

You will need to get him to a vet ASAP, if there is any dead tissue it will need to be removed to prevent blood posioning. The vet will advise you on how to control the swelling.

Remove the pouch and any others like it as loose threads are a very serious hazard as you now know. Sleep and bonding pouches should be doule lined with hidden seams to help prevent this type of accident.

Please come back and post with updates on how he is doing.

Best of luck and lots of prayers to you both hug2
Posted By: gliderdad79

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 01:49 AM

Your glider should be seen by a vet so they can see the damage. You need to keep an eye on your glider, as they they tend to attack an area like tis because it is numb causing further damage.
Posted By: Xfilefan

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 01:54 AM

This little one needs to see a vet ASAP. Black tissue is NECROTIC (dead) and can lead to a system wide infection that can kill your glider in days. Black (necrotic) tissue needs to be removed, and antibiotics will be needed to combat infection in the rest of the leg. Make and keep an ecollar on hand just in case-if he starts to chew at it you'll have a whole new set of problems. If the vet needs to amputate, be sure and INSIST on a painkiller, such as torbuterol, and a broad spectrum antibiotic, and the ecollar will protect the leg until you're sure he isn't going to chew at it. Here's a link that will tell you how to make an ecollar, and another that has the dimensions of the template. Please keep us updated, and feel free to ask any other questions-it's why we're here.

http://www.sugarglider.net/ubbthreads/ub...age=1#Post69788

http://www.sugarglider.net/ubbthreads/ub...ge=1#Post168932
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 02:24 AM

im surely going to go to the vet, they are closed for the night, is there anything that i can use to be sure he does not get infected? or anything i can do that would bring the swelling down?
Posted By: Srlb

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 02:31 AM

Your regular vet may be closed, but please get him to the nearest emergency vet ASAP. You dont want to take the chances of it hurting him and for him to start chewing at it or blood poisioning setting in.

Posted By: gliderdad79

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 02:33 AM

Is there not an emergency vet by you? The necrotic tissue in the area will continue to spread causing more damage. A vet will need to relieve the pressure soon. The pain from the pressure may cause your glider to attack the leg and cause more damage
Posted By: Xfilefan

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 02:56 AM

I know what you're asking, and the answer is no...there isn't anything you can do on your own, other than prevent him from chewing on it until you can get him in. If you can get an ER vet that is willing to work with you, that would be good. Here are our vet links-you may be able to find someone. If not, if you can post your location (city and state-we don't need exact addy) we may be able to help you find someone.

Do not ice the wound. That can cause further tissue damage much faster than in a person or larger animal. Just make sure he doesn't chew at it, keep him on you as much as possible, and hand feed to distract him from the leg. If you can't be with him until you can get him in, make sure an ecollar is on so he can't chew at it. And keep us updated. Here are the vet links (click on your state, and try and find one close to you):

http://www.glidercentral.net/links/pages/Vets_Database/United_States/index.html
Posted By: Xfilefan

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 03:21 AM

I was asked in PM so thought I should add the following as regards not icing a glider's wound:

Because the legs and veins are so tiny, that frostbite can occur in a matter of a minute or two, killing tissue and more circulation. In a human, it's recommended 20 min. max (to avoid cold damage to tissue), and we're at least 700 times a glider's size.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 03:25 AM

Thank you all so very much for helping me, i really do appreciate the information u all provided me, i called my emergency vet, they doctor whome i spoke with told me a few things, they do not work on exotic pets, but she said she had a sugarglider that did this to his leg on accident but more than once, she said that she never had any problems with the blood poisoning, she told me to get a paper towel and wet it with warm water, she told me to get the towel and lightly massage his foot, she said that if by midday tomorrow it didnt get better to take him in to my exotic vet, i've been doin what she asked, and his foot is back down to normal size, i dont see of any swelling, although his foot is still brightred and purple. thanks for keeping Ozzy in your prayers =) and keep prayin, i will make sure he gets to an exotic pet veterinarian asap
Posted By: Xfilefan

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 03:37 AM

Thank you for the update...if the tissue stays black, tho...blood poisoning can happen easily, since that tissue is dead, and surrounding tissue can die with it if it's left.

This thread will be moved to Health-and you need to be a member to post there-registration is free, and we'd love for you to join us. Please keep us updated on your little guy-we worry about everyone's gliders when we don't hear back.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 03:38 AM

I'm sorry to hear that the emergency vet won't see you tonight frown

HERE is a thread about a glider that was...fo to help you.

hug2
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/10/06 03:51 AM

That was very helpful Chaungo1, thank you very very much smile
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/11/06 08:09 AM

Well, this is very sad and really hurts me a lot to talk about, We really do need an exotic emergency vet in my town. Since i followed what the emergency doctor told me that night. I waited a day and a half like she said after massaging his foot with a paper towel of warm water. I noticed earlier today his foot was worse. I took him in first thing as soon as the doors opened to my exotic vet, He had gang green. The infection spread up his wing, She said he would be in a lot of pain if we did surgery, and he might not even be able to handle antesthitic if we did the amputation... he went to sugar heaven because i felt why should he suffer through a surgery, and suffer after that for one day then pass away, considering that the gang green infection was so high spread above his waist the doctor told me it was likely to happen. :'(

In loving memory, of my baby Ozzy.
Posted By: Ellen

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/11/06 08:17 AM

I am so sorry. I am moving this to Real Stories and suggest you register as there will be alot of responses.

We all feel your pain as most of us have lost our babies. Our prayers are with you.
Posted By: sugarglidersuz

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/11/06 02:24 PM

I am so very sorry that Ozzy didn't make it. Know that we are here for you...
hug2 hug2 hug2
Posted By: morksmom

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/11/06 03:09 PM

So sorry. A reminder to check those pouches. I dont like the ones where you can see thread. I sew mine and kinda pull inside out I quess.I make them long enough that when I pull up to sew there is no seam at the bottom. I dont know if this is right or not but it does make a pouch.:) Not very good at sewing but I do the best I can.

Again I am so sorry for your loss.
Posted By: Anonymous

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/15/06 05:55 AM

Oh my goodness I am so sorry to hear about your loss. hug2
Posted By: Xfilefan

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/15/06 08:27 AM

I'm so sorry! cry This wasn't what I wanted to hear as an update! Know that your little one is at the Rainbow Bridge with all of our lost babies for company, waiting for the day when you join him there, and he is happy and free of pain. hug2 hug2 hug2
Posted By: LSardou

Re: Circulation has been cut off from leg - 11/16/06 01:50 AM

hug2 I am so so sorry for your loss. Prayers to you and may his love shine in your heart always. mlove
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