To Operate or Not ..

10th October 2008

Winnie was dropped off at the vet this morning for an upper GI Barium study. Winnie was at the vet for the whole day.

When I talked to the vet, she explained that during the first hour, everything was passing through normally through Winnie’s gut. It was only later that the Barium seemed to have slightly disappeared, but vet could still see a little bit of illumination. That’s why she suspects it’s more likely a case of hairball (rather than virus). She gave me 2 options: surgery to remove the hairball OR continue on the medications & just wait it out.

If we go ahead with the surgery, there’s a 50-50 chance of Winnie surviving the surgery cry.gif Even if Winnie makes it through the surgery, recovery is also a critical period. BUT, continuing on the meds (taking into consideration that Winnie has been sick for this long .. 1 month this week) can take a toll on the liver Faint.gif Seems like a catch-22 .. if operate, 50-50 chance .. if prolong medication, liver problem & maybe even death, too ..

I’m going to need the weekend to think about the option of undergoing surgery or not. Tomorrow, the vet will be doing another Barium study.

Right now, Winnie’s back on the Metoclopramide. She also suggested that Winnie takes some papaya tablets & given fresh pineapple juice, because those have enzymes can help break down & lubricate the hairball. So, I went to buy a fresh pineapple, pureed the pineapple, & strained it. Winnie seems to really like drinking the pineapple juice out of the syringe :)

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Posted in Chinchilla care, Chinchilla health | Comments (4)

4 Responses to “To Operate or Not ..”

  1. kisetsu Says:
    October 10th, 2008 at 5:40 am

    Oh dear. When it comes to operation decision, it is always tough on the owner. Small animals tends to have the 50-50 survival chance due to the anesthetic used. Then again, taking too much medicine will take its toll on Winnie. Ippo, hope you can decide well.

    Winnie be strong! :)

  2. wiffy Says:
    October 10th, 2008 at 10:23 pm

    I am so sorry you have to make such a difficult decision =( I’m sure which ever decision you took, will be the best for Winnie. You & Winnie will be in my thoughts … keep us posted! =)

  3. admin Says:
    October 10th, 2008 at 11:40 pm

    Thanks.
    We’ll see how Winnie does through the weekend. Kisetsu, I know you’ve done surgeries on your hamsters.
    Have you had any where the hamsters didn’t make it?

  4. kisetsu Says:
    October 11th, 2008 at 6:16 am

    Yup, sadly my robo Ruddie did not made it. Actually the surgery did not kill Ruddie. She was on her way to recovery. But suddenly she developed diarrhoea after around 2 weeks and passed on. :( I was devastated. She had a major ops to remove a big tumor on her tummy area.

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