( I was directed to this forum by another forum which some of you are probably familiar with, and I wanted to post my story and ask a few questions. I'll post a shorter version of what I put on the other forum.)
I just recently took in a glider from very bad conditions. I've had them before, so I know how to take care of him, but I've never had one in such poor conditions. I guess I'll start out with what he was living in, and then ask my questions afterwards. Sorry in advance for how long this could get.
1.) No proper diet. He was fed when his owner felt like it, and fed things like seasoned chicken, turkey, icecream, or whatever his owner was eating. If it wasn't that there was rotten fruit left in his cage.
2.) Lots of poop. His cage hadn't been cleaned in well over a few months. His pouch stunk and when I cleaned the things in his cage the water was yellow and dark brown. So basically, just plain filth.
3.) Lost two cage mates in the care of this owner. One passed away from illness about a year ago, and one was "lost somewhere" about 3 months ago.
4.) Swollen eye, the underneath right under his eye is extremely swollen. He apparently had his eye swollen shut from a scratch last year, and had surgery to remove the "facial abscess", according to the vet records.
5.) Ignored. No play time, not a lot of human contact, and harassed by the owner's new kitten constantly. He was allowed to run free with no supervision before the cat, but I'm guessing that's how the other was lost.
Now, I have him in a clean cage, everything in it has been cleaned and he has lots of new toys. I'm feeding him the BML along with fruits, veggies, and mealworms. I hold him and so does my boyfriend while he's sleeping in his pouch and he seems to sleep deeper (especially when he makes his way into a shirt). I took him to the vet for his eye, he's on antibiotics and has ointment. The vet did his surgery last year for his owner, and said that surgery would be most effective and antibiotics might not work.
The medicine given to me by the vet is Trimethoprim Sulphate Liquid (Give .03 cc twice daily for ten days.)
Neo-Poly-Back (Ointment for his eye applied 3 times a day.)
His eye is clear, not watery/glossy and with no discharge. The vet said his teeth don't look concerning so they didn't take an X-ray. He had a facial abscess on his face, but further back about a year ago from a scratch. This vet treated him when his previous owner took him and showed me the records. The vet did not think the abscess is related. He believes he has an infection.
I don't know a lot about the medicine, and I don't know how soon to look for improvement. He's not lethargic, he's eating well, and is very friendly. Please, any advice or information is greatly appreciated, I want the best for him.
Oh yes, and I live in Campbell, CA. The vet I used was De Anza Vet. Vets that will treat them are hard to find.
Thu Feb 03, 2011 10:16 pm
