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Old age or something else?

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Post by redrach Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:03 am

I rehomed an old lady girl for someone on here a few months ago. Monk is now about 27-28 months old. She's started to go somewhat downhill the last few days, possible a week or so. She's getting a LOT more baldy (she's a rex, and was balding, but everytime I look at her she seems more bald). She's also getting thin and frail looking- she still has a bit of a belly on her, but you can feel her spine and ribs. She's also having some trouble with her balance and is more wobbly now as she walks (both her front and back legs so i'm not sure about HLD), tonight I found her sleeping half in her cube bed because she hadn't managed to get her back end in. I think she's lost so much weight because she's having trouble eating- she seems to have lost all use of her right front paw when it comes to food although she walks and climbs with it (she spends most of her time sleeping, so when I say climbing; she doesn't actually do this much). I think because of this it takes her so long to eat that she isn't getting as much because the other 2 scoff it. I've started tonight taking her out and giving her extra food. Overall, she seems happy enough, she knows me & my voice and my smells and doesn't seem to be in any pain.
Does this sound like old age, or something sinister?

I'm also concerned about my boy Albie, he's also an oldie- about 26 months. His balance is going a bit too and he seems to be thining around his back and bum, but again still has a bit of a tum on him.

I'm just uploading a video of Monk eating for you all to see, so bear with me.
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Post by redrach Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:22 am

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Post by Catz Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:36 am

I can see what you mean about her paw. The hair loss is probably from old age, Ive heard rexs can get quite thread bare with age but Im not so sure about the trouble eating.
Sorry Im not more help but I hope your little lady is ok, she is just beautiful.
Maybe you could bring her over to the vets just to check her out and put your mind at ease
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Post by redrach Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:39 am

Thanks for your reply.
I'm just trying to get some opinions & ideas first because my vets are good, but often I know roughly what's wrong and have some ideas for medication and they normally just follow what I say from what i've found on this & other forums. I'm worried if I go to them with nothing they'd be clueless & wanna PTS.
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Post by Zoundz Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:52 am

Threadbareness can be a common thing in older rexes - so that's not something to worry about. However, her lack of co-ordination does look like a PT to me Sad I think you can try steroids, but to be honest, I've never managed to keep them comfortable more than a couple of weeks.

xx
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Post by redrach Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:56 am

That's what I've been thinking. If it is, I don't want to put her through another few weeks only to lose her then. She's 27/28 months, she's had a super life and i'd hate for the end to be horrible or uncomfortable and to be having injections or medicine twice a day. But then how do I know if it is a PT? How quick will she deteriorate? What else will happen?
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Post by Zoundz Fri Oct 07, 2011 8:00 am

Well - there are ways of telling. In all the cases we've had the back legs have started to become really stiff quite quickly, and push forward (rather than the backwards floppiness of an HLD case). They also tend to become quite squinty, fall over a lot, and can't grip food or cage bars etc.

xx
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Post by redrach Fri Oct 07, 2011 7:42 pm

Today Monk has very yellowey poos (perhaps from the cous cous, senior aid and tomato mackeral mix?) and is very clingy. When I bring her out to the living room she wants to sit on me, or on my hand- whereas before she happily would have scampered about or lay in her blanket. At the same time, she was happy to go back to her cube bed and snuggled straight in & back to sleep, i think she doesn't like to be away from the other girls for too long. I'm trying to determine how far along this is, but am finding it hard. She was out for ten minutes there for her breakfast/lunch and looked quite wobbly, but only fell over once. Her food is now in a shallow bowl, so she seems to find that easier to eat.
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Post by katherine Sat Oct 08, 2011 6:18 am

Sorry to hear this, I have no ideas for help but wish her all the best.
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Post by redrach Sat Oct 08, 2011 8:05 am

Thanks katherine.

Laura tonight she seems quite disorientated or something. She knows me but is very confused, staggering. I think maybe her eyesight's got bad or something, it's like she isn't sure of where she is or going. No head swaying or anything though. And she was very stressed, she's normally happy enough t sit on the sofa with me & eat but she just did loads of stress poos and a massive wee. So i put her back to bed. Is that something that would happen with a PT? She's a bit wheezy tonight and chesty. She's been like this before but i'm just concerned she's going downhill.
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Post by Zoundz Sat Oct 08, 2011 9:56 pm

Hmm - could be the PT acting quite quickly Sad I hope not though. How is she today?

xx
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Post by redrach Sun Oct 09, 2011 5:14 am

Off her food a bit tonight but otherwise okay. Clingy but happy enough.
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Post by redrach Sat Oct 15, 2011 12:24 am

Hey guys.
Just thought i'd update on Monk.
I'm thinking just old age now instead of PT because she hasn't gone downhill too quick, but i'm still not 100% so let me know if you think otherwise!
The past few days she's been getting out twice a day for soft food (normally cous cous with senior aid and herbs and little bits of veg). She's now pretty much given up on eating with her hands, they just don't really work for her, but she's very happy to eat out of the bowl and loves her food, she boggles away the whole time. I think she feels really special Wink Her balance is getting worse every day and she really isn't great on her feet. Bless her, she tries hard to adventure, but she mostly gives up after a few minutes because she can't climb very well (even onto my leg if i'm sitting with her).
She's starting to find it hard to clean herself too, especially her lady bits because unless I hold her while she does it, she just falls over and struggles to get up again. Her coat seems grubby and there's bits of food and flaky skin stuck all over her unless i pick them out. Does anyone have any tips for making sure she's getting her bits cleaned enough or better ways to clean her coat? I don't mind her being grubby looking I just don't want her suffering in that sense, so if i can or need to help her out i can do that, i just don't really know what to look for or to do.
She's getting more clingy every day. She loves being held and cuddled. Today i've made her a special day house with a cardboard box & fleece & newspaper so she can sit on the sofa while i do work. She actually wouldn't go to sleep unless she could rest her head on my hand or be stroked.
The lump on her side is getting bigger, it's probably doubled since I noticed it about a week ago. It doesn't seem to bother her though and she's happy for me to poke and prod at it. I think it would annoy her more if she wasn't already struggling to get about.
Anyway, overall she's actually very happy and anytime she's getting food or cuddles she boggles pretty much the whole time and doesn't want to be set down.

https://www.youtube.com/user/weedinosaur?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/-3V5RpWktI4
this one is her eating and me trying to show her lump.

there's another one uploading of her plodding about so i'll upload that when it's ready.
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Post by redrach Sat Oct 15, 2011 12:50 am

Here's the second one.
& yes it is a bra she crawls into at the end... AVERT YOUR EYES
Wink
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Post by Zoundz Sat Oct 15, 2011 9:20 pm

I don't think the lump will cause her any problems to be honest, as I think she'll probably pass away before it does. Certainly, it's not safe to remove it with her in that condition.

I think it does look like a PT to me, but quite a slow acting one. She seems mostly OK in herself, but the lack of use in the front paws is pretty indicative of a PT. Bless her Sad

I think she looks like she's coping well though Smile which is a good thing, and I think she'll probably last a little while longer yet. She certainly doesn't appear to be in any form of suffering.

Re. cleaning her - I would rub her gently with a wet wipe - and then a soft cloth to dry her afterwards. Perhaps see if you can get a small, gentle rubber brush (you used to be able to get finger brushes - try Rat Warehouse) - this will feel nice for her and help her coat too.

xx
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Post by redrach Sat Oct 15, 2011 10:34 pm

): thanks for the help.
I have a little rubber finger brush, you know the keyring ones somewhere, so i'll give her a brush down with that tonight if i can find it and then wet wipe & dry.
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Post by Zoundz Sun Oct 16, 2011 7:35 am

That's the one I meant Smile

xx
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Post by redrach Fri Nov 04, 2011 7:31 am

Just thought i'd update on Monk.
She's doing pretty good at the minute.
She gets fed soft foods twice a day, and i've caught her a few times attempting harder foods that the rest of them get.
She's also very energetic at the minute, she never wants to sit still and drags herself all around the sofa when she's out.
Her lump's getting pretty big now, but isn't really affecting her.
Her biggest problem recently is actually that she's far too adventurous. Just tonight I caught her climbing the side of the cage to get into a basket at the top (i've found her here a few times), this time she fell and landed on her back on a ladder ): she wasn't hurt, but it makes me wonder if she should be moved into a single level cage. I don't really want to move her though because she needs the company of the other three, especially to help her clean herself.

Anyway, she's doing okay and perhaps has longer left than I thought.
I love her to bits.
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Post by katherine Sat Nov 05, 2011 8:18 am

I'm very glad to hear she's still doing well Smile She's certainly enjoying her old age anyway Smile
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