Emergencies
My pet is not as usual...
Is it an emergency?
Beyond knowing your pet’s behaviour, which is already a good warning sign, it is necessary to objectify its feelings. Why is this necessary?
In nature, most exotic animals are prey. As a result, they instinctively mask their vulnerabilities so as not to attract the attention of predators. This often means that when you notice that your companion seems to have a problem, it has been sick for several days. An ailment that would initially be easily managed quickly becomes an emergency. So in these species, you need to react very quickly!
Moreover, even if you handle your pet every day, its small size and rapid metabolism are factors conducive to the rapid progression of a disease.
This should be contrasted with the situation of reptiles, which have a much slower metabolism than mammals and birds. A sudden weakening of your reptile’s condition is generally an acute decompensation of its organism in the face of a chronic pathology that has been present for several weeks/months.
What can you put in place in order to detect a disorder as quickly as possible?
1.
Weight loss
Weigh your pet weekly (1x/week), always on the same scale and under the same conditions. A weight loss of more than 10% is a warning signal. For example, a 1kg rabbit that has lost 100gr or a 60gr parakeet that has lost 6gr is a sign not to be taken lightly. A consultation should be considered as soon as possible.
2.
Feeding
Have a clear idea of what your pet drinks and eats on a daily basis. An unemptied bowl of vegetables or a bottle of water emptied much faster should alert you.
3.
Stool and urine
When changing your pet's litter box, it is important to pay attention to your pet's faeces and urine. Same quantity? Same appearance? Same colour / consistency?
Below is a non-exhaustive list of abnormal signs.
-
Birds
- He has not eaten for more than 12 hours,
- He no longer perches and remains at the bottom of his cage,
- No droppings for more than 6 hours,
- He is bleeding,
- He has difficulty breathing (you can observe movements of his tail at the same time as his breathing),
- Convulsions,
- Bite by a dog, cat, ferret or wild mammal,
- A mass seems to come out of its “anus" (a cloacal prolapse),
- You think an egg is stuck,
- He no longer has a leg,
- He vomits or regurgitates (behavioural regurgitation also exists).
-
Rabbits and rodents
- Does not eat for more or less than 24 hours (dysorexia or anorexia),
- Decreased or no bowel movements for more than 24 hours,
- Breathing difficulties, especially when breathing with open mouth/cyanosed mucous membranes (gums and nose are blue instead of pink),
- Diarrhoea,
- Convulsions (head tilted / roll-bolt / …),
- Large slaughter,
- Pain when urinating (drop by drop / blood in the urine / …),
- In case of a fall.
-
Furets
- Convulsions (seems paralysed from the hind legs, abnormal gait…),
- Diarrhoea, especially if stools are black or accompanied by fresh blood,
- Vomiting or effort to vomit (put your paw in your mouth),
- Breathing difficulties, especially when breathing with open mouth,
- In the event of a major abatement.
-
Reptiles
- Has not eaten for more than 3 meals (anorexia or dysorexia),
- No bowel movements for more than a week,
- Breathing with open mouth,
- Convulsion,
- Fall or major trauma,
- Falling down and no longer moving,
- A mass seems to come out of its “anus" (a cloacal prolapse),
- Your water turtle swims differently (buoyancy problem).