Toby Comes Through Surgery Fine

Great news! Toby came through his surgery just fine! I took the photo to the right tonight. As you can see, Toby’s doing well!

Dr. Brad didn’t have any trouble removing the mass from his scent gland, and after the surgery was over, Toby woke up right away.

There was one complication: Toby tore his stitches out shortly after surgery (before he even made it home from the vet), which was quite a feat, because the vet used internal stitches! Toby was very persistent. :-/

However, his incision was small, and so we’re going to try to let it heal without giving him more anesthesia and more stitches. He’s been on Baytril for over a week and will continue to take Baytril to prevent infection. He hasn’t touched his belly since tearing out the stitches, and his belly hasn't bled, so the chances are good that he’ll heal despite messing with his stitches. We just have to keep a close eye on him just in case.

The mass was sent for a biopsy. We should know by the end of the week if the mass on Toby’s scent gland was cancerous. But we caught it early, and the vet said it looked like he got all of it. So we’re very optimistic that, even if it was cancer, Toby’s odds are really good.

It’s amazing to watch Toby tonight. You’d never know that he had surgery today. He’s doing all his normal gerbil activities: chewing cardboard tubes, digging in and under the bedding, etc. And he has a good, healthy appetite, too. He eagerly takes every treat I hand him. :)

Toby is doing great. Thank you to everyone who kept him in your thoughts today!

Toby Goes In For Surgery Tomorrow

Tomorrow morning, Toby will go to the vet to have a probable scent-gland tumor removed. (We’ll have it biopsied so that we know for sure.)

You may remember that in April, Toby’s brother Mike had his scent gland removed due to a tumor. And I received word today that Mike and Toby’s brother in Oklahoma will likely have a scent-gland tumor removed tomorrow as well. . . So it seems that it’s something that runs in the family in older male gerbils.

Although I’m saddened that Toby needs to have the surgery, I am very optimistic that he will come through the surgery okay. Nothing is certain, of course, so I will be worried tomorrow... But Mike did beautifully after his surgery, and Toby’s tumor is growing much slower and is much smaller. Mike was over 2 1/2 years old when he had his surgery. Toby is now just over 3 years old. So a bit older... But Toby’s odds should be very good. Just the same, it will be difficult to drop him off for surgery on my way to work tomorrow, and I’ll be waiting nervously to hear that he came through the surgery okay and that I can come pick him up.

Please wish Toby luck tomorrow and keep him in your thoughts!

Deadlines For Midwest Gerbil Show Approaching!

Just a reminder: If you are planning to show any gerbils at this year’s Midwest Gerbil Show in Lincoln, Nebraska, you need to be a paid member of the American Gerbil Society by Wednesday, September 30th. Also, quarantine will begin this Friday, October 2nd!

If you are not planning to bring gerbils, you are still more than welcome to attend! You do not need to be an AGS member to see the lovely gerbils at the show! Admission is just $1, with a $5 per family maximum charge.

In addition to the show itself, there will also be activities for kids at this year’s show, including help making tank backgrounds and fun treats and toys for gerbils! (Since the show is on Halloween, expect to make a few Halloween treats for your gerbils!)

To learn more about the Midwest Show, please click the banner below or read an earlier blog entry about the show.

Smurf Joins Hallie on Ask The Gerbils

Please join me in welcoming Smurf to the Ask The Gerbils page!

Smurf has been wanting to answer questions, and Herman has decided to let Smurf try his paw at answering kids’ gerbil questions. Smurf will join Hallie, who is already answering questions on Ask The Gerbils.

Herman wants to let everyone know that he’s still going to be around, but he wants to let Twin Squeaks’ youngest gerbil have a turn answering kids’ gerbil questions. :)

Once again, please join Herman, Hallie, and I in welcoming Smurf as our newest letter writer!

New Picture of the Week Page

We’ve relaunched the Gerbil Picture of the Week page with a whole new look.

A while ago, I thought it might be nice to set the Picture of the Week up similar to a blog, so that you could see more than one week’s featured gerbil photo on a single page and so people could comment on others’ gerbil photos.

(Comments you leave about others’ gerbil photos may take a while to appear, because I plan to moderate all Picture of the Week comments. I don’t want someone who sends a photo of their beloved pets to ever be subjected to rude remarks or comment spam.)

Let me know what you think about the new Gerbil Picture of the Week format!

Brad Pitt Reportedly Builds An $80,000 Gerbil Home

Usually, I don’t report on celebrity gossip, and in fact, I’ve sat on this news for a couple weeks. But as it is gerbil-related, how can I not post about this??

Last month, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt adopted an unknown number of gerbils for their kids. A couple weeks later, reports appeared, stating that Brad Pitt had taken his love of architecture and built the gerbils an $80,000 home.

True, most of us don’t have $80,000 to spend on our gerbils. But the Gerbil Tips page has some ideas for ways that you can keep your gerbils happy and entertained, even without tens of thousands of dollars!

Good News About Sebastian

We have some very good news about Sebastian! When he went in for his surgery, the vet discovered that the growth on his lower lip had gotten much smaller while he was on antibiotics, so he delayed the surgery to give the antibiotics more time to work. He went back on Friday for his follow-up appointment, and to my complete amazement, the growth was gone. I knew I wasn’t able to see it anymore, but the vet couldn’t find any sign of it either, even when using his surgical lamp. It seems that the thing that two vets initially believed was a tumor was just a horrid abscess!

Sebastian will continue what’s left of his antibiotics, and then, unless the growth comes back, he’s done with treatment. It’s amazing, because a couple weeks ago, we were all but certain that he had oral cancer, and today, he’s a perfectly healthy gerbil again! Miracles do happen! :)

Please Keep Sebastian In Your Thoughts

It’s been a rough weekend here at Twin Squeaks. On Friday night, Sebastian was diagnosed by a local vet with oral cancer. Our usual vet gave the same diagnosis yesterday morning. Tuesday morning, Sebastian will have laser surgery to remove the growth from his lower lip. At that time, it will be biopsied to confirm the diagnosis. Dr. Brad will also check during the surgery to see if there are visible signs that the cancer has spread or if it’s still contained to the mass on his lip.

Sebastian is taking Baytril to treat any secondary infections he might have before he has surgery on Tuesday. He’s also on Metacam, a painkiller that is effective for gerbils when used in the right dosage. It’s made quite a bit of difference for Sebastian in the past couple days. He is much more active than he was Friday before his trip to the vet.

I’m baffled about Sebastian’s illness, because I’ve never heard of another gerbil with oral cancer, and he’s less than two years old. I guess you never can predict these things, though.

I’d really appreciate it if you would all keep Sebastian in your thoughts. Everything hinges on whether the cancer has spread. If it’s still contained, Dr. Brad felt that he should come through the surgery and have a full recovery. If it’s spread, though, there won’t be much more that we can do.