He's a little fighter

Diego had his surgery yesterday. I was so worried that he wouldn’t survive his operation, and so I was elated when the vets called to say he was ready to collect. However he’s still not out of the woods. I took him back to the vets today because he’s really not himself. He just sits, won’t eat and won’t drink. The vet gave him fluids, pain relief and something to help his digestion so we’re hoping he might pull through. He’s managed to eat some softened oats and seeds since coming home again, which is a good sign.

It’s heartbreaking to see him like this, but if we’d not operated he would have starved to death. The vet said he had several teeth spurs, some of which were growing into his cheeks and tongue. I’d normally take a photo of him for the blog, but he’s really not looking great and I think it would be upsetting for some readers.

I am hopeful though, as despite his patchy history (we don't even know how old he is!) we do know that he has received and recovered from ear and tail surgery. So let's see if our little 'twiglet tail' can do it again,

I wouldn’t let any of this put you off owning degus, they are great pets, but I’d strongly recommend pet insurance to cover the cost of vet’s bills. And always see a vet that has the appropriate experience with exotic animals.

So for now, we just wait, and hope. If he doesn’t make it, we know we did everything possible to help him, and the year he has had with us away from his boring life at Pets at Home was a happy one.