sunken eyes, gapping, black beard, stomachs moving... help??

[nair88]

oh no! that's so sad :-( i hope he can pull through this.

 

[TASTIGER]

oh dear im so sorry about ur baby i hope he pulls through for you im praying for him

 

[diamc]

That must have been devastating for you to see again. Sure hope you can get some good news that he is doing better and that she figured out what was going on. I do have to say that it's a good thing that it happened there rather than on your way home.

We're thinking about both of you.

 

[sherie]

Hi all,

It sure was devastating. Broke my heart to see him suffer.

So the vet did some more test including an x-ray (which I am going to frame as its so cute) and found a abnormally small heart- from first glance its very difficult to see if its just small or the sack around the heart has fluid on it :-(. He still has an off/on black beard and his mouth is very pale.

My vet is calling a zoo cardiologist tomorrow to see if we can shed some more light on this subject- if anyone has seen or had this before please let me know what you did to help your little one.

At the moment there isn't much I can do- If its a small heart he has had it from birth and just needs to not get aroused otherwise he will have a heart attack, and if its an enlarged sack, well.... you guys will know the answer to that.

As for the now his comfortably resting back in his home palace being waiting on hand and foot, although through all the sadness im also happy to report that he ate 5 crickets tonight! Which was extremely unexpected and is a huge step forward... hopefully for the best.


Thank you guys for all the well wishes, it really means the world to me and my little boy Lotus.

 

[evadora]

Awww hon, so sorry this has been so up and down for you both. I'm glad he's at home with you though, sounds like he's probably enjoying too. We'll definitely be keeping you and Lotus in our minds and hearts, hopefully things will get better. Best wishes to both of you, I know it's rough.

 

[gulfbrzdawn]

I am so sorry to hear about Lotus' condition. Poor little guy
I hope the vet can find something out from the cardiologist.
On a good note... that is great that he ate some crickets for you.
Keeping you and Lotus in our thoughts!

 

[diamc]

Oh poor Lotus. Hopefully the Cardiologist will have some answers and suggestions that will help. So, she didn't seem to think that it had anything to do with the chemicals in the water?

That's great that he ate 5 crickets for you, that must have made you feel a little better. Our thoughts are with both of you.

 

[sherie]

Hi there,

Yes she believes it was a combination of the two ( chemical water and bad heart) that set off the whole chain of events. At the moment she believes the stress of the evil water and more than likely swallowing some set his emotions over the top so that was what triggered the heart attack.

His just awoken from a solid 11hr sleep! ..... I'm glad one of us slept!

Will speak to the cardiologist today so will keep you all updated.

 

[sherie]

Hi all,

So after a lengthy conversation with my vet she confirmed that the cardiologist believes its a naturally small heart that he has had from birth.The cardiologist also believes that stress (evil water!) was the trigger and it sent his body into shut down mode where he more than likely fainted during his fits to preserve his body (similar to humans when they faint). Because of this heart condition he is also naturally anemic and has very low blood count.

Good news with that is that we now know hat it is and can take the steps towards helping him live his life comfortably for however long that may be. It could be days, weeks, months even years, we just don't know.

Bad news is that the sack is quite large for a guy of his size so its something that will have to be kept and eye on as it could cause issues further down the track. I've attached the x-ray image, sorry its so small, I had so much trouble uploading it but as you can see the heart only goes to 3 vertebrae (that really small v shaped thing is his heart ) where a normal heart will extend to the 5. If you look at the 5-6 vertebrae you can see a really shallow line, that is his heart sack- bigger than it should be but it shows no signs of wear or deformity so chances are its been that way from birth.

As for now he is on a 'heart diet' as recommended by my vet including a product called 'a/d supplement from Hills science diet' link: http://www.hillspet.com/hillspet/products/productDetails.hjsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441763368 it is a prescription only product but its for animals recovery from major illness, I mushed it up with the baby food and he couldn't get enough of it. He must love the taste.... it surely cant be the smell as it makes me want to puke! He still isn't out of the woods yet as he is still very under the weather and looks a bit worse for wear.

So all in all an OK diagnosis, I'm happy that we know what is wrong with him, would be happier if it never happened at all but its just the way my little guy is genetically made so I'm going to make his time with me, however long that may be, comfortable and well loved.

Thank you to all for your well wishes, it really does mean the world to me and my little guy to know there is so many caring people out there.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Sherie,

Oh poor Lotus, what a little trooper he is though! Great picture & clarity on the x-ray! Thanks for posting that! His bones look excellent, no fanning on the hipbones & the mandible area is nice & bright as well. He definitely doesn't have any metabolic bone issues.
The heart does appear small with a larger sac. You know, that just happens sometimes. It is amazing what animals can evolve & live with though. Maybe forego the baths if you feel that may stress him too much. That is up to you, but baths are not a "mandatory" thing, though they can help. In the wild, they probably don't get many baths or if they do, they are not very frequent unless they are on the coastal areas.
So, he likes the A&D science/hills diet huh? That is good, so at least he is eating more now. It sounds like he will make a full recovery, especially with you caring for him so well.
I am intrigued with the heart & it is so wonderful that they took the time to find out what was going on when most others would have overlooked it.
We are all here, if you need anything!
Let us know how he is doing.

Tracie

 

[sherie]

Thanks! It think its the cutest x-ray ever.

Just thought I would pop in an update and let you all know how he is doing.

Still very white around the mouth, but there is a slight hint of pink coming through.
Hasnt had a attack since Friday (touch wood)
Passed a poop! (never thought I would get sooooo excited about that)
All in all looking a wee bit better.

Still early days though. But we keep thinking positive.

Thank you to all,I will kepp you updated with his progress.

 

[Drache613]

Hello Sherie,

Thanks for the update!
That is great to hear his mouth is beginning to display some healthier pink now. Poor little one, I hope he is feeling better real soon.
Yes, it is a nice x-ray!
I am happy to hear he has gone to the bathroom now & that he hasn't had another attack. It sounds like things are improving slowly. I really hope that he pulls through for you. Let us know if you need anything.

Tracie

 

[nair88]

awwwww, that is the cutest x-ray i've ever seen! i'm so glad that he's pulling through. he and you are in my thoughts. keep us updated

 

[diamc]

Could you give us an update when you get a chance?

 

[sherie]

Hi guys,

Well I wished I had better news to share but its with great sadness that I inform you all Lotus passed away last night.

He was having a great week and was eating and becoming more active but with his condition I guess it was just a matter of time before it happened again.

He had another heart attack and vomited his dinner in this tank, then in the car on the way to the emergency vet he had another attack in my arms.... it was the most heart breaking event ever.

He went straight into the oxygen chamber but after an hour he wasnt looking any better- his black beard had extended down to his groin, his eyes were more sunken than ever before and his little face looked in pain.

It was obvious to me that the pain of living was too great for him and he had given up the fight to live.

Putting him to sleep was the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts- prayers and kind words.

He will be sorely missed as he was my baby- my everything.