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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2013 20:03:17 GMT -5
Oh Good you found the cause. What a relief. now i'm going off to google forensic beetles.
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Post by bitbyter on Jun 13, 2013 20:14:11 GMT -5
Updated the post. They are actually Black Carpet Beetles. Apparently pretty common in homes but the fact that I couldn't get to that narrow spot just gave them a perfect place to live. Going to have to find a way to block that hole without the plywood.
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Post by bitbyter on Jun 13, 2013 20:16:51 GMT -5
I just hope this is the cause. I am so glad it wasn't something like bed bugs.
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Post by Thérèse on Jun 14, 2013 9:03:17 GMT -5
Hope you finally have a definitive answer and that all this is soon just a distant memory.
Years ago at one stage when I got a flea problem after gettinga new ferret I found out that one of my ferrets had a flea allergy, so yes, even if they are both being bothered by the beetles it may be that only Wilma is allergic so that it is causing her problems. Wishing you both well and that this is hopefully the end of it
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Post by bitbyter on Jun 14, 2013 9:25:32 GMT -5
I hope so as well. She looks soooo miserable like this. Thankfully the swelling on her head and muzzle is go this morning and her feet haven't gotten worse (they usually take 48 hrs to get better).
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Post by Jeremy's Boggle on Jun 16, 2013 10:30:41 GMT -5
Hope she continues to do well. Also watch out for bringing in new furnishings as someone had one whose pine allergy appeared after they bought a new pine piece.
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Post by Sherry on Jun 16, 2013 13:53:50 GMT -5
I'd forgotten about that one! Fuzz had all kinds of problems. Only thing different was a pine dresser. As a last ditch effort the owner removed the dresser and all symptoms disappeared.
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Post by bitbyter on Jun 16, 2013 13:57:35 GMT -5
No new furniture in their room since I've had them.
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Post by bitbyter on Aug 6, 2013 13:15:03 GMT -5
So as a final update, it turns out it wasn't the carpet beetles or the litter or the laundry detergent. We finally have pointed the finger at Eosinophilic Gastroenteritis. She is on Prednisolone now (2.5 mg every other day) and it seems to be controlling it. I am also starting to suspect that she may have an allergy to rabbit and that it could be the cause. When the current batch of mixed meats is done, I'm going to start an exclusion diet to confirm it.
What finally allowed us to put two and two together was a little scary. Wilma started having vomiting episodes a few times a week and would paw at her mouth occasional. Eventually she stopped eating altogether. For a period of a week she barely ate and I had to force feed her a few times and she seemed ok with eating the odd mouse. I frantically started searching online again and adding the digestive problems to the search terms for her allergy symptoms brought up Eosinophillic Gostroenteritis right away. Not wanting to do exploratory surgery in her weakened state we decided to try the meds immediately to see if they would help. Her turn around was nothing short of miraculous. She is almost back to her normal weight for this time of year, back to her normal activity level and personality. I am so grateful to have my baby back. Now there has been no "official / definitive" diagnosis at this point but all the symptoms fit and the medication is working so in the end, that's all that matters.
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Post by Heather on Aug 6, 2013 13:51:50 GMT -5
I really hope that you've found a possible solution. It is so difficult to chase issues and not really have a clear path on how to help the little ones ciao
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Post by bitbyter on Aug 6, 2013 14:00:57 GMT -5
She seems to be doing well on the increase dosage every other day. If I can confirm the cause is rabbit then we hopefully should be able to slowly taper her down or even off the meds.
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Post by katt on Aug 6, 2013 22:24:39 GMT -5
Oh I'm so glad that you finally found something that seems to be working! I hope that this is it and you don't have any more trouble with her. Poor little girl must be feeling SO much better! (dance)
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Post by bitbyter on Aug 6, 2013 23:01:43 GMT -5
She still seems to be getting the skin lesions / hives off and on but at least no major swelling and she is eating well. Activity and behaviour levels are back to normal as well.
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Post by katt on Aug 6, 2013 23:13:32 GMT -5
She still seems to be getting the skin lesions / hives off and on but at least no major swelling and she is eating well. Activity and behaviour levels are back to normal as well. Maybe it is a combination of things?
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Post by bitbyter on Aug 7, 2013 7:26:03 GMT -5
Well since that last batch of meat I made is mixed meats, even if there are no actual rabbit pieces in the meal they are eating, there would still be traces of it (because it was all mixed together before being separated into individual meals). Until I can start an exclusion diet, it is all just speculation at this point.
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