help! Red inflamed genital area.

My glider stitch has a red dot that he is constantly licking. It looks inflamed and it bothers him very much. i just took him out to the tent and he was perfectly fine when we came back in he and his friend nemo went in their pouch for a while, then i went to do their food when i came back he was on his wheel licking it. Im not sure what happened. What can this be? Is it serious? Thank-you

It could be his penis and it hasn't fully retracted. How long has it been this way? Are you able to get a picture of it for us?

my phone number is 561-271-3654

yes how do i send it or post it?

You can do it a couple of ways. If you would like to email it to me so I can post it, I'll be glad to do this - darlingaim@verizon.net. Or, you can either upload the picture onto Photobucket and post the link, or if the photo is small enough, you can go down below, to Switch to Full Reply Screen, then File Manager, upload your pic and hit submit.

i sent it to your email.

Here is the picture for everyone to see:

I just wonder if his penis has not retracted and now it's too swollen to do so. I've asked a couple of people to take a look at the pic - hang tight, Vanessa.

so does it look bad? I'm so scared it might be something serious.

Do you have KY jelly on it? It looks wet. Keep a close eye on him so he doesn't start chewing on it. If you're not putting KY on it, start now. I'd apply it every 20 min or so. If he absolutely won't leave it alone, I'd get him in to the vet ASAP. You can also put an ecollar on him and use Prep H to help reduce swelling and help his penis retract.

Good luck and keep us updated!

it very inflamed and he's making noises like it hurts or something.

I think it looks wet because he's been licking on it quite a lot.

Vanessa...do as Connie says. If you don't have Prep H and KY, please go get some. If he's making noise, then he probably DOES hurt.

he doesn't leave it alone.

Can you get him to a vet now? If he refuses to leave it alone, put him in an ecollar so he can't reach it and cause damage. Do keep KY jelly or Prep H on it. It must be kept moist at all times.

What kind of noise is he making? Can you describe it?

you mean preparation h? for hemorrhoids?

Yes, that Prep H.

How old is he and his mate and are they neutered?

Yes, Preparation H.

4 months and memo is about 2 months.

Vanessa, I'm trying to call you but it goes to your voice mail. Can you call me? I'll try again to call you.

On phone with her now.

Excellent...I'm so glad, thank you, Connie.

I'm going to move this to Health & Hygiene now. Good luck, Vanessa...please keep us posted as you can.

is that a bubble like an abcess, I have seen that before but I cant remember where. Vet please and Please let us know the outcome, thats how we learn. Praying for you and your boy. after you get an ecollar on you can apply max strength oragel and benzodent (make a paste with the two to numb the area). I know others are helping you and you need a vet but if you absolutely cannot get in to one tonight then mutilation protocol needs to be followed before he starts tearing into his privates with his teeth.

Just got off the phone with Vanessa. She's running to the store to get Prep H and a notebook cover to make a shot glass ecollar. Her mom is with her and they're going to wrap him burrito style, if he doesn't leave his area alone. Right now he's sleeping. I'm sure he'll wake up and be very uncooperative once they go to put the collar on. She promised to call me back if she has any problems with the ecollar.

Cora, you've had a lot more experience with this with Spenny. Is it ok if I have her call you if she needs more help?

This has popped up many times in the last few years. It is kinda like a pimple (that's my elementary explanation). In every case so far, it has just disappeared as fast as it came on - usually within a 36 hour period. No glider with this thus far has had any complications. I know of at least 4 different people who have experienced this. Let me see if I can find one of the threads.

Thanks Val!

I KNEW it reminded me of something, Val! Thank you - I wouldn't even know where to look for the thread.

of course I can be called! not a fan of the shotglass but it will be ok short term. special silo bird feeders have to be used and the poor glider has to look through funnel vision. the same plastic can make a satellite collar. They can eat and drink out of shallow ceramic dishes with the satellite! Thats cool(I knew I saw it somewhere) Val but if he has irritated, is making noises and wont leave it alone then with all due respect I still recommend an ecollar.

Thanks Cora! I was trying to explain how to McGuyver an ecollar with a 20 oz soda bottle, but she was more comfortable with making one with the cover and mole skin. I believe her mom is watching him while she runs to the store. I cautioned them against leaving him alone for any length of time. He wasn't a happy camper when she took the picture.

On you tube under coras gliders I have a video of applying a satellite collar. A cd can be used for a pattern. It then needs to be trimmed up about 1/4 inch or so or it will be too long. cut a slit about 1/4 inch or a little more then veer to the right and cut out a small circle for the neck and round off the corners of the slit. make sure its nice and smooth. then put moleskin around the neck and outer aspect of the collar. look at the video, make sure that his neck is stretched out, put the collar around the middle of the neck real quick and get it tight enough that it cant come over his head, just make sure he is breathing by watching his sides rise and fall, prabably quickly because he is going to be mad then staple. He will then be sad and will try every thing he can to get out of him, if he does slip it then either the neck was not stretched out good enough or it wasnt tight enough, try try again! I use yoggies or mealworms to get them to stretch their neck out.

Thank-you guys. I put him to eat for a little before i put the ecollar. I was sleeping until now. Im going to make the e-collar the only thing I'm nervous about is making it too tight or loose.

Vanessa and I talked a little bit ago. She got her babies from me. I have e collars but unfortunately we live over an hour from each other. Tired to tell her how to make the ecollar. She might be able to get down here tomorrow. Vanessa call Dr. Schneider in the morning I am sure she will meet you. Keep me posted and call me if you need anything.

Thanks everyone for your help!

i cannot put the e-collar i made on him. He has not licked his genital area for about an hour and a half. it has gone down a lot but i know if i put him in the cage there is a possibility he can start at it again. I need to be up for work at 530 so I'm thinking just to have him on top of me until then. i will take him to work with me to watch over him. I tried and tried to put the e-collar but i couldn't do it. I will need to wait to get the proper e-collar form my breeder Maureen If he still licks it. i will keep u posted.

Lauren is in Boca raton(I just noticed your location) her nick on here is SugarShock and I know she has put collars on before. Thank You for keeping us posted!

DO NOT use the Prep H UNLESS he is in an ecollar. Also do NOT use the oragel or anything else that can numb it UNLESS he is in the ecollar. If he licks it, it will numb his tongue and you could end up with even more problems.

I WILL help you, I am also in Boca Raton and I have experience both with self-mutilation and putting ecollars on. I am more than willing to show you how to do it and help you put it on. Please give me a call, I will PM you my phone number - it really is imperative that you get him in the collar. You can never really watch them "close enough" - they can do some serious damage within minutes and can cause themselves to be in even more pain. I am PMing you now, look for the flashing red envelope at the top of the screen...

She is at the vet they have sedated him but said if he doesn't stop they usually put them down. I don't her don't let them do that. He has not broken the skin and is sleepy. Trying to convince her to get down here to get the e collar and call dr Schneider. In communication with her

I just got off the phone with Vanessa. She's at the emergency clinic in Tamarac. They don't have much experience with Gliders, if any. I refuse to take my Gliders there because their solution to everything is, "oh, just put them down." She is taking him to Dr. Schneider now and if she still needs help, she's going to call me. Maureen is closer to the other vet than I am, so Vanessa is going to try and get help from her with the ecollars. She's welcome to call me AT ANY TIME If she has questions or needs help. I will be keeping this little one in my prayers. :-)

Thanks for update everyone! Keep em coming! Praying!

I have no experience with these issues, but from what I have read, there certainly seems to be no reason to put this glider down this early. Seems too soon to make a decision like that.

Hope everything is going better for him today! Good luck!!

good luck, vanessa! your little guy is in my thoughts.

just wanted to say again how great this forum is, and the glider people who are on here! its amazing how quickly everyone is willing to help, no matter what time of day...makes me happy to know there are still loving, kind people in this world :0)

Any more updates???

Not yet, I'll let you know. Last I heard she was headed down to the other vet and possibly going to see Reeny. She's supposed to call me back shortly.

Vanessa took Stitch down to see Dr. Schneider who created a temporary "ecollar" for him. Maureen and I are heading over there to check on him. I am bringing several different ecollars. I also have ejackets if need be. We will find something that works with him. I just wanted to give everyone an update. As of right now, he's fine, still very sleepy - I will post again in a bit after I see him. Thanks for all the prayers! Keep them coming! :-)

What did the vet decide was wrong with this glider?

Aimee,
He has some type of infection, she did not specify but I am heading over there now to check things out and help her as much as possible. The vet has prescribed both Lidocaine and Volume for him which he will start this evening. I will continue to keep everyone posted on Stitch's condition - thank you again for the continued thoughts and prayers, it is greatly appreciated.

Is he on antibiotics and pain meds?

Connie,
No. The veterinarian just prescribed him the Lidocaine and Volume. That being said, they aren't the most intelligent group of veterinarians. I'm going to refer her to the vet that I use and see what they have to say. She took him to the emergency clinic.

Do you mean valium?

Lidocain and valium are not antibiotics. That does not make sense if he has an infection.

Sorry, I got busy with emergency calls myself last night and forgot to come back to this. Not that it would have done any good if I had found those threads, as it seems this little one has something else going on.

I'm available by phone if needed. Sounds like this little one has a large support system. I have no doubt he will be fine.

Val,
Yes, Valium. My phone has autocorrect and although it's helpful at times, it can be quite annoying at others! This prescription was given to her by Dr. Schneider and it does not make much sense to me either. The little one seems to be doing okay as of right now. The infected area is still pink, but no skin has been broken and he is in an ecollar.

lidocane is a pain killer and an anti-inflamatory the valium is to get him to relax.. it looks to me more to be a swollen infected anal glan, and for that there are not meds, to reduce the swelling would be primary concern at this point.. and I believe that is the direction the vet is going with this one,
BE SURE THE COLLAR STAY ON !!

have the vet do a consult with dr fronfield in texas
http://www.myabcvet.com/
I don't think there is a vet in the country that has more experience in that area.

also be sure to send him a picture.. if it is in agreement that this is indeed an anal glan a consult to dr Ness
http://www.nessexotic.com/

the importance of these consults are imperative.. especially with vets that are not sure but suspect.

Yes, but if this little one has been determined to have an infection, then why are there no antibiotics? I don't quite understand that.

I agree with you Aimee, I definitely think this little one should be put on antibiotics. Hoping and praying for a speedy recovery and fast healing!

Good Evening,
I just wanted to stop in and give everyone a quick update, as I know you've been waiting. I visited with Vanessa this evening, and I demonstrated to her how to put the ecollar on properly and how it should fit. I had her do it herself several times before leaving her with the ecollars. Maureen and I left her with several so she will have them on hand from now on. Maureen and I have both explained to her that it is absolutely IMPERATIVE that the ecollar stays on at all times - and if she needs help with ANYTHING, she can call - I will have my phone on me 24/7, and I am around the corner from her.

I have to admit, when Cora texted me and told me to come look at this thread, I was expecting the worst when I saw the pictures. I was very pleased when I arrived at her house and got to meet little Stitch. He was recently neutered, and the neuter site looks very clean - not pink at all. On the other hand, his cloaca was barely pink and no longer swollen. It looks NOTHING like it did the other day, I will ask her if she can get a couple of pictures for you. As I mentioned above, the veterinarian has prescribed the Lidocaine and Valium - I have directed Vanessa back to this post so she can read what Bourbon has written. At this point in time, the veterinarian believes it to be a Urinary Tract Infection, but I have explained to her that it is crucial we confirm this.

This little boy is definitely in good hands, Vanessa knows what she is doing and if she needs help, she knows we are here for her. All of the prayers and thoughts are greatly appreciated. I am very glad I had the opportunity to help this little guy and his mom out! :-)

That's great to hear!

Very nice :o)

That's great that it looks better...I'm assuming the UTI is something different - never seen it presented quite that way. Also...if there IS a UTI, there should STILL be antibiotic so I'm confused as to why none has been prescribed??

You know I get so tired of everyone jumping to conclusion. Of course Dr Schneider gave an antibiotic. I am sure once the culture comes back that she will also adjust it if she has too.

This is why I am never on the boards any more always melodrama!!!!!

Stitch is looking fine adjusting to the e collar. The area really doesn't look to bad.

Dr Schneider is a wonderful vet she knows sugar gliders very well. I will defend her and trust her immensely. Just because Lauren who is not medically inclined didn't report an antibiotic doesn't mean one wasn't given.

Just to let you all know I got into an accident on the way home tonight. Vanessa is about an hour and a half away. On the way home two car got into an accident exiting the turnpike. It was a hit and run. The one car went across all three lanes of the highway . I was in the far left lane the car hit spun across the highway and slammed into me.
It was not a good night.

So don't attack my vet until you all have all the facts!!!!!!!

Oh no! Glad you're safe, Reeny!

Reeny...I meant no disrespect to your vet. The information we were going off were the updates that Lauren was giving to us and that's all we could go on. No one was judging or making assumptions. Connie asked if antibiotics and pain meds were given, and Lauren answered - no antibiotic mentioned. Further down, after meeting with you, she answered with this so again, no mention of antibiotics. No one was assuming...we were asking and were told what we were told. We had nothing else to go on.

I know it was based on what Lauren said but before you know it will be what kind of vet and how could she not have prescribed an antibiotic.

But that is how everyone jumps to conclusions instead of waiting for the facts.

I am a nurse and I can tell that dr. Schneiders clinical skills are wonderful. In fact Vanessa was so glad she diagnosed what was going quickly. I am too cause stitch is a sweetie. I am really glad he is in the ecollar and doing better. Hopefully in a few days he will forget and be better.

Glad you came through the crash okay.

Good Morning,
I apologize for any confusion I might have caused last night. Again, I was only reporting back to you what Vanessa was telling me and nothing more. I did not want to give anyone incorrect information, so I refrained from posting anything other than what I was told - and at the time I made that post, I had only be informed that Stitch was receiving two medications - the Valium and the Lidocaine.

I spoke with Vanessa a couple of minutes ago and she is sending me pictures of Stitch which I will post for you later this evening. She has informed me that he is in fact receiving the antibiotic Sulfatrim. He was in the ecollar all of last night and the site still looks clean, and still no swelling as of this morning. She handfed him the HPW Plus last night and he is eating and drinking normally. He is using the bathroom regularly, and he seems to be doing much better.

Glad to hear he's doing better

any further updates please?

Cora,
I've been in touch with Vanessa regularly. He's doing fabulous, eating and drinking normally and still in the ecollar. She has him in a travel cage separate from his cage mate right now to prevent him from being overgroomed. She has been giving them completely supervised playtime together each evening in the tent.

TY!

Vanessa removed the ecollar from Stitch and has kept a close eye on him. He made it through the night, and hasnt groomed his cloaca at ALL. He's doing wonderful. This little one is in great hands<3

Glad to hear that he's doing better

Awesome!!!

Vanessa is having surgery this Friday and will have to stay at the hospital overnight, so I will be taking care of Stitch and administering his antibiotics for her. Stitch is doing fantastic, it has been several days since Vanessa has used the ecollar with him, and he's been doing just fine without it. They have been doing tent time each evening and Stitch has not even attempted to groom himself - he looks great. The infected area is no longer red or swollen, and looks normal now. Stitch is still on antibiotics as the veterinarian found traces of the E. Coli Bacteria and he will remain on the antibiotics to kill it. Thank you all for the prayers and support!

Glad to hear he's doing better

That's fantastic! Its awesome that you are there to help her out!

? So how would a glider get ecoli? Is there a way to prevent or is it just one of those things that can happen for no apparent reason?

My vet said it's because everything comes out of the same place. Roo and Abeje both had a UTI at the same time. After the first course of antibiotics with very little improvement, I asked for a c&s on both and found their UTI was caused by ecoli. They were given a different antibiotic and the next c&s showed the UTI's were clear on both suggies.

e coli is a naturally occuring bacteria in the gut of sugar gliders, as found by SUGAR Group studies. It can sometimes become problematic when it begins to grow in great numbers.

Vanessa is still recovering from her surgery this morning, so I'm going to go ahead and update this thread again. I have been keeping an eye on Stitch this evening for Vanessa, and administered his antibiotics. I also managed to get a couple of pictures of him, and his cloaca for everyone (attached). He has not groomed, or attempted to groom his cloaca at all - and it looks SO much better, not swollen, and no longer red/pink (any more so than normal). He will be on antibiotics for a few more days still, and after being separated from his cage mate Nemo, they have finally been reunited and are as happy as can be! I'm DELIGHTED that he is doing better!

Stitch's Cloaca


Stitch & Nemo


Stitch Says THANK YOU To All Who Have Offered Their Support & Prayers

Good news! Nice pics