My glider is swelling up like a balloon. Her whole body and head has puffed up overnight! I can't find any information about it online and I don't have an exotic vet anywhere near by. I haven't changed her diet or habitat so I'm at a loss. She is too large to lick herself because the swelling is so severe that she can barely move her legs or head. Her eyes are sunken because her head is so large. I have 9 other gliders and they are attacking her so I put her in a cage by herself. She is eating and drinking normally but I'm worried she won't make it through the night... any adivce??

She needs a vet right now. From what you're describing, she can't possibly make it through the night without medical treatment. I have never heard of this! Where are you located? Maybe we can help find you a vet but it isn't an option, she HAS to go!

Where are you located? You posted for help and we want to try and help her!

Please try contacting:
Val/ Something_To_Believe_In
806-274-9177
She's more than happy to take your calls day or night. Maybe she has experience with this and has some advice on what to do before you can get to a Vet. A Vet visit is a must for her and you should try to get her there as soon as possible but PLEASE try Val in the meantime. You can call anytime, absolutely anytime.

Mercy... The only thing I can think of is that maybe she has been bit by something, like a poisonous insect, or possibly an allergic reaction to something, but you already said nothing in the diet has changed. But it has to be a toxicity of some sort. The other gliders are attacking her because they know something is seriously wrong with her and they feel like she is endangering the rest of the colony. They will kill her if you put her back with them if she still looks like this.

You have to get her to an experienced glider vet and SOON, or I don't think she will make it.

Sounds like an allergic reaction to something. Emergency vet is your only action. If you can manage time to do this, please get some photographs to share for reference. It will be very helpful along with a diagnosis and treatment.

Guys, if a glider has a severe infection from a tooth abcess or a wound and it spreads, could that cause the massive swelling she is seeing in her glider??

Dahlia, I don't think an infectious swelling could spread that fast, not the way it's described. It would have been seen long before it got to that point; and honestly, I think the animal would die from the infection first. It sounds more like a histamine reaction, an allergy to something. Prayers for the little one! Please let us know what happens ...

Please update us on this poor glider!!!!

ALSO -- This is a good time to point out to new owners that it is IMPERATIVE that you have an exotic vet, especially an EMERGENCY VET available for such things.

If you don't have gliders yet but are thinking of getting some, find a vet FIRST. If you already have gliders but don't have a vet yet, FIND ONE RIGHT NOW!

Thank you all for your concern... good news is she made it through the night. I am still on the hunt for an exotic vet. I'm trying!


She appears to slightly smaller this morning. In this picture she appears obese and difformed...almost lumpy,but when you pet her it feels like air underneathe.
She continues to eat, drink, and allow me to touch her so her behaviors are normal. Her eyes are still sunken due to the swelling but she is less stressed out now that she's away from my other gliders.

Thank you for the phone number, no one answered when I called last night. I will try again this morning also.

I'm home. I have ben home. I am sick, so I have not been away from the phone. No one has called. You are welcome to call. But, I will tell you that you MUST MUST MUST get this glider to a vet. Period. I don't care what it takes for you to find one and get her to it.

While you are at it, you should take the other 9 in as well. Every glider should see the vet a MINIMUM of once yearly. NO pet should ever be brought into a home where they do not have access to appropriate health care, just as no child should live in a home where they do not have access to health care.

Let us know where you are and we will help you find a vet. Vet care for ALL of your gliders is not an option. For this one in particular, you are just prolonging her pain. Imagine if this were you or your child - would you want to just suffer it out until you die or it gets better? Or would you want to see a qualified professional who can offer a cure and PAIN MEDICATION in the mean time? Your little, precious glider deserves this - yesterday.

I have located a vet about 2 hours away and they will see her this afternoon. I have not intentionally prolonged this. I care very much for all my gliders. I was simply posting here in hopes that someone else has had a similar situation and could provide guidance quicker than I have been able to find a vet.

To answer an earlier concern- the vet did say that if it were an allergic reaction to what she ate then her paws would be swollen as well- which isn't the case.

Hopefully I will have answers soon.

Good luck to you and your baby.

OMG! Bless her heart! I never could have imagined something like that. I hope the vet you've found is experienced enough in gliders to know what the problem is...


Where is that list of glider specialists that will consult with another vet about gliders??? Sheesh, I've got to bookmark that darn thing... Does anybody have it?

VET CONSULT NUMBERS

The following Vets are willing to consult with other vets who have questions regarding sugar glider care and emergencies.

Please put these numbers in your Emergency Kit.

We are NOT to call these vets ourselves - they will only consult with another Vet!!!


Dr.Tim Tristan
OSO Creek Animal Hospital
361-994-1145

Dr. Bradley Walsh
Village Vet Animal Clinic/All Creatures Veterinary Hospital
918-258-0040

Dr. Andrew Grzanowski
Canton Center Animal Hospital
734-459-1400

Dr. Kate Zimmerman
TriCounty Animal Hospital
(has 24hr emergency contact info on her office answering machine)
423-391-0303


Dr. Teresa Bradley
Belton Animal Clinic
816-331-3120

Dr. Kristen West
Mandel Veterinary Hospital
216-321-6040

Update:

The vet told me that she has busted a traqueal tube and with every breath she is filling herself up with air- literally like a balloon.

He could remove the air but she will continue to bloat. Surgery isn't an option.

He sent me home and said in a weeks time her body will heal itself and the air should slowly decrease but to keep her seperated from the others until she's better!

She is not in any pain- just looks a little funny for the time being.
Pretty interesting stuff!! Apparently it's caused from a fall or blunt force, and since I don't beat them- it's obviously something she did to herself.

I feel so much better! Someone should add this to a medical webpage because I couldn't find any info about it online and had I know it was a simple fix I may have slept better last night! She's not completely out of the woods just yet but at least now I know she's not dying!!

OH MY GOODNESS! This is such a rare case indeed!!!!

I am in shock and awe by what i have read and the documented photos...


Thanks for the updates and quick action to the vet!

Thanks for the update! And thank goodness that everything is alright, you should post before and after pictures.

It has been bookmarked for future medical advice if needed for another glider owner. Thank you for an update. I wonder if she could have possibly fallen in her cage and did this! Please keep us updated as to her mending and I'd love to see after pictures of her when she is better. It will help with the post for medical reasons. Please post your update on this thread so as to keep it all together. I've bookmarked this thread. Thank you and I'm happy to hear she'll be okay.

WOW! The poor gals huge :( At least she's not in any pain...

Which vet did you see for this information?

FYI - actually, any injury of this sort is very painful. Ask anyone who has punctured a lung. Since there is no such thing as a "traqueal" tube, I am going to assume that you meant "tracheal" tube.

IF that is the case, then the trachea is the tube that carries air to the lungs from the nose and mouth. If she "busted" it, she would HAVE TO have surgery.

Again, please tell us which vet you used.
What was the vet's advice for aftercare? What medications were prescribed? When you return for your follow up appointment, will you be taking all of your gliders for a wellness check?
How long did the vet say it would take to recover?
It makes NO sense to say that this information should be used to help people when there has not been any helpful information posted. You say that your glider has an injury to a structure that does not exist. Please tell us what the VET'S paperwork says is the diagnosis, what his/her instructions for care are, what medications were prescribed, what the prognosis is and so forth so that we CAN use this information in the future.

Information on a glider filling with air from a punctured lung IS available, I assure you. However, treatment for a punctured lung involves TESTING first and foremost, and pain management after a diagnosis is made. IF this is really what happened to your glider, any vet that told you it is not painful should not ever treat another animal.

Yeah, Val, I agree... something is not adding up.

I really think your vet needs to consult with one of those vets from the list Moriko posted for you. This just doesn't sound right.

Personally I can see a vet not giving pain medication for an injury like this, pain medications cause respiratory depression. So if you have an injury that included the respiratory system, you shouldn't do anything to risk system collapse.

If the the trachea is indeed "busted" and not torn, then I don't see why surgical intervention wouldn't be necessary because she would continue to fill with air causing many other problems, air around the heart, in the lungs, making it very difficult to breathe.

I agree with you, the veterinarian's diagnosis does not seem right. If you have broken a tracheal tube can not see because you have to inflate. If there was a hole in the abdominal cavity (pneumoperitoneum) then if he had abdominal distension. Not sure what it is but it's painful.

I have had a hamster that died a few months ago, and I pass it. The hamster was old. One day he began to inflate, the whole body! I thought it was air, but his weight was higher, too. If air does not increase the weight. Then I thought it would be liquid. The vet confirmed that it was liquid, and said he had explored a mass in the abdomen. They did a ultrasound and saw a large mass on one kidney and a smaller mass in the other kidney. His kidneys were not functioning well, had hydronephrosis, and presented significant edema (whole body!) Said it was old ... the chances of living were very few ... the hamster was suffering ... so with all the pain in my heart I had to make the decision. I did not want my small continue to suffer.

Now you just tell what happened to my hamster, I'm not saying that your sugar glider to pass him the same thing, but what the vet told you, I put it in doubt. It would be good idea to get another vet.

(please excuse my spelling)

Val, I don't appreciate your tone. I feel like you have been rather abrassive from the very beginning. I'm not sure if I have offended you in any way...I do understand that you want to get your point across because you care but I don't respond well to your harshness.

I am not a vet, therefore, I am trusting what he told me. Dahlia, I did offer the list of vet reference numbers provided above and from what I understand, he did consult, so that made me feel assured- thank you!! :)

He also explained that surgery could be done, however, she can heal herself in about a week and at that point she can begin to deflate. He explained that surgery was not the best option for her due to her age and the stress it would cause on her system.

She is eating and drinking normally and he examined her to find no lumps of any sort. He described an injury in her trachea tube -NOT a punctured lung. He said that as she begins to heal she will be able to release the air that has filled her body (just under the skin). He said that he has seen it before in ferrets and once in a small monkey...and theres not much you can do besides wait, unless you opt for surgery. No medication was given because he said that she wasn't in excessive pain. He handled her for quite a while. He also explained that sometimes medication can cause lack of appetite,and for now- becuase she's not showing signs of pain- it's more important that she is eating and drinking.

I appreciate most everyone's friendly concern and interest. I am passing on as much info as I have been given at this point. When she goes back next week for a follow-up I will be anticipating good news! I will be posting after pictures once she's back to normal.

Oh bless ur baby, even though she is "BLIMPED" right now she is still cute, glad to hear she is going to be ok.

I didn't see any harshness in Val's response to you...

I, personally, think that it is always wise to second guess a vet -- especially when dealing with an exotic. Are vets always right? Nope. If I wouldn't have second guessed my cats vet three years ago, she would not be alive today. And that's just dealing with a cat... When you deal with exotics, not much is known about them still. If you're dealing with a new vet, it's really important to see how qualified he is on the subject of gliders. Not all vets are experts on them.. even if they do work with exotic animals.

You are right which is why I was pleased to know that he did consult with another vet. I live in a very rural area and vets that specialize in exotics are very rare. It took me some time to locate this one and I'm trusting his diagnosis-I don't have many other options at this point. She is stable so I'm gonna wait it out for now.

GOOD NEWS!!! When I checked on her this morning she is about half the size she was last night! SHE'S LOSING AIR!!!!

She's doing exactly what the vet said she would do- this is great!!

There are so many people in rural areas that can never find a vet when they need one. Please, please add your vet's info to the vet map..above under Resources.

Also wanted to add that anything Val asks is truly in the interest of the glider and not necessarily the owner. She runs a rescue and deals with special needs and extremely sick gliders. She's just about seen it all and deals with vets that truly know gliders. I'm not sure I know of anyone else out that that has the experience she does with sick gliders, special needs gliders or gliders with medical issues. I promise those questions are for all of our benefit and especially the benefit of anyone else that comes here in the future, does a search for similar symptoms and finds this thread.

Please!!!! An update on your glider! I'd really like to know how she is doing.