Ella had a stroke?

Shelley · Sep 24, 2008

Ella has something wrong with her. It's either PT or the result of a stroke I think, but she has lost coordination and is not herself. Usually when I open the cage door she is running straight over, but she doesn't seem to notice. She's acting like she's not there mentally. It's bizarre, I don't even know how to explain it exactly, but she seems... blank, uninterested, and almost trapped in her own world.

She can't grip food or stand up for the water bottle so I gave her low bowls with soft foods and fresh water... But she sometimes can't even seem to find it. She got lost inside the igloo and went in circles until she found the exit...

I don't know what happened to her, but it was extremely sudden. She isn't acting in any pain at all, but she is mentally just gone... My poor girl

She was fine two days ago, I was very busy yesterday and didn't really get to spend much time with her so I don't know how she was then. My sister said she wasn't herself yesterday either, so it happened sometime overnight Sunday or Monday morning.

Ella is just over 2 years old, and I'm not sure what to do right now. I'm going to keep her as comfortable as possible, but she keeps falling down the ladders in the FN. She needs a flat and easy access cage, but I don't want to separate her from her family.

I'm going to sleep on it and hopefully get a better understanding of her new special needs and what course of action I'll need to take to keep her comfortable.

Ella from just 2 weeks ago, when she was hyper and a typical girl.

lilspaz68 · Sep 24, 2008

Awww Shel it does sound like PT...was the confusion gradual? Stroke you will usually see the weakness on one side especially and it is so fast. Whatever is the matter you should get her on abs and steroids, the sooner the better. I am sorry...

jorats · Sep 24, 2008

I agree, sounds like PT. :sad3:
The fact that it's fast, meds might not help but it's worth a shot. With a bleeding pituitary tumour, symptoms are quite sudden.

lilspaz68 · Sep 24, 2008

Try to string hammies under the shelf and ramp in the FN to see if you can make a safety net for her falling. Eventually she will just stay on the main floor.

Shelley · Sep 24, 2008

I just got back from a long day of work, and she is even worse

I moved her to her own cage because I couldn't watch her throughout the day. Her tail and feet are cold and she can barely walk. When I put her in back in the cage she tried to turn around but fell over flat on her back and had trouble getting up. *sigh* It was extremely sudden, not gradual at all. She has no paw clenching, but she definitely cannot grip anything and can barely use her feet.