# Warning to all pouchie owners



## Matt Lusty (Aug 20, 2008)

I'm writing this post with a lump in my throat.

Both my female pouched rats have died and the male is going downhill fast. I fed them a mixed bag of nuts yesterday which they ate. Having done this with various nuts before I never thought anything of it. I didn't really think to look in the mixed bag, but have now come to realise it had hazelnuts in, which I haven't fed them before. I have just been on to the vet and before I mentioned which nuts I've fed, she told me it was an allergic reaction to the hazelnuts!

I am absolutely gutted. I'm taking the male down the vets now as it's my only chance to save him. I'm not holding out much hope for him though.

Just letting people know to check any mixed bag of nuts and NOT to feed hazelnuts!!!


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Thats terrible for you.I hope they can save the last one. Sorry for your loss


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## carlycharlie (Jan 16, 2008)

OMG Matt, such sad news........I hope the male comes through ok.


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## ichis-mom (May 25, 2008)

r.i.p the lil females and please keep us updated on the males progress fingers crossed for the lil man


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## loulou (Jan 18, 2006)

oh Matt ((hugs))


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Oh Matt so sorry hun  

big hugs to you and everything crossed for you lil boy x x x x x


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## Ratatouille (Sep 5, 2008)

I hope Gambit makes it Matt, so sorry about the girls RIP


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## Nerys (Apr 18, 2005)

fingers crossed for you matt..

N&R


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## LyddicleaveBurrow (Aug 11, 2008)

Oh.. Matt,

I am so, so sorry to hear of your loss. I hope that you can save Gambit.

RIP ratty girls.

Heather.


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

Oh Matt how absolutely awful for you. RIP little girlies and all fingers and toes crossed for Gambit.
So sorry, sending hugsx


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## Matt Lusty (Aug 20, 2008)

Just got back from the vets and this is how things are looking.

The largest female (Georgina) was resuscitated and is alive! The other didn't make it at all. Gambit is still alive and is having treatment for an allergic reaction to the hazelnuts. It may be a toxicity in the nuts or a fungal thing also to do with the nuts. Georgina is on a drip and is having activated charcoal to try to flush out the toxins, so hopefully they will pull through. I don't hold out much hope for Georgina though TBH 

A post mortem was done on Gerty and nothing was found to be wrong. They are letting me know more tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed everyone.


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## Lucy_ (Jul 9, 2008)

thats fantastic:flrt: i hope she keeps fighting for you, fingers crossed and toes and everything!

x


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## Ratatouille (Sep 5, 2008)

Everything crossed here Matt!


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

Hope its good news today. Fingers crossed for you


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## Matt Lusty (Aug 20, 2008)

Picked them BOTH up today. Had a phone call around 10am this morning saying that they had both become very alive and very feisty! Bearing in mind Georgina had died and had been brought back last night!

The verdict is they had an anaphylactic shock due to the hazelnuts. They were both put into an incubator and given activated charcoal and an injection of adrenaline. The activated charcoal absorbed the poison and the adrenaline combatted the shock. I couldn't believe the difference when I picked them both up this morning. Gambit had tried to take a chunk out of the vet nurses finger, the ungrateful sod!

All in all, I'm shocked about the nuts and also very relieved they are both ok.

I hope I've made others aware of the dangers of feeding hazelnuts to their animals. I for one wont be doing it again!


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## ami_j (Jan 6, 2007)

Matt Lusty said:


> Picked them BOTH up today. Had a phone call around 10am this morning saying that they had both become very alive and very feisty! Bearing in mind Georgina had died and had been brought back last night!
> 
> The verdict is they had an anaphylactic shock due to the hazelnuts. They were both put into an incubator and given activated charcoal and an injection of adrenaline. The activated charcoal absorbed the poison and the adrenaline combatted the shock. I couldn't believe the difference when I picked them both up this morning. Gambit had tried to take a chunk out of the vet nurses finger, the ungrateful sod!
> 
> ...


 such good news im thrilled for you  sorry for the one you lost though
rip gerty


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

Matt Lusty said:


> Picked them BOTH up today. Had a phone call around 10am this morning saying that they had both become very alive and very feisty! Bearing in mind Georgina had died and had been brought back last night!
> 
> The verdict is they had an anaphylactic shock due to the hazelnuts. They were both put into an incubator and given activated charcoal and an injection of adrenaline. The activated charcoal absorbed the poison and the adrenaline combatted the shock. I couldn't believe the difference when I picked them both up this morning. Gambit had tried to take a chunk out of the vet nurses finger, the ungrateful sod!
> 
> ...


 
Matt its so sad about gerty 

BUT fantastic news for your other 2 babies so glad they are fitting fit an well again hun :flrt::flrt::flrt:


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## Ratatouille (Sep 5, 2008)

Such a relief to read this Matt, but so sorry about Gerty RIP


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## LyddicleaveBurrow (Aug 11, 2008)

Hi Matt,

It's fantastic news that Gambit and Georgina have made it!!! That's wonderful!!!:2thumb::2thumb:

I'm so sorry about the loss of Gerty. RIP Gerty.

Heather.


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## Matt Lusty (Aug 20, 2008)

Thanks for all your kind words.

The first thing I thought of was to get straight onto my vet, who admittedly knew nothing about Pouchies, but knew of someone who did. The were conversing by phone with each other while I was there and the other vet said straight away when the hazelnuts were mentioned that was what it was and he's seen other animals with similar symptoms. He was the guy who told my vet what was needed. Fair play to him he worked through the night with them both.

The other thing that happened, was the breathing became very slow as the airways became narrow. They were effectively suffocating to death. Unfortunately Gerty didn't make it. Gambit also swelled up in his pouchies. By the time I got him to the vets the swelling had gone down, but his breathing was still terrible. All of them had a drop in temp. Georgina's temp was not even registering! This was why they used the incubator.

I'm writing this to let others know what the signs are. I will be making the same post on the other forums too


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## africa (Sep 12, 2008)

Great news about Georgina and Gambit, but sad about Gerty.xx


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## Ratatouille (Sep 5, 2008)

Are they back to normal now Matt? :2thumb:


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## Grumpymouth (Jun 28, 2007)

Matt, I am so sorry to hear about this experience, and your loss of Gerty. It's so fortunate that you were able to get Georgina and Gambit to the vet's in time. 

I am wondering though, does the vet have any idea what was in the hazelnuts that gave them that reaction? I've been feeding Ben bags of mixed nuts, including hazelnuts, since I got him, and he's also had a few hazelnuts in the shell that he's opened and eaten. Is there a possibility that they were contaminated by a fungus, or something like that? Or is it a genetic predisposition, like how some people can eat peanuts and others can't? Knowing this, I guess it's not worth anyone feeding hazelnuts to their pouchies just in case. 

Good luck for your little boy and girl - I hope they recover fully :2thumb:


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## Pouchie (Feb 9, 2008)

Grumpymouth said:


> Matt, I am so sorry to hear about this experience, and your loss of Gerty. It's so fortunate that you were able to get Georgina and Gambit to the vet's in time.
> 
> I am wondering though, does the vet have any idea what was in the hazelnuts that gave them that reaction? I've been feeding Ben bags of mixed nuts, including hazelnuts, since I got him, and he's also had a few hazelnuts in the shell that he's opened and eaten. Is there a possibility that they were contaminated by a fungus, or something like that? Or is it a genetic predisposition, like how some people can eat peanuts and others can't? Knowing this, I guess it's not worth anyone feeding hazelnuts to their pouchies just in case.
> 
> Good luck for your little boy and girl - I hope they recover fully :2thumb:


I believe Matt is offline til the New Year but as I understand it, it is not hazelnuts themselves but they can carry toxins and fungus which was the likely culprit.

I have stopped feeding them too and am hoping to get some blood tests done which will help us to identify any other danger foods. I will know more on Tuesday but a place in Holland tests blood samples against a panel of foodstuffs. It should at least give us a wide variety foods that ARE safe although it may not flag up all that are a danger because they cannot test against every item of food available. Just waiting to here if it can be done of pouched rats.


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## Mrs dirtydozen (Sep 5, 2008)

hello not read the whole thread but are they just not good for pouchies or does this apply to normal rats, mice, dormice n pygmys also?

its just i have get loads of these nuts for the parrot n not sure now if i should give em 2 my little furries ????


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