This topic is the gerbil pup that just seems to stall and no matter what we do, stays sickly and small, behind its littermates in development...and often passes on despite our best efforts.

Often called 'Failure to Thrive' ... starting with a bit of email from the AGS forum.

>> I have a runt now five weeks that is hanging on but not growing. She is the size of a
>> three week old and has not gotten any bigger in a week.
>>
>> I am giving ornacycline (she was clicking) and weaning foods like canary seed, peanut
>> bits, cheerio pieces, peeled sunflower seeds, etc.
>>
>> I haven't tried KMR. Don't know if she is too old. The mother gerbil had a next litter,
>> but I left the runt with her.
>>
>> Donna

>Hi Donna,
>
>It does sound like the runt has Failure to Thrive. I might consider trying KMR. When a pup is ill their growth and development stop. It is at least worth a try. Have you noticed if the runt is nursing? If so that would be great, and I would not try the KMR. I would only give it if the pup seems to want it.
>
>Have you tried Kashi? I would try the plain puffed variety, but it does wonders and they love it. You can get it in most grocery stores that have a good health food section.
>
>Let us know how the little fella is doing.
>
>Janet

Hi, Donna, I was cleaning email and found this.

I'm suspecting more and more that 'failure to thrive' gerbil pups have heart problems or some
digestive problems (stricture of the esophagus or in the intestine) that allows the animal to
grow to a certain size, then their little compromised system doesn't allow them to continue to
grow (they can outgrow their defect) and it kills them. If it's a minor enough defect the animal
may reach adulthood.

The one I had here, little Bruno, died of congestive heart failure. I recently compared notes
with a vet, and they agreed on that diagnosis; and also that it would have been all but
impossible to put such a tiny animal (4 weeks old and under an ounce) on a diruetic to ease
symptoms.

If you get more than one pup from the same crossing (parent-s) with that sort of defect, then I
would stop breeding that line and make sure any animals placed from that line were not for
breeding, but pet only.

It's so disheartening, I know.

I hope that your little one is doing fine. KMR will help if there is some undetectable defect, as
it is 'easy nutrition' and will help the animal survive easier...at any age. That's why we often use
it with ill animals....

Deb R.

Congestive heart failure is a malformation of the structure of the heart, either the valves are weak and allow blood to back-seep instead of being forced on through to where it's supposed to go; one or more holes between one side of the heart and the other; or improperly formed blood vessels coming to or from the heart.

This causes the heart to have to work harder than it should. It may also cause a backup of fluid in the sac (pericardium) that surrounds the heart [it is a covering to allow the heart to move more smoothly in the chest cavity and to keep it in it's relative place in the chest] and this pooling of fluid can cause the heart to have to work even harder...a defeating sort of feedback. The fluid often backs up into the lungs as well.

This can cause all the sounds and symptoms of a respiratory illness in a young pup. All the ornacycline in the world will not improve this. As the pup gets older, this may then manifest as shortness of breath and the pup literally runs out of energy. They wheeze and try harder and harder to breathe, and are tired out all the time. Once they first awaken, they may seem fine but tire quickly.

What a pup would need is diruetics (vet injected medicine to help the body shed the extra fluid in the pericardium and lungs) which will give a short term improvement. And open heart surgery to repair the defect(s) in the heart. However, most of the pups that show this are under an ounce (28 g) in weight and this is almost impossible to either figure and administer an effective dose of diruetics and even more impossible to perform surgery on because of the size. If it was a dog, it might be possible. Not in a gerbil.

Despite the defect(s) a pup might very well be born alive, and grow for awhile. As it reaches a point where the defects are too much for the growing pup to be able to continue, the other symptoms show up and the pup stalls out in development. It stays smaller, seems to stop growing, and sounds like it has a respiratory infection. Since this usually shows up about the time weaning happens (3 weeks old) the rest of the litter may develop a respiratory infection (not unusual during the 3-4 week old period). The one with the defect(s) may seem to be just like the siblings. Then proceed to go downhill and pass on.

KMR may help, and if the problems are minor enough, the animal may survive and grow up into an adult, forever hampered by the problems (showing up as retarded growth so they remain small no matter what.).

Other internal problems that would cause a failure to thrive would be a stricture (narrowing or band of scar tissue around) of the esophagus [the tube from throat to stomach], a threading or stricture of the bowels [a shortage of blood supply in utero to the area of the developing intestines may cause a section to be formed 'undersize'. The stricture would be similar to the one of the esopaghus, respectively] or possibly a liver problem (most animals have a shunt blood vessel pre-birth for blood movement around the liver. This closes down and the more proper blood path route is shifted to after birth. Sometimes this doesn't shut down).

The animal would still show the slowing of growth and most likely the weakened condition would allow it to also get a respiratory illness, which would be difficult for it to recover from.

None of these would be easy to diagnose in a living animal, and even if a necropsy (animal autopsy) was performed on the deceased pup, would it be possible to diagnose and prove that that was the cause.

These are put here as possible explanations as to why the failure to thrive has lead to the demise of the pup. If you get a number of them from a pair or can trace multiple litters containing 'failure to thrive' pups to one line, discontinue breeding them and if you place animals make sure that they will be 'non breeding pets' only.

IF you have an animal that seems to be stalling out it will usually happen in the 3-5 week olds. KMR, rigging warm corners, extra feedings, and TLC, and the animal may survive and manage to mature into a stunted (smaller than average) animal that is otherwise able to lead a normal looking life. Either keep it as your spoiled little baby; or if you place it, do try to make sure that it will be a pet gerbil, not used for breeding.

Or, despite your best efforts it doesn't manage to overcome whatever the underlying problem is and it passes on. Take comfort that you tried your best to give it the best life possible, and that it was loved.

Also, if a pup of this nature occurs, it may be destroyed by the parents as they can oftentimes tell that there is something wrong with the pup. Any pup that seems to be destroyed, especially before 10 days old, that there is no other reason (parent[s] stressed) may be for this reason.

And lastly, this sort of problem may be the reason for some stillborns. They were viable enough to develop in utero, but heart malformations meant the pup died pre-birth.