Wobbling Rat?

[alison03]

you know, I don't think he's had a stroke. He doesn't seem weaker on one side, just kind of walking around (whereas running...he's the most curious and energetic boy of the bunch). He just looks uncomfortable.

We just got back from the vet and they gave us another week's worth of antibiotics. When we get towards Friday though I'm going back for more. I don't want to risk this reoccuring.

Just out of curiosity: is there such a thing as over-doing antibiotics? I want to do the 30 days as suggested, but if it's not pneumonia, I don't want to give him too much. Is there anything I need to watch out for in terms of it having a negative effect on him instead of a positive one?

[digitalangel]

. And gave us a critical care packet that you mix

Was this critical care packet for rabbits? If so its almost useless for rats. If it was for ferrets/cats its way too high protein

On your question about ammoxicillin while it can be a useful drug if used correctly its also a very old drug and most bacteria are now pretty resistant to it. In rats one of the main bacteria they carry is mycoplasma which has to be killed by very specific antibiotics because it has no cell wall.

[alison03]

It is for rabbits!

Do you think it's no good for him? He hates it anyway and we almost never got him to eat it, even via syringe. We had more luck with baby food and now ensure.

[digitalangel]

Its got lots of yummy grasses that rabbits need, I don't blame him for not liking it. "Timothy Grass Meal, Soybean Hulls, Soybean Meal, Wheat Germ, " are the first few ingredients.

[alison03]

lol, I read the ingredients and I was like, "hmmm...he won't like this" and sure enough. By useless, do you think it just won't help him any, so no need to keep trying to feed it to him?

[digitalangel]

meal replacement baby food and baby cereal will do far more good

[alison03]

what is meal replacement baby food? Is that like chicken dinner and rice, for example? thanks for all of your help!!!

[digitalangel]

Sorry, I should have put a comma in there. Meal Replacement like boost or ensure.

[alison03]

Oh that's funny! I was wondering what meal replacement baby food was!! 

We will definitely continue with our Ensure, baby food, and oatmeal supplements.

[alison03]

How long does baby food in the fridge last? Butters only eats maybe 0.8 ml a day and obviously there is way more baby food than that. Does it freeze? Am I supposed to throw it away and just buy more food every so often?

Also I've noticed that he's getting really wobbly and moving slower...hopefully the meds start to kick in and help. The only thing he eats (that we see) are peas. Is this filling/heavy? I just want to make sure he's eating enough, and he really seems to devour them when we put them out.

Thanks!

[zoe9]

Baby food will keep a couple of days in the fridge.  You don't have to throw it all out though.  If Butters likes it give it to him.   Peas alone aren't enough and you need to help him keep his strength up so he can get better.

It can be hard for a sick rat to eat their usual food so offering soft, easy to eat alternatives is recommended.  Baby food works well, as does avocado, mashed banana, porridge/oats, ensure etc.

Meanwhile how long has he been back on meds for?   Unfortunately because the first course was too short it's possible the stronger bacteria survived and multiplied and they're what the drugs are fighting now, so you may not see improvement quite as quickly as you did the first time.

If he's not improving after 3-4 days, or if he gets worse you will need to get him back to the vet, preferably one who does treat rats and won't muck about with silly 7 day courses...

Good luck.

[Ratatoullies]

"Just out of curiosity: is there such a thing as over-doing antibiotics?"

Yes you can over-do antibiotics. Antibiotics are very hard on their systems. To be honest, I was really shocked that internet articles were saying 30 days. I really think that's a lot. I know that the yogurt, however helps a lot! It replaces the good bacteria. The antibiotics work against both good and bad unfortunately.

I think you should check out this website. 

http://www.justanswer.com/veterinary?r=PPC|ga|2|Pet+-+Gadgets|Gadgets&TP=normal-336x280&JPRC=1&JPAF=gadget&gclid=CP-pxtLwl6ACFQMhDQodjw73eQ

It tells you how many vets are online and they answer your questions immediately. You have to pay a small fee, but I think it's well worth it. Especially because it sounds like your vet doesn't know much about small animals. Honestly, I think vet offices don't have many people that went to school for small animals too and so they pick the person who has the most experience even if they aren't very experienced at all. People have just started bringing their rats and hamsters and rabbits to the vet in recent years. Vet didn't used to know how to treat them at all. It surprises me, though that they do all this research on lab rats and yet it seems like they sure don't know very much about them.  Anyways. hope the website helps a little.

[alison03]

Thank you guys for the replies.

Yeah, I am totally worried that "it's" back and stronger. The one plus is he isn't as weak as before (ie he isn't just laying on his side). He's moving (although slowly) but still takes treats, cleans himself, eats peas etc. Hopefully this next round of antibiotics helps.

Gall, I'm now worried about overdoing antibiotics with him. He's so small...but it's like how do I know when to stop? 1 week obviously wasn't enough (even though he seemed perfectly fine and back to normal by the end of treatment). 2 weeks? A month like the article said? It's like how will I know when he's actually better and not just looking better? I don't want to cut it short (and have it come back stronger) and I don't want to harm him by giving him antibiotics if he's all better!

[alison03]

I was reading about liver cancer in ferrets today and couldn't find anything about it in rats. Not that I necessarily think he has that, but some of the ferret symptoms in ferrets is lethargy, weakness, loss of apetite, and weight loss. Wnated to look into it further, and didn't know if you guys had any info or insight!

[zoe9]

Lethargy, weakness, loss of appetite and weight loss are pretty common symptoms for most types of illnesses though.

Because Butters responded well to antibiotics that'd indicate you are dealing with a bacterial infection.

How long has he been back on meds for and is he showing any improvement?