[artgecko]

In addition to some of my new rats possibly having ringworm or a bacterial infection (it could just be scabs from scratching / fighting), one of them seems to have developed some wheezing... So I will be taking them (him and the two with the scabs) to the vet on Saturday. They should be able to rule out or confirm whether the two have ringworm (using a woods lamp) and will hopefully be able to give me meds for both.

That said, my vet typically only sees cats and dogs and I'm sure that they know nothing about rats... So I need medication suggestions from you guys... There are no exotic vets in our area, so I'll just have to make do with what I've got. :/

What kind of medication have your vets proscribed in the past for RI / URIs (preferably oral)? and how did you administer them?

None of the others are showing unusual signs... Just some sneezing from being in a new place, so I'm hoping that I'll only have to treat the one with the wheezing.

Thanks for your help!

 

[nanashi7]

Administered all orally. Baytril, doxy, clavamox, azithromycin, chloramphenicol. I would suggest printing out the rmca medication guide and any relevant info from ratguide. These are both medical references not some "expert" spewing info.

 

[artgecko]

I've printed the list from the RMCA already, just wasn't sure which ones on the list are most often proscribed / are the most effective. I will highlight the ones you mentioned on the RMCA list.

Thanks for your help!

 

[nanashi7]

Yep. I would note that Baytril should be avoided in young rats and chloramphenicol should only be used in extreme illnesses like pneumonia.

 

[artgecko]

Thanks! I'll make note of that on the list and bring it up when I talk to the vet.

 

[artgecko]

I'm glad I brought the chart... They don't often see rats and the dosages on the chart were a little different than what he had, so they made a copy of the chart to keep.

I'm treating them now with water-soluble tetracycline, and also ivermectin for possible mites, and treating some scabbed spots with tresaderm (an anti-fungal anti-bacterial topical). So they're getting treated for everything at once lol.

The wheezing has stopped, so the tetracycline must be working and the scabs seem better already (just with 1,1/2 day of treatment), so we're hopefully on our way to a full recovery.