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hyperjj3000
Fri Feb 10, 2006 6:51 pm
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 cold wont go away |
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Hi all,iv had my two rats milky and cream since november.Milky has had a cold since the day we brought her home and we've taken her to the vets twice and she got medication but it hasnt worked.I dunno what else to do.It doesnt seem to bother her much, shes a very happy little thing and she doesnt look ill at all.But could this affect her for the rest of her life of would it eventually go away?Also could cream catch the cold from her? So far shes been fine but im not an expert with rats since these are my first.Any help will be apreciated 
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Jill
RP Supporter
Fri Feb 10, 2006 10:49 pm
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| RE: cold wont go away |
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It's probably not "a cold," specifically. If she's sneezing a lot and has any sort of porphyrin (red mucous) discharge from her eyes or nose, then she may have an upper respiratory infection. What kind of "medicine" did she get from the vet? If they were antibiotics, then the effectiveness depends on the length that they were given (two weeks is usually recommended, at the very least) and the type of antibiotics they were.
On the other hand, if you gave her a good antibiotic for two weeks or more and you never saw improvement, then you likely have a rattie with allergies. I have two sneezers (who have grown out of their sneeziness somewhat) that have allergies. We wash their cloth bedding with unscented detergent, and we use the cloth bedding instead of any other kind because it has virtually no dust component. What kind of bedding are your girls on? You may want to consider a low-dust bedding like cloth or Yesterday's News (which hopefully has a UK component). Any sort of low-dust or dust-free recycled paper bedding (unscented, of course) or low-dust or dust-free Aspen shavings are a good choice. Also, try to make sure that the girls aren't kept around anything "smelly." Don't use dryer sheets on any laundry that they come in contact with, don't burn scented candles or use air fresheners, don't smoke around them and keep the room as dust-free as possible. All of these things should improve your girl's sneezing if the antibiotic route has been exhausted.
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hyperjj3000
Fri Feb 10, 2006 11:41 pm
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| RE: cold wont go away |
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Thanx for your reply,i hope it is just allergies so i can finally try a find a way to help them more.Im not sure now which antibiotics it was because it was about a month ago,i saw a slight improvement with her but she does still sneeze a fair bit.I might try changing her bedding and see if it makes any difference.Thanx again
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LittleWillow
MODERATOR & RP Supporter
Sat Feb 11, 2006 2:08 am
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| RE: cold wont go away |
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The UK, you can get YN, but it's not as easily available. We do have Biocatolet and Bob Martin's paper cat litters - just make sure they're 100% paper - no wood based ones as they are usually pine.
If she improved a little with the anitbiotics, it might be worth trying them again - Baytril, Marbocyl and doxy are your best bet. You need to ensure that they have them for at least 2 weeks and at a high enough dose - not given in their water but once or twice a day by mouth from a needleless syringe directly or mixed into a little food or treat.
Do you know how much they weigh? If so, I can give you an idea of the doses they should be getting for each of those antibiotics so you can be sure your bet is giving you enough. Whereabouts in the UK are you located?
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Andy & The Rats
 ~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~
 ~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~ |
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