| Author |
Message |
oneida
Tue Feb 14, 2006 6:07 am
|
 Okay, this rash is starting to get weird |
|
I decided to post this as a new topic as I'm getting a little concerned about the rash my daughter and I have after handling the rats. They love to dive down our shirts and now the area they usually occupy is covered with a rash. I thought it was just an allergic reaction so I put anti itch cream on it and kept our new baby rats away from the rash. But this didn't work, so I decided to try Benadryl which didn't work either. I've tried a hydracortisone cream, a Benadryl anti-itch antihistamine cream with diphenhydramine hydrochloride usp in it, and I've even taken a long hot bath and soaked the area followed by a non-allergenic lotion but none of that has worked. The rash is still there and it is looking more uniform in appearance with large raised circles the size of dimes or nickels. It runs along my upper torso and neck area. It is the same on my daughter. We have even had a couple of them pop up on our faces. I could call my doctor but he would want to see me so he could take a look at the rash. I just had a doctor's visit followed by a lot of very expensive antibiotics and can't afford to go again so soon, please help!
|
|
 |
LittleWillow
MODERATOR & RP Supporter
Tue Feb 14, 2006 6:36 am
|
| RE: Okay, this rash is starting to get weird |
|
Do you have pictures of the rash?
Ringworm popped into my head - it's not particularly common but household pets, including rats, can carry and transmit it. It's a fungal infection. It depends how they look though....
If it's not responding to home treatment and is getting worse, however, you really do need to get it looked at.
_________________
Andy & The Rats
 ~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~
 ~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~ |
|
|
oneida
Tue Feb 14, 2006 7:41 am
|
| |
|
It's funny that you mentioned ringworm because that's what my husband says it looks like. I'm not that good with a computer and have no idea how to take a picture and post it here, sorry. But I can only describe them as being red, raised, with little bumps on top and roundish but not all of them are perfectly circular. It's very itchy and spreads easily but there's no oozing or discharge, it's dry. Doesn't ringworm require an over the counter anti-fungal cream? My youngest daughter had it a couple of years ago, but it's been so long I can't remember the name of the stuff I'm supposed to get. I'll try anything at this point as it's getting pretty bad.
I went in to have my teeth cleaned at the dentist this morning and everyone at the office noticed it and commented on it. I guess if treating it for ringworms doesn't work I'll have to go in to the doctor's office again. Why does everything have to happen all at once? I'm sick, the rats are sick, we both need to see a doctor and money is at it's lowest ebb at this point. Any other time of year and it wouldn't be such a financial strain, so why does everything hit me all at once now?
Oh well, I guess I'll have to just try and deal with it. If this is ringworm, that means that the rats probably have it. What do I do for them? How do you treat ringworm in rats? My poor babies are just coming up with all types of problems. I feel so sorry for them. Thanks for the help and letting me vent.
|
|
|
scrubjay
Tue Feb 14, 2006 8:56 am
|
|
|
oneida
Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:19 am
|
| |
|
Thanks for the info., I've got some Tinactin here at home which is an antifungal cream with tolnaftate in it. My husband says he's pretty sure that's what we used when my daughter had it a long time ago. I went ahead and put it on all of us since I found a couple spots on my husband and younger daughter after careful scrutiny. I know it's contagious because we've all got it, except that my oldest daughter and I have it much, much worse. I remember that the info. sheet the school nurse gave us when my daughter was sent home with ringworm had several over the counter remedies listed. Most of my daughter's class got it from one infected child, which means ringworm spreads easily which would make sense if this was ringworm. So at least the good news in all of this is that it's easily treated if it is ringworm.
Is there any easy, over the counter remedies for rats? I'm going to go check my little ratties right now and compare them to the pictures you posted in that website. Thanks, you were a lot of help.
|
|
|
scrubjay
Tue Feb 14, 2006 10:27 am
|
| |
|
I would try what it says on that site: Creams containing clotrimazole (can be purchased OTC) can be applied. Gently cleanse affected area, and apply cream to skin rubbing in thoroughly. Do this once or twice a day. *Note: treatment often more effective when used in conjunction with an oral antifungal agent. Verify appropriateness of topical agent with Vet prior to using.
It sounds like the treatment has to be done for quite a while. Rats ingest everything you put on them, so you might try doing some searches on the internet ("pet rats ringworm") before putting something on them. I just don't know much about it, although I do know now about treating mites and respiratory infections!
I use that site (www.ratguide.com) for a lot of things, and I know Little Willow uses it too. I hope you don't get discouraged by this, with the ratties and all. We probably all expected rats to be hardy little critters before finding out they need pretty specialized care sometime. But they give back in heaps!
Angela
|
|
|
Cayda
Tue Feb 14, 2006 8:21 pm
|
| |
|
Sorry about all the problems you're having.  I don't know much about treating rats for ringworm, but I just recently got over a case myself so I've got the human side down pretty well.
I don't know the specs on Tinactin exactly, but I highly recommend getting an athlete's foot ointment that is supposed to take 7 days (I used Lotramin AT). It will get rid of it a lot faster and has directions for ringworm use right on the back. It's a little more expensive than the normal stuff ($15.00) but worth it. Also prep the area before applying the cream either by scrubbing well with soap and water or I've heard dandruff shampoo like Selsun Blue preps it well (seemed to work on me, but so far as I know it's not a proven science). Wash all sheets and anything else that has been exposed to any of you with it. The spots you have should stop being contagious a couple days after beginning to use the cream. Continue to use the cream for at least 4 days after all spots dissappear or it may return. Ringworm is also passed much more quickly to children and older people, so you might want to take care to avoid contact with them until it is under control (spots can be covered with clothing or bandages if the situation makes it neccessary). Oh, and not all the spots will be round. The outer ring is the area of the most active fungi, so it really depends how it spreads to determine what shape it will ultimately be.
Sorry that wasn't very rat-related. I hope you feel better soon though. 
_________________
And, isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, oooh, oooh, oooh, the sky is the limit. ~The Tick |
|
|
oneida
Wed Feb 15, 2006 11:59 pm
|
| |
|
Well, the mystery is over! The school nurse sent my daughter home saying her rash was ringworm. She took one look at me and said I had it too. She said she'd seen tons of ringworm cases but never one like this. It does look more like a rash than ringworm, but several of the bumps are definitely ringworm so the whole rash probably is too. It's just an unusual case of it.
I did a lot of research on the web and finally came across a really good home remedy for ringworm. It seems that this wrestling team at a university got a bad recurrent problem with ringworms. The normal stuff the team doctor gave them didn't eradicate it completely, it kept coming back so the team doctor started experimenting. To make a long story short, scrub the area with medicated Selsun Blue shampoo. This dandruff shampoo is said to kill and reduce the spread of the fungus. Rinse and dry the area before using Lamisil AT 1% with terbinafine hydrochloride. Many other creams are fungistats (they stop the fungus from reproducing but don't kill it) but Lamisil is a fungicidal (kills the fungus) which is why it's more effective. This university wrestling team says when they switched to Lamisil the results were dramatic. I found this at tp://www.metrowrestling. org/ringworm.html.
Perhaps this info. will eventually be used to help the little ratties. I know there are a lot of very intelligent medical experts on this site that will probably figure out the best way to adopt some of this medical info. to help treat the little ratlets out there suffering from ringworm.
|
|
|
scout
Thu Feb 16, 2006 3:42 am
|
| |
|
I had ringworm along with one of my rats several months ago, although neither of us was as involved as you and your family. I used the same cream on my rat as I used on myself. I just made sure that I rubbed the cream into his skin very, very well, then played with him for about an hour afterward to keep him from licking at the spot. Both of us were free of itchy rash in a few short days. I used 1% clotrimazone from Walgreens.
And rattie didn't even have to have a bath.
You might want to consider switching to a different litter if the one you have gets damp at all and stays damp. Dampness can make it more difficult to get rid of ringworm.
_________________
Scout of Manitou Mischief Rattery |
|
|
oneida
Thu Feb 16, 2006 5:16 am
|
| |
|
I thought that maybe this cream I'm using might be okay for my rats. I have a 1% clotrimazone spray here at the house along with the other stuff I'm using. At the moment, my aspen bedding is in the freezer. I also washed their cage with a 10% bleach solution along with all of their toys and other stuff in the cage. I used flea, tick, and lice carpet powder on the floor which you sprinkle and then vacuum up. I also used a flea, tick, lice spray on all bedding and curtains. I also used the Ivermectin stuff for lice on them because at the time I thought their itching was due to lice. We put the shredded paper from our paper shredder in their cage until the aspen was ready to come out of the freezer (no living organisms can survive 24 hours in a freezer.) I made sure our little ratlets were out of the room when I cleaned it and it got aired out real good before they returned. I also bathed them with mild kitten shampoo that treats fleas, ticks, and lice. Clipping their nails was a real adventure, but I got it done. I'm doing everything in my power to make sure they are healthy and have a clean living environment. Now all I have to do is treat the ringworm.
|
|
|
|
