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RougeTheRat
Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:21 pm
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 Sick? Not again... |
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Ok I found one of my rats breathing rather heavily today..its like it just happened overnight
I suspect pnuemonia ...*sigh*
Why are rats so suceptable to pneumonia? I always seem to have someone get it.
Its getting rather irratating... I always panic when this happens... it drives me nuts...and makes me so sad
I have a vet appointment in a bit
Please wish me luck so that my little ratty recovers soon 
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<3 to my Fats and my Meeces |
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penny_the_rat
Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:33 pm
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| RE: Sick? Not again... |
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Wishing you tons of luck!! Hope your rattie gets better soon 
_________________
~*Allie*~
Puppy: Pepper (my big suck) Kitty: Kitterz
Birdie:Mehico aka.Cheeky
Ratties: RIP Penny...i miss you pretty girl <333
Peaches n' Cream..2 bRATS
Jibroney!! --new rescue rat |
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LittleWillow
MODERATOR & RP Supporter
Thu Feb 09, 2006 1:23 am
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Sadly, rats are just horribly predisposed to respiratory problems - it's the myco. Even when it's not causing obvious symptoms, it can be damaging the delicate respiratory tissues and that predisposes them to secondary infections like pneumonia. That's why it's so important for good breeders that take good care to breed healthy rats with good resistance to myco and other respiratory infections.
 - I hope it's nothing serious. Not all lower respiratory tract infections (chest infections) are pneumonia though often they get labelled that way if they're severe. Pneumonia is actually infection of the tissue of the lung itself, but LRTIs can also include bronchitis (infection of the main airways in the lung), bronchiolitis (infection of the smaller airways in the lungs), pleurisy (infection of the fluid and membranes covering the lungs), lung abscesses, etc. Some are more severe than others, and sometimes more than one can co-exist at the same time.
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Andy & The Rats
 ~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~
 ~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~ |
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RougeTheRat
Thu Feb 09, 2006 5:23 am
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Well I went to the vet. Yup is was a pretty severe case of pneumonia :/
By the time we actually GOT to the vet she was doing WORSE
I mean you could actually hear her breathing. I was going to start crying right then and there because I thought she was going to die :/
The vet gave her a shot and some meds to take home. She also told me she had mites (first pinworms, NOW mites..where the heck are these things coming from!!!!!)
Anyhow I couldnt even tell with the mites because she has always had bad skin..and her cage mates seem perfectly fine 
Well after that she asked me if I wanted to leave her there for awhile to stay on oxygen to help with her breathing because she was doing so badly...of course I agreed
so 3 hours later I came back to get her and she seems to be doing a bit better. I can't here her wheezing anymore
so I am happy.
I have to give her shots though which scares me because she didnt take that to well in the vets 
I give shots to my fiances dog for diabetes but she is better behaves
Anyhow she is in her own little cage now with lots of food water and a humidifier...so I hope she does fine
thanks everyone for the good wishes !! 
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<3 to my Fats and my Meeces |
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LittleWillow
MODERATOR & RP Supporter
Thu Feb 09, 2006 5:56 am
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Oh dear. I was hoping it wasn't pneumonia. It hits so hard and fast.
I approach from the front (over the head) with the needle when I am giving injections - it seems they struggle less that way than approaching from the back (so the needle goes in towards the back of the head). Also, rub the skin you're injecting into between your fingers and thumb to loosten the skin up - that helps.
Are you giving Baytril injections? They tend to sting, and can (sometimes) cause skin burns, so if you're giving that, do keep an eye open for any signs of the skin getting inflamed or breaking down. You might want to vary the injection site and use the loose skin near their rear legs as well as the scruff.
http://www.ratballs.com/RatTails/Tails083.html
Maybe that will help some - though you might already know that.
Re: the worms - as I said, chances are they were totally incidental, and have been there since he was a small rat. They live normally in low numbers in rat guts, and they're only ever really a problem if they cause symptoms. If you were given ivermectin for the mites though, chances are that should clear up any pinworms as well... as for where mites come from? All over the place - on litter, on bedding, on food bags or your clothes - if you've been anywhere that could have been exposed to a wild or pet rat (so pet stores, the vets office, friends, etc). Plus they can live for a fair while in furnishings and litter, even unopened packets - a good reason to freeze it. When it comes to treating them, make sure to give them all the ivermectin (or whatever you have been prescribed) and do the carpets, cage, cage contents, hot wash hammocks and cloth bedding etc. That should sort it out.
and  - I hope she feels better soon.
_________________
Andy & The Rats
~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~
~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~ |
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RougeTheRat
Thu Feb 09, 2006 7:09 am
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Oh yes I have spent the entire last couple of hours giving everyone ivermectin...even my mice...orally
That was a task indeed...I've never struggled so much in my entire life O_O
as for the hydrant med for my rattiepie, its not baytril. She is taking that orally. Its some sort of hydrant to keep her well..hydrated because she was so bad
I gave her the shot and she was so good. I think it was just her nerves at the vet.
I hate pneumonia so much. I have lost 2 to it, but that was because when I adopted them they had already had it for quite awhile. She is actually from the batch I adopted and she seemed like the healthiest one! She just contracted it now though..*sigh*
I HATE pneumonia
it ALWAYS seems like it strikes overnight. I'm pretty angry about this..usually I can spot it when its in its really early stages
I think my girl will be alright though. She seems to be doing loads better alread
_________________
<3 to my Fats and my Meeces |
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LittleWillow
MODERATOR & RP Supporter
Thu Feb 09, 2006 7:30 am
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Ahh ok - they gave you Lactated Ringers (or perhaps called it Ringers Lactate)?
How much are you having to give her? That's definitely something to spread - if you can (and she'll tolerate it) aim the needle either side, and make it into two bumps of fluid rather than one big one - one over each shoulder... it will be less uncomfy. Or divide it into 4 lots, if she's having a big amount.
I know what you mean - Mal went from fine to death's door in hours.... Thankfully he made it but the pneumonia and the chronic myco made him unwell for the rest of his life, sadly, and he needed regular medications. Bart wasn't so lucky though - he was fine, then 3 hours later he was completely laid out and covered in porphyrin - I actually thought he'd lost a tooth or something, there was so much of it. 
I hate it just as much as you do. But glad the medicines seem to be helping... did the vet give her some steroids too?
_________________
Andy & The Rats
~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~
~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~ |
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RougeTheRat
Thu Feb 09, 2006 5:14 pm
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The stuff that I am injecting her with is called Normosol R and she gets it (3cc) every 4-6 hours with a gigantic needle. She has been taking it pretty good. Poor girl...
Anyhow its the next day and so far she is going ok still. In about 2 hours she is going back to the vet to get nebulized
My girl was such a big girl. She went from being 1.5 lbs to just under a pound...strangly she doesn't even look that thin hehe....she is a true fat. She devoured all the food in her cage already but has not really been drinking
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<3 to my Fats and my Meeces |
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LittleWillow
MODERATOR & RP Supporter
Thu Feb 09, 2006 10:22 pm
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Oh ok - that's a brand name for physiological electrolytes and water (in this case, it's Magnesium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Acetate, Sodium Chloride and Sodium Gluconate) - glad she's taking it well, and it's helping her out.
Mal lost a lot of weight too with his pneumonia - he lost 25% of his body weight in 6 days, and he wasn't big to start with. He ended up looking like a starving refugee. He did put a bit back on afterwards, but he never reached the weight he originally was - thank goodness she had plenty of padding to start with, it definitely helps if they have some reserves to fall back on. 
She's probably not drinking simply because you're giving her SQ fluids - she probably isn't feeling thirsty (which is a reaction by the body to mild (or more severe) dehydration). It's like when you're put on a drip in hospital - you pee like crazy constantly, but you're never thirsty (though sometimes your mouth gets dry and icky).
Glad she's holding in there, and great that she has access to a nebuliser - perhaps it's worth considering getting hold of one for the future, if you have ratties prone to respiratory problems - just in case. It's a great way of getting meds in as well as thinning out mucus and opening up the airways - such as nebulising gentamicin or Baytril, which means it goes directly into the lungs and works there right away to help fight infection.
_________________
Andy & The Rats
~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~
~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~ |
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RougeTheRat
Fri Feb 10, 2006 3:26 am
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Hmm I didn't even know I would be able to purchase a nebulizer. I run a humidifier by her for a few hours during the day. I couldn't tell you how much it helps becaus of course it points up and not directly at her :/
And yes she did have a baytril treatment when she got nebulized (is that a word  ) today. I think it helped..its a bit hard to tell since she gets so nervous at the vets office.
Also
She was doing to poorly the other day. Waiting for the vet to come in and give her a shot was a nightmare. 2 of the other girls died after getting a shot before..it was just too much and their lungs collapsed from stress.
Talk about being scared to have the same incident repeated.
Anyhow $300 later my girls still seems to be fine
and I am broke, but relieved XD
_________________
<3 to my Fats and my Meeces |
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LittleWillow
MODERATOR & RP Supporter
Fri Feb 10, 2006 4:58 am
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Yes - nebulised or nebulized (depending on if you're UK or US!) is a real word, often shortened to nebbed.
You definitely can buy a nebuliser - if you search for nebuliser in the search box up the top of the screen, then you should find many links.... here's one to get you started.
_________________
Andy & The Rats
~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~
~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~ |
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RougeTheRat
Fri Feb 10, 2006 6:27 am
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thank you. Thats great Its defiently something I am going to buy 
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<3 to my Fats and my Meeces |
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LittleWillow
MODERATOR & RP Supporter
Fri Feb 10, 2006 6:46 am
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When it comes to buying one - a) make sure it's the nebuliser and compressor - I've noticed in US adverts, they very often sell the nebuliser kit (the mouthpiece, tubing and medicine cup with the doofer inside it to turn the medicine into a mist) separately from the compressor which does all the hard work. And where possible, go for one that produces a mist with particles between 0.5 and 5 micrometers in size - that's optimum for getting the drug deep into the lungs most effectively. Many human nebulisers will do that (or at least part of that range) so you shouldn't need to go for specially designed ones for pets etc. Just find one that plugs into the wall, comes with everything you need (compressor, tubes, med cup, neb piece and mouthpiece (preferable to a mask in my experience if you sit them on your lap, and definitely preferable if you rig up a nebulising container).
_________________
Andy & The Rats
~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~
~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~ |
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RougeTheRat
Fri Feb 10, 2006 7:54 am
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You are a unseful information machine and I love you for it
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<3 to my Fats and my Meeces |
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scrubjay
Fri Feb 10, 2006 9:42 am
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