my beloved pet rats

Question
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oh hilary....i get so frustrated w/ my vet...look he said the sutures will dissolve but he will take them out....which will hurt maddie...he says that they still will dissolve and come out...and no absess will occur..... when i asked him about her wheezing he said"oh sure bring her in" and another 50 dollars for the charge....look i make 7 an hour working 10 hours anight...then i waitress 5 more hours each day to keep our heads above water...it just cost 228.00 for the mammory tumor removal...i can't afford to bring her in and they wont call me in baytril or tell me if i cant just use the antibiotics that she came home with from surgery...look i have raised some 200 rats....i know about rats and i am sure maddie has wheezing which could be a precipatator of mycoplasma and i am sure my vet will not be able to see anything or tell me anything i dont already know....he cant say for sure or not if it is mycoplasma....maddie is eating for now and is healthy otherwise...but she is wheezing  and he wont see anything but that...why cant he just tell me if this SMZ TMP antibotic [or even tetracycline from the store ]will work to fix the breathing?at one time in my rat keeping i had to keep my babies 10 days on and 10days off baytrill for the rest of their lives due to mycoplasma....i feel guilty and i am desperate to do the right thing by my animals but i am backed against a wall here.....i need answers...please can you help with just an answer on this?

Answer
Hi Christine!
I'm so sorry you were dissatisfied with your veterinarian visit.  I have dealt with vets just like that.  A person who cares about their "furbaby" should never be told not to worry!  I completely understand your concern.  The vet I work for has payment plans.  In my opinion every single vet should!  Procedures are usually always unexpected and very expensive.  Most people don't have hundreds of dollars at the drop of a hat, especially with the way our economy is right now.
I would definitely think that if an animal is wheezing, there is a problem.  You may want to find a different vet and one that will make a payment plan for you.  In the meantime, the antibiotic or tetracycline wouldn't hurt to try.  If she is wheezing, it may be due to an upper respiratory infection developing, and an antibiotic will get rid of an infection.  Baytril would be the best, as this is the most effective antibiotic for rats, especially if the mycoplasma is a concern here.
I hope this helps and best of luck!
Hilary