Pituitary tumor or stroke?

Question
Hi! You helped me figure out what was wrong with a baby mouse I had living in my home. Unfortunately only two days later I found her on our kitchen counter, and I believe from where I found her she had died suddenly, like from a seizure exactly as you predicted.

I come to you now with a question about one of my rat companions, bearkat. We have two rat mmischies. Bearkat is the alpha female of the older mischeif and is our oldest, at 22 months old. She has a birth sister named blue, however blue is in perfect health and still acts like a baby!

A couple weeks ago I determined that bear was suffering a pituitary tumor. All the signs were there- last week I moved her to a new one story cage, and on that day she could not even get up without falling over. I have stayed home with her every day just being with her and taking care of her, also as I must be here to now hand feed her.

However, the other day I realized that all her symptoms seem to be ailing her right side. It was her right hand that's more weakened,  her right eye is the only wye irritated and leaking porphyrin and she only falls to the right.

And as of two days ago she is recovering. I don't have her on any meds. When we put her in the new cage she was filthy, despite my attempts to groom her, as she would rub and roll on her liquefied food and it crusted all over her fur. I was afraid bathing her would really make her worse so I was literally in the midst of figuring out how to gently clean her, but to my surprise yesterday morning I found that she had cleaned herself! Last night we let her go back in the big girls cage! This morning we just played a game involving her repeatedly jumping in and out of her teepee hammock that's 6 inches off the ground. She is crawling up and down the cage! And she is kind of holding hard food in her hands and even eating it!

I'm thrilled. However I'm concerned. Could this be the last moment of health before she crashes, as I've heard of so many times with PT's? Or is it possible that she had instead suffered and is now recovering from a stroke? Everything she couldn't do she is now doing! What do you think?  Do rats with PT recover like this without medical aid?

Thanks for your time. I appreciate it!

Answer
Hi Sarah,

Rats with PT do not recover like that. Rats with stroke, usually only on one side, can partially or wholly recover, as in people.

Whatever level she ends up at, you know she is a happy rat!

So happy for you and her.

Very sorry for the delay. And Merry Christmas, if you celebrate it!

Squeaks and giggles <------ giggles when the situation is good, yay!!

Natasha