health

Question
Hi,
My rat Amelia is a bit sick we assume(she has been acting odd lately).
we went to the vet and they gave us treatment for a possible abscess behind her right eye. But i'm not sure why she is having balance issues and blood blister things on the inside of her feet. Could it be something else or added to the abscess?

Answer
Hi Marleigh.  Whenever I hear balance issues, three things come to mind.  An ear infection, a stroke, or worst of all a pituitary tumor (PT).  

Was this a vet who specializes in exotic animals?  I am curious what made the vet conclude it was an abscess.  Those don't usually grow behind the eye.  Does Amelia's one eye appear to be bulging out more than the other?  If so, coupled with her imbalance, it leads me to fear a PT.  A PT is a tumor in the pituitary gland and as it grows, it pushes against the part of the brain that controls balance and mobility as well as other things.  It may be swelling and pushing the eye outward.  Generally a PT will cause only one eye to bulge, not both.  The other symptoms of a PT which usually show not long after the imbalance is the loss of use of the front limbs (so inability to hold solid food), and after that, the inability to chew food and sleeping more than usual.  Do you see any of these other symptoms yet?

I don't believe the foot blisters are associated with a PT, but perhaps the balance problems are causing her to rub her feet more against surfaces....just a guess though.  It may be bumblefoot, which can be treated with antibiotics.

I am sorry to tell you that a PT is fatal.  Some are more aggressive than others.  Sometimes symptoms come on slowly and can go on for weeks or months.  If it's an aggressive tumor, like one of my rats had, I had to have her put to sleep one week after I noticed the very first symptom.  

I don't mean to terrify you...it may not be a PT, but if it is, you should be prepared.  Watch her carefully to see if she starts to have trouble holding food and grooming with her front paws.  Also watch to see if she is able to bite and eat hard foods.  If she can't hold food and looks like she's trying to eat hard food from the ground but may be bobbing her head back and forth, it means she is struggling to chew food.  It is critical at this point to put her on a soft food diet (baby foods, mashed up foods), and make sure she has water easily available from an easy to reach bowl as she may not be able to lick from a water bottle.  The last symptoms of a PT is the in ability to even lick and swallow, which means she won't be getting any food or water at all.  At this point, her quality of life is gone and you would need to have her euthanized or she would starve and dehydrate to death which would be cruel.

There is some good news.  There are several medications to help reduce the swelling of a PT and extend her life.  One of them is Bromocryptine, another is Cabergoline (I believe the Bromo is the less expensive one, but Caber is more effective and pricey).  If you suspect a PT based on the above symptoms, get the vet to prescribe this right away.  These meds taste nasty and need to be mixed with foods that your girl likes and will hide the bitterness (i.e., yogurt, syrup, icecream, honey, etc).  If you wait until she can no longer eat food well, it is probably too late and it won't help and it would hard to get her to eat the meds at all.

I hope and pray that this may be something less serious than this, but having gone through this awful illness with one of my own sweet girls, I felt I needed to inform you so that you can be prepared.

Here are two articles, one on the PT and the other on a stroke which details symptoms and treatment:
http://ratguide.com/health/neoplasia/pituitary_tumor.php
http://ratguide.com/health/neurological/stroke.php

Please do let me know what is going on with her now and also if I can help answer any other questions.  I'm sending positive vibes to Amelia and hoping for the best.