mucus, loss of appetite but no sneezing

Question
QUESTION: Hello. I found my rat (about 2 and a half years old, male) this morning looking really ill. His fur was all on end and he was sprawled out breathing really shallowly- but i could't hear his breath and it didnt seem to be catching (something i read is a sign of respiratory problems and pneumonia). There is red mucus all down the underside of his chin and front legs (he normally gets a little around his nose at times but never this much) and he has not eaten or drunk anything for about a day and a half. There are no new droppings either. When he tried to eat a thick yellow mucus came back up- it seems he wants to eat but cannot.
He is walking around happily at times (so i think he is getting better) and then looking awful again soon after. Sometimes it seems it is hard for him to hold his head up off the ground.

I realise that this is pretty serious and, if not improved by tomorrow, I will consult a vet. THe reason i came to you first is that he is not a very social rat(!)- he will come to me for a long cuddle and play if he is in the right mood but is usually very private and doesn't get on with anyone else apart from me. He gets stressed out easily and I don't want to cause this unnecessarily. Shall I risk it, stressing him out more and seeing the vet, or shall I let him rest peacefully in his own home (ensuring that I am correct and that the end is near). I don't want to sound pessimistic and if there is anything I can to do help him I will do it without a pause, but I do not want to make things any worse for him.

Thankyou so much for you time, it means a lot that you are able to help.

Becky

ANSWER: I would take him to the vet. Honestly, I dont think he will rest very easily and if need be, he should be put to sleep if he gets worse. This sounds bad, as you already know, and its probably nasty case of pneumonia in both lungs. I fear that if he isnt going to improve his death will be horrible for him to endure, as he could suffocate which I am sure you dont want that to happen.  I am not saying to put him down at all, but I am saying he should be given a chance to imporve but if he doesnt and only gets worse, I would not allow him to die struggling to breathe etc... Its so hard, I wish I could help more, Becky. I feel really sad for you and your rat. I love trying to help rats and their owners but sometimes especially in cases like this, its so sad and even depressing that I cant really do as much as I would like to do for people.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank your for your reply. I thought I should let you know that I had him put down on Friday night because he had gotten much worse and I couldn't bear to see him in so much pain. It has been a great relief reading your reply though and to know that what I decided was the right thing. I am glad now that he is not in pain anymore and that he didn't have to die in a horrible way.

Since his death I have disinfected and cleaned the whole cage and opened it up to my second rat (unfortunately I had to separate them both at about 1 year old due to constant fighting). Is there any precautions or steps I can take to prevent my other rat (Rhino) from catching pneumonia too? He has shown no signs of it so far but I am really worried that he will go the same way too.

Thankyou.

Answer
I am so sorry to hear this, but you did the right thing by letting him go before he really started to suffer. Some rats will go into a terrible panic before they die, trying to breathe etc...and its just so horrible to see and sadly, as a rat owner, that is the last thing the rat owner can think of and cant get that image out of their head for months, sometimes longer.

As for your other rat ( I had to also separate my males at times if they were not properly bred and were aggressive with each other, which usually occurs during puberty, around 6 to 9 months of age up to a year) this is when they really mean it when they fight and so I try to buy my boys from good reputable breeders now.  That said, although certain strains of pneumonia are contagious, I dont think he had the type caused by the pneumococcus bacteria and this is the one that is most contagious and also deadly. Onset is sudden, though, and death is usually within 12 to 24 hrs and this wasnt the case with your boy, so I am pretty sure he had pneumonia from mycoplasmosis or possibly even congestive heart failure (this can mock pneumonia) not sure if the vet diagnosed him first or not.  I think he should be just fine..