head tilt and rolling

Question
QUESTION: Hi,

My rat Aramis (1 year old) was put on antibiotics about 2 weeks ago for sneezing and having porphyrin on his nose.  we took him to the vet and he was breathing well and listening to his lungs with the stethoscope sounded all right.
About 1 week after starting the antibiotics (doxy and Baytril)we noticed that he was rolling and also his head was tilted.  he did not have those symptoms the week before.  We went back to the vet and she added metacam for 10 days.  3 days after starting metacam Aramis is still rolling and disoriented.  I know about steroids and we sent a message to our vet about the possibility of treating him with that.
We're wondering if the antibiotics combination are acting correctly in his case.
Is it normal for the metacam to take that long to take effect?
My question is would you recommend to stick with what we are doing or if we should switch to another plan like trying Zithromax of something else?

Thank you so much,

Dany

ANSWER: What is the weight of the rat and the dose of the medication?

He should respond pretty fast to the metacam.  I personally do not like metacam for inner ear infection if this is what we are dealing with.

Can he use his front paws to grasp and hold food?

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

QUESTION: Ok

He weights approx 500grams.
He's on doxy and zythromax on the right dosage I think .1ml twice a day.
he is still on metacam .1ml once a day for ten days
Last Thursday we asked that he'd be given steroids
Already on Friday he was a lot better.
Before he would fall and could barely use his front paws but since friday he seems quite normal despite having a bit less energy.
The vet only gave 1 steroids dose orally and suggested that we continue with the metacam afterward.
I know that you can't give steroids over long period but is 1 time ok usually?
As I mentioned he's a lot better but he still has a bit of head tilt which is normal I think.
I read it can take a long time to get back to normal and sometimes it won't.
should we ask for more steroids or will the metacam pick up after the steroid dose?

Thanks,

Dany

Answer
Metacam can be very dangerous for rats, esp long term use. It is actually MORE dangerous for rats than a few steroid injections.  LONG TERM steroids can cause some problems for rats over time, but short term is fine.  He really should be on steroids for at least 5 to 7 days. As for the head tilt, if he is on steroids he should continue to improve.  It does take long esp if they are not on steroids and just given metacam.