WE NEED AN EXOTIC PET SPECIALIST!!!

Question
QUESTION:  
HI THERE SANDY, HOPE ALL IS WELL WITH YOU AND YOURS. I ASKED YOU FOR HELP A FEW MONTHS BACK ABOUT MY BOY FLEX. HE IS WHITE AND BLUE (GRAY) AND HE IS A DUMBO REX. A BIG CUTIE! SOOOOOOOOOOOO SWEET! I DON'T EXPECT YOU TO REMEMBER ME WITH THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE YOU HELP BUT FLEX IS STILL AROUND AND STILL IN THE SAME SICK CONDITION BECAUSE THE VET'S BEST HELP WAS FINALLY A WEEKLY SHOT FOR 4 WEEKS THAT DID STOP THE WHEEZING NOISE BUT THAT'S IT! NOW I NOTICED MY BABY BOY IS URINATING OFTEN AND REFUSES TO DRINK ANY WATER THIS IS IN ADDITION TO HAVING RESPIRATORY ILLNESS OF SOME KIND, BACK LEG PARALYSES (OLD AGE), AND ORANGE STICKY DOTS ON SKIN THAT THE PARASITE/MITE TEST AT Dr. DUMB Vet's OFFICE CAME UP NEGATIVE. ANYWAY, BOTTOM LINE IS IT'S TIME FOR SOME REAL HELP. HE IS MY LAST RAT LEFT FROM AT ONE TIME 15 AND I JUST LOVE HIM SO. I FINALLY GOT PET INSURANCE SO THAT PRICE IS NO ISSUE AS LONG AS I CAN FINALLY GET SOME EDUCATED/EXPERIENCED ASSISTANCE FOR MY BELOVED PET RAT! I CAN USE THE INSURANCE ON THE 27TH OF THIS MONTH SO I WAS HOPING YOU COULD ADVICE ME OF A FEW GOOD SPECIALISTS/VETS THAT ARE AS CLOSE TO ZIP CODE 95210 IN STOCKTON, CA AS POSSIBLE...DON'T WORRY, I KNOW THERE ARE NONE FROM MODESTO TO ELK GROVE SO IF I MUST DRIVE TO SACRAMENTO I WILL. WILL YOU GIVE ME A COUPLE NAMES? IS THERE A GOOD ONE IN FREMONT, CA? I THOUGHT I SAW ONE SPECIALIZING IN EXOTIC PET CARE THERE ONLINE BUT AGAIN, MANY SAY THE KNOW BUT REALLY JUST WANT THE MONEY SO THEY TELL YOU WHATEVER WILL BRING YOU IN. PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY THE 25TH IF POSSIBLE. THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP! FLEX SAYS THANKS TOO AND I SENT YOU PICTURES OF HIM MONTHS BACK AND YOU WANTED TO PUT THEM ON YOUR WEBSITE BECAUSE HE REALLY IS SUCH A SWEETY FACE! TAKE CARE. THANKS AGAIN!

ANSWER: Dr. Michelle Hawkins
Companion Avian and Exotic Pet Service Exotic  
2108 Tupper Hall University of CA Davis
Davis CA 95616
Phone:     
530-752-8629     

How far is this from you?    



The orange sticky dots?  Dr.Dumb vet is REAAAALY dumb, isnt he?  LOL  Those dots are a waxy buildup called "buck grease" and it is found on rats, mainly fatter elderly males, that cannot groom themselves well any longer. Its excess oil that builds up from the sebaceous glands. If it gets too thick, it can cause infection since the skin cannot breathe with orange waxy much plugging the pores.  It is NOT mites. Mr.Dumb vet likes to waste money doesnt he? Well not waste it...its your loss, his gain!!!!   I hate to start my rant on vets so I will bite tongue hard now.... ::chomp::   LOL!!

Oh, what was the name of the injection the vet gave him weekly?  I am curious....there is only one antibiotic that could last a week at a time with weekly injections, but if it was baytril, i would be pi$$ed at the money you wasted and the danger he put your boy in  because he could have developed serious ulcerations at the injection site. Never let a vet inject baytril unless its diluted or huge ulcers can develop since it is so caustic, it coagulates under the skin and causes a severe burn to the epidermis, dermis and even going down so far it can damage the tissue since these can get very deep.

What was the name of the medication he has been given?  All of it since his first dose, if you can remember.

As for vets misleading  you into thinking they see exotics are are specialist:
There are several things rat owners must remember. When a vet says he or she is a small animal specialist, that doesn't imply that they are small MAMMAL specialists, which is what you need. Small animal specialist means simply that they see cats and dogs, not horses and cows!!
When there are a few vets at a clinic and one vet sees exotics, there is a 90% chance this Vet is NOT certified in avian/exotics, as there are only 130 worldwide.  So many people say proudly that their vet is in with a group of 10 other exotic vets and I crack up laughing because they are lucky if there is one certified avian/exotic vet in their entire state let alone TEN in one building.  LOL   What it is refereed to is called having a "special interest" in exotics.  This means that the vet has, at some point in his or her career, gone to seminars, lectures, workshops, even shadowed around an exotic clinic for a year learning the ropes about exotics but this in no way means they are exotic specialists.

Anyhow....let me know if the place above is too far.  I wish you were near Westminster, Ca. There is a clinic there that has a Vet that is just fantastic with rats. Not a certified exotic vet, but she SHOULD be.  I know many vets that are great with rats too even though they didn't put in a few extra years of schooling to earn their certification in exotics. Some of these vets can put a few exotic vets I know to shame, too, so don't get me wrong, there are many general vets that I would recommend to many people, but there are those that think they know it all and only know a few basic things. These are the vets that can be deadly to your rat.

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

QUESTION: Davis is at least an hour or more away but if that is the only and the closest recommendation then that will have to do. I know the risk of injection, but I was desperate at that point. First, it was baytril ($25) orally for 2 weeks...no luck, then Baytril ($40) with Doxycycline ($40) orally for 2 weeks...no luck. Then I asked to try the Lasix ($22) to see if it could be CHF because Flex showed some similar symptoms but again...no luck.
He said the injection was a combination of 3 medicines diluted Baytril, I think Dexamethazone (don't know the spelling), and don't know the 3rd (I could also be wrong about the 2nd, I'm only absolutely sure about the Baytril). It had the best (only) results and all it did was rid him of the loud chirp-ish sound in his breathing and made him about 5% more active. I paid for an X-ray for Flex in the beginning thinking that would enable the doctor to have at least A GOOD IDEA of what the problem was so he could better treat it...WRONG! I am prepared to run ANY AND ALL tests to help my boy (especially since I'll have Pet Insurance and be reimbursed about 80% of the bill now)! I am going to mapquest that vet now and see how far it is exactly. Thanks so much and please get back to me whenever you get a minute. I REALLY appreciate your feedback and expertise...I am a friend to any and all TRUE fellow rat lovers! lol :O)

Answer
The steroid is what helped your rats breathing but the baytril in the injection? Nothing but a waste of money.  Baytril lasts about 12 hrs in the blood stream, would it last for a week. The steroid, however, is long term  (about 7 to 10 days in the blood stream) However, the proper way to use steroids is orally or injection  and it lasts about a week.

Your boy needs to have an xray  to see what condition his lungs are in and if they are scarred.  Regardless, he needs antibiotics orally to to help inflammation and this will in turn help his breathing.   The steroids may need to be increased as the rat becomes tolerant to the medication.

Did you check to see how far the Vet is from you as per the driving directions? I am going to look more...there are many others in California but not sure of the location and if it is convenient for you or not.