help!

Question
QUESTION: my 1 year old rat has began breathing very strange and looking like she is finding it hard to carry on.
the other rat she lives with was taken away in a separate cage for 2 weeks as she had an operation and iwas wondering if stress that her friend had gone for so long has caused this weird breathing?
have you got any suggestions? please message back asap!
thank you
riah

ANSWER: Why does the rat need to be kept away for 2 weeks?  This causes unneeded stress and unless she is kept away from the other rat because he was a male that was neutered and it takes a few weeks for the sperm production to subside, there is no reason to keep them apart.  Rats rarely go after another rats surgical site. This is a myth.
Its fact that stress hinders the immune system and the rat can fall ill from it and it will impair healing ,so this is a bad idea at all angles.

It does sound like your rat is sick with a serious respiratory infection, probably due to stress causing her to become sick. She needs 30 days on baytril and something to open her airways up to help her breathe easier.   

If you need names of a better vet, please let me know.

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

QUESTION: hiya
the other rat had a tumour removed and the vet told us to keep her away for 7-10 days incase the other rats chewed her wound.
shall i take her to the vet today then?
thank you so much

ANSWER: Yes take her to the vet, and when you get home, let the poor rats together.  I promise you, the other rat wont chew her wound.
I have had rats have tumor surgery, neuters, spays, one of my boys had to have his eye removed and I brought his brother to the Vets to keep him company since he had to spend a few nights there.  None of my rats ever touched the other rats healing wounds and when I worked at the clinics, it was the same thing with those rats.  This is more common in dogs, but not rats.  

Anyhow, the other rat should see the vet for sure and be treated. It sounds like mycoplasmosis that is causing a respiratory infection and the only medication that will work is something like baytril that fights the myco bacteria since it lacks a cell wall.  Few drugs fight this type of organism so its important she is given the right medication.  You can read more about myco here on my website, Critter city.

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/mycoplasmosispage.htm


Please keep me posted.

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

QUESTION: hiya
the vet says her lungs are far too damaged for her to be totally cured. however we have been given baytril (as you suggested) and meloxicam. she is still drinking and eating so i really hope this medicine improves her state eventhough it cant cure it.
thank you for being so helpful.
is this medication likely to work?
riah

Answer
Usually when myco is not treated with total furiousity, it becomes chronic.  With each attack, it causes scarring or blistering of the lungs etc...   Myco is to the rats lungs much like tuberculosis is to human lungs.  The only good thing is that if you treat it properly, you can possibly avoid serious damage to the lungs.  Treatment consists of of course the proper medications for the proper duration which is 30 days. If the rat gets it again, they should be put on medication the rest of their lives to try to keep it from returning. Each relapse causes further damage.

With your rat, she should also be given steroids rather than meloxicam just for a short period of time. Also, albuterol is very good to open airways.  I suggest using a nebulizer for these medications as well since it goes right to their lungs when inhaled.