Tumor/Polyp in ear

Question
Alvin is almost 2.  He had been scratching at his ear and making it a bloody mess so we took him to the vet on Tuesday afternoon.  There is a growth protruding from the ear canal.  We are presently waiting for biopsy results.  The vet said it would either be a tumor or a polyp.  He gave us batril and an ear ointment.  He had his 4th dose of both this morning.  Since the vet visit, he has become lethargic and dizzy when he tries to move.  He can no longer lift his head to reach his water bottle so we provide water with a dropper and have been feeding him soupy oatmeal which he perks up to lick off a spoon.  Other than that, he spends most of his time laying still, either in his cage or on my lap.  He will move, but its more of a slither with an occasional roll.  One of his eyes is bulging and is dry and non responsive.  I've tried to keep lubricating drops on it that I was given for my elderly dog because it looks so uncomfortable.  The other eye is slightly bulging but still blinks and shows life.  This morning he responded to our voices by shaking his whiskers and doing everything he could to come to the other side of the cage when we were talking to him.   He was moving around his cage last night a bit.  I found him at his food dish one time and his water bottle another, but he's not strong or coordinated enough to eat or drink on his own, only if we put it to his mouth.   

Would this behavior be typical for an ear infection or is this sounding more serious?  He's so different from the active playful rat that he was just a week ago...it breaks our hearts.

Is there any chance for recovery? He seems so fargone.

Answer
Sounds like he has possibly Auricular polyps, which can often be removed by a qualified and skilled Vet. I am not sure how far your Vet goes with rat care but will ask to be sure. Is your vet qualified to treat rats when it comes to more complicated ailments? Is he or she an avian/exotic Vet or just a general vet that treats exotics but has limited capabilities?

If you need another vet, please let me know and I will give you names of Vets that can possibly provide more advanced care for your rat.  Some vets will even send the client to another vet knowing they can only do so much.  

One thing, is the rat on pain medication?  If not, there is no reason he should be allowed to be uncomfortable and should be on pain medication.

Two narcotic pain medication that is used most for rats is Buprenex   or Torbugesic.
  
Also,a course of  prednisone, or  dexamethasone should be used for inflammation and in case of infection, antibiotics are warranted.    

  
You need to keep him hydrated.  Use baby foods, stage 1 since they have more liquid in it, allowing him to lick from a spoon or flat dish or even your finger!

You can use foods that are higher in iron and also high calorie foods such as Ensure or Boost which are found at local drug stores are a good way to provide nutrition and also, soy milk or soy baby formula is also good.

I do think that he needs to have more treatment first before concluding that he is too far gone to be helped.  There is still many more things that can be done for him that have not been addressed, namely exploring these polyps and removing them.