Rat has discharge on eye

Question
QUESTION: My rat who is about 5 months old is having a reddish discharge on one of his eyes.I wiped it away with a damp cloth last night and it retured a little bit the following morning. I was wondering If there is a vet near Fullerton, CA that can help me get some meds for him. I am really worried and this is my first pet rats soo im soo sad and worried that I am doing somthing wrong...
Kristen Hicks

ANSWER:  
Please check my site out and see the photos of this red discharge, let me know if this is what your rat is having:


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


Your little rat is having what is called "porphyrin discharge". This is produced by a large gland behind the rats eye known as the harderian gland. When the rat is stressed, they harderian gland, whos job is normally to produce porphyrin to lubricate the rats nictating membrane, or third eyelid) starts to produce excessive amounts of this discharge and it often sends new rat owners to us, very worried that they have bloody discharge from the eyes or nose.  Although a sign of stress from illness in some cases, it can also be seen in normal amounts in little splatters around the cage seen as little red dots which comes from the rat sneezing.  It also is found in the eyes when the rat first wakes up.  Some rats produce it all the time even though they are not sick or stressed, and others never have it, not even when they are seriously ill.  If your little one is not sick this may be something that is normal for him, esp when he first wakes up.  However, a check up would not hurt just to be sure and boy oh boy do I have the BEST PLACE for you and your rat to go to.  I hope its not to far.  I drive out 45 miles to my vets and this place, as per map quest, is 24 miles from your town, well worth the trip! Dr.Tia Greenberg is a certified avian/exotic vet and they have everything they need there to treat small mammals.  I would bring him in to have a check up and let her know he is having porphyrin discharge.



Dr. Tia Greenberg
Westminster Veterinary Group    
6621 Westminster Blvd.
Westminster CA 92683
Phone:    714-899-1100
Website: www.westminsterveterinarygroup.com


As for worrying your doing something wrong, writing to me is proof you are interested in doing the right thing.  A few things about rats you need to always know:  They have a fast metabolic rate, therefore they can take almost any medication humans take and you would be surprised how much of a dose they can take safely since they burn through it fast. Unfortunately with a fast metabolic rate means a shorter life span, esp when disease/illness sets in, as this can accelerate at a fast pace and soon as your rat shows the first signs of illness, they can end up very sick in a short time span, so knowing the signs of their most common ailments is a must when you own a rat so you know when its time to hike him in to the vet pronto.

Also, proper diet is of major importance in playing a key role in the rats life.  A good diet that is low in proteins and fats will keep your rat healthy and living as long as possible.  male rats do not need neutered to live long, but females should always be spayed around 3  to 5 months old in order to avoid the growth of mammary tumors that start after they stop ovulating. If you have a female and do not spay her, chances she will have problems with mammary tumors later in life and chances she will come down with a nasty uterine infection, polyps or even tumors in the female reproductive organ are at least 80% probable if they remain intact.  I wont own females unless spayed and of course spaying is an invasive surgery so only a very good vet should do it, which you will have in Dr. Greenberg.

Please be sure your rat is not on pine, cedar or corn cob bedding and has a nice roomy cage and a good diet that is NOT the nasty seed mixes sold at local pet stores.  You must also learn about their most common enemy of all, which is a disease caused by the mycoplasma organism that all rats are born carrying.  I have all you need on my Critter City website to keep you busy for hours learning the most important things there is to know about pet rats.  My rats live to be anywhere between 3 and 4 years old, some dont, but many do, and I believe it is because of their proper diet, husbandry and of course outstanding medical care they receive from my awesome exotic vet.

Please read my website, starting with the page on MYCOPLASMOSIS and let me know what you think of my site and if you found it helpful.

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




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

QUESTION: Thanks so much for the help. I was using a aspen bedding for them and they were really sneezing a lot so I checked the bottom of the bag today and to my surprise SOOO MUCCHH DUSTT!!!! I also didn't know this, but my mom was washing the rat hammocks in regular scented detergent. So today I went out and bought some Yesterdays News bedding and washed their hammocks in warm water just to get the soap out.Was going to wait and see if Todd doesn't get better in a few days from this. How much does it cost for the meds and can I just buy some online? What does it cost for a check up too? Just wondering because my mom would be paying for the cost of everything. so I guess what I'm asking is how much would it be for the visit and for the medicine? Thanks Again:) Kristen Hicks
PS~ The picture that u showed me is what my rats eye looks like

Answer
 Hi

I find the bottom of the bag of litter is dusty no matter what you use. I love aspen myself but dont usually use the last bits of it as it is too dusty.   I find it so much easier to litter box train them. This way you only use a little bit of litter which means less of a mess and less odor.  

As for the vet visit: Each vet is different. Some vets charge more for the first initial visit and others are the same each time. You should expect to pay Anywhere from $29 to $50 for the visit. IF they do not need to be put in the hospital and put on oxygen etc.... and are just given medication etc...the meds will run anywhere around $25 or less.