vet visit

Question
I wrote to you on Thursday and you responded yesterday. If you don't remember, I took my rat in thinking he had an eye infection and was sent home with medication (Smz.Tmp.susp./cc) to treat mycroplasmosis and Gentak to treat his eye. Thank you for responding so quickly. After doing more research from your websight I looked on "bloody nose and mouth" and that is exactly what my rats eye looked like. It is all but completely cleared up now, and I think that he got porphyrin from me feeding him a piece of orange the week before. I did not know that oranges were bad for male rats, and its the only thing that I can think of that would have caused any type of stress. Anyway, this is his first bout with porphyrin and he nor his brother are  showing any other signs of mycoplasmosis. Should I discontinue medication until I can afford to seek another opinion, or continue until I seek another opinion. Are these drugs ruining their immune system?  Can you suggest a rat vet for Salt Lake City, Utah 84105? I have three friends that own rats and it would be nice to have a vet that won't just jump to conclusions. Thank you again, you are wonderful for caring about these cool animals.

Answer

Hi Netty

I would keep him on the meds because something caused the porphyrin discharge, and I dont think it was from eating an orange.  Rats LOVE oranges so he enjoyed it I am sure.  Its the juice of the orange that can cause kidney cancer in male rats, but its best to avoid oranges altogether when dealing with rats. I dont think it will cause problems just by giving it to him once or twice so dont worry too much.
Are both rats taking the medication?  How long have they been taking it? To be honest, its best to continue taking this medication because if you stop now and they do have even a slight infection, it can cause it to flare up again and be even worse. I would refrain from giving the other rat any if he did not have any porphyrin discharge, though, but if they both did, I would continue with the meds.  It wont hurt their immune system.

As for vets, its tough to find a really good vet for rats. People have to know what to look for.  Many vets that are general vets will say they see exotic pets including rats and they really only know a few things about rats, usually basic stuff.  A good vet will have everything they need for rats and not have to substitute using things meant for dogs and cats.  They should have small cages to keep the rat overnight if needed for illness or after surgery, they should have the right medications always available for them or at least be aware that much of it can be phoned right in to the pharmacy to be filled since most of the medication is human grade anyhow. A vet needs to understand about mycoplasmosis and how to treat it and most are clueless unless they have gone the extra mile and became a board certified exotic vet meaning they continued their education another two years to learn about these critters and had to pass a grueling state board exam first. They must keep current with newest treatments by going to workshops and conferences yearly etc...etc...  I always advise all rat owners to educate themselves by reading my site and this way you are also loaded with valuable information that you can pass along to the vet if they are starting to get off track. Example....some vets are hell bent on keeping the rat on the same medication for weeks even if the rat isnt improving.  Rats metabolic rate is very fast so they should respond in a positive way after just 3 days.  If not, its time for a new medication.    Some vets see me as an enemy saying that I have no business passing along any information like this but it is to benefit the rat and help the rat owner and they must remember, I have a focus solely on rats and rat health and behavior, they do not. They focus on numerous species and do not have the time to even dig as deep as a rat care specialist has gone, so there is alot of things we know that general vets do NOT know, and even some exotic vets as well. I have also made many friends with vets that call on me for advice on the side. This to me proves the vet is not arrogant and open to all avenues to exhaust when dealing with a stubborn illness.

That said, here is what I have as far as vets for rats in your area:

Dr. Laurel Harris
Wasatch Exotic Pet Care Inc.
2675 Parley's Way
Salt Lake City UT 84109
Phone:    801-485-4736