strange event & vaginal bleeding in pet rat

Question
QUESTION: Dear Sandra,
Something strange is going on with my pet rat.  I hope you can help. I was giving my pet rat, Pretty, a treat in her cage last night.  She took the treat, ran to her house to hide it, and then I shook the treat jar again because she will usually come back for a second one.  When she got the first treat and she was perfectly normally, but when she emerged from her house seconds later, she was acting strange.  She seemed to be kind of off balance and she jumped awkardly onto the side of the cage, and then onto her hammock and just laid there funny, instead of coming for a treat like she usually does.  I immediately knew something was wrong because I know Pretty very well.  I quickly picked her up and was holding her, trying to assess the situation.  She looked completely healthy - shiny fur, bright eyes, clear nose and eyes, etc.  However, she seemed very lethargic and a little off balance or weak or something.  I continued to hold and pet her and observe her behavior, racking my brain about what had just happened.  I was wondering if she had a stroke or a heart attack or something..??  Anyway, as I continued to hold her her breathing seemed to become labored because I could see her sides move in and out.  She was just laying in my lap very un-rat like, not moving much, eyes closing - it reminded me of my pet Shiloh's last hours.  I thought for sure she had suffered a stroke or something and was at death's door.  I then picked her up and looked all over her and noticed she had a tiny spot of blood coming out of her vagina.  She was kind of acting like she didn't want me holding her, (scurrying around and not getting comfortable, hiding her head in the blanket), so I put her back in her cage and observed for about an hour.  She seemed to come around a bit and even took a treat from me and started to nibble.  She seemed more alert and was breathing easier.  It was midnight by now, and I didn't know what to think or do.  I said a prayer for her, gave her some love, and went to bed, intending to check on her early in the morning.  I got up at 6:30am to check on her, and she was COMPLETELY NORMAL.  She was active, happy, hungry...totally normal.   This evening when I got home she was still completely fine, running all over the cage, playing, etc.  I was holding her as I was watching TV and noticed some vaginal bleeding again.  The blood is dark red.  There are also some blood spots in her cage and on her tail.  There is no odor and she doesn't seem to be in discomfort as she acts completely normal.  I'm not sure what to make of what happened last night and now this vaginal bleeding.  Please share your opinion and advice.  Also, please share a list of recommended exotic vets in Southern Indiana.  

Thanks!
Christy

ANSWER:
How old is your rat, Pretty?

Her actions you described sound like she may have had some pain issues going on. The bleeding of course is more of a concern and needs addressed right away. How much blood is there if you had to guess? A teaspoon full or less?  

Since rats do not bleed during heat, there are a few reasons why rats bleed vaginally.  One is infection of the uterus, which usually can be cleared up easily with antibiotics.  Some vets will want to spay the rat if they have a serious infection such as pyometra, but I dont think its that bad or you would notice a terrible odor and discharge along with the blood.  I should not say that since I am one person that hates to diagnose by text book since so many symptoms can vary from rat to rat, but I do want to at least let you know the reasons why she could be bleeding.  This of course is only an educated guess since I have not seen her personally to examine and assess her condition.  

Another reason for vaginal bleeding could possibly be from a tumor, which I am just hoping it would be something like a mild infection.  If it were a tumor, depending on location etc....it could be removed and a complete Ovariohysterectomy  would be warranted (complete spay)

As for vets please let me know a bit more about your location such as your city or zip code etc... or the area you would like me to search to start with.

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

QUESTION: Sandra,
Thanks for your quick response.  Pretty is 14 months old.  She's been completely healthy up until this point.  It's hard to say how much blood there has been because it's been sporadic.  It's just a few drops here and there.  I've only seen a few drops in the cage, and then a couple of times when I've held her, I've ended up with spots on my shirt and/or my hand.  I haven't seen any bleeding today yet and she's still acting completely normal -playful, energetic, etc.  However I think I might take her to the vet tomorrow anyway, based on what you have said. What do you think? I'm still figuring out how that strange episode could have led to the first episode of bleeding.  It seems like they HAD to be connected.  

I have a vet that I currently use for all my animals, including the rats, but I was just curious as to my other options for a vet for Pretty.  My zip code is 47106.  We are in southern Indiana, about 30 minutes from Louisville, Kentucky.

Thanks for your help.

Christy

ANSWER:

This is the ONLY exotic clinic anywhere near you and although Dr. Williams has a strong interest in exotics, she does not have her certification in exotics.  That doesn't seem to matter though because they have exactly what they need for rats and exotics to give them the proper care. They have oxygen set up for small mammals and I do believe they are there 7 days a week, maybe even 24 hrs. a day which is really nice.  If you need a vet, this would be perfect to check out.  The only clinic in Indiana is the Avian and Exotic animal center, listed below, in Indianapolis.  Dr. Lennox is the only board certified avian/exotic vet in the state and are for exotic only, no dogs and cats allowed, which I like. I use two vets, one for my rats and one for my dogs and cats.


Dr. Pam Williams
Jefferson Animal Hospital East    
5400 Del Maria Way
Louisville KY 40291
Phone:    502-499-6535

***********

Dr. Angela Lennox
Avian & Exotic Animal Clinic    
9330 Waldemar Road
Indianapolis IN 46288
Phone:    3178798633
Website: www.BirdDr.com

Please let me know how things are, ok?

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

QUESTION: Sandra,
Pretty had been perfectly fine all week, and then today I noticed some more bleeding, so I took her to the vet immediately.  Our vet is recommending trying her on an antibiotic for 2 weeks due to possible vaginosis. She said the blood is dark and looks cellular, like it's sloughing off from the uterus. She said if the problem continues or gets worse after that, we may have to spay her, which has it's own risk of complications.  She said she has seen a couple of rats lately with this same problem.  I just wanted to give you an update.  Any experience with this or advice would be great!

BTW - we currently use Hillside Animal Clinic in Floyds Knobs, IN.  Two of the vets there, Dr. Tara Garvey & Dr. Carrie Darnaby specialize in small animals.

Answer
The place your using does not have exotic vets. One vet there, Dr. Darnaby, has a special interest in exotics, but is not a specialist. A small animal specialist is simply a vet that specializes in dogs/cats and not equine and farm animals. Small mammal/exotic vets are those that specialize in exotics.  The only vet that holds this specialty is Dr. Angela Lennox of the Avian and Exotic animal clinic in Indianapolis, listed above. I dont want to say the vets you use are not good with rats, but they are not board certified specialists in small mammal medicine and exotics. They are simply DVMs that see exotics as well as dogs and cats, no grueling state boards were taken, not extra two years of schooling done nor did they go through an internship working with exotics so they dont legally have the right to call themselves exotics or small mammal specialists.  Its kind of illegal actually.

However, I do agree with the use of meds before spaying, but if she bleeds like that for two weeks and has a tumor that is causing problems or a nasty infection that isnt responding to meds, two weeks is two weeks too long.  Antibiotics take 3 days to start to work and you should see positive results within that time frame. I would give it no more than a week and if she is still bleeding, spaying would be the best thing to do.  I would only spay my rat at a clinic that was properly equipped to deal with small mammals, which means having all the proper small scaled instruments meant only for exotics and not for dogs and cats. The facility should be able to care for her over night also in for observation since spaying is invasive and a small mammal should be kept warm for 12 hrs after surgery due to loss of body temp while under anesthesia.  Keeping them over night also means she can be given strong pain medications where she can rest comfortably rather than try to move around and pick her stitches,which should be internal anyhow so she wont have anything to pull or pick at.  Check out my website for safe and proper surgery for rats and go over it with your vet before surgery so you can be sure she is given the best chance of success.

Here is the URL to my page on my website. The page is called
Surgery safety risks and my website, Critter city

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