Rat Passing Out?

Question
QUESTION: Hi Sandra,

I contacted you last week about my rat Isabelle, who had a bladder infection.  
Her infection is clearing up nicely, but she did something really weird and
scary this evening during her run-around time:  one second, she was
hopping across the floor, the next, she was lying down on her side like she
was dead!  I picked her up and she appeared to be unconscious.  I set her on
my lap and she came to a little bit, but her eyes were half closed and her
breathing was pretty ragged.  I immediately phoned every small animal vet in
the area (a grand total of 3) and none of them had any idea what could be
causing her to do this and told me that she would probably be fine, but bring
her in in the morning.  

While I was on the phone to the last vet, she began to brux and boggle in my
lap and then started acting normally again.  She stumbled off my lap and went
to her food dish, where she proceeded to eat like nothing had ever happened.  
In the next 10 minutes, she alternately acted completely normally and then
like she was on the brink of death, with eyes at half-mast and that same
shallow but rapid breathing.  She sometimes appears as though she doesn't
have full control of her hind legs.

She doesn't appear to be cyanotic or experiencing pain (though I know rats
are good at fooling us), but she just looks really, really dizzy and disoriented.  
I can sometimes bring her out of her "lapses" by tickling her chin and calling
her name.  She looks startled, like I just woke her up.

What on earth could make a rat do this?  

Does it have anything to do with her recent bladder infection?  

If I need to take her in to the vet tonight, what, specifically, should I tell the
vet to make sure she gets the best care possible?  Like I said in my first
message to you, the vets in my area mean very well, but they really do not
know much about rats and are quite appreciative of some guidance in that
department.  I need to know what I should say to them if I do need to take
her in tonight.

Here are her specifics again so you don't have to look up my old emails:

Female
13 months old
History of mycoplasma flare ups (none recently)
Recent bladder infection, taking Clavamox
Will eat and drink, but appears lethargic and "woozy," if not downright
unconscious at times.

If she gets worse, I will take her to the vet immediately, but it would be very
helpful to have some idea of what my vet should look for.

Thank you for your help.  I cannot truly express how grateful I am to have
you as a resource in these situations!

Thank you!

-Allie

 




ANSWER: Allie,

She is having what appears to be seizures. You need a vet that truly knows what he or she is doing.

I dont know if I offered before but I am really almost pleading with you now to allow me to help try to find a vet that knows about rats in your area.  She may need put on an anti seizure medication and a general vet more than likely will not feel comfortable doing this unless they are really truly willing to listen to outside advice.

When rats have seizures its not like a typical human would have. Sometimes they freeze in place and just have a blank stare and become weak afterward for a bit.  Other times they may stand on their hind legs and wave their forelimbs, almost like they were a bird trying to fly, proceed to fall to their side and again, afterward, may be woozy or a bit disoriented. It just depends on the individual rat, but they all display the same pattern which is falling over to the side and being disoriented or woozy afterward.  It may happen once a month, twice a day or never again, in which I hope it is never again.

So now your saying.....but WHY is my rat having what you think may be a seizure?

Seizures are caused by various reasons. It may be genetic, it may be from from a stroke, it may be from a brain tumor or from head trauma, it can be from infection such as meningitis or encephalitis, it can be from a change in blood sugar such as with diabetes, it can even be from ingesting poison and yes, certain medications may bring it on too, but I doubt it is related to the meds she was on for her UTI and also do not really see a link with the UTI and this episode either.

Do you notice if she is drinking more than normal?  Has her diet changed or have you given her anything new lately, perhaps an increase in treats or something that you may have given her during her active phase from her infection, such as cranberry juice, etc?

You may need to keep her safe until we know if this is going to be an ongoing thing with her.  If you can move her to a single story cage and remove anything she can climb on in case she should do this again unsupervised, she may fall from a shelf or a tall toy and get hurt.

let me know what you can come up with and also if you want names of exotic vets in your area, no obligation of course.....



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

QUESTION: Hi Sandra,

Thank you for responding, and at this late hour! I blocked off the bottom
floors in her cage and took out their top shelf so that she can't fall.  She is
looking a lot better as of now, but I think I will stay up with her just in case.  

She has been drinking a lot, but she usually drinks quite a bit.  Her diet hasn't
changed other than the addition of the Clavamox.  I don't think she could
have gotten into anything toxic.  I live in a 2-bedroom apartment with my
boyfriend and we have one room reserved especially for our rats (they are
super spoiled).  We don't wear shoes in their room and we keep it swept out
really well. I will go ahead and search the room anyway though, just in case.

One thing that may be pertinent: Isabelle is much thinner than the other rats.  
She always has been, so I didn't think much of it, but it might be of use for
you to know.  We are also owned by Isabelle's sister, Dora.  Dora is much
bulkier than Isabelle, but we always just chalked that up to her marathon
wheel sessions and healthy appetite :)

If she is having seizures, what are the dangers?  Aside from making sure she
cannot fall, what can I do to make sure she is as safe as possible?  How can a
vet tell if a rat is having seizures?  

Should I start her on Doxy/baytril as a prophylactic against meningitis or
encephalitis?  

I truly would love if you would recommend an exotic specialist in my area!  I
live in Missoula, MT.  The best vet I have been able to find is Shoni L. Card at
Pruyn Veterinary.  She is very gentle and does know quite a bit about rats
compared to other vets I've spoken with, so she is our usual vet.   She doesn't
work nights very often though, so the last two emergencies we've had have
been dealt with by other vets who were not exotic vets.  It would be
wonderful to have the phone number of a second vet in these cases, maybe
even an emergency clinic that cares for exotics.  

Once again, thank you!

-Allie (and Isabelle, Dora, Sasha, Sofia, Sadie, and Penny!)

Answer
Dr. Mark Klietz
Eastgate Veterinary Clinic    
1001 E. Broadway Suite 7
Missoula MT 59802
Phone:    406-728-0095



This vet is a member of the Association of exotic mammal Vets. I am pretty sure he is NOT a board certified exotic vet and instead, lists exotics as his "special interest"  and being a member of the AEMV means he should go to seminars and work shops on exotics etc...
To be honest, the vet your seeing knows about as much as this vet is (I did some checking) so I would stick to where your at if your happy there.


A vet cannot tell if your rat is having seizures unless A, he is aware of the fact rats can have seizures and knows the signs so when you describe what your rat does he should recognize the behavior as seizures and B, unless he has training in using valium or anti seizure medication.  Phenobarbital or valium can be used to control seizures and often it is trial and error to see how it works on your rat.
Testing can be blood work so the vet can check the blood glucose levels and also look for any metabolic imbalance etc...Blood sugar levels

Serum draw for electrolytes, blood glucose, and BUN (blood urea nitrogen) to check for metabolic disturbances or imbalance.

Urine screen: may determine toxic levels of ingested substances.

Blood draw for electrolytes (to determine imbalance), blood sugar, BUN and creatinine may be done if believed to be helpful.

I would check for diabetes also.

As for a board certified exotic vet, I am thinking that your a few hours away. I wont give up yet though..I am going to make some calls this afternoon to see if I can find someone even an hour or so from you. It would be worth the drive!