Mycoplasmosis and Tumours

Question
I have three 2-year-old female rats with mycoplasmosis. They are currently on a course of Baytril, after a one -week course they still had symptoms so now on second week of treatment - do they need to be treated for 30 days for treatment to be most effective? Is their a drug that is safe to give that can boost a rat's immune system? Or anything else I could be giving to help control the mycoplamosis. Also, one of my girls has two tumours, one under her armpit (about the size of a pea) and the other by her groin (about the size of a small marble) the vet said I should wait six weeks before operating - is this too long and is it wise to operate with the mycoplasmosis? Many thanks!

Answer
 I answered this question last night, but apparently it didn't go through as it is still here today, so sorry if you get two copies =)

 When rats get older, their immune systems often cannot keep up with the myco and its related secondary infections.  If the Baytril hasn't improved them at all in one week then it isn't enough.  You and your vet will have to talk about adding a second drug (usually doxycycline), upping the dosage, or switching to a different medication altogether.  You may have to try several different combinations until you find something that works, or it may just be that they are too old and too immune-compromised for anything to be strong enough to take care of their infections.

 Having an operation done with an active respiratory infection can make the operation more risky which is why I'm guessing your vet told you to wait.  Breathing needs to be constantly regulated during surgery and having mucus in the lungs from an infection can make it more difficult for her to breathe while she is under anesthesia.  The weakened immune system can also increase the chance of infection at the incision site.  It's best to follow your vet's directions and wait at least to see if any medications can improve your rat's condition.  The lumps won't get much bigger in 6 weeks, and it would be safer to do the operation when she is more healthy.  If nothing is working to get rid of the myco, you may have to just do it anyway if the lumps get too large or are growing too quickly.  It depends on exactly where they are located and how easily they can be removed.

 As for what else you can do, there really isn't too much I'm afraid.  Keeping the cage clean, draft-free, and using dustless bedding will help remove some of the strain on their lungs, but nothing you can do besides give them antibiotics is going to actually reduce the bacteria in their bodies.  Hopefully you and your vet will be able to find a good combination and they will get better, but a lot of times with older rats it can be chronic due to age and complications from past respiratory infections if they have ever had one in the past.  Well I hope they get better soon, good luck with your rats!