Sickness?

Question
Toni is about 19 months old and has lived with us since she was born. She is a hooded rat and is caged with her Aunt, Raul. Recently Toni has begun to labor in her breathing, reduced her food intake, been extremely picky with foods, drink lots of water, and lose weight. Tonight she is shaky on her feet, and is laying down in her cage. Raul sits on top of her in love and comfort. I can't get her to the Vet until Thursday! What should I do?!  Is it too late?  :(  Everyone in the household is on pins and needles waiting for an answer.   Thanks for your advice.

Answer
 It really could be a lot of things going wrong; it's difficult to tell without a proper exam.  If this came on suddenly with no other respiratory problems it could be pneumonia or a tumor that is pressing on her lungs.  If you noticed any sneezing, wheezing, rattling in her lungs, chirping, or red discharge around her eyes and nose, it could be an advanced case of respiratory infection.  It could also be heart disease or organ failure caused by any number of problems.  You really aren't going to know for sure until you can get her to the vet, but it definitely is something serious.  She may not make it until Thursday, but it is very difficult to say.  Don't separate her, but take out any toys in the cage that may harm her if she is off-balance, and you may want to remove the levels if possible so she doesn't fall.  Try offering her baby food to see if you can get her to lick at it (often rats don't like to gnaw when they are ill, preferring to lick).  To keep her hydrated, see if she will drink some Gatorade.  There's not much you can do yourself at this point, just keep her comfortable, hydrated, and eating, and hope she will pull through until you can get her to the vet.

 I'm sorry to hear your rat isn't doing well, I certainly hope she gets better!  Good luck!