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Pnemonia?

21 17:46:50

Question
My rat (he is a hairless rat) Eddie I have had for about 3 1/2 yrs. My roomate owned him for a bit then gave him back to me. He has had eye issues in the past, was taken in and given some anti-biotics, vet said possible allergies, didn't seem to really know much about rats in general. Cleared up eventually. That was a year or so ago. Now I find him looking like a pile of skin and bones, barley able to stand, very lethargic, rapid breathing and looks like his hind quarters do not work well and very hot to the touch. I google his symptems and along with thinking our ac is brken, come to the conclusion that he is dehydrated. We then do all the home cures we find online, remove the stuffing from his cage, put a bowl of ice in, bathe him with a washcloth, feed him pedealite, fresh fruits, cover his cage with a wet towel, ect. The next day the appartment ac is working and little Eddie now feels cold to the touch, is even more lethargic and breathing is worse. I warm him up with a fuzzy blanket and my body heat and he perks up slightly. Return bedding to cage. He seems worse, more body weight loss and always cold. Would get up and walk 6 steps then collapse. Took him to ER Vet who does not deal with exsotics, said he has "significant pneumonia". Question, is it possible I gave him pnemonia by over treating him for thinking he was over heated and dehydrated? If so did this vet who has no rat knowladge mis-diagnose him? Vet ended up putting him on oxygen and giving him a steroid shot. Could not afforded estimated $800.00 vet bill so I choose to home treat him. Was given Baytril 22.7 mg and Doxycycline 100mg told these are anti-biotics. Have been giving them both to him twice a day. He hate one cause they made it smell like dog food, he likes the pink one cause it is sweeter. But this was on Saturday and I think the steroids have worn off, he is back to feeling cold and not using hind legs as much, seems weak. Still eating but very thin. I do not have the $ to take him somewhere else again, I am currently un-employed and a full time student. What do u recomend I do? THe vet said to put him down, but he is still eating and snugling with me, his breathing sounds better, I just do not want him to suffer if it is only prolonging his life a few days. He looks awful so skinny.

Answer
Hi

I am so sorry about your old boy.  He is indeed a senior citizen and having him this long is a good sign ESPECIALLY since he is hairless.

Hairless rats often only live to be 2 to 2.5 years old so you did a good job with him.  

I do believe your boy has congestive heart failure. The lungs filled with fluids would mock pneumonia, esp if the vet is not up to par with rats.

Signs of congestive heart failure are as follows:

1. Wheezing and OR coughing, labored breathing and  also fluid in the loungs or moist lung sounds are heard which is proably what the vet heard thinking it was pneumonia.

2. Lethargic or tires easily from simple tasks.

3.Hind leg weakness which is NOT associated with the more common
arthritic conditions seen in older rats that cause nerve root compression in the lumbar area. (discussed below)

4.Loss of appetite

5.Cool body and also cold feet, tail ears and possibly cyanosis signs which consist of blue to purple tinged feet and scrotum too. This is due to lack of oxygen. if you see this you know your rat is indeed in trouble and if you cannot treat him or if he fails to respond to treatment this is the time to euthanize. Also if the rat is anxious or restless, this is a sign of severe distress and if no treatment is given or treatment is failing, again, euthanasia is the kindest act of love you can give.

If only there was a vet that was an exotic vet you saw first he could have been on lasix and enalapril and it may have helped him or may not but with already spending what funds you had it would cost another $100 or so to get him on the right track. However in the same token, it is at least $50 or so to euthanize him so if you can muster up a bit more, you can possibly treat him for this if you are interested I could find a vet for you in your area. However, he is indeed old and this may be his time. The loss of use of his hind legs also can be part of old age. It is caused usually because of nerve root compression in the lower lumbar area and is very common to see this.  Steroids will help this condition to an extent as would NSAIDS such as metacam. Even childrens motrin, for that matter, would help some discomfort.  

If he is drinking, eating some and being calm, I would cuddle him as much as you can but if he gets any worse or shows signs of distress, I would not hesitate to put him to sleep.  If you have never had a rat put to sleep, please read my website about proper way to euthanize a rat. Some vets will give a cardiac stick which is an injection to the rats heart. This is the fastest way to do it but it can be very painful and cruel and is illegal to do in most states UNLESS the rat is put under anesthesia, just like they were going to have surgery.  Even heavy sedation is NOT acceptable so please be sure wherever you go that he is put down this way, under isoflurane in a deep plane of sleep ONLY. If they dont let you there during the procedure, they are possibly hiding the fact they plan to do it their own way so I would insist you stay unless you know and trust the vet...and vets that dont see rats probably are the ones to do it the inhumane painful way which is the last thing we want for our rats to have to endure which is horrible pain before death.
I hate these discussions but must be up front about the truth so if you or anyone reading this was unaware of this, now you know.

Here is the link to my site. Scroll down to SAYING GOODBYE:
http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/rathealthinformation.htm

Also, if you really feel maybe you can take him to another vet, check out the menu on the side about how to find a vet for your rats and there is a link to the AEMV where  you can find an exotic vet in your area.

Only YOU can tell if your rat is ready to pass just by the lack of his will to live. You will know when he gives up. its hard to explain, but you will know what I mean when the time comes.

Good luck and if you need anything else please contact me again whenever you need to.

Hugs

Sandy