Please help me...

Question
A long while back I sent in a question that was never answered and in the end, the boy died. Sometime in March, to male rats that gave to a friend of a friend died, abruptly, of some strange illness. Both brothers. They became pale in the paws, increasingly lethargic and just utterly strange. I got the call that they both died a day before their first birthday.

And now, another one of the brothers has suddenly started expressing similar symptoms. He's severely lethargic, allows you to do whatever you please with him and doesn't at all fight it. He's temperature is irregular, he has okay color in his paws but also, he seemed a bit dehydrated when I pinched at the nape of his neck. He also would randomly squeak, as though in pain, if picked up though this is not all the time.

I brought him home, (because he was living with a different person at the time.), and made him drink a bit of vitamin water. I also gave him a very small amount of milk and some raw egg, just for the calcium, protein, etc. I then have kept him seperate from my other rats and have him in a very warm place but he hasn't perked up and really doesn't seem to be improving aside from dragging himself around as though he can't get himself to actually stand.

Please, please help me. D= I need to know what is wrong with him. We have no local vets who know what to do with rats and I'm desperately struggling to keep this fellow alive.

If you could respond ASAP, that would be amazing. Thank you so much.

- Shantell

Answer
Hi Shantell

I am sorry your last question was not answered. It more than likely ended up floating in limbo if it was not addressed to a certain expert in particular. Also, when a question goes directly to an expert, that expert has 3 days to answer or we can get suspended.


As for your rat and what he died from, just by saying his paws went white, suggests hypoxia (lack of oxygen, low oxygen levels)  and the light colored extremeties is from poor oxygen (called cyanosis) and often the paws wil turn white, purple and blue. This requires immediate attention from a vet. It was probably respiratory in nature.


That said, I wanted to address a few things right away.
I would stop with the raw egg right away.  This is very bad as it can carry samonella and if a small rat is exposed to such a dangerous bacteria.  They can get enough protein from a regular hard boiled egg and its much safer. A rat should not exceed 18 percent protein in their diet anyhow as this can cause kidney disease.

You are going to have to take this rat to the vet if he is displaying the same signs as the deceased rat.  He needs medication that cannot be found other than through the prescriptions from a vet. I can help locate a vet for you that sees rats. All I need is to know your location. You may need to drive 30 miles out but if its to save your rats life, I am sure you will agree its worth the trip.

Hang in there


sandy