mycoplasmosis strength building

Question
QUESTION: my little pony has suffered from a myco flare up which is being treated with 2.5mg doxycycline 2x per day. unfotunately she lost alot of weight and is pretty weak. since treatment began she has improved but i need a way for her to build her strength. any recomendations

ANSWER: Hi Steven


How old is Pony? What exactly were her symptoms that made the vet cthat it was indeed myco as the culprit and not another organism from a secondary infection?
It is a good thing that she is indeed responding to doxycycline!
You want to build her strength up, so I need to know what her current diet  consists of. Often adding extra animal protein to their diet helps strengthen their tissues, bones and muscles. You can also buy either boost or ensure, which is a really good way to replace lost nutrients. It is found in most grocery stores. Baby food is also a good way to get the rat to eat by licking from your fingers. Nutrical for ferrets can also be used although not every rat likes the taste.ole
How much does she weigh and what was her previous weight before illness set in?  What were her symptoms?


I hate to ask a trillion things but have to know so I can further evaluate.

Sandra

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QUESTION: That's not a problem i will answer as best i can
i got pony about a year ago in a pet shop so i'm guessing a year and 4 months or so.  her weight has never been substantial especially compared to her cage mates Georgiana and Penny.

as for symptoms shes always had some sneezes and sniffles, as a matter of fact i nearly took her to a vet a few days after we took her home due to some difficulty breathing. the vet also said that the pollen and dust in the air probably agitated her lungs and caused the flare up. the real reason for the visit was her starting to gasp for breath and audible breathing. she also has a tendency to sit on the upper shelf of her cage almost exclusively although since the antibiotic treatment I started treating her at 11pm thursday, she has spent more time in her box or other levels of the cage. the weight loss has been a more progressive thing that compared to several months ago she is thinner. when she was healthier i never thought to weigh her.

the rats primary diet consists of mazuri lab blocks. which they do eat. last night she even felt well enough to go get and consume two of the blocks. as a result of her sickness i have also attempted to get her to eat by providing her with other options. she has had some grapefruit, hot dog and hamburg rolls (to hide the medicine), some noodles, blue berries and other fruits and yesterday she got a piece of roast beef to add some extra protein to her diet. prior to the illness i would maybe once a week provide them with some greens, carrots or bits of cereal. she will eat foods on her own as long as her breathing is steady, this usually occurs between 12am-4am.

She is looking better still some difficulty breathing but not as bad as it was. and she is stronger because she fights her med's much more vigorously than the first day. I also haven't heard her breathing since 7:30 am on friday.

if anything id like to push some fluids, i haven't seen her drink on her own for a few days i also don't watch the cage every hour so i may miss it. she is currently receiving some sugar water with her med's to make sure she gets something.

if you need any other information please let me know. even her cage mates appear to be showing some concern so the sooner this is resolved the happier we will all be


Answer
One tip:  When she is having a bit of mild resiratory distress, allow her to lick baby foods from your fingers. You can even went a lab block and puree it. When a rat has chronic lung disease and they have problems breathing, it exerts alot of energy to chew and swallow but just swallowing and not having to chew is much easier and doesnt exert any energy from it at all.  I have fed alot of rats with mycoplasma related lung disease such as scarring and blistering of the lungs.  
Rats are omnivorous so when buying baby foods  please include the mixed meats such as chicken and peas  or mixes that have pureed meats. THis will also increase the protein some.  We need to remember the kidneys  though so the protein should be a quality animal protein.

Her stools may become loose if she has nothing but baby food of course so this can only go on for a few days and cant be a reg diet UNLESS of course she still eats her lab blocks to keep the stools firm.
Oh, and BOOST or ENSURE! There are plenty of vitamins and good things in either of these diet supplements.

Hopefully I have covered everything, but if not, feel free to contact me any time!