Blaze has a URI - what can I do before the vet?

Question
QUESTION: Hi, I'm an owner of numerous ratties, and I'm up against my first URI. Blaze is almost 5 months old, and has been sneezing really only for the past 52 hours (since I moved him to the new cage). I was thinking it was just the "new cage sniffles" as is common, and this afternoon around 4pm he was still being himself - quite playful. But at dinner he didn't come up to beg for food with the others, and he's ALWAYS the first since he loves me more than anything.

He didn't even want much pasta from my dinner, and didn't clean off the spagetti sauce from his front paws!!! His breath is wheezy, sneezing TONS now, and I (stupidly) only just noticed his waist is too slim! Also, his breathing seems HARD, difficult for him - better after a steam bath tho, other than for more sneezes... I KNEW something wasn't fully right yesterday, but I shrugged it off to go get some other stuff done that needing doing.

6 hours after dinner, he's licking Ensure from my finger and occasionally from the water bottle instead, and I'm putting him in a Kritter Keeper in the bathtub with hot water in it (he's on dry bedding - Yesterday's News there, but he's been on the bottom of the aspen bag for about 1.5 weeks now, likely the dusty bottom stuff causing the URI?) He is much more "up" than durring dinner, and he likes the Ensure (high protein type, banana cream!) as well as the vanilla protein shake mix I bought for him...

The only ER vet that will see Blaze is 90 minutes away, and I don't want to go unless Blaze makes a turn for the worse in any way (he's hiding in his favorite box right now, and bruxing happily and grooming me on occasion, tho sleepily). I'm gonna get him to the vet asap in the morning, though, But it's our first trip to the vet with any rattie for us (only have had them since mid-February) so I'm not sure how quickly they "could" get us in...

Is there anything else I can do for him other than stick him in the sauna in my bathtub and feed him as much Ensure as he'll drink? I want as many calories into him as I possibly can, BUT I don't want to force him to eat when he should sleep to conserve energy...

Also, what meds would you suggest for him? I know that normally a combo or Baytril and doxycycline works well for URIs, but that it shouldn't be given to younger rats - is Blaze too young for that? What other meds would work well for an acute URI?

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ANSWER: Hi


Hopefully Blaze is doing ok today.

Baytril will work fine for him and he is the right age. It should be reserved for rats over 4 months old unless the benefits outweigh the risks.  Mycoplasma needs an antibiotic that works on an organism that lacks a cell wall and those drugs are baytril and doxy combo or zithromax and doxy combo.
It depends on the bacteria, however.  If its secondary, which in this case I feel it is, I think the better drug would be baytril and cefa drops. If there is a strep, cefa drops are a bit better than the baytril when it comes to strep in rats. He may also benefit from being nebulized the first dose but I would not want a baytril injection (see my website for the reason given)  

URL HERE:
http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/rathealthinformation.htm

Nebulization is the best route to take to get it into the lungs faster.
Albuterol can also be used to help open the rats airways.  At home in a pinch you can offer him a bit of dark chocolate. Because chocolate can act as a synthetic bronchodilator this may open his airways too because chocolate contains theobromine which acts alot like albuterol and can help open airways. This of course is just in a pinch but it does help.
Keep him well hydrated too.

Do you hear any congestion in his chest or nasal passages? Do his sides sink in when he breathes?
Do you see any discharge from his nose or eyes?

Is your vet an exotic vet or real real experienced with rats?

Please let me know how he is doing.....

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: After staying up to 2am last night, waking at 4:30, 6, and finally 8am to try more Ensure with him, Blaze is amazingly better - not great like he should be, but MUCH better and not so utterly lethargic as he was last night!

I was able to take Blaze to the animal hospital this morning to get ABS. Unfortunately the exotic vet is not in on Thursdays, but there were two vet studnets in their 4th year that knew rats fairly well, and the cat and dog vet oversaw everything, and will have a follow up with Blaze next Thursday (the normal exotic vet is pretty good with rats, tho I think I want to find a true rat vet sometime so I can fully trust the care of my rat for surgery when/if needed).

They DID give Blaze a shot of Baytrill, but it was in the back end just to the side of the back bone but near his hip and thigh. I'll keep an eye on that for any problems - I did not see that info about those shots before this.

He is congested, tho not TOO badly according to the vet students, but he has occasionally bubbles coming from his nose. There is a TINY bit of the porpharine (sp?) around his nose, but VERY LITTLE.

The vet wants me to call him each day the office is open to update him on Blaze's progress as well, and we have .1cc of baytril with .1cc of concentrated vitamin liquid to give him twice a day - non mixed, so I can have the chance to try it with the Ensure and maybe baby food or applesause or ice cream to help get it down. Blaze will lick my fingers or neck forever if you let him!

He is still occasionally having trouble with breathing, so I'm putting him back in the bathtub in the large Kritter Keeper and HOT water in the tub for steam, but I'll also go get some dark chocolate for him if needed...

But, the GOOD NEWS!!! Blaze bruxed with me often last night when he was resting in between licking the Ensure off my finger, and even boggled for me as he cuddled against my hand! And when I put him back in his cage, he hopped back in with a good amount of energy. He's still tired and sleeping a bit too much, but he's at least happier. Can't say that the other boys are not jealous, but my big boy Blaze is sure a trooper... :)

THANK YOU so much for getting back to me so quickly. I really appreciate that. And I'll talk to the normal rat vet tomorrow about him, too.

Do you have any suggestions for other vets in the area around zip code 34209 that know ratties well? I really want one who'd also be able to do group rates just in case there is something big - or if I decide to up and neuter all dozen boys at once!!! (yes, I said dozen!) THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!

With all our possible admiration, gratitude, and appreciation,

Krystie, Blaze, and the mischeifs

Answer
Hey again

Below is a link (URL actually since the link wont appear)  to a page on my rat care site, Critter City.
http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/criticalvetinfo.htm

The link is on my profile I believe and it works to take you to the site (I think! LOL) Geeze I am full of info huh?
Anyhow, this page is devoted to Exotic vets and the first section talks about exotic vets and those that are board certified and members of the ASSOCIATION OF EXOTIC MAMMAL VETERINARIANS and I have a link there to the AEMV. There you will be able to find a list of the few hundred board certified extoics in the world and the 30 something that are located in FLorida.  I had a list of them for you already, some in Tampa and some in Palm Harbor, about an hour from your zip code...I drive an hour in heavy traffic to my exotic vet and 40 without traffic but its worth it for proper care.  

Anyhow I had about 4 or 5 Vets I found an hour or less as per your zip code so hopefully you can find someone.  THere is more vets listed on the bottom of my page but they are from random rat owners and they may not be board certified exotics.  Alot of folks get confused when the vet has an ad that says they see exotics and has a special interest in them but that in no way means they  are even remotely prepared to deal with half of the exotics that may come through that door, from reptiles to large birds for the avian vet, and skunks to rats....and even some exotic vets may be AVIAN and EXOTIC but not real rat ready...the site usually states the critters seen and they almost all see rodents.  Rats may be left out but that doesnt mean they dont see them........it may say     Exotic Pets Seen:
Rabbits   Ferrets   Chinchillas   Sugar Gliders   Prairie Dogs   Hedgehogs   Pocket Pets (gerbils, hamsters, etc.)   Miscellaneous Exotic Pets  but that DOES mean rats and mice.

Anyhow hope this helps.  Let me know....