Young Rat with myco

Question
Hi Sandra,

One of my rats who is about 2 months old is not doing well. His breathing seems laboured and when I listen to his chest it has that perculator sound, like a coffee maker, if that if that makes any sense!

I don't know what to give him since he is so young, and i understand that baytril is not recommeded for rats that are under four months? Is clavomox/amoxicillin effective for a condition with these kinds of symptoms? If so, what is the dosage?

I've been using a humidifier in the room where he is housed. He is currently with 2 other rats, both who seem fine, and have no symptoms whatsoever. As well he isn't eating enough, and he doesn't seem to be gaining any weight.

(I adopted another rat from the same pet store at the same time,(same age) and he is thriving very well/no resp symtoms whatsoever, and gaining weight steadily.

I just wanted your expert opinion on what do you think would be my best course of action, medication wise; considering he is so young.

Thanks in advance!
:>


Answer
Hi Shannon

He has more than myco at this point, it sounds as if he has a secondary infection from mycoplasmosis.

I despise myco. :(

Your correct about the baytril having some possible unwanted side effects in young rats and in fact, it has been found that baytril doesnt seem to do the job as well as it does for older rats.
Since myco is an organism with no cell wall, there are a handful of rat safe drugs that can fight myco.  Unfortunately the clavamox/amoxil are not the ones to use.  Zithromax however, will kill off myco and is safe for baby rats, pregnant does and lactating does as well.
A second antibiotic should be added to combat strep and help out the zithromax.  I prefer zithromax and cefa drops or keflex too.

Do you have a vet that is up to par with rats?  If not, I can find you one. All I need is your zip code and I can hopefully find you several names.   
Just the other day one of my readers lost a baby rat to a serious respiratory infection and it seems these pet store rats are less and less healthy as time goes by.  The best thing is to get it now before it gets worse.  Oh, and I know what you mean by a coffee maker sound. I also hear "monkey" sounds sometimes from two of my chronic myco boys.

Also, keep in mind your little rat needs treatment up to 30 days. Some vets are now saying 6 weeks of antibiotics to prevent relapse since with each new attack, lung scarring or chronic lung disease can develop.  Sometimes if it becomes chronic, the rat may benefit from being put on something once per day for the rest of their life to prevent it from coming back.  I would hate for him to relapse so young so again it is wise to continue the meds for a full 30 days PLUS if possible.  ALso, if you do not see any improvment in 3 days or he gets worse, its time to change to baytril. At that point the benefits will       outweigh the risks.  Although there is a warning on baytril and for the most part I tell people to avoid it in their young rats, I have personally never dealt first hand with any rat that suffered any ill side effects from using baytril in premature rats, although there are documented cases.

As for eating or not eating, rather, if he is congested, sometimes a rat reserves their energy and strength by not eating because chewing is exhausting for their breathing.  If you can buy some baby food for him to lick from your fingers or a flat dish (any type of strained veggies and custards.  Also, be sure is is well hydrated  also.

Hope this helps

Sandy