Infections and honesty

Question
I've had my rat a month and he's been sneezing the whole time. I took him to my vet who said the rat looked fine but once he started sneezing the red fluid that I would need to get him on antibodies. He said to be careful, though, because giving him the medicine too soon would ruin the rat's bowels and would show up as diarriah.

Long story short I've been giving him the medicine on and off for a week. One day he's 'weezy' when breathing and sneezing red stuff so i give him the meds. The next day he has diarriah and so i stop the meds, a couple days later the cycle continues.

I can't call the vet because, though this makes me feel like a horrible ratty mother, I can't afford more appointments and I know thats what the doctor is going to suggest and then most likely tell me something more confusing or hopeless.

I have a couple of questions therefore *gulp*:

If this is really a respitory infection, how long would it take before I knew without a doubt my ratty is "beyond healing"?
(its been about a month, but I heard they succumb to the problem very quickly)

Do ratties get hiccups? Thats one symptom thats been upsetting me the most. It looks like hiccups, but I'm affraid I'm being nieve.

Should I continue or stop the meds?

Have you ever had a rat with mine's symptoms and what ended up happening??  

Answer
Hi Gina,
Ok - forgive my bluntness. I really DO NOT want to offend you, but it has to be said:

Your vet is a freaking idiot.

The "red fluid" that your rat is sneezing out is his mucus, also known as porphin (or porphyin, depending on who you ask how its spelled). Rat "snot" is RED, and greatly resembles a watery, dark red blood. This is entirely normal even for perfectly healthy rats. They will also secrete this from their eyes as eye boogers or sleep tears. Again, totally normal.

Giving them the meds too soon won't ruin their bowels (unless he's using the wrong medication - what is it that he's given you?), however it WILL increase the virus or bacteria (whichever is causing the illness and whichever you're currently quasi-treating)'s resistance to the drug. Just like with people, if you take an antibiotic for less than the recommended period of time and then begin it again, you've only strengthened that illness against the treatment you're using, creating a superbug. This is very bad.

Now, pick up your rat and press his back against your ear. Listen for any congestion noises in his chest. Hear any? If you hear any, yes, its very very possibly he has an upper respiratory disease. If not, and he doesn't sound like a monkey, he doesn't sound wheezy or crackly, and if his behavior is still 100% normal and he's happy and cheerful and eating and his coat looks lovely, he's probably just FINE and he happens to be a sneezy rat. It happens. I have a rat here who sounds like a little freight train but she's 110% healthy - just LOUD.

NOW.. if you DID hear congestion and his sneezing is frequent (several dozen sneezes a day, back to back), you need to put him on a Baytril/Doxycycline combo and KEEP HIM ON IT!! for 14 days straight. At the end of 14 days, if he's recovered and you hear no more noises, you're OK - just keep watching him to see if it comes back. If he's still congested and sneezing, put him BACK on the combo for another 10 to 14 days. Even if your rat appears better on day #3 of your first round of antibiotics, do NOT take him off of it. Leave him on it for the full duration of the medicine.

As far as your other question -- rats get respiratory problems, on and off, most of their lives. It happens. It sucks. But its a manageable problem when you know the facts and how to spot them. You'll know your rat is beyond help when he simply has no energy to be himself anymore. When he fails to greet you at the cage door. When he has no energy to move to eat or drink. UNTIL THEN, it is never too late. They bounce back very quickly from these issues.

Be sure to keep him on a non-dusty, clean and dry bedding at all times - aspen, recycled newspaper, or coconut bedding: NO PINE OR CEDAR! those will make respiratory problems worse and kill your little buddy in the long run. Be sure also to have him on a decent, well-balanced diet, such as a lab block (for store bought stuff, I recommend Mazuri brand) as a staple and a just-for-fun additional diet like Suebee's Rat Mix (google it, you'll find a recipe) as a supplement. It's a good way to keep your rat healthy and spoil him in the process! The store bought, bagged foods made for rats are full of icky fillers that your rat simply won't eat.

(And yes, rats get the hiccups!)

And by george, find a new vet! The man is clueless.