I need help fast!

Question
QUESTION: I have owned two rats Zach and Keno for close to a year now.  Recently we moved and a friend had a rat that was lonely and neglected and I took him in. Then at the pet store I couldn't resist when two little females wanted to come home with me.  After I took them home one of the girls was sneezing.  Called the pet store and they said to keep her warm with a heat lamp she just has a cold.  Now like 4 days later my boy Keno had a really hard time breathing and no luck with the vets... no vet with rodent experience... all i got was "hum i don't really know.. maybe..."  The only thing they said was best was to put him down... I continued to nurse him but like 12 hours later he died :(  Now the female that was sneezing is having a hard time breathing and is very very tired unlike her cage mate.  She has lost weight and i don't know what to do.  The two sick rats were kept separate they have carefreash bedding i think?  cardboard pieces?  and the boys had a little bit of pine in there cage along with the cardboard.  I am afraid this little girl will die she is scaring me.  HELP PLEASE.

ANSWER: I am really sorry this happened. Its a hard lesson to learn until this occurs, but when you bring in new rats they should never be allowed near your existing rats  in the same room and should be quarantined for 3 weeks in a separate room (airpspace actually, but I know thats hard for many people to do)

I will give you the URL for my site at closing.

I cannot believe the vet did not give this rat medication! He needed oxygen treatment and antibiotics and other medications to get him better. It sounds like a form of pneumonia that is contagious and since its fast moving, it is possibly strep pneumonia. Not the same as strep throat mind you, but a different strain of strep that is very dangerous. However medication can treat them and they can recover fast.

Tell the pet store rats do not get colds, for the record. That bugs me that they gave you false information like that and instead your little girl was sick with something that needs medication.

What you need to do now is keep her hydrated by offering her water, pedialyte, boost or ensure in a syringe and let her suck it from the side of her mouth. Offer her crushed watermelon and baby food, she may lick it from your fingers.  Any flavor of strained baby food....peas, carrots, squash, bananas, it doesn't matter.

What you need is a vet for her and someone tonight if possible. Some emergency vets have exotic vets or they can call one and follow instructions from the exotic vet on how to treat the sick rat. Let them know she was sick when you got her home and exposed the male to it and he has since passed away.   Let me know where you live (city and surrounding cities) and I will try to find someone right now for her.  After that, you take the bill from the vet up to the pet store, ask for the manager and make some noise about selling you sick rats. I believe that once you bring them home they become your responsibility as far as taking care of them etc...and not returning them to the pet store, and I your a good rat owner for nursing her and caring for her, but its wrong to sell you a sick rat and giving bad advice that basically caused her to get worse.

Let me know and I will check back till I hear from you!

hang in there......she can be treated and I will do my best to find someone!

Meanwhile, remove the pine from the rats cage. The phenol oils can cause serious health issues. Shredded newspaper is better than using pine if you don't have any more carefresh to use.

Here is the URL to my website:

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/thequarantinepage.htm


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

QUESTION: She is eating the baby food but is still so weak and i wanted to know if i could give her any at home meds or anything to help until i can find a vet.. i sent an email to your yahoo.  thanks

ANSWER:
If you have any type of liquid antibiotics let me know and maybe she can take it...depends on a few things...

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

QUESTION: I gave her some Clavamox, I looked it up and it said it might help.  I need help finding a closer vet one that can see rats. I'm in Watervliet, MI .  She just keeps getting worse.  She had some blood come from her nose... as did Keno.  Is there even a possiblity she can live?

Answer
Its not blood...its called porphyrin and it is a reddish discharge produced by the harderian gland that is located behind the  eyes. When stressed, they secrete it through the nose and eyes scaring the owner into thinking its blood, but it is often seen with illness.

As for the clavamox, if she has murine mycoplasmosis, it wont work because myco bacteria has no cell wall and clavamox is made to destroy the cell wall so antibiotics that work without the cell wall are needed which would be baytril, zithromax and also doxycylcine as  a booster.

Cefa drops should be used for a secondary infection along with the baytril.

If its strep, she will need a gentocin injection or amakacin along with another drug depending on the diagnosis. Amoxil is good for strep but only as a booster....however it is a start....and yes, she can live with proper treatment. I have witnessed rats at deaths door recover fast soon as they get the right med in them.

Is she gasping and wheezing?

So far I have just 1 vet for you ,probably the same one and is an hour away. I will email you the name!