My sick pet rat

Question
Hi Janell,
I am an experienced rat owner, but this one has me baffled. My male rat (Esau), approx 15-16 months came down with the sniffles around Dec 18th. I took him to our vet and he was prescribed the usual Baytril. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to zap it as it did for my other rats. I used steam from a humidifier and a bit of Vicks which also helped my other rats from having the Murine pneumonia worsen and get into their lungs. Nothing seemed to work on this little guy. I took him back to the vet and they prescribed another stronger dose of Baytril w/ Doxy and Probycin. These had little effect. Another visit a short time later and the vet put him on Breathine to dilate his lungs and eventually we put him in a oxygen tank which only seemed to offer a temporary fix. The last prescription they gave him was Septra. It's now 02/01. He has been a roller coaster, one day he improves the next he worsens. The last 2 weeks however, he has pretty much stopped eating. He drinks water some days and some days he doesn't, although he will drink Naked Food Juice "Green Machine" and Vitamin Water "Multi-V." Other than his weight loss his coat is healthy and the vets can't believe how good he still looks even with the porphryin tears coming from his nose (not that much from the eyes). His breathing was very wheezy and it did infect his lungs, the one thing I fought not to happen, but now the wheezing is gone and he breathes hard from his open mouth but there is no huffing or gasping presently. This week has been touch and go, however, he'll nibble on food but he still isn't really eating. I am a writer on strike so I've been fortunate to actually spend everyday with Esau these past 2 weeks and we have always been very close. He sits on my shoulder when I write. I took him to the vet this past Wed. and she gave him a fluid injection to make him more comfortable. She doesn't hold out much hope, and frankly neither do I for a complete recovery. We even discussed "putting him down" etc.
The two questions I have for you is this: 1) Since his health condition began to worsen each week, Esau vehemently refuses to be in his three-story wire cage. He loves this cage ordinarily and it has always been clean and just to be sure I cleaned it again considering this disease. He chews on the bars, (something he never did before) and rattles the cage door and his heart rate accelerates and his breathing worsens from what appears to be fright. The cage is low to the ground and there are no insects or spiders or any other animals around. I took this as his wish to spend time on the couch (his favorite spot) and made every accomodation for him as he is obviously not long for this world. He will go back to his cage to do his "business" which isn't much now, and drink a little water (which is even less), so this hasn't been too much of a hardship on me. Do you have any thoughts as to why he became so terrified of being in his cage? I'm just curious of this behavior and I repeat the cage is clean and the bedding is not pine or any of the store bought aggravates. The other question I have is another behavior issue that just occurred earlier last night. Esau is the sweetest rat prone to grooming me and kissing me etc. He has never bitten me. But tonight, out of the blue he has started to attack me. At first, I thought he was having some kind of seizure because his eyes were at half mast, his whiskers twitched and his teeth barred. He also seemed to kind of hop and when he bit me, it broke the skin but I thought it was frankly an accident. Not too long later, he had another "episode" but sought out my hand before I knew what was happening and bit me again. This time I jerked back and he proceeded to bite the couch. He snaps out of it as quickly as he starts. A couple of hours later though, Esau kept coming over to me to snuggle against my side (which is his second favorite place) and I'd pet him soothingly and he'd seem calm. But again, he'd suddenly jerk and here's where I think it gets weird, turn and seek out one of my fingers to bite. I have five bites in all which average about a bite an hour. I stopped petting him and tried to avoid contact, but this upset him and he kept trying to climb back on me to snuggle. But not too long after he'd all of a sudden bite my hand. It broke my heart to do it, but I finally put him back in his cage and I can still hear him saberrattling in there. I don't want our last days to be spent like this, and I'm wondering why he is suddenly acting out by biting? I've searched online all night, but everyone just says pet rats don't bite. This is an anomaly of his personality, but could it be somehow connected to the disease? Are these strokes or spasms? Ironically, he's the gentlest of all my rats so this is heartbreaking for me and I know he isn't being himself. The vets office terrifies him, so much so the vet recommended that I give him a couple of days to die naturally at home with me since he gets so panicked just going to the office. But is he biting me because he's in pain?  He's eaten a little today. He has had fluids as well. I'd hate to put him down if he still has a chance, but I am worried that perhaps there is something more here or that he is possibly turning feral? I know this is extremely long winded but I wanted you to have the full scope of the situation since these are not typical questions and maybe they will help someone else out there as there is nothing I've found tonight that relates to this specific situation.

Answer
Michele,
Forgive my quick answer as I'm walking out the door as I type this, but I wanted to be sure to get back to you very quickly. I'm so sorry your little guy is going through this. I have another suggestion for you regarding his medications - has the vet checked him out for congestive heart failure? Often this presents with many of the same symptoms of respiratory distress but none of the usual medications help. Instead, he needs a diuertic to reduce the fluid and swelling around his heart and that will help him live comfortably (if it is indeed CHF).

Secondly, he isn't becoming feral - he's wild with pain and anxiety, though. Not being able to breathe is the scariest feeling in the world, it truly is, and he has no instinct but to fight his way through these episodes - even if it means biting his favorite person. Often a rat with trouble breathing will "flip out" and bite the bars, hang his head off the edge of a taller platform in his cage or simply REFUSE to be caged at any time. This is all hand-in-hand with a respiratory disease diagnosis and CHF. Once he begins the treatment that fits what is going on, these episodes will reduce and diminish altogether.

I recommend you ask your vet about the possibility of it being CHF. Worse case scenario, you find out it isn't, in which case... perhaps valium would help him be a little more comfortable. If its CHF, you have a possible solution.

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Please keep me updated.