My rat has recovered from those weird sapsms - meningitis

Question
QUESTION: Hi Sandra

I wrote to you a couple for weeks ago regarding Scout who was loosing lots of weight, and showing weird signs of spasms in her stomach. I'm just writing to let you know that she has recovered fully - what a relief. I took her to the vet, who gave her an anti-inflamatory and a 5 day course of anti-biotics and she recovered really quickly. The vet thinks it was meningitis - but it is difficult to determine if it was the anti-biotics or anti-inflamatory which cause her recovery, but the main thing is that she is fine and healthy. The vet said that meningitis is quite common in rats. Hopefully it is all sorted now.

Thanks once again for your advice and support - its great to know their is a website where I have people who value rats.

Many thanks
Kate

ANSWER: Hi Kate

I am glad your rat is better.  However, I must say thats a strange diagnosis. Meningitis effects that brain and is a very serious and fatal disease in rats, although its uncommon. I have seen three rats die from it within days and their signs of illness were severe lethargy,confusion, seizures and high fever that caused them to dehydrate. Autopsy confirmed the diagnosis. It is not commonly seen in rats at all. What is common is mycoplasmosis. Do you think there was just a mix up in words?  
I am just curious and of course am not saying that the vet is wrong, but its just a strange diagnosis and with the recovery so fast with such a very short duration of antibiotic treatment...it just strikes me that a rat with a fatal disease would rebound so fast in such little time.

I am happy that she is well again so no matter what it was, at least she is ok and thats really all that matters!

Good luck!

Sandra

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QUESTION: Hi Sandra

Its strange that the vet said that it was quite common in rats - maybe he first meant rodents? When I first took her to the vet, she didn't show any signs of squashing herself down and at first the vet was only going to put her onto an anti-inflammatory. Just before leaving she did it again, and he said that it might be a neuron-infection, he definitely mentioned meningitis. I went for a follow-up visit, and we had a chat he said that we can't be sure what was the cause - that she might have recovered on her own anyway, or it might have had pain in her lower back (hence the speed of recovery from anti-inflammatory). He thought it was properly meningitis. However, Scout showing similar signs previously would rule out meningitis and he said it could possibly be seizures from epilepsy.

I'm not sure how much experience he has with rats. He showed the typical attitude of her just being a rodent - and not needing blood tests or x-rays. I think he realized my level of concern, and started taking it a little more seriously. I suppose it is difficult to diagnose such a small animal. But the main thing is that she is better. I have been cooking up different types of grain for her everyday - barley, mung beans and brown rice mix which she loves, and lots of fresh salad every day, and she has put on lots of weight. She is a very adventurous personality though - and has an affinity towards wires which is worrying and frustrating, and so I can't let her just run around without keeping a very close eye on her. They are a pair of such affectionate little things - I've had rats many times before, but never ones so tame and sweet.

Well thanks again. I wanted to keep you posted in case it might help others with similar problems - but it seems as though the mystery isn't solved.

Kind Regards
Kate

ANSWER: Your right, as long as she is better, thats what is important.
I only wish some vets would take rats more seriously. We even use 30 gauge needles to do IVs when needed for real emergency situations.  We take blood and do xrays and distribute oxygen and all that jazz. Every place I have even worked at that treated rats went this route with the exception of a few and those vets were not exotic vets nor held a special interest in exotics, they were more or less a local vet that would try to at least guess what is wrong.  Those vets do more harm than good. Unfortunately there are few exotic vets around but I can usually find one for people but sometimes people may have to drive 45 minutes to get there. I have to and its a pain when they are super sick and you worry all the way there.  I wish more vets would see the need for continuing education to focus on exotics and in fact, some are.  
If you want, I can help you find a vet that is up to par with rats for future use.  Right now your girl is stable and ok so thats all that matters but in the future if you feel that your vet did not take your rats best interest in mind, I would look for a vet that did take the rat seriously.  
All I need to know is where your located and I can try to match up someone for you and your fur kids.    

Again, no matter what she had wrong, she is OK now and I am happy about that. Thank you for keeping me posted and feel free to contact me any time!!

Sincerely

Sandy

PS=

Something interesting about wires too! This is crazy!!
I was given some material to study and one article was about electrical wires/power cords etc... to lamps and the like, and when plugged in and turned on, the current running through the cord seems to be an attraction to some rats. This may explain why rodents gnaw on the wiring inside the walls of buildings. They can easily gnaw on anything else in the structure, but the chose to gnaw the wires, sometimes chewing through one with electric going through it and of course it kills the rodent but worse yet, it starts a deadly fire within the structure!!  So many people complain about their rats always going after their power cords to their TV and stereo and computer and lamps etc....and many people tape the wires up on the walls when they have a free ranging rat.  Now after reading what I read, it makes total sense.
I wonder what it is that attracts rodents to the current though?  Strange stuff!! I thought that would interest you...I think that is totally off the wall. These crazy vermin of ours!   LOL!!

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QUESTION: Its such a pitty that rats like power cords. We have tried our best to get all the cords off the floor, and I've been strapping insulation tape around them, but the other day Scout chewed through quite a fat aerial cable. Its interesting that they are attracted to the current. Now I can't let them go free-ranging anymore, but try and keep a beedy eye on them, which is such a pain as I really love to let them roam and run around till their hearts content.

I would really appreciate it if you could let me know of a good exotic vet. The vet I went to said that he was exotic - but it would be good to know of someone who specialises in rodents. My postcode is NW6 7NA - Kilburn, London (North west London to be exact).

Many thanks,
Kate

Answer
Hi Kate

More free range rats are killed by electrocution and the second killer of free range rats is being crushed to death from being stepped on or sat on.  I have my rats in a giant ferret nation cage and morning and evening, I let them out into the room their cage is in.  We call it the rat room but there is a bunny in this room and four individual tanks that each hold one hermit crab per tank, so I have lots of cords for the heaters on the crab tanks etc...they would make a huge mess with the cords.I have a big huge fence I stretch across part of the room and also made a card board "wall" that I also put up. They cant climb that unless something scares the heck out of them and they dig those claws in and up they go...which only happened once or twice. I stay in there with them while they are out.  This is when I change out their litter boxes (I dump them daily) and check to see if they peed on the fleece that covers the floors and if its nasty  I change those out. I also spray the hermit crab tanks down and feed and water them and tend to the bunny and the entire time, the rats are out playing but they hang around me mostly, sitting on my feet, trying to bite my toes through my socks....stuff like that. Silly rats. After I am all done, thats when I sit down with them and give them lots of lovins.  Sometimes I feel guilty they dont free range but it would be too dangerous for them PLUS we have 7 cats and if God forbid one of the rats got out of the rat room, they would be history!!!

As for the exotic vet you see, there are vets that continued their education and took their specialty boards and are certified in exotic animal medicine.  Unfortunately, in the United States the only real exotic vet that can claim they focus on a specific animal would be the exotic vet that is a certified avian (bird) vet.  They legally cannot claim to specialize in rodents or reptiles.  In the UK I do believe they have both certified reptile and avian vets and I am pretty sure small mammals such as rodents still do not have a category of their own yet, like the United States doesnt.
That doesnt mean that they are not educated (and highly experienced that is) working with rodents, they just do not have a specific title for that yet....so sometimes I make the mistake of asking if a vet is a small animal or rodent specialist and really, there isnt such a thing.   So,long story longer, if a vet is listed, say, in the phone book, and claims to be an EXOTIC VET, that may not mean they know all about birds, reptiles and rodents.... as you know from the vet you have already seen. What I love about the exotic vet is that they have the implements needed to accomodate the small animal such as surgery tools and medications etc...and do not have to compromise.  
Ok I have blabbed on much more than you probably wanted me to do....sorry....second cup of morning coffee does that to me  LOL   I have a few more people to answer after this so I am just warming up.  LOL

Anyhow, here is what I came up with as far as Vets go in the UK.  I have no clue how far these clinics are since I do not know anything about London except that I would LOVE to visit there someday if only I liked to fly in planes, which I dont. But thats another story....!!

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This vet, according to the driving directions, is about 50 something miles from you......this would possibly be your best bet?

Dr. Nathalie Wissink Argilaga
Scott Veterinary Clinic    
405 Goldington Road
Bedford Bedfordshire, England MK41 0DS
Phone:    +441234261622
http://www.scottveterinaryclinic.co.uk/

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Starting with this clinic, the details were sketchy but I wanted to still list this just in case:

Hamilton Veterinary clinic
110 BOUNDARY ROAD
CAMDEN
LONDON NW8 0RH
020 7722 3381

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This vet may be a bit of a drive, perhaps 90 minutes?
I hate this part. In fact, I have looked for some people and in some states in the US, there are NO VETS and they need to cross the state line to go to another state. Ridiculous!

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Dr. John Chitty
Strathmore Veterinary Clinic    
London Road
Andover SP10 2PH
Phone:    +44 1264 352323
Website: www.strathmoreveterinaryclinic.co.uk

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I will keep looking though....there should be more vets for your rattie....hang in there!