help!!!

Question
what's wrong with my 2-2 1/2 yr. albino rat??? I have 3 rats and they got sick.
I know they all have myco..... disease already from the pet store but I have
given them antibiotics and they are still sneezing. My albino is really bad. She
looked sick to me a while ago. She did get a bit on her head from her sis. She
now wont move much tonight and is falling over and losing her balance. She
even fell off the bed andstarted flopping around. She moves when annoyed
only a little. Her breathing is very light and she still makes a little sqeing
noise. Do you know what this is before I take her to the vet?? Will a vet even
know what to do?? and will it work?? i took a rat there before and it died
anyways!  please respond asap. thanks ( it looks like she is going to die any
second)

Answer
Did the bite wound get infected at any time. There could have been an infection that went to the brain.

It does sound like she is dyeing :*( If it is Myco, she's at end-stage Myco (pneumonia). She's having a hard time getting air into her lungs, which in turn is causing a lack of oxygen to the brain. This in turn is the reason for her extreme weakness and dopey behavior. The "flopping around" is a panic attack due to the inability to breath. If you are ok with it, you can help her through the transition.

Don't take her away from her cage buddies. They will stay with her and comfort her. She probably won't want to eat but give her water via an eyedropper if she wants it. Her breathing will become shallow, her body temperature will drop, she will go into a coma-like state, from which she will not wake up.

If she is still with you in the morning, get her to the vet for additional treatment.

Your other girls need to go back onto antibiotics for 14 to 30 days to combat the myco. The antibiotics should have been/should be, Baytril, along with either Doxycycline, or Amoxicillin, or Zythromycin. Prednisone, Lasix, Dexamethazone are also drugs that help rats with Myco/pneumonia. Were any of these drugs provided for your rats?

E-mail me at spazrats@yahoo.ca to get some links for treatment for Myco. I don't know how to search for info for you on the web without losing my post when I am answering you from the AllExperts site.

spazrats
http://spazrats.tripod.com