Pet rat- falling over, not moving, shaking,

Question
QUESTION: My Albino rat must have caught a cold from another rat I had in my house. All
3 of them now are sick. I had put them on fish antibiotics recomended by a
breeder for 5 days. I had also put ecinachea in their water. Today I came
home and the albino rat named" snowbell" was sleeping. I thought she was
just tired so i left her. Later on she was still sleeping so I took her out and
placed her on the bed. She was hardly moving and when she does she falls
over. (While she had this cold or respritory problem she also gor into a scrap
with her sister and she was bit on the head. I didnt clean it because I thought
she'd be fine. ) Anyways, she will move very jerky and she also fell of the bed.
i went to pick her up and noticed her flopping around on the ground. She
drank some water and will get up to scratch herself but just lies around
breathing very softly. it seems like she is annoyed at me being there and tries
to get away but i have to stop her because she will hurt herself. Im scared she
is dying and the vet cant help. I cant sleep because of this. Please help!!! I
dont want to put her to sleep, she is not even 2 years old.

ANSWER: Dear Jolene

Your rat is very sick and does need to see a vet. Why do you say the vet cant help? First of all, the breeder that told you to give them antibiotics for 5 days was very wrong to do that. Antibiotics don't have time to work in just 5 days. Most of them require at least 10 days or longer and I am not sure what kind you used that she told you to use but if it wasn't a real antibiotic from the vet and something over the counter, that was a waste of time. Ecinachea is not a drug to cure anything. It is an herb used to help build the immune system up but that is all it can do and over use can turn into a tolerance that it wont work at all.
Rats don't get colds either. They are totally immune to the 200 plus types of viruses that cause the common cold.
Whenever you bring a new rat home to live, it needs quarantined in a separate airspace. Unfamiliar rats can carry a very dangerous and very contagious virus called SDA and the secondary infections that the rat can get from it are often fatal. This is one main reason to quarantine for 3 weeks.  Sounds like your rat has a respiratory infection caused by mycoplasmosis which is a bacteria that all rats are born with. If they have a weakened immune system they will often have a flare up of a respiratory infection but myco can cause ear infection, urinary tract infection and also infection of the female reproductive system too.
The problem with myco is if it doesn't turn into a nasty secondary infection which I believe your rat indeed has, it becomes chronic and your rat is sick over and over again till the lungs become scarred and the rat has chronic respiratory disease.
You do not need to worry about the vet making you put her to sleep. There are proper medications she can take for this. Just because she still got real sick despite the fact you did what the breeder told you to do (which again, the breeder was wrong for not directing you to a vet and making you waste precious time wasting it on 5 days of junk medication she told you to use!) I am sure the vet can do better.  If you do not have a vet that sees rats, let me know and I can help you but I need to know your location and the nearest cities in your area.
Please write back as soon as you can ok? Hang in there. This is NOT your fault,ok?  We can get her fixed right up and treat the other sick rats properly too, so don't worry. Just have yourself ready to take her in to the vets if you need me to find one for your furry friend.


Sandy

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

QUESTION: Thanks for your response. It was tetracycline that I gave my rats. I took a
friends sick rat to the vet before and was given meds that did not help her,
she died. The vet I saw knew nothing about rats so that is why I am afraid to
take her there. I live in Winnipeg which is in Canada. I live in the are of St.
Vital. Im familiar with Myco and understand that it affects their breathing. My
rat is not gasping for air and her breathing is very light. She is making a little
noise especaily when I pick her up. it sounds like she is crying.yesterday she
could hardly move and today she is opening her eyes and not as wobbly. Also
is natural stuff ok to give her ? I gave her some natural product that can be
used on animals. it is a very expensive product called mannatech. My mom is
on it for cancer. There is no chemicals and nothing added it is just vegetables
and fruit in a powder form. It has helped many with auto immune disorders.  
could you please get back to me again? thanks

ANSWER: Tetracycline is a very weak drug which is why it did not help your rats condition improve any. I know you just wanted to do right by her so its ok. You tried. Meanwhile, I am not real versed on mannatech and so I ran a google on it to read up before giving my opinion. It sounds like a wonderful product that has alot of good potential from helping to strengthen the immune system to helping to maintain a healthy digestive function. Perhaps it may even help her fight off whatever it is ailing her, but unfortunately time is something she doesn't have. Once a rat shows signs of illness they decline very fast.  

Here is an exotic vet that may be located near you. She has a fantastic reputation here in the States. I am hoping you are close to her that you can schedule an appointment and tell them it is critical your rat is seen as soon as this afternoon!!

Dr. Heather McDonald
Centennial Animal Hospital     
2747 Pembina Highway
Winnipeg Manitoba R3T 2H5
Phone:    204-269-8162
Website: www.centennialanimalhospital.com


Please keep me updated. I am pulling for her!!


Sandy

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

QUESTION: I have already taken her to the vet yesterday. I was given Baytril 150mgs once
a day. I just hope it works. I am also giving it to my other rats. She is at least
eating when I hand feed her and drinking water. I was told that her balance
and depth perception is off because it might have turned into an ear
infection. The vet told me that she will have to be on it for the rest of her life
and that her sickness wont go away. I believe it. She said that if it does not
work that they will inject a med under her skin to take away some pain and
bring any swelling down. It cost me $ 79 for the whole visit!!  thanks

Answer
Oh thats perfect! Yes, the baytril is exactly the drug to use for myco infections which is probably what caused her ear infection. I did not realize she was falling over like that.
That is absolutely a sign of otitis media (ear infection) it causes them to walk in circles (spinning)and to be totally off balance. It can also make her head "tilt" in one direction if it gets worse due to inflammation. He is right about it never going away (the myco infection) Rats are born with mycoplasmosis. It is a very slow growing organism that doesn't cause the rats to get sick until their immune system starts to get weak. Once this happens, myco starts to cause active infection that ranges from respiratory infection, ear infection, urinary tract infection and in females it can cause an infection in the uterus. Neoplasms can return and cause relapse once the rat starts to get sick from it which is why he said she will need to be on the medication the rest of her life. Many Vets believe it is best to give baytril in what is called "high end dosing" once per day which is exactly what he is giving your rat. This will help prevent relapse or at least try to prevent it.
The myco organism has no cell wall and there are not very many antibiotics out there that work on bacteria with no cell wall which is why myco is such a bugger to control. Again, not get rid of it since you cant, but "control" just like the vet is doing for your rat. Baytril is one drug that can attack and kill an organism that has no cell wall (you an ask the vet that one, he will know this too) which is why a vet that knows about treating rats will reach for the baytril more than any other antibiotic out there.
Also the drug your vet is talking about using to inject subcutaneously would probably be a steroid for inflammation which can also help with the ear infection and also help should she get head tilt.   Anyhow I scrolled back up to our past posts to see again if I missed where you said she was spinning or rolling and I do see that I said she could have an ear infection and probably had myco so I don't feel so bad like I missed this in any way. Its so difficult to try to imagine how a rat is acting when someone describes it via text.  Classic ear infections will have the rat walking in circles, like they are dizzy, or falling over like they are drunk and off balance. I remember when I was pregnant with my son I was so dizzy I had to crawl on the floor because it felt like the floor was sideways. It was insane. I also threw up because I was so dizzy!! Here, I was severely anemic which I was told was common in the 6th month of pregnancy but man was I ever dizzy! It took a few days for my balance to return.  I felt like I was drunk all the time and I have only been drunk once in my life and hated every second of it!  Imagine how the rat feels and the poor thing cant vomit should she feel sick to her tummy.
Also if you notice she drags her face on the floor or wipes her mouth on the floor that means she has a bad taste in her mouth or is sick to her stomach. Just a tidbit to keep in mind for whenever.  Learn something new every day!
Where did you find the vet you took her to yesterday? I recall you said there was one vet you were scared to see because they did not know what they were doing with rats. Obviously the vet you went to yesterday does know about them because everything he is doing and what he said about her illness is right on the money 100correct AND also the vet was so right about myco not going away. I only hear exotic vets talk that way...rarely do traditional vets know about mycoplasmosis that way unless they did tons of reading which most of them don't, not when it comes to rats  since they don't deal with them often.  Was this an exotic vet? I think you said the vet was a "She" so maybe it was the vet I suggested since that vet was female. If so I am SO happy because her reputation is so excellent it has spread all the way to North Carolina as being top notch. If this is the same vet, Dr. McDonald, do let her know what I said. That is a huge compliment in the world of exotics and she is registered with the AEMV too so thats another PLUS.However even if she is NOT the same vet, you still found one that knows the ropes and I am really happy.
Your rat should recover well.  It may take a bit of time for her to regain her balance but with your help in feeding her and keeping her hydrated and the medication she is on and will continue to take for the rest of her life, things are looking up!!  Good job!

Keep me posted.  If for some reason we get cut off for posting too many follow ups you can contact me on my personal email at Sandyscrittercity@yahoo.com because I am so curious now to know if this vet is the same Vet I suggested and also I want to know how your furry friend is doing!

Sincerely

Sandy