My Lily Died =(

Question
My pet rat Lily died this weekend.  I'm confused about what happened.  Last Tuesday afternoon I noticed she was very lethargic, and didn't really respond when I went to her cage--usually she would have been running all around trying to figure out where I was going to put her treat.  Her fur was fluffed out.  Later that night I saw that she couldn't keep her balance, and if I set her on the floor she just turned in circles.

The next day she was the same, so I took her to a vet that treats rats.  He said that she was very sick, gave me an antibiotic, and said it might work and might not.  

I made her drink water with a dropper, and she did eat some banana, but remained lethargic.  The next morning, she couldn't breath, and I think she had vomited and had it all in her mouth; her tongue was turning black.  Using the dropper, I suctioned her mouth and throat as well as I could, and her tongue returned to pink.  She still gasped, but not as badly.

I continued with the antibiotic and water, but didn't try to feed her again.  She held on all day, and into the middle of the next morning.  When I went to check on her, she had dried blood on her nose and paws.  Her body soon began to convulse and she died.

She didn't get any bad food, and she wasn't where anything could hurt her.  I have heard her sneeze over the last few months, but it was so random that I thought it must be dust or something.  Now, my other rat Lavender--who I separated immediately--is sneezing a little.

Do you have any idea what this was, and is Lavender in danger too?

Thank you.

Answer
Hello Mindy,
I am so sorry that your rat died. It sounds like the rat was having some serious medical problems and was probably too far into whatever disease that was ailing her that she just couldn't get better. If the vet gave you antibiotics to use than it probably was some type of bacterial infection. I would personally call the vet and ask the vet if you can use the rest of the antibiotics on the other rat if she is showing signs as well. Monitor her very closely and if the symptoms mimic what Lily had than take her to the vet immediently. I am so sorry that she passed away and in all honestly it sounds like she may have had some type of internal bleeding as well as lung problems if she is having such a hard time to breath. She may have had fluid in the lungs. That's what it sounds like to me to be perfectly honest.