Urgent: Pet Rat Having Severe Breathing Issues

Question
My pet rat is a little over 2 years old.  Over the past few weeks he has developed severe respiratory problems. He always had general sneezing and a bit of discharge from his nose (since the day I bought him).  However, a few weeks ago, he started shaking his head really quickly (almost like a dog after a bath).  Then, one day, I found him breathing in a labored manner, alternating between barely getting air through his nose and gasping through his mouth.  These attacks have gotten longer in duration. When he has an attack, he goes into a panic and runs frantically around the room, frequently urinates and begins to go limp in my hands.  He will eventually sneeze hard enough to begin normal breathing, but usually he relapses into another attack. These attack episodes can go on for hours. I consulted one vet who put him on Tetracycline, but that did not seem to help.  I took him to another vet and he told me "People shouldn't get attached to pet rats because they don't live long enough" and that "two years is about as long as a rat will live and this is a hopeless situation" (!). I can't accept that advice! I should emphasize that I LOVE my rat dearly (he is my best friend) and that inbetween attacks he seems almost perfectly fine.  Do you have any idea what is going on?  Thank you so much for your help.

Answer
Hi Laura
It sounds like your poor little guy is going through a few issues. He's getting older, (about 75 in rat years), and you have a crappy vet! He may have myco, which is very common, if not too common, or even an upper respiratory infection. Without seeing him, I can't tell you for sure, but it sounds like the usual symptoms.

I have had rats survive up to 5 years even through asthma. I recommend you find a vet that specializes in Exotics. If you can't, call the SPCA and see who they recommend, or visit RMCA.org and see if someone in your area can recommend someone.

Secondly, an older rat will do well with subcutaneous fluids, a shot of cortisone, and baytril. If your doctor wants to add a secondary sulfa based med, after the first few days, then fine, but Doxy should be the second course before Tetracycline.

If you can, you can use a humidifier around your boy, with a little tea tree oil or camphor oil in the steam. DO NOT use eucalyptus..it is an oil that coats lungs and causes rats death. Ferret Remedy, available online, or at pet stores, is a great additive to humidifiers, or just sprinkled in cages every couple of days.

If he is gasping, you can ask your vet to keep him in oxygen overnight, along with the cortisone treatments, fluids, and antibiotics. It will greatly improve his lung strength. If you can find a good vet who is willing to put him on prednisone, that's a great way to increase his lung ability.

Hang in there, Laura. I know how scary it is when the sweet hearts start showing their age. I hope he does better soon. You are doing the right things. Keep showing him your love, and he'll try his best to survive the worst of it.

Cathe