5 week old with ear infection, antibiotics are not helping

[SWtrio]

I recently adopted three sisters together. All of them are 4-5 weeks old (my best guess). Very small still. I didn't realize that one of them was sick until I brought her home.

Day 1 she couldn't even sit up. She would just endlessly roll over and flop on her sides. I found out that my family vet I always went to moved and the vet that took over doesn't treat rats. So fast forward to taking her two hours away to another vet that would see her and a huge bill later, she was prescribed amoxicillin. 0.3 ML a day, twice a day. I was also told that infant ibuprofen would help her.

I've owned 13 rats in the past and never had an ear infection.

She can now sit up and balance on her back feet, grab and hold food just fine to eat but as soon as she tries to walk, she bucks her head (almost like she has fluid in her ears shes trying to clear or is very dizzy) and circles endlessly.

Aside from sitting up, balancing better and eating fine, her circling hasn't improved at all. It's very distressing.

Last night, she almost died. (I believe it was unrelated to her ear infection) She started gasping, I took her to the bathroom and made it very steamy. She sneezed a lot and seemed to clear whatever it was that was causing her RD.

I can't afford another vet visit (I've exhausted all of my funds on every possible thing to make her comfortable) until I get paid and I don't get paid again until the end of next week so I have very limited funds to continue trying to find something this week.

Has anyone had experience with OTC or at home ear flushes? Or using grapeseed extract by mouth?

Any treatment or anything that I could buy to help comfort her?

How long does it take to see improvement with amox? It's been four days.

Her sisters miss her but I'm afraid because they want to play roughly with her and she is not in the best shape right now. Her eyes are bright and clear, her lungs are clear. She seems healthy apart from the sneezing and circling.

 

[SQ]

What is her weight? The strength of the amoxi (mg/ml)?

Do you have access to other antibiotics such as azithromycin - an antibiotic for human babies
or baytril ? If she is having a myco flareup then she needs another antibiotic added to the amoxi

Why is she separated from her sisters? Sick rats normally stay with their cage mates as being separated is very stressful and can make them more ill.
A low box as a house will help as she needs to feel something over her to help her know where up and down are.
Make sure she is getting lots to eat and stays well hydrated.

She also needs an anti inflammatory for the ear infection such as Metacam - to help prevent further permanent damage
I message Lilspaz68 and hopefully she will soon reply

http://ratguide.com/health/auricle_ear/otitis_media_otitis_interna_labyrinthitis.php
http://ratguide.com/health/bacteria/mycoplasma_mycoplasmosis.php

 

[SWtrio]

She's a little over an ounce in weight. The amoxi is 250 mg capsules. I was told to mix one capsule in 7.5 ML of whatever flavoring she would take and then give her 0.3 ML twice a day.

I don't. Not until I go back to the vet! I do have prednisone and doxycycline from a recent time that my other rat was sick (she passed away before they could be taken from CHF)

Is it possible to use either of those with her current treatment? Is there any way to get baytril or metacam OTC? I'm so desperate to get her relief fast and I know that every day counts.

I let her have supervised time with them but I let her with them last night and they just seemed so rough with her. She would cry/squeak very loud when they would groom her and I wasn't sure if she was sore/in pain or just whining from the rough grooming.

I work from home so she gets around the clock care!

Do you think it's best for her to still be with her sisters even if they rough groom her? She really freaks out when she tries to walk and ends up circling/bumping into things all over the cage.

If it won't affect her much to bump into things and be roughly groomed, I'll happily put her back with them. I don't want her to suffer from a lack of socialization with her sisters!

 

[ViciousCurse]

I'd just like to intervene quickly-- a lot of antibiotics (humans and pets) and the flea and tick used for rats (Kitten Revolution) are prescription only in the US. I'm not sure about what is and isn't prescription in Canada, but Americans usually can't get such things without going through a vet. I recently had to call around to vets until some would prescribe some Revolution to my rats. Some vets will give you antibiotics/Revolution without seeing the animal, but some require to see and then dose the animal themselves. Most vets won't write a prescription for you to buy online stuff unless they see the animal either. Just be warned.

EDIT: A vet told me that if I were to buy Revolution from Walmart or Chewy online, I may actually not be getting the product from the company that makes Revolution. And, if I were to buy Revolution off of a website (without a prescription), I'd be breaking federal law.

 

[SQ]

You may be right re being with her sisters if thy are too rough but good that she is spending some time with them.
Doxy is good for mild uris but is not baby friendly …. but if she needs it then
Lilspaz68 can tell you which antibiotics and where to order in the USA.
She can also help re dose

What is the strength of the doxy ? capsules?
What is the strength of the pred? Liquid?

 

[SWtrio]

I'd just like to intervene quickly-- a lot of antibiotics (humans and pets) and the flea and tick used for rats (Kitten Revolution) are prescription only in the US. I'm not sure about what is and isn't prescription in Canada, but Americans usually can't get such things without going through a vet. I recently had to call around to vets until some would prescribe some Revolution to my rats. Some vets will give you antibiotics/Revolution without seeing the animal, but some require to see and then dose the animal themselves. Most vets won't write a prescription for you to buy online stuff unless they see the animal either. Just be warned.

EDIT: A vet told me that if I were to buy Revolution from Walmart or Chewy online, I may actually not be getting the product from the company that makes Revolution. And, if I were to buy Revolution off of a website (without a prescription), I'd be breaking federal law.

I appreciate the advice. I know that a lot of antibiotics and medication is prescription only. I'm in the US. I had a family vet I always went to and I was able to get revolution (the two times I ever needed it) without being seen ONLY because I had been taking my rats there for years. But revolution is not what I need. My rat doesn't have an issue with parasites/pests. I was hoping to find something OTC that could give her some relief.

You may be right re being with her sisters if thy are too rough but good that she is spending some time with them.
Doxy is good for mild uris but is not baby friendly …. but if she needs it then
Lilspaz68 can tell you which antibiotics and where to order in the USA.
She can also help re dose

What is the strength of the doxy ? capsules?
What is the strength of the pred? Liquid?

I just monitor her closely. They're not trying to hurt her, no signs of aggression. Just very rough grooming and I suspect she's sore because of her cries when they tried to groom her ears. They're almost frantic about cleaning her and she just doesn't have the strength for it. So monitoring it is!

Doxy was suggested if amox didn't help but the vet wanted to try amox first given her size/age.
The doxy I have on hand (I believe!) are 100mg. I'll check the bottle as soon as I get home.
I have both 20mg and 10mg prednisone in tablet form. (Different vets prescribed different amounts)

Where she's so young, I'm afraid of harming her.

CURRENT UPDATE: She seems to be scooting backward straight and taking a few steps forward straight but is still circling bad. But that much has improved. Before, she couldn't sit up at all, only rolling and flopping on her side. She's also refusing the amox completely now. It's a nightmare every time it's time to give it to her. I've tried babyfood, strawberry syrup, cream of wheat, even mashed sweet potatoes. Anything to mask the flavor. No luck =| She'll try the new disguise once and then next medicine time, she'll reject it.

I've also started giving her infant ibuprofen, just a drop with each dose of antibiotic. It's seemed to help her be at ease.

 

[SQ]

information on dose etc re ibuprofen http://ratguide.com/meds/nsaids/ibuprofen.php It is good for inflammation and do not use prednisone with it.

I believe that azithromycin is effective against the same things as doxy, but azithromycin is an antibiotic that is safe for babies. I buy it at the pharmacy by prescription from my vet and divide the powder in half and only mix up half at one time because once mixed it is only good for 10 days.

Keep trying with the meds
https://www.ratshackforum.com/threads/video-of-how-i-syringe-meds-into-my-rats.19819/

 

[lilspaz68]

First things first, can you get us a video of her moving around, and eating something in her paws so we can see how bad she is.
You CAN order a lot of antibiotics online in the US. I suggest getting Enrofloxacin 10% from Ladygouldianfinch ASAP. Forget pediatric friendly antibiotics as her situation is very severe. If you have q-tips you can gently insert them into her ears and see if they get covered in foul smelling ****.
You said she was an ounce in weight?
I can work out mixing and doses for both your doxycycline and your prednisone. I'll work it out and post again.

 

[lilspaz68]

Ok you need to double-check her weight as 1 oz = 28 grams which can't be right for a 5 week old baby