Did Charlie have a stroke, and could he still die?

[Squid]

My pet rat Charlie is sick or something, and I can't go to a vet.

I went on a 2 1/2 day weekend vacation in Chicago, leaving Charlie and his 5 kids with my mom.
On Saturday, my mom called saying Charlie looked a bit off, and wobbled when he walked. I came home Monday morning
to find him puffed up and in the corner, and when I picked him up it felt like he had a fever, and he wasn't squirming like he usually does.

I put him in a box with a towel covered ice pack and a blanket and fed him a bit of cream cheese, broccoli, and some water.
He has gotten better, but somethings still wrong with him. He loses balance when he walks, he can't hold his head still (he twitches it and shakes it when he holds it up) and he can't drink by himself. Before this, his usual self was the kind of rat that never wants to be out of his cage (because he was hardly handled when he was young), he also never liked to be picked up or sit on my desk, which most of the other rats do on their own.

Now, he doesn't respond to noises, squirm when held, and loves to be petted.
He's about 11 months, he's had 10 kids, and he hasn't showed any symptoms of this at all, I'm thinking its a stroke, maybe it could be PT but he can function as far as eating, moving, and cleaning himself, and he seems to be getting better as far as moving. Basically he's a mentally challenged rat.

Does anyone have any idea what this might be, or what to do, or how to make him more comfortable? The other rats don't even pay attention to him when I put him in the cage to visit. I think he's lonely
Before:

After:

 

[Scythe]

To me, it sounds like an Inner Ear Infection, just going off of what I experienced with Alphonse.

With Alphonse, I was in the room with him one minute, came back half an hour later and he was puffed up, hiding in his house... When I finally coaxed him out, he was wobbling, he held his head tilted to one side, he couldn't climb the stairs in the cage anymore, etc. And the loves to be petted thing -- Al was like that, too. He never cared for it before, then when he had the infection he would sit in my lap for hours on ends just being pet.

A good page to look at for a stroke: http://ratguide.com/health/neurological/stroke.php
And an inner ear infection: http://ratguide.com/health/auricle_ear/ ... thitis.php
To compare.

A stroke is, if caught early, possible to bounce back from with steroids, etc. I've even heard of some rats that do eventually bounce back(if not completely 100%) without. If he's doing better now, I would think he likely wont pass, he'll just be a bit of a special needs rat if it actually was a stroke.

Edit: 11 months old, I think someone told me, is very, very young for a stroke(Unless I'm remembering wrong). So I am more inclined to think it's something else, to be honest... I thought Alphonse had a stroke too when he had his ear infection, haha.

 

[jorats]

I would probably go with ear infection as well because of his age but it's not unheard of having a stroke that young. He really really needs a vet and antibiotics.
Keep him warm and well hydrated.

 

[Rachael]

My girl Gwen had a stroke at 6 - 7 months but i think that was very unusual and would agree with Scythe and Jo.

 

[Squid]

I checked both his ears thoroughly, I didn't see anything and he isn't scratching it. However, he doesn't respond to loud noises like the rest of the rats do. He's still doing better, he became a little more aware of his surroundings and realized he's not in his cage, which made him freak out for a few minutes and attempt to get out of his box, but he' fine now. The thing that i don't understand is that he doesn't tilt his head at all, he just can't keep his balance and can't keep his head up when he tilts it up. I'll keep looking at his ears to see if there's anything wrong. He seems happier today, he even wanted to play for a bit.

Thanks

 

[minnow]

An inner ear infection (which would affect balance) is *never* visible from an external exam - all we get are symptoms related to imbalance issues. It's possible for both ears to be infected at the same time, in which case there would be no tilt but still balance problems. The only effective treatment for symptoms like these is antibiotics (often Baytril plus doxycycline) along with an anti-inflammatory (Metacam or a steroid). The only reliable way to get these meds is from a vet. Please, even if you have to borrow money, get your rat to a vet.

 

[Joanne]

I concur! Antibiotics and anti-inflammatories are in order.

 

[Squid]

So on Saturday, red/brown fluid was leaking from his eyes and his nose, and he didn't look comfortable. Sunday he looked so weak that I thought he was gunna die, so I took him to the vet and got him eye drops and antibiotics. They said it wasn't anything serious but it could be, but they can't find out unless they do an MRI and hospitalize him to monitor him. I said no because it costs about $600-800. I gave him the eye drops and antibiotics twice day. He seems much happier and is eating more, but his coordination hasn't changed much, other than he doesn't shake his head so much. Also, his eyes and his nose have cleared up.

I'm still worried because now he likes to sit on top of his blanket with his head pointed down, and he squeaks when I touch his nose or in between his eyes. I can't believe I spent $200 on a rat, but i loves him so much>.<

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

What antibiotics is he on?

 

[lj]

We've all spent money on our rats. It's something we need to do as pet owners. It doesn't matter what their size is, they all need to be seen when they are sick.

What did your vet give him?

 

[Squid]

She said it was most likely an infection in his sinuses, so she gave me antibiotics and eye drops to help clear it up.
He's doing alot better today, it really helped him.:]

 

[mamarat]

:joy: That's great!

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

What is the name of the antibiotic the vet gave you?

 

[Squid]

Well...Charlie died an hour ago, he had this really bizarre death scene in which he coughed, tried to scratch himself with both feet at the same time, and his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. The whole description is at : ossumpossum.deviantart.com/#/d2rgvb4 , because I don't feel like writing it again or making another horrid wall of text.

I really don't understand, he was fine today D:

 

[mamarat]

I am so sorry.

 

[M0onkist]

I'm so sorry - I went through almost the exact same thing as Princess, though she had head tilt. I'm fairly sure she died shortly after I put her back into her infirmary cage (signs I realized in retrospect were there).

I know you must feel a gaping maw in your heart - I still have one for Princess, though she passed over a year and a half ago. But gradually, very gradually, the pain recedes, leaving the glitter of good memories, like precious stones.