Ear Infection

[Whipple]

Ok, so i was informed that my rat likely has an ear infection, and that's why his head is tilting. I realize at my next statement you are likely to start throwing stones and chasing me with pitchforks but here I go.

I cannot afford to take him to a vet. The fee just too see a vet without anything being done is far out of my price range. Keep in mind that this rat was supposed to be a feeder and I ended up keeping him when his.....almost eater went to a new home, due to the affording stuff issue. As it seems nobody wants a biting rat that has never been handled. Go figure.
Anyhow, I don't want the poor guy to suffer. So what do I do? I am lost. I want to do the right thing, but I am seriously broke at the moment. I have been job searching for over a month and have found nothing. My savings are for rent next month, just in case a job does not appear.

Can anyone help?

 

[lilangel]

The fee just too see a vet without anything being done is far out of my price range

something would be done if your rat has head tilt, head tilt could mean ear infection or pituitary tumor. only your vet will be able to help him with this and the rat needs meds.

i also have two feeder rats that were for snake food got them when they were about a week old and raised them and all, one of them also got head tilt and has been treated by the vet for it but like with head tilt sometimes the tilt stays.

from rat health guide:

Q. HEAD TILT

My rat’s head is tilted to one side and she’s having a hard time walking. She falls over sometimes and can’t get her balance back. What could be wrong with her?

A.

Her condition, commonly referred to as "wry neck" could be caused by a number of things, but the most likely cause is an inner ear infection. She will need to be seen by your vet to determine whether or not her eardrum is still intact and to decide upon the proper course of treatment. If the cause is an infection, she definitely will need to be treated with antibiotics from your vet, but he may also prescribe an ear drop which contains both a topical antibiotic and an anti-inflammatory drug.

In most cases with this treatment, it only takes a few days for a rat to get its balance back, but the treatment must be continued for at least one to two weeks.

Another possible cause of head tilt can be a pituitary tumor, which is more common in older female rats, but can be seen in younger rats and even in male rats. There is no treatment for this condition that will cure it, however, anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Prednisone or Dexamethasone, may reduce the swelling slightly and prolong the life of the rat for a short time. Spaying female rats is said to reduce the risk of pituitary tumors, but it is still no guarantee.

A stroke is another possibility. Again, it would be more common in older rats, but it’s not impossible for a younger rat to have a stroke. Anti- inflammatory drugs may help in this situation, too, but for the most part, only time will tell if the damage is permanent or not. In many cases, a full recovery from a stroke can be made in a short period of time (a few days to a week).

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/qna2_98.htm

 

[jorats]

My mom's House had a head tilt when he was young but his mom at the time didn't bring him to a vet. He remained tilty and doesn't seem to have any problems today.
Of course it's best to see a vet... it always is. And hopefully you'll get yourself a vet fund because we all know, no matter if it's a feeder rat, they still need vet care.

 

[Whipple]

What's a vet fund?

 

[jorats]

A savings. :wink2:

 

[SQ]

What's a vet fund?

It is when you save money for vet bills and other medical expenses.

Your rat needs antibiotics immediately.
An anti inflammatory such as prednisone is also important to reduce swelling in order to reduce permanent damage.
As the infection progresses, your rattie will start to circle, develop difficultly being able to eat, difficultly in moving around due to a lack of balance and eventually death (or so I have read).
Rats I have had experience with re. head tilt only reached the circling stage. Gus had head tilt and it was not treated early and aggressively. I took him in and treated him ... his inner ear infection is gone but he does have permanent damage.

Try to borrow an antibiotic such as baytril, money to get antibiotics or try to find someone who will give him a good home with medical care.

 

[Whipple]

If anyone can give him a home, yay. But I cannot afford a vet fund. My savings is going into rent right now.
I will look into Baytril. How much do I give him if I get it?

 

[jorats]

I've never heard of a rat die from inner ear infection.

 

[SQ]

I read it somewhere ...
I think death occurs because of the eventual loss of the ability to eat.
I would imagine it is also incredibly painful .... my nephew had an ear infection and the pain was unbearable ...
The rattie needs an antibiotic to fight the infection and an anti inflammatory to reduce the swelling in order to decrease the pain and permanent damage.

 

[lilspaz68]

Where do you live Whipple?

 

[ryelle]

I would imagine it is also incredibly painful .... my nephew had an ear infection and the pain was unbearable ...

I had an inner ear infection a couple of weeks back and i had to stay inside for a week because i had no balance at all. i would suddenly fall over if i was stood upright. The lack of balance makes you nauseus and i was sick so bad. There is also the headaches, which moves down in to your jaw.


I think he needs out. If you plan on keeping pets, then you should never get to the point where you cant afford to care for them. They are your responsibility and should be top priority (or atleast thats the way i see it). I have been unemployed for 9 months now and i still manage to give my pets vet care, top quality food, top quality litter and bedding, everything they need. I will never let my mistakes or circumstances affect their lives - my problems are my problems, not theirs

 

[Whipple]

You know what, if you want to get on my case about the rat, he was a feeder. I was going to use him as a feeder. So if you keep bitching I will sell him as a feeder. Im quite sick of getting this. Next time I will be sure not to mention it and let the animal suffer. :gaah:

 

[SQ]

Given what you just wrote ... that you are a snake owner that uses rats as feeders, this rat rescue forum is likely not the best fit for you.
"feeder rats" are no different then other rats ... You have been a member of this forum for awhile so I am sure you realise that people on this forum put a high value on the lives and the quality of the lives of all rats.

I am sure that someone on this forum would be glad to take him off your hands and get him the medical care he needs. I would gladly take him but live several provinces away so can not.

 

[Whipple]

I'm not a snake owner.
You are right. This is probably not the right forum. Considering I own pet rats. I'll just go to a snake forum. Where they will tell me to use a tiny cage and pine shavings and feed this rat to whatever I can or smash his head or poison him because he isnt worth keeping alive.
I dont want to be bitched at. I just wanted help. So if nobody is going to help, and I am not meeting anyone in person since I do not want to meet a rat nazi who will bitch me out, then thanks but no thanks. You can consider Yogurt good as dead. I'll let you guess how this will end.

 

[ryelle]

You know what, if you want to get on my case about the rat, he was a feeder. I was going to use him as a feeder. So if you keep bitching I will sell him as a feeder. Im quite sick of getting this. Next time I will be sure not to mention it and let the animal suffer. :gaah:

Grow up. Using emotional blackmail to keep everyone on your side doesn't work.

Take 5 minutes out, sort out with someone on here where the rat can go, or let them sort it out and someone pick him up, and then you can go on being as irresponsible as ever.

What do you expect when you say: i have a rat who is sick but in no way is he ever going to be able to see a vet while he is with me, so basically i am going to make him suffer?
You would hear exactly the same thing being said to someone that say, has owned rats for 20years and actually tries to care for them, so dont take it personally

 

[lilspaz68]

If anyone can give him a home, yay. But I cannot afford a vet fund. My savings is going into rent right now.
I will look into Baytril. How much do I give him if I get it?

I will take him. :heart: I have dexamethasone (steroid to reduce the inflammation, relieving the pressure can help the dizzies, and nausea) and baytril/doxy/zithromax here to treat him, and have ALWAYS wanted a PEW boy, biter or not...I seem to do well with biters these days hehehe.

Any way to get him from Brampton to Toronto?

 

[lilspaz68]

I've never heard of a rat die from inner ear infection.

I have :sad3:

 

[ryelle]

Lilspaz68 is becoming quite renowned in the world of biting ratties ^^

 

[SQ]

I'm not a snake owner.
You are right. This is probably not the right forum. Considering I own pet rats. I'll just go to a snake forum. Where they will tell me to use a tiny cage and pine shavings and feed this rat to whatever I can or smash his head or poison him because he isnt worth keeping alive.
I dont want to be bitched at. I just wanted help. So if nobody is going to help, and I am not meeting anyone in person since I do not want to meet a rat nazi who will b***h me out, then thanks but no thanks. You can consider Yogurt good as dead. I'll let you guess how this will end.

I apologize for my incorrect assumption.
It was based on what you wrote and I am sorry that I came to the wrong conclusion.
I certainly hope that you reconsider your decision.

 

[Whipple]

Sorry but I will not meet with anyone off this forum due to how ryelle responded. I am not going to deal with some rat nazi who is going to attack me. Sorry if I put my children above f-ing animals.
Ryelle, if you have nothing nice to say dont say anything. Its not my fault you have too much time on your hands and have an attitude issue.

Thank you SQ and lilspaz but I can not chance meeting someone and ending up being yelled at because I would rather pay rent then pay a fortune to overcharging vets to fix a biting rat.

Tell me, next time should I just use the rat as a feeder? I now wish I had, if I had any idea this is the response I would've got then its not worth it.

I was not planning on keeping rats. So what should I have done? I could've taken it back to the pet store. I couldve just went ahead and used him as a feeder and just not looked and turn up the music. Ignorance is bliss huh?