EDIT: worrying headtilt update

[fenshae]

EDIT:
ok, so the vet put him on antibiotics (not baytril, but one for babies...can't remember the name, the label says "smz"? I think) twice a day for 10 days. He hasn't shown any sign of improvement at all and actually I think the tilt might be getting worse.

What's strange is that he still isn't showing any *other* classic headtilt signs. His balance is still perfect, he isn't circling, isn't rolling, nothing. He can still climb the cage bars and hang upside down from the ceiling bars. He can sit up on his haunches and hold food in his paws. But when he walks, his head is tilted so severely that his ear is almost parallel with the floor. The vet didn't see any signs of infection or swelling in his ear canal, either.

Any other ideas of what could possibly be causing this? I'm wondering if he has some sort of muscular or joint problem actually and if it's not related to his equilibrium at all.

Also, I still have the baytril that was prescribed for Ripper. Should I switch him over to that instead?

Gah, this is so WEIRD.

 

[lilspaz68]

With head tilt/inner ear infection all the normal "rules" don't apply. This warrants steroids and baytril etc.

I took in wee Goliath who was very sick...I started with zithromax then very quickly added baytril AND dexamethasone...it saved his life.

With a mild URI or illness you can go the soft route, with pediatric friendly meds, but if there's a real problem (inner ear infection, bad URI, etc) then you go hard core.

 

[fenshae]

ok, cool...so the more aggressive drugs won't do more harm than good? That's a relief. I'll call the vet on my lunch and get us in asap.

This is NOT my ratty year.

 

[fenshae]

Well, I've got a vet appointment, but I have to say, Wesley is baffling me. His head is rather stubbornly tilted, but none of his coordination seems to be affected. When Sweeney got his ear infection, he would roll if you set him down on the ground...he would run around in circles...he would bob and wave and walk like a drunk guy. Wesley is still scampering around, darting and leaping and climbing and frolicking, apparently totally, blissfully unaffected. I can roll him over onto his back and he's totally calm with it for a few seconds, before tail-flinging and attempting to wriggle himself straight again just like normal (if I lay Sweeney on his back, even now, he flails and thrashes like a shark out of the water and looks thoroughly freaked out.

Weird ratties.

Tilty head:

(see the one recessed eye?)

 

[Fidget]

I'd guess Chlorpalm might be a good first try for that but of course it's up to the vet. Sweeney sounds more like an average inner ear infection.
I hope Wesley gets fixed up and has no permanent sad cuteness of that type

 

[fenshae]

I'll see if I can get some video of him to show how really strange his symptoms are presenting....the boy has me baffled.

 

[jorats]

All rats react differently to their tilts. I've had some that did the rolling while others nothing more than a heat tilt, no problems walking or climbing.

Baytril is not a med to be avoided for babies. The only problem was cartilage issues in puppies.

How's your boy doing now any changes in the tilt, he might be like that forever and it's good that it doesn't seem to affect him in any other way.

 

[Godmother]

Is the recessed eye usual with ear infections? I hope he is OK.

 

[mamarat]

The rat guide says it is a symptom of ear infection.
http://ratguide.com/health/auricle_ear/ ... thitis.php

 

[fenshae]

Running out of the meds he was put on originally, and no change -- positive or negative. he's just as spastic, and just as headl-tilty, as he was to begin with. *headscratch*

I'm considering starting him on Baytril to see if that has any other effect.

Maybe he'll like it better, too. *grumble* I've never had a rat that was so hard to medicate. He won't take food from me and won't lick off of a spoon so I have to force-feed with the syringe, and my hands are pretty much shredded from tiny little scrambling rat claws XD