excellent. Allergies or URI? - Pre-URI Inflamation!

[TheHermit]

My baby Lilly has a runny nose again. She's even in the room with the humidifier, which seemed to help for a couple days, but I just found her having a sneezing fit and cleaning her nose. I pick her up, hold her nearer to the light to get a better look and sure enough, there's some clear fluid there.
I've never had a rat with pneumonia or a URI except for myco, or I've always been so ignorant before that I didn't notice. I'm not sure what other symptoms should be present but she's... normal except for her nose.
She was wanting out for three hours while the boyfriend napped, so when he woke up and I let her out to free range in the room (she would've been crawling all over his face) that's when I noticed. She was VERY persistent about being let out, as usual, and was happy to bounce around the bed before stopping to sneeze a few times and wipe at her nose. That's when I checked her closely. I have been since she first got a runny nose last weekend, a few times a day at least, and her nose has been dry and nostrils clear since I moved her cage out of the bedroom. I do let her free range in the bedroom, and leave the door open while I supervise for maximum airflow, but her nose was runny before she was in there for just five minutes.
Other than her nose, she is bright, alert, active, ready to go and conquer the world - while pausing to sneeze and wipe her shnoze.
Again, I don't know what other symptoms come from pneumonia, but I doubt she'd be bouncing off walls if she was that sick. I tried to ratphone her but she was more interested in freeing herself and running around on the floor, so I'm not sure of what I heard in there.
Recent changes that may have triggered allergies:
Her cage is now beside the kitchen, which is a 'college kitchen' - there are neglected pots and pans from time to time and my roommate refuses, for some reason, and it drives me crazy, to rinse his dishes that are covered in food. Not proud, but it's the truth.
She was switched to Oxbow after a good 10 months of being on seed mixes (Lilly is approx. 11 months old and I don't know what she was fed at the mill...) about a week/two weeks ago (College makes dates a blur, I'm sorry)
I did give them rat salads today that included frozen fruits and veggies, which I mostly dethawed in the fridge, and I haven't done that before.
New heater.
New humidifier.

I don't know why, if she's sick, that she isn't showing some 'psychological' symptoms. I also have no way of knowing just what could be causing her to have allergies, if that's what it is. Obviously I need to take her to a vet to make sure she isn't sick, so hopefully my mum won't try to guilt-trip me into not taking her for some ignorant reason and just give me the part of my savings that I need for my baby. I'd rather not get the wee ones sick too! I JUST heard a little sneeze from their cage it was so teeny and squeaky! Hopefully the one in Mississauga that sees rats can take us tomorrow, or Tuesday evening...

edited cause I realized that I miscalculated her age >.<

 

[Aida]

Same thing with my Matilda. She was the same, except that she sneezed and sniffled, and slept a lot. She also didn't show any other symptoms. However, I did take her to a vet, and she had a respiratory infection, for which I got antibiotics. It's been a week, and she's healthy now. :]

Hope your baby gets better soon. D:

 

[hopefloats]

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=27365&p=378379&hilit=mally#p378379

There is a video with a rat with pneumonia....rats can sneeze often and it not be a big issue. When they are wet aor they have other symptoms. Then you worry. Any lung noise as well. If mine sneeze more than a few time in a short period I guess something is brewing. If they go away after a few days of meds then I know.

 

[TheHermit]

She makes very quiet popping noises, her squeaker is more intense all the sudden and she is sneezing quite a bit. I don't like this at all
Your baby looks like she feels pretty unwell in those videos I just made one of Lilly on my shoulder, then canvasing the bed and jumping into my laundry and exploring - very typical Lilly, and the camera doesn't pick up her noises, they're so quiet... Not sure if I should post it. When stressful times hit I seem oddly calm and somewhat cynical but that's just how I deal with things, with humor, and I don't want anyone thinking that I'm not taking this seriously.
I made it to show just how she's coping, which is so far, so good, but paranoid, worried mum-rat is paranoid and worried.
Well I guess with that, here it is, Lilly acting normal with her mum with the sniffles after symptoms were mostly dormant for a week:
[BBvideo 425,350:7zm9zj9b]http://s1124.photobucket.com/albums/l570/THCX/?action=view&current=Lilly.mp4[/BBvideo:7zm9zj9b]
Please if you didn't read anything before watching, know that my attitude is how I deal with stress, and I am not taking this lightly. Upon reviewing the video I realized I seem somehow jovial about all this...
On such short notice I'll have to find a good vet - I've only lived here for four months and haven't needed to call a vet yet. I know Dr. Munn would be reliable, I've never been there, but it would take an hour and fourty five minutes, at least, to get there by transit. I think I have a friend I may be able to ask to help out. I just heard negative things about the only vet in my area that lists rats as patients so I'm scared to go anywhere else now. :gaah: anic: :cry:

edited because I wanted to make clear WHY I made the video. and then why the video was edited, cause I just kept talking.. and then apologizing for being so dumb as to assume that the microphone would pick up her little noises while I was talking the whole time. >.< No good.

 

[TheHermit]

UGH Now I can't tell if I'm overreacting! I hate this!

 

[Fidget]

Ah,TheHermit, I feel for you. It all seems so easy here - take it to a vet- tho that's not always easy there monetarily or logistically. Most likely your kid needs antibiotics and that's a big layout at first with the vet visit cost, and a long trek in the winter too..... Have to talk to the vet about getting refills closer to you if necessary....but after that it's a small cost to just phone the vet and get med refills.
A good thing to know is that with multiple ratties it seems someone is always needing antibiotics, especially when they are old, and a vet legally has to see a kid to prescribe. In BC once you pay the exam fee and the med cost they can just re-prescribe over the phone for no cost (apart from the meds) for a year once you have that origional prescription. You need experience or guidance to know if one med can help another kid, but keep in mind if you have multiple kids, especially older ones, an emergency trip to the vet for antibiotics can cost a ton. Can't tell you how many times it's been night or weekend and my kid is in breathing distress, I need to start meds right away, fortunately I have them, so I just saved $200 at the emergency vet... That of course expects that you don't think Baytril cures everything. But having it on hand can get you & your kid thru a weekend til office hours, and maybe even be all the kid needs. If I KNOW kid B needs Baytil then I'll phone for a refill for kid A cause I can do that for another 9 months even tho they've passed away... So consider a huge cost & effort for 1 kid right now to be a downpayment on things being easier with other kids in future.

 

[TheHermit]

I considered that, especially since, if it is pneumonia, they've been out together recently and would probably have it too. I do have a ride there though, and have the funds if need be. I'm going to call now and hopefully they can take me today and I can get some peace of mind and help in getting my Lillerz back to full health... need to ask them what the minimum exam fee is too.

She's very upset that I've cleaned out her cage and removed her favourite tunnel... She's still alert and active today but seems distressed.

Edit: Appointment at 2 15!

 

[mamarat]

When my Cookie had pneumonia she was almost lethargic. Have you tried Benadryl for Lilley? It worked for allergies with some of mine. Good luck at the vet. Please keep us posted.

 

[TheHermit]

Just got back from the vet at Southdown! They are very, very friendly there and are a MAJOR step up from the last vet I dealt with.

So it turns out, her lungs are clear, and she has nothing in her nose, so somewhere between her lungs and her nose there is inflammation and a budding infection that is making it's way to her lungs - so I literally bit this one in the bud! Yay!
She was given an anti-inflammatory injection (they said it's impossible to give orally), which Lilly was such a trooper about - no noises of protest or struggling. I got doxycycline (100 mg), she gets .5 twice a day, and it's unflavored but the amount is so little I can mix a wee bit of juice in there and she should just suck it right back.

I am so happy I acted before it got really serious. The vet also said that it being this early, she's probably not contagious, so she can at least see her little friends (Waiting a while before playtime though, just in case).

And after such an adventure, meeting at least a dozen new people, having a car ride, meeting a cat for the first time in the waiting room and taking an injection like a champion, Lilly is very, very happy to be back in her 'castle' - and so tuckered out that she closed BOTH eyes while I rubbed the back of her head and behind her ears.

 

[*Rebel_Angel*]

Aww! Glad she's gonna be ok now!

 

[mamarat]

What a beautiful tired little girl.

 

[jorats]

That's really good that you caught it early!