Gloria is not doing good

[lindsayfawn]

I don't know what happened but last night before I left for work Gloria looked horrible. She was puffed up, not moving very limp and has very bad orange diarrhea. She's the same this morning and her sides are sunken in. I gave her some metacam that I had but that doesn't seem to be working...I think she's dying. I just don't understand why, she was fine the other day...and today she just lays in my lap and doesn't move.
She won't take any other meds or ensure from me. She'll drink some from a water bottle but then just lays down and doesn't move. She's a little cool to the touch .....she looks like Templeton did before she died.
I just don't know if I should let her go on her own or if I should take her to the vet as an emergency? Sucks...she's my first rat...I hate seeing her like this. She is 2 and a half years old but she was never sick a day in her life.
*sighs* seems like they're all going at the same time...Raina goes in on monday to be put down because he tumor is just too large and willow goes in to see what's wrong with her because she's not well either....it blows.

 

[jorats]

Could she have ingested something?

 

[lindsayfawn]

no i don't think so, they have had all the normal things in their cage and all the regular food they always have. There's nothing new in there that could have made her sick. I called the vet and there's one on call but it's over 100 bucks which I just don't have right now. So stupid, how can vets charge so damn much, there should be medicare for animals like people.

 

[jorats]

I can't see what a vet could do besides prescribe baytril in case it's some type of internal infection.

 

[Dahlas]

Oh I am so sorry....It is so hard to lose them but even harder when you lose a few at the same time...... :hugs:

 

[mamarat]

:hugs:

 

[lindsayfawn]

Well the vet thinks gloria has a kidney problem, she was extremely dehydrated so I've been had feeding her water, baby food and ensure for the past week or so. She's better then she was, she's moving around at least but she's not like her old self. The way she moves around reminds me of a new born puppy how they're not sure of the weight of their head and body. She's on baytril to help clear any infection if that might be what she has in the kidneys, but the doctor said that this will just help her be comfortable it won't cure her...so that sucks. At least her sides aren't sunken in anymore...it's just weird how it just came on suddenly, litterly one day she was fine and the next she was on her death bed.
Just have to keep a close eye on her and hope she can live out her life on her own...I really don't want to have to put her down.

 

[mamarat]

Aww your poor girl, but at 2 and half years old my vet said they develop old age diseases like that. And it seems to hit them so fast then. :hugs:

 

[SQ]

I'm glad she is feeling a bit better and I hope she has more quality time to enjoy life.
If she starts suffering, you may want to consider having her humanely pts by a vet as you hold her in your arms.
I have had to do that quite a few times, it is so very hard but sometimes it is the best you can do for them.

 

[lindsayfawn]

Gloria's tummy feels very strange...it's hard feeling. Could this be due to the kidney issues? I'm just wondering if maybe she's having pooping problems? She was having extreme diarrhea and now her poops are hard. Her body just looks very different and her tummy drupes really bad now, she was never like that before. Have any of you had a rat go through something like this?

 

[user 78]

I'm not entirely certain why the vet thought it was a kidney problem? Diarrhea severely dehydrates the body, and the body loses alot of electrolytes while it's happening. So if that's his basis for the diagnosis, I'm sort of confused. Is she still drinking water? Did the vet offer to give her SubQ's or give you supplies and show you how to do it at home?

Are her poops dry and hard? Like crumbly? She may be dehydrated again, which in turn would cause some constipation. That may be why her stomach is so firm. Do the Pinch Test on her, and see how quickly her skin snaps back. If you're having difficulty telling, compare it with another rat. If it stays tented, she's dehydrated and needs fluids.

My only other guess would be an internal mass, and while some vets are good enough to be able to feel it, some will have to do x rays and such to find out.

 

[benzin.fox]

i'm not an expert but the orange poop could be carrot. i know whenever my girls have it there is always a pile of orangey poop in their poop tray!

-but if they havent had any i dontknow!

my audrey ratburn had the sunken in sides and floppyness yesterday she'll be two in january but has been sick all her life. The vet said all i could do was keep her comfortable as well,baytril seems to be helping. they also said she'll never be cured and it will mostly likely end up taking her life.

It sucks,she was my first rat too. She has different symptoms to yours as well.none of my girls have had the same belly symptoms your poor girl has so i can't help with that.

When Audrey gets weak and floppy and wont eat or hardly drink a bit of pineapple juice in a syringe seems to give her a bit of energy back. It always seems to get her going and eating again (that and the baytril/doxy)

goodluck i hope everything is ok for you

i guess i just replied because im going through the same thing and it's OUCH!

 

[jorats]

Mamarat's Ben had kidney disease, he didn't have diarrhea, his poops were small and dark. He pretty much stopped eating but drank so much water, he would lay down on the water dish. But... our vet was treating him for infection because he showed similar symptoms, lethargy and porphyrin. Ben was put down because he was in extreme pain. A postmortem revealed he in fact had kidney disease and so we then realized the Baytril was a terrible thing to give him because his kidneys already damage couldn't process the meds.
His stomach was not hard, it felt normal. With kidney disease your sweetie could be retaining water.

 

[lindsayfawn]

The vet thinks she had kidney problems because when she squeezed Gloria a little her pee was different or something. The vet has her on Baytril two times a day. She is drinking a lot and I've been trying to give her pedia light and water by syringe for a while but she stopped taking it so we had it put in one of the water bottles and she drank it that way. Her poops are hard not crumbly, her tummy feels so different from the other girls. She's never felt like this before.
Sorry wish I could explain it better

 

[user 78]

If she's still drinking, it's probably not a dehydration issue. Like I said, my only other guess is an internal mass.

 

[mamarat]

How's little Gloria doing?

 

[lindsayfawn]

She hasn't changed much. She's drinking and eating but she just lays in one spot all day She'll some times come up to the door to great me but not very often. That hardness in her tummy I'm pretty sure you're right about being an internal mass. It feels like a tumor or something. Strange that I never felt that before though till all this stuff started to happen with her.
I dunno what to do...If I should just let her go on her own or take her to the vet. I get physically sick just thinking of having to do that. *sighs* sucks

 

[mamarat]

I'm so sorry. You can usually tell if they're ready to go by the look in their eyes. :hugs:

 

[user 78]

Why not take her in to the vet and see if they can feel out what it might be? They might be able to give you some more information, or atleast go over your options with you.

If she really doesn't seem happy and isn't getting quality of life, I would strongly suggest having her pts if the vet can't give you a better diagnosis. There are some conditions where letting them pass at home would be seen as okay, but I personally don't think it would be comfortable for either of you in this situation. Helping them cross is very difficult for all of us, but it truly is the greatest gift we can give them when they really need us the most.

 

[jorats]

Be strong for your sweetie... and do what your gut tells you. :cuddle: