Gusto's eye injury

[jorats]

:cheer: Go Gusto!!! :cheer:

 

[Fidget]

How's he doing now?

 

[Dahlas]

I hope Gusto is doing great!!

 

[ratsby]

Hi everyone, thanks for asking. Gusto is doing well. The stitches come out early next week. He seems to be adjusting. He has kept his voracious appetite and his affection for destroying cardboard boxes. Today is day 10 post-op. He is active, using his wheel and just being Gusto. He is still on Baytril for a few more days, but has been off Meloxicam for about 3 days. I think he is having a little trouble adjusting to one-eyed vision...he seems to trip/get his feet caught on the side that lost the eye. He walks sideways with his good eye facing forward so it almost looks like a head tilt, but since rats don't have fantastic vision to begin with I am hoping this is just his own way of adjusting. I have seen him fall off the ramp in his cage and try and turn around to see and get stuck or even falling over. I feel really bad for him. Has anyone else experienced this? Or could it be a side effect of the Baytril?

His appetite is good and he still loves his time out on the couch, I just hope the balance problems aren't a sign of bigger issues. Should I consider moving him into a one-level cage?

Here is a pic of Gusto that I took yesterday while he was enjoying "tube time":



Thanks everyone for all your help/support through my horrible rattie events of the last few weeks! I am happy with the way everything turned out so far. This is a great community, appreciated all the more since all of my friends/coworkers think I am crazy for having pet rats. :wink2:

 

[Joanne]

It's hard to say if his balance problems are a sign of a different problem, or just acclimatization. I would probably watch him for a while to see if it improves. If it's just him getting used to not having that eye, then it should get better and better. I would be careful not to rearrange his cage at this time so you can get a good reading. Just make sure that he can't fall a long distance - careful placement of hammocks, etc to catch him if he does fall. It sounds good that he's eating and playing normally.
Remember that humans have eyes on the front of our head, so when we lose one eye, we can still see fairly well in front of us. Rats' eyes are on the side of their head (better for prey animals), so he has one whole side that he can't see anymore. I would think it is more of an adjustment for them than us.

 

[ratsby]

I am a little more concerned today. He is still in good spirits, but when he comes to the front of the cage he rests his leftside of the head (blind side) on the bars of the cage. If he tries to stand up on his hind legs he falls over. He was on the wheel for a bit, but any time he walks on the ramp he stumbles. I brought him out on the couch this afternoon and he falls, flipping upside down. He is also "squatting" when he eats. He is still taking the Baytril, but seems to have some trouble taking it from the syringe. When I try and give him cereal by hand, he just kind of bumps into the cereal before he is able to grab it. I feel so bad for him! It is very hard to watch. Furthermore, his good eye seems to point up when he walks, not forward. I am so confused. He seemed fine until yesterday when the stumbling/rolling appeared.

I called the vet ER this afternoon and they said if he is still eating, drinking and digesting normally not to worry. He has an appointment scheduled for Monday to have his stitches taken out, and the doc can look at him then. He seems better when he is calm, but if we go over near the cage he gets excited and it seems to get worse.

As for now, it makes me dizzy just to watch him! I was so afraid he would fall from the ramps in his cage that I have moved him into a one-level hospital cage until he sees the vet. I fear that I may be dealing with a much larger problem here.

 

[Joanne]

Awww.........poor boy......
You would think that if it were due to an inner ear infection that the Baytril would be treating it....
Here's hoping they can figure out what the problem is, and treat it.......

 

[mamarat]

Poor Gusto. It does sound like it's neurological. If it's an ear infection it does take a long time to heal. Good luck with your sweetie.

 

[jorats]

His symptoms sound neurological... Poor Gusto...

 

[ratsby]

After all he has been through...it breaks my heart. Today he is still eating, we had trouble getting him to take the Baytril, he can't seem to "find" things. I was trying to hold him and he just leans his little head against my hand. He is still a fighter though, and wants to play.

Is there any treatment for this, or is it just a matter of keeping him comfortable and happy as long as possible?
I was reviewing some of the other posts about head tilt and they mentioned anti-inflammatory. Come to think about it, his symptoms got worse once he was off the meloxicam (He has been off of Meloxicam for about 5 days, with balance being noticeably worse over the last 3 days.) Would it be worth a try to put him back on .1ml of Meloxicam once a day? He is going back to the vet tomorrow in any case...to eliminate other causes.

 

[jorats]

Give the metacam a try and see if it helps him some. If anything it might relieve any inflammation that might be going on.

 

[ratsby]

I gave him the Meloxicam early this afternoon. He seems a little better this evening. Strange part of it though, he seems better until I bring out the tubes, then he starts rolling and falling all over again. I tend to agree that it seems neurological. It seems with square passages/boxes and in his cage he is much better, but as soon as there is no defined wall (ie round tubes) he has trouble. I have taken some short video clips of him struggling before and after the Meloxicam, and I will be sending the camera along with my fiance to the vet tomorrow so she can see it too, maybe it will help. He is still eating and drinking and digesting normally and spirits seem good. He even paused to let us pet him, and rub his side (no biting!!!) and I don't remember the last time he did that! These small indications keep me optimistic, and I hope he is able to recover, or at least stay happy for a while longer.

Good luck tomorrow Gusto!

 

[blytherue]

this may sound strange, but the spatial difficulties he is having with cornerless objects sound similar to some spatial difficulties that some humans with alzheimer's or dementia can have. my grandpa trying to figure out a revolving door was...an experience. (miss you & :heart: you grandpa)

 

[jorats]

Seems to be a head tilt... maybe an inner ear infection?

 

[ratsby]

The vet visit went well for the most part. He was a bit wriggly for them, so she was able to snip most of the stitches and was able to witness the falling behavior. She declared him a "special needs" rat, and agreed that we did the right thing in moving him to a one level cage. She changed his antibiotics, he is now on Azrithomiacin (sp?) and we are continuing the Meloxicam.
I hope he recovers. The vet acknowledged it could be a tumor, but said as long as he seems happy, just to do what we can to keep him that way. So we will see how things go...

 

[Tarah]

good luck with the new meds.
hopefully your boy gets better.

 

[ratsby]

Tonight I am a little concerned about my buddy Gusto. He is staying mostly in his cuddle cup, and it took several attempts before I was able to get the azrithomiacin into his mouth. I am hoping the extra difficulty was just due to a stressful day (a trip to the vet is never fun, especially when they put sharp instruments near your eye). So I hope he is just resting up. He perks up a bit when he hears someone near the cage, so that is a good sign. I haven't heard/seen him drink any water today either, so I gave him a little bit of apple juice in his water bottle to entice him, and it seems to have worked (happy rattle of a water bottle in use). He has no interest in the Meloxicam tonight (I can't really blame him, after the sweet smell of the AB's the Metacam sure smells NASTY!) So I hope after a good evening of rest and back to normal schedule tomorrow he will be back on the road to recovery.

Tomorrow officially marks Gusto's 2 year anniversary with us! We will celebrate with applesauce and peas! MMM. :joy:

 

[jorats]

I wonder if he might be having a reaction to the meds?

 

[Joanne]

Oh dear, poor Gusto............

 

[mamarat]

How's the birthday boy today?