Involuntary Head Lift...Neuro Symptom?

[lilspaz68]

I have seen this before, not often, and it was usually with a rat who had had a stroke, and even PT rats, so I shall assume its a neuro symptom?

Poor Brulee just lost all her sisters to tumours, and I am working at giving her a new family, but I don't know how much longer she has. I have been trying to describe this involuntary head lift motion to people and trying to get a video of it. But of course once the camera is in my hand she won't do it I finally caught it as she was Out, hiding in my jeans on the floor. Its at the end.

 

[rat.charmer]

Probably a neuro symptom. I mean, there are so many human conditions that causes involuntary muscle movements due to neurological damage, why not in rats?

 

[jorats]

Almost looks like Tourettes Syndrome. lol
I too would say it's something neuro. But she looks great otherwise...how is she?

 

[lilspaz68]

She is degrading quickly. I am sure its PT now, and I will start her on steroid therapy in the morning. She is bruxxing and holding her mouth funny. Her upper incisors are crooked now.

I took another video of her, but then it segued into a video of me playing with tilty Rhesus :laugh4:

 

[Joanne]

My girl Taffy had (has) weird signs which include staggering, poor balance, sometimes circles, can't hold food sometimes, and for a whole month her bite was off and I had to trim her teeth. Her bite spontaneously corrected after a trimming one day. She still exhibits all kinds of weird signs including the occasional seizure, but she has been like this since the summer. A few times I thought she would die at any moment, but she keeps bouncing back (not all the way to normal though). So it still could be a stroke or something else, not necessarily PT...

 

[lilspaz68]

stroke usually shows 1 side of the body with a weakness and you will see circling and listing, and all those things. I just had that niggling feeling, and saw her doing these head movements a couple of days ago. I have seen this before...

Maya
http://ratguide.com/health/figures/pitu ... gure_1.php

 

[KayRatz]

Okay so... I know this is a really old thread right? But it helped confirm for me that Argonaut's head rearing is neuro... Some people here have tried to tell me he still has an ear infection but myself, Shelagh and the vet all disagree... He does that head rearing thing... constantly. So thanks for the confirmation. Still almost certain it was caused by his fall.

 

[SQ]

The treatment for all of those things is the same ... a steriod + antibiotic

 

[KayRatz]

I already did that, a while ago now (months), and at this point I'm almost certain it's permanent. He's happy and healthy otherwise, can eat and drink and play, so I think it's okay. I wouldn't just let a rat suffer...