Jessie and pred

[SQ]

Jessie has been on palliative care for awhile. She is a Liverpool baby and will be 2 years old in May.
Jessie has a tumour in one of her lungs that grew noticeably during a two week period this month. (As seen on her xrays).
All of my rats were given a check up at the vets last week as 5 are on palliative care and almost all are around 2 years or older.
Jessie's breathing sounded ok so my vet suggested I take her off doxy, leaving her on baytril and lasix, and add pred in the hope that the pred might slow down the growth of the lung tumour.
Luke, Jessie's brother, was pts in March as one lung collapsed and the other lung was almost completely filled with a tumour.

Since starting the pred and stopping the doxy, Jessie's breathing has gotten worse.
She has also stated seeking out and attacking the 4 youngest ratties who were gradually introed into her large family group.
They have been living together for almost a month. No blood but the younger ratties, who will be two years old in the fall, scream and cry when she goes after them.
Would the pred have made it harder for her to breath (according to a drug website, it is a symptom of an allergic response in people) ?
Would the pred have made her more irritable, causing her to go after the 4 younger ratties ... new to her group and the only ratties in the group that she isn't related to?

I stopped the pred today, I had started her back on doxy yesterday but changed it to clavamox tonight in case this is a secondary infection.
As of tonight Jessie is on baytril, lasix, and clavamox.

Any suggestions or ideas?
Has anyone seen these changes as a side effect of pred.?

 

My first girl, Alice (r.i.p babe) was on pred due to her being anemic, she was on pred for 6 months and I never seen any of these side effects.

 

[jorats]

In people pred can cause mood swings. I never saw it in rats though... might be the first case?

When my rats are sick, they become docile and non caring about the buddies. When they start to care enough to bully, that's my cue that they are feeling better.

But the irritability can also be a sign that something is off, not so much pain but more like discomfort.... trouble breathing could do it.

 

[Rachael]

I'm sure I read on fancy rats forum someones boy who lost large amounts of weight and hated being handled whilst on preds

 

[SQ]

She is willing to eat so her breathing isn't too horrible, but she is almost in panic mode.
Called the vets and was told she needs to be weaned off the pred not just stopped, although she was only on it for 4 days ... so I hope it isn't an allergic reaction.
Hoping the antibiotics kick in fast as she sounds horrible and her breathing is extremely rapid.
My vet is on vacation this week and left for a warmer climate.

 

[jorats]

Hopefully she will settle again with the addition of the clavamox.
Have you tried metacam? My mom's rat did so well with metacam added to her med list.

 

[SQ]

No I haven't tried medicam with Jessie.
I'll try it as soon as she is off the pred.
Hoping all of this isn't being caused by her lung tumour.
Jorats you are likely right that she is going after the others because she is irritable due to her breathing difficulties.

Joy has started with breathing sounds as well so she is now on antibiotics and lasix too.

 

[Godmother]

I bet she can be weaned off Pred fast, since it is just four days. Pred can cause psychosis in some people, and I know that Julia got really strange her first time on it.

 

[mamarat]

Jani was starting panic attacks after taking her Baytril so I gave her a bit of Metacam with it. The vet said it was ok, she only had a few days left. This was 2 months ago. Right now she's off meds and doing great.

 

[SQ]

That is amazing. Why did the vet think Jani only had a few days left?

 

[mamarat]

She listened to her lungs and said she was basically "done". I'm glad she was wrong. Jani is 28 months.

 

[arresai]

I hate prednisone!!!! It almost killed me! Pred can really screw up a humans system, ie panic, anxiety, depression, rapid heart beat and breathing and more. It can alter the chemical levels of the brain and damage the thryoid. This is in humans but, it's not too far fetched to think that it may have the same effect on other creatures.

 

[SQ]

WOW!! Hope you are ok now.

I reduced Jessie's pred and she seems to be doing much better.
So maybe the pred reduction, or maybe the antibiotics are having an effect ...

I'm just so happy and relieved that she has improved :thumbup:
Thank all of you for you comments, ideas and suggestions. It really helped me get through this.
When one Liverpool rattie gets ill they all seem to ...

 

[mamarat]

I'm glad she's doing better.

 

[victoria]

I had an allergic reaction to my rats meds a while back and I mentioned it to the doctor when I went in for an appointment for a different issue because the hives were still there 3 days later (I did not handle them again after the reaction) and he said that it was not the Prednisone that I was allergic to. Apparently it we can't (?) be allergic to it and he also pointed out that Pred is often given to ease the symptoms of allergic reactions.

 

[Godmother]

So glad that Jessie continues to do better. :heart:

 

[MomRat]

I hate prednisone!!!! It almost killed me! Pred can really screw up a humans system, ie panic, anxiety, depression, rapid heart beat and breathing and more. It can alter the chemical levels of the brain and damage the thryoid. This is in humans but, it's not too far fetched to think that it may have the same effect on other creatures.

Wow, that's crazy. To think it can have all those side effects... my MIL has been on pred daily for the last 6+ years, and is on other things to counterbalance as much of the bad from it as possible, but man. I can't even imagine. Glad you are ok.