just age related or illness? UPDATE it's a PT :(

[victoria]

Melatonin may help with PT (search my posts, I linked an article somewhere) but it is contraindicated with Prednisone and Prednisolone. Melatonin affects the liver's ability to process the Pred and it's effect is decreased. Edit: Whoops! It can't be used with Dexamethasone for the same reasons as above.

Here's the Rat Guide summary: http://ratguide.com/meds/herbals_health ... atonin.php

I'm sorry it's PT, I hope you have some quality time with her still :hugs:

 

[jorats]

Poor thing.

 

[mamarat]

:hugs: Hope the meds give you a lot more time with your sweetie. Sara lived another 3 months on Pred and Baytril.

 

[momofmany]

:hugs: May the Prednisone and Baytril give you and Cookie more time!!

 

[crumbilina]

Awww, I'm sorry to hear this. PT's are one of the worst things about rat ownership (or rather being owned by rats)

I have fingers and paws crossed here that she will respond super well to the pred.

Give her lots and lots of kisses and snuggles from me and my crew - It sounds like she is the kind of girl that would love it!

 

[Petunia]

Melatonin may help with PT (search my posts, I linked an article somewhere) but it is contraindicated with Prednisone and Prednisolone. Melatonin affects the liver's ability to process the Pred and it's effect is decreased. Edit: Whoops! It can't be used with Dexamethasone for the same reasons as above.

Here's the Rat Guide summary: http://ratguide.com/meds/herbals_health ... atonin.php

I'm sorry it's PT, I hope you have some quality time with her still :hugs:

Victoria, it says "Supplemental melatonin may decrease the effect of corticosteroid drugs if taken at the same time. It is advised to avoid using together."

Could that just mean don't give the melatonin at the same time as you give the pred? like at a different time of day?
If it really means don't take one while you are being treated with the other, it's not going to be easy to break this to the vet, she sounded so proud of herself that she had found out about treating with melatonin.
I don't know where she is getting her information from; I know that she just learned at a conference that steroids are being used to try to keep mammary tumors from growing, and was anxious to try it on a rat with JUST a mammary gland tumor, as opposed to my girl who has mammary tumors and the PT

I think my friend said that she was using the melatonin for a ferret and decided to see if it would help rats.

 

[Petunia]

Cookie has had two doses of pred and baytril and she has improved a little bit.
She can wash off her eyes, she wasn't able to get past her nose yesterday.
She was holding a piece of raw carrot, while leaning on her front paws, she didn't try to lift it up but was instead holding it in place on the ground so she could gnaw on it-
yesterday she didn't even try to hold anything, she just used her mouth like a cat or dog would.

She takes her meds well mixed with a tiny bit of yogurt,(I'm going to switch that and give it to her with baby food or cereal instead) and let me hold her and stroke her, even brux'ed and did a contented boggle.
=)
that's the Cookie I know.

I gave her a nice little sponge bath, she had been marinating in pee and with the swollen vulva, she was pretty icky 'down below'

She had a great time playing- they were all out for almost 3 hrs this morning and for most of that time she was running around, and only looked confused about 1/4 of the time.
When she gets confused she goes inside a hut or a box, head first with her butt hanging out; normally she goes inside something and turns around to look out (hence the hammock named after her: Cookie's Look Out)

so that's sad to see, but it doesn't happen too often.

not bad over all, I'm thrilled with any signs of improvement

She still comes bounding over to me when I come in the room and ask "Who's The Cookie???"

:-D :cookie2:

 

[mamarat]

That's a great improvement. Praying you have months with her, each day is a gift.

 

[victoria]

Melatonin may help with PT (search my posts, I linked an article somewhere) but it is contraindicated with Prednisone and Prednisolone. Melatonin affects the liver's ability to process the Pred and it's effect is decreased. Edit: Whoops! It can't be used with Dexamethasone for the same reasons as above.

Here's the Rat Guide summary: http://ratguide.com/meds/herbals_health ... atonin.php

I'm sorry it's PT, I hope you have some quality time with her still :hugs:

Victoria, it says "Supplemental melatonin may decrease the effect of corticosteroid drugs if taken at the same time. It is advised to avoid using together."

Could that just mean don't give the melatonin at the same time as you give the pred? like at a different time of day?
If it really means don't take one while you are being treated with the other, it's not going to be easy to break this to the vet, she sounded so proud of herself that she had found out about treating with melatonin.
I don't know where she is getting her information from; I know that she just learned at a conference that steroids are being used to try to keep mammary tumors from growing, and was anxious to try it on a rat with JUST a mammary gland tumor, as opposed to my girl who has mammary tumors and the PT

I think my friend said that she was using the melatonin for a ferret and decided to see if it would help rats.

I don't think so. I thought I had seen another reference to not using the two together when I looked into it but I can't remember where. Ask her so she can look into it, she should know if the two can't be given together or it it's simply a matter of waiting before doses.

Melatonin is probably used with adrenal gland disease in ferrets as a natural alternative to Lupron. You can ask the vet about trying Lupron with Cookie (I don't know what the cost would be), it was an option presented to me with on of my last PT rats before the vet realized she was implanted. (Lupron and deslorelin have a similar effect but lupron doesn't last as long.)

The other options are always to look into Bromocriptine or Cabergoline, Melatonin is supposed to be a cheap, natural alternative to them. Cost may also be an issue (my vet looked into Cabergoline but the pills would cost about $100 a week so they aren't going to offer them at the clinic pharmacy) as would the side effects, but some people have found some real success with them.