Lice - In the meantime?

[amruiz]

So Chimpi has a vet visit Tuesday (well all my girls do) to deal with a possible URI. But she also has LICE. I mean the poor girl is scratching herself raw. She has all kinds of nicks on her and her fur is starting to thin because of it. I hate this! I'm going to bring it up when I get to the vet, but is there anything I do for her in the meantime?

 

[lilspaz68]

So Chimpi has a vet visit Tuesday (well all my girls do) to deal with a possible URI. But she also has LICE. I mean the poor girl is scratching herself raw. She has all kinds of nicks on her and her fur is starting to thin because of it. I hate this! I'm going to bring it up when I get to the vet, but is there anything I do for her in the meantime?

Can you see the lice when you part the fur on her rump? If you cannot see buggies you are dealing with mites (microscopic). If you could get your hands on Revolution that would be good but if not I would wait and ask your vet for it.

 

[amruiz]

So Chimpi has a vet visit Tuesday (well all my girls do) to deal with a possible URI. But she also has LICE. I mean the poor girl is scratching herself raw. She has all kinds of nicks on her and her fur is starting to thin because of it. I hate this! I'm going to bring it up when I get to the vet, but is there anything I do for her in the meantime?

Can you see the lice when you part the fur on her rump? If you cannot see buggies you are dealing with mites (microscopic). If you could get your hands on Revolution that would be good but if not I would wait and ask your vet for it.

Eeep I forgot to mention that. Sure did. The minute I saw her scratching and found knicks, I started searching through her fur from her rump and up. I saw a few orange/red bugs that I was able to pull off and physically pop with my fingernails. They tried to run from me. =/ I gave them a what's what! Haha.

 

[PitLuvs]

Years ago, we did that with fleas until we ciuld hop into the vet lol Get some revo from the vet and treat everyone. Of one has them they all do. You shouldnt need a checkup as long as you've already taken a rat in previously. Go get them buggies! You will notice such a difference health and mentality wise with your rats.

 

[MomRat]

I've heard some people recommend bathing in olive oil, to drown the buggies, but have never tried it and can't imagine the mess...

 

[Moon]

it apparently does help with lice but not mites... though makes a huge mess

 

[amruiz]

So we're back from our visit (well we were back yesterday! Haha.) Everything went well and I tried a new vet this time around. Here's the story (everyone grab some snacks, something warm, and settle in!):

Jorge (my boyfriend) calls me in a panic Monday morning. "Chayote has a broken leg?! There's no hedgie vets here. What am I going to do?" Now I'm thinking to myself: "There are always people buying and selling hedgehogs on craigslist, maybe if I put a call out, someone will respond." So about an hour or so later I get a response for a clinic, the name of the doctor and their experience with him. Within minutes, I'm back on the phone with Jorge and he's calling-- sure enough they'll see Chayote! So I make my appointment there as well, considering the same doctor that will look at him also specializes in rats.

We went in yesterday around 2:30pm. Oh my goodness! He was wonderful! Compassionate, caring, and listed to every question (silly or otherwise) and answered us in a very patient manner. He explained different things about Chayote to Jorge. About playtimes, snacks, diet, etc. He was able to look him over and determined that he was very healthy, at a good weight, and his leg wasn't broken. :joy:

When it came time to see my girls the vet seemed excited. He held them very gently, spoke very kindly to them and took his time to snuggle and love on them. I voiced my worries about lice and the sneezing and congestion. He took it very seriously and listened to each rats breathing. To my relief he said that while he heard some congestion, it wasn't anything serious. That I should still treat it before it gets any worse. So he prescribed Baytril (enrofloaxin) and Doxycycline. For me to dose them twice daily, at .3ml of each for each rat. For a week. He also noted that after this course, if I still have some left and the girls start to act wheezy to go ahead and start them up again until I finish it. But only if necessary.

As for the lice he couldn't find any evidence for it. Did several mite tests. Also came up negative. After a time of talking about it, he determined that it may be allergies. But did also mention that if it got really bad, as in the scratches never healed and she began to lose patches of fur to bring her in immediately. I was unable to get a tube of kitten revo from him, however. ;/

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with this visit. The best part is that all my girls are going to be just fine, that Chayote's leg isn't broken and he's healthy, AND that I got all the kids looked at for $200. Including meds. I think that's a pretty decent price considering. I'll be visiting with him again. :heart:

EDIT: I should also mention that he sent me home with a copy of ALL the paperwork. When I took Pandora in to the other vet, I didn't receive anything other than a receipt and the meds. I'm extremely pleased to have all of the paperwork because it lists their weights, etc. So I can easily keep track of their health history. :heart: :heart:

 

[Joanne]

Well that's great that you found a vet that will see rats and hedgehogs! And the price does seem reasonable. The only thing I would question is the meds for a week. I would be thinking 3-4 weeks, as one week doesn't seem to do much and they relapse quickly after that, with resistant bacteria. Good luck!

 

[lizmo1221]

Ya definately do the meds for AT LEAST two weeks. One week may kill the infection off (probably not tho), but is likely to leave the resistant buggies alive, creating a problem with antibiotic resistance later on if they ever get any kind of infection again.

I also would have pushed more for the revo. Skin scraping tests are useless in my opinion, as they cause pain and stress, and often come up negative in rats (even if there are bugs). Besides, you said you SAW lice, a tell tale sign that she has (guess what?!) LICE! lol

I am glad to hear you found a great vet who will treat all your small animals, but it sounds like he needs a bit of brushing up on his diagnostic and medication skills. What I like to do is take the relevant printouts of The Rat Guide, which is a database created by rat vets in the states, and show them to the vet when you go. It will go over a lot better than "Well, other rat ppl on a forum I'm a part of said this...", as its coming direct from a reputable veterinary source.

I would call and ask for more abs, and revolution for everyone, and explain why (according to the rat guide). Try to talk directly to the vet, not relaying messages thru the receptionists, which in my experience can be frustrating. Hopefully he is receptive to your comments, and is willing to learn more along with you about the finer points (as a lot of vets are willing to do).

Good luck!

 

[Argent]

it apparently does help with lice but not mites... though makes a huge mess

I should have read up on this more thoroughly before dousing 6 of my boys in olive oil for mites!!! It was a right lickfest but they weren't happy with me! (I had ordered ivermectin )

 

[amruiz]

Thanks guys. =D I head back into town tomorrow (I live just outside) and I'll be sure to give him a ring. I was a little puzzled that he seemed so resistant to the idea of lice, so I figured I'd wait to see what you all had to say. He did seem very receptive and I'm sure we'll be able to work out some kind of agreement.

As for the meds, he mentioned that there would be a lot leftover and it was at my discretion to give them more or to continue to dosing up to two weeks.

I'll keep everyone updated!

EDIT EDIT: Actually what I said in my previous post was:

That I should still treat it before it gets any worse. So he prescribed Baytril (enrofloaxin) and Doxycycline. For me to dose them twice daily, at .3ml of each for each rat. For a week. He also noted that after this course, if I still have some left and the girls start to act wheezy to go ahead and start them up again until I finish it. But only if necessary.

Blah, I made a mess of that didn't I? I'm sorry, that was my mistake. :wallbang:

 

[amruiz]

Sorry for the double post and the edit. I'm so scatterbrained right now with studying and instead of just typing what I need to say, I throw something out, submit and then realize what else I wanted to say right after. :emb: Okay, gonna take my time.

I also would have pushed more for the revo. Skin scraping tests are useless in my opinion, as they cause pain and stress, and often come up negative in rats (even if there are bugs). Besides, you said you SAW lice, a tell tale sign that she has (guess what?!) LICE! lol

I know! He seemed surprised that I even mentioned "lice" he kept saying "mites" and I would say "lice" and he would look puzzled. I brought up the fact that I had in fact pulled some off, physically popped a few, and would search through her fur. My boyfriend even got kind of annoyed with me after we left because I was pretty insistent. He was like: "Maybe she isn't INFESTED with lice, but just had like 1 or 2?" :wallbang:

... What I like to do is take the relevant printouts of The Rat Guide, which is a database created by rat vets in the states, and show them to the vet when you go. It will go over a lot better than "Well, other rat ppl on a forum I'm a part of said this...", as its coming direct from a reputable veterinary source.

I would call and ask for more abs, and revolution for everyone, and explain why (according to the rat guide). Try to talk directly to the vet, not relaying messages thru the receptionists, which in my experience can be frustrating. Hopefully he is receptive to your comments, and is willing to learn more along with you about the finer points (as a lot of vets are willing to do).

Will do!

I feel really irresponsible now, like I should've known all this and just.. didn't. I mean, I was pretty sure about what I wanted to ask and hearing all the great advice is making me feel like: "Duuuur..." I really should've known all this already.

 

[lizmo1221]

Sorry for the double post and the edit. I'm so scatterbrained right now with studying and instead of just typing what I need to say, I throw something out, submit and then realize what else I wanted to say right after. :emb: Okay, gonna take my time.

I also would have pushed more for the revo. Skin scraping tests are useless in my opinion, as they cause pain and stress, and often come up negative in rats (even if there are bugs). Besides, you said you SAW lice, a tell tale sign that she has (guess what?!) LICE! lol

I know! He seemed surprised that I even mentioned "lice" he kept saying "mites" and I would say "lice" and he would look puzzled. I brought up the fact that I had in fact pulled some off, physically popped a few, and would search through her fur. My boyfriend even got kind of annoyed with me after we left because I was pretty insistent. He was like: "Maybe she isn't INFESTED with lice, but just had like 1 or 2?" :wallbang:

... What I like to do is take the relevant printouts of The Rat Guide, which is a database created by rat vets in the states, and show them to the vet when you go. It will go over a lot better than "Well, other rat ppl on a forum I'm a part of said this...", as its coming direct from a reputable veterinary source.

I would call and ask for more abs, and revolution for everyone, and explain why (according to the rat guide). Try to talk directly to the vet, not relaying messages thru the receptionists, which in my experience can be frustrating. Hopefully he is receptive to your comments, and is willing to learn more along with you about the finer points (as a lot of vets are willing to do).

Will do!

I feel really irresponsible now, like I should've known all this and just.. didn't. I mean, I was pretty sure about what I wanted to ask and hearing all the great advice is making me feel like: "Duuuur..." I really should've known all this already.

Don't feel bad! Everyone learns somehow, and this is your learning experience! lol All of us feels intimidated when at the vets/dentists/doctors/etc office and forgets to ask things, not push hard enough, etc. Hopefully once you show him areas or things that he is not 100% right on (and only 90% right), he will learn to be more open to your suggestions in the future.

It sounds like you have a good plan of action. How much of each med do you actually have? Enough for two weeks? I would calculate it out (allowing for wastage) and see how many days of meds you have on hand, since you may not need to go back for more, and just have to call in and ask if its cool to use it all.

When you ask about the revo, I would repeat that you actually saw lice on your girl and would like to treat them all for it. If you can catch some more, stick them between two peices of packing tape or scotch tape (without squishing them), and actually take them in and show him. If none of that works, you can mention that revo has few or no side effects (none that I have heard of anyway, maybe someone can correct me?), and dosing all of them can't do any harm. Bring the Rat Guide on lice and Revolution if you want.

 

[amruiz]

So I'm pleased to report that I was able to get a tube of kitten revo for my girlies. They got their first dose this Friday. As for the abs I'm to wait until I get a bit lower and they'll give me a refill. So I'm relieved about that. Cage has been cleaned and disinfected, all wooden stuff frozen, etc, etc.

DIE BUGGIES, DIE! :dance:

 

[Dazzle87]

So I'm pleased to report that I was able to get a tube of kitten revo for my girlies. They got their first dose this Friday. As for the abs I'm to wait until I get a bit lower and they'll give me a refill. So I'm relieved about that. Cage has been cleaned and disinfected, all wooden stuff frozen, etc, etc.

DIE BUGGIES, DIE! :dance:

Lol awesome

 

[Joanne]

Excellent......

 

[Moon]

Excellent......

 

[amruiz]

Excellent......

:laugh4:

 

[Joanne]

:yeah: