My Honey has a head tilt.

[Dahlas]

Last night when I went to take everyone out for their playtime I saw Honey with a head tilt.
Honey is one of Piper's babies.. She is almost 20 months old :sad3:
I gave her a dose of Baytril last night and one this morning.....called the vet to see if I should add pred. My vet does not use prednisone for ear infections and wants me to just use the baytril.
She seems happy enough....acting like her self but I feel so bad for her.....running around with her head like that. Poor little Honey.

 

[jorats]

It's always devastating to us when we see our little one with a head tilt... but they act like nothing's the matter.
Hopefully it might right itself with the course of meds.

 

[Petitepuppet]

Sorry if this sounds dumb but what is a head tilt and why do rats get them?

 

[jorats]

Head tilt is when the head tilts to one side usually a cause of unbalance. With a head tilt, rats have a problem discerning the floor from the ceiling.
It's a symptoms to a few things... the main one being an ear infection, so we always treat as such. But it can also be caused by the onset of pituitary tumour or even ear tumours/abscesses.

 

[Petitepuppet]

Oh right, thanks.

Poor wee Honey, hope its just an ear infection that heals up quick.

"Sending healing vibes"

 

[mamarat]

Poor sweetie. :heart: Sending healing vibes.

 

[henry's_mum]

I know first hand how FAST these can pop up...
Hope she fells better with the meds hun.
:hugs:

 

[LA]

Poor Honey :hugs:

 

[Vixxie]

poor sweety :hugs:

 

[Dahlas]

Thanks guys......Honey is a real sweetheart. She takes her meds like a dream . She loves to be held and it is so sad to see her looking at me with her little head tilted

 

[Tarah]

my Rattrap got the OK from the vet, but the vet said he'd have the tilt for the rest of his life..?

 

[Dahlas]

Yes I have heard of a few that never got rid of the head tilt . I am praying that Honeys clears up fast but mostly I just want her to be okay.

 

[Moon]

Most rats never actually get rid of the tilt completely, even if the infection is healed up.

 

[SQ]

The swelling can cause permanent damage ... which is why a steroid (such as pred or dex) or an NSAID are used to reduce swelling. Antibiotics will kill the infection, if it is an ear infection, but do not affect the swelling. Eventually the swelling will go down.

Is your vet sure it is an ear infection?
If it were something else, the treatment is the same - antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory.

Hope it is an ear infection and that it clears up soon.

 

[Godmother]

So sad to see Honey with a tilt. Kisses and banana mash for her from me. :heart:

Ask your vet for Metacam. My vet prefers it to Pred. It, along with an antibiotic, worked very well for Clara. Her ear infection was very bad; she couldn't walk straight, and her head was tilted. She cleared up fast, and the Metacam really helped get the swelling down fast.

 

[lilspaz68]

Metacam is a very good alternative to a steroid in these cases although rather useless with PT. Will your vet go for that?

 

[brittanyfork]

So sorry to hear!

I hope she gets better soon!

 

[Dahlas]

I had her in and she never said anything about it being anything other then an ear infection......I have metacam. I can give her that.........

 

[Godmother]

How is sweet Honey doing?

 

[Dahlas]

the same still tilted......I know it can take a long time...and sometimes never straightens out