NinjaRatMama
Well-Known Member
A little less than 2 weeks ago I met this beautiful black berk at a pet store. As much as I try not to buy pet store rats & I really don't need any more, I have been looking for a girl to be Jack's girlfriend. (Jack is neutered but he does not play well with others. He's worst in group intros & not very nice one on one with other boys, but one on one with girls seems to be... tolerable. However, my girls are with their bonded group so taking one out is not an option.)
Anyway, Jill was licky, friendly, & submissive but skinny. She didn't sound or seem ill so I decided she'd be a good gf for Jack, I'd just have to fatten her up!
The night I brought her home:
Grooming okay on her own:
Within 48 hours Jill became lethargic & rarely left her hidey bin in her cage, though she was still eating & drinking. I took her to the vet that night & he couldn't find anything physically wrong with her but we didn't do any extensive tests. She was sneezing a bit so we put her on baytril, just in case it was more than the new home sneezes.
Fast forward 3 days & she was going downhill fast! She failed the cheerio test, had lost more weight, had trouble with her balance, & I noticed a small lump beside her urethra (plus she had a vaginal plug that came off eventually with compresses & soaks in the sink.)
A week ago:
helping her to not fall over...
Can't really see it well but there's a small lump to her right (our left) & shows how her vagina was plugged but it was hard to photograph. Basically it's that yellowish/greenish bit under where she pees..
The following day I was planning on bringing her to the vet again but she perked right up. I figured it must be the baytril! It must be fighting whatever infection she has... This continued up until the weekend when she went downhill again.
This time it is much worse... She is skin & bones. She hasn't been drinking unless I syringe it into her or put a bowl up to her mouth. I've been feeding her soft foods because when she tries lab blocks she can't use her forepaws to grasp & she was even throwing her limbs out stiffly when she ate. Turns out she does this while grooming as well... I'm adding a video to show you what I mean. Poor thing even shoved her foot in her mouth last night while drinking from a syringe & needed help getting it out.
Pictures from tonight:
Hard to see but it's all distended & there's a good-sized lump under there, no more vaginal plug though but you can see the red/blood just a bit
This all sounds neurological, yes? I was thinking PT. Today she perked up a bit as well, from her condition last night anyway... last night she seemed to be nothing more than reflexes. She was completely unresponsive other than sucking, grabbing & kicking. Today she is definitely still here... She is also bleeding a bit from her urethra & the lump is bigger. She's peeing all over herself so I have to constantly clean her off.
The vet who saw her last wasn't in town today but we spoke & discussed her condition & he said he wants to do more research & then call me tomorrow & then he'll see her. I'm not sure whether we should try something else to save her? or should I just have her pts? :sad3:
In a nutshell:
Hunched posture
can barely use her forepaws
seems to be losing control of her body
porph all around her eyes
peeing on herself
blood trickling out of her urethra
lump beside & under her urethra
loss of balance
lethargic
mostly immobile
severe weight loss
weak
rapid heart rate
I think that's it... I am just looking for advice on what it sounds like to everyone here or to hear what others have done in a similar situation... :?
Here are the videos: (first is just her eating some applesauce off a spoon)
This is the one showing her trying to groom herself after drinking some water. Warning - this video is upsetting!
Normally I do intervene & help her stay upright. Also, she wasn't even doing this on Saturday... it's been progressing on the poor girl that fast! :sad3:
Anyway, Jill was licky, friendly, & submissive but skinny. She didn't sound or seem ill so I decided she'd be a good gf for Jack, I'd just have to fatten her up!
The night I brought her home:
Grooming okay on her own:
Within 48 hours Jill became lethargic & rarely left her hidey bin in her cage, though she was still eating & drinking. I took her to the vet that night & he couldn't find anything physically wrong with her but we didn't do any extensive tests. She was sneezing a bit so we put her on baytril, just in case it was more than the new home sneezes.
Fast forward 3 days & she was going downhill fast! She failed the cheerio test, had lost more weight, had trouble with her balance, & I noticed a small lump beside her urethra (plus she had a vaginal plug that came off eventually with compresses & soaks in the sink.)
A week ago:
helping her to not fall over...
Can't really see it well but there's a small lump to her right (our left) & shows how her vagina was plugged but it was hard to photograph. Basically it's that yellowish/greenish bit under where she pees..
The following day I was planning on bringing her to the vet again but she perked right up. I figured it must be the baytril! It must be fighting whatever infection she has... This continued up until the weekend when she went downhill again.
This time it is much worse... She is skin & bones. She hasn't been drinking unless I syringe it into her or put a bowl up to her mouth. I've been feeding her soft foods because when she tries lab blocks she can't use her forepaws to grasp & she was even throwing her limbs out stiffly when she ate. Turns out she does this while grooming as well... I'm adding a video to show you what I mean. Poor thing even shoved her foot in her mouth last night while drinking from a syringe & needed help getting it out.
Pictures from tonight:
Hard to see but it's all distended & there's a good-sized lump under there, no more vaginal plug though but you can see the red/blood just a bit
This all sounds neurological, yes? I was thinking PT. Today she perked up a bit as well, from her condition last night anyway... last night she seemed to be nothing more than reflexes. She was completely unresponsive other than sucking, grabbing & kicking. Today she is definitely still here... She is also bleeding a bit from her urethra & the lump is bigger. She's peeing all over herself so I have to constantly clean her off.
The vet who saw her last wasn't in town today but we spoke & discussed her condition & he said he wants to do more research & then call me tomorrow & then he'll see her. I'm not sure whether we should try something else to save her? or should I just have her pts? :sad3:
In a nutshell:
Hunched posture
can barely use her forepaws
seems to be losing control of her body
porph all around her eyes
peeing on herself
blood trickling out of her urethra
lump beside & under her urethra
loss of balance
lethargic
mostly immobile
severe weight loss
weak
rapid heart rate
I think that's it... I am just looking for advice on what it sounds like to everyone here or to hear what others have done in a similar situation... :?
Here are the videos: (first is just her eating some applesauce off a spoon)
This is the one showing her trying to groom herself after drinking some water. Warning - this video is upsetting!
Normally I do intervene & help her stay upright. Also, she wasn't even doing this on Saturday... it's been progressing on the poor girl that fast! :sad3:
