No longer responding.-Videos of Owls breathing added.

[Squirrel]

RN, it's been a while since I've been on the rat forum and I'm SO sorry to hear about all your illness issues with your ratties. I don't know anything about rats (I have squirrels), but I send you BIG hugs!!! I am struggling with my male squirrel right now and am so tearful over it. I know how you love them and your heart just breaks when they are sick. Everyone tells me you just have to do the best you can but that doesn't seem to make me feel any better. You sound a lot like me. I feel like it's my responsibility to figure out what's wrong and fix it. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work that way. We aren't vets and sometimes even the vets can't figure it out. So I guess as much as it hurts, we have to treat them as best we can and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them. BIG hugs coming your way for Owl and the gang.

 

[RattusNorvegicus]

Thank you Squirrel. I hope you can figure something out with your boy! :hugs:

Here are two videos of Owl. She is declining off of meds, but then doesn't improve on them.
http://s1150.photobucket.com/albums/o61 ... b68948.mp4

http://s1150.photobucket.com/albums/o61 ... dc7679.mp4

I gave her a dose of Metacam which didn't help at all. She was getting so bad that I wanted to give her a puff of Albuterol..but since heart issues aren't ruled out I didn't.

 

[jorats]

That sure sounds nasal. I'd keep her on meds, long term. She may not improve but as long as she doesn't get any worse. I'd also do saline spray for her nose. Make sure you get the infant kind. Adding a vaporizer near her might also help.

 

[RattusNorvegicus]

A lot of it does sound nasal, I agree. It sounds similar though not fully like Luma's sinus congestion.

I need to find the right combo for her. She was on Baytril for 12 weeks, and Zithro for a long time too. Perhaps I could try Doxy again. I really wish I could rule out her heart though so I could relax. I do have infant saline spray that I had got for Luma, but I do not believe it helps very much with me just spraying it in their face. I'll see if she is willing to sleep while I nebulize her.

Let me rat phone her..

 

[RattusNorvegicus]

Owl is responding to Baytril+Doxy! It just seems I need to switch the combos around every month or two. She still has her flare ups, but they have lessened, and aren't as bad. :nod:

What a relief.

 

[jorats]

That is a relief! and I've had that here too where we need to change up the meds sometimes.

 

[mamarat]

That's great! I've done that too. Fingers crossed for your sweetie.

 

[RattusNorvegicus]

So...here we go again. She was doing great, but is declining again. I'm not sure what combo to try now...I'm out of Zithro. Does anyone know where I can get Zithro tablets/capsules (US)? My vet charges too much for the suspension.
Though I'm not sure Zithro will even work..
I've upped her doses of the Baytril and Doxy and I don't believe it helped. She's been getting 5mg/lb of Doxy and 5mg/lb of Baytril...can I go any higher? I believe Baytril can be given at 10mg/lb?

Any advice would be appreciated! I am very disappointed, but I knew it'd be too good to be true.

 

[crumbilina]

I may have missed this somewhere sorry if I did... but have you tried clavamox?

 

[RattusNorvegicus]

I did try Clavamox with absolutely no improvement.

 

[SQ]

.

 

[crumbilina]

I did try Clavamox with absolutely no improvement.

damn...

I dose:
baytril at 10mg/kg (thats in kg not in lb, so you have to make sure to take that into account)
doxy at 5mg/kg (again, in kg)

Both 2 times a day.