Not getting any better-UPDATED

[vitaldose]

In fact Delilah is getting worse, after taking her to the vet he told me her lungs were clear, but gave me some antibiotics just to be sure, but he was sure it was just allergies. I'm to keep her on them for ten days along with the children's benadryl, but there hasn't been much of a change.

Sadly, due to some unforeseen circumstances I had to go out of town for a few days and asked my sister to give Delilah the meds, she's done it before so I know she knows how.

She didn't, she remembered to feed them, play with them, what have you, but she forgot the meds.

Last night when I came home I noticed her breathing a lot heavier, and she wasn't exactly moving a lot, just kind of laying there, something my baby does not do. I pulled her out last night (after I realized she was pushing the door up and down trying to get out of the cage) and she did nothing but sit on my chest, again, she doesn't do that. I tried giving her some broccoli last night, and she wouldn't eat it. Just a few minutes ago, again I tried to get her to eat but she wouldn't take it I also tried getting her to take the meds, no go, not on food, not in soy milk (which is her favorite thing ever.)

I still haven't paid the vet bill from the last time I went in, and I don't know what else he'll tell me. But she's not eating that I've seen, she's not dehydrated, so I know she's drinking.

I'm really worried, and along with everything else that happening in my life, all I feel like I can do is cry.

(More information on my situation linked here)

 

[SQ]

It sounds like she may not be eating because it interferes with trying to breath.
Did you do the skin test by pulling up on the skin on the back of her neck to see if she is dehydrated?
I would take her to the vet immediately.
When you hold her up to your ear and listen to each side of her chest do you hear noises or crackling?
Is she gasping for breath?

You didn't mention what antibiotics she was put on but she sounds like she needs baytril plus clavamox or baytril plus doxy. If it works then she will likely need to be on them for at least 4 weeks (like;y 6 weeks for the baytril).
If she is in that much distress, she probably has fluid in her lungs and may need to be given lasix to clear out the fluid so the antibiotics have time to work. Your vet may want to start her off by giving her an injection of lasix.
Your vet may also want to give her a bronchodilator. (note: I'm not a vet, just have had a lot of sick rats)

She needs to be on meds and if she is as bad as you describe she needs to see a vet immediately for meds or may need to be humanely pts. (viewtopic.php?f=20&t=9582&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=put+to+sleep)

 

[lilspaz68]

do you have the money to pay the vet off? She's not well what ever is going on. lethargic ratties are scary. Try getting her to drink with a syringe...less effort on her part. is her breathing laboured? does she feel cool (check her tail as well).

 

[SQ]

You could try to get her to drink a homemade rehydration fluid (viewtopic.php?f=26&t=11058) or pedilite (baby rehydration formula sold in drug stores) by syringe as mentioned by lilspaz68.
Give it a drop at a time into her cheek so that it doesn't go down her throat and into her lungs.

If she can't take fluids orally, she may need to be given them sub-Q. Your vet can do that.

 

[vitaldose]

She's moving about more now that I'm home, she nibbled on a broccoli, but that's all, just nibbled. When I put her on my shoulder she moved around, nudging at things. Then just now, I put her down on my bed for a second, and she moved once and is just sitting there.

Her tail does feel cool, even though it's quite warm in my room, it's not as cold as it was last night however, it's warming up it seems.

Her breathing is labored and from what my scale is telling me, she's lost weight, she's down to almost when she was at 4.32 10 days ago. Her nose is a bit discolored and from what I can tell, there's more red from her nose as well as her eyes.

I did do the skin test and she's not dehydrated.

I don't have the money as I'm loosing my job, due to the store closing down, but my boyfriend said he is going to pay for it.

The antibiotics are vibramycin, which is doxy.

I hear noises, it's kind of crackling here's a video to show what I'm hearing.

I'm calling to make an appointment right now.

She's barely a year and a half, my first rat and this is really destroying me guys. Thanks for all your information, as without people like you, stupid people like me wouldn't know what to do.

 

[Godmother]

Please don't call yourself stupid; we've all been there, in difficult situations & unsure what to do next. The Forum is so great at those times, because there is always someone logged on who will at least listen and empathize.

I hope that you can manage to get some meds into her with a syringe. I recently had a very sick rat who finally accepted liquid through a syringe after refusing his meds for 1 1/2 days.

What a sad thing that your sister did not give the meds when you were gone. I hope that the vet can get her back on track.

Sounds like your boyfriend is a keeper!

 

[SQ]

Hope she is soon on the meds she needs and soon starting to feel better.
You are not stupid, you just don't have the info. you need.

 

[vitaldose]

Thanks guys, thanks a lot

 

[Rachael]

If her breathing is bad solid foods might be hard. Something like baby food, rice pudding, might be easier for her.
Or you could try some melted ice cream, if it's melted to liquid, it's also a good drink for her.

 

[vitaldose]

Well last night, we decided to take her to the emergency clinic, no one could wait till today, we just couldn't.

Right now, my brain isn't functioning quite as well, so I can't tell you exactly what they said it was, but the nurse said it was some type of pneumonia. At least that's what I heard, my boyfriend was doing all the talking because I couldn't formulate a sentence.

They gave me a couple options, one: They would keep her over night, this would cost me 500 dollars, if they had to do anything in the night, it could cost me up to 980 bucks. As much as I love her, and as much as I care, neither I or the boyfriend could find that kind of money in a day.

The next option which was what we did, they put her in the oxygen for a bit, then gave her a replenishment shot I guess you could call it, then a dose of baytril and whole bunch of other things.

The doctor told me that if the rat is going to get better I'll see change in her within 3 days. He gave me the baytril, which I give her once a day, told me to continue with the doxy twice a day and see how she looks in the next three days.

This morning I gave her the doxy took my sister to school and came home and started feeding her, at first she didn't want anything to do with it, as I mixed up the soft food they gave me at the vet in a large syringe, after a couple doses of that she moved backwards and saw the food in the can, a little had dropped on to the table and she started eating it. I gave her some more on a spoon and she ate it, and just a minute ago, I had some on my finger and she ate it. She's also drinking, I gave her a bowl, which she'd rather use anyway, and she seems all right.

Her breathing is of course still bad, and she's still making noises, but there's a glimmer of hope. If she continues to get better they might have saved her, if not. Then I might be saying good bye to my baby.

I hope it doesn't come to that, but we'll see.

And I have to agree my boyfriend is simply amazing, I've been with him for almost five years, and I wouldn't be able to function properly without his voice of reason. He's pure awesomesauce.

 

[Godmother]

That sounds very promising! Let's hope she continues to recover.

 

[SQ]

If she has pneumonia then she has fluid in her lungs ...
she likely needs a diaretic to get the fluid out of her lungs while the antibiotics hopefully deal with the problem.
My vet gives me lasix when my rats have fluid in their lungs.
If she worsens, you may want to request it.

I hope the combo of antibiotics has her soon starting to feel better.
If it doesn't you may need to try another combo.

:hugs: to both of you

 

[vitaldose]

Well she's gotten exponentially better.

Her breathing has eased, she's eating, drinking, chewing, pooping, peeing and cleaning. She's also causing mucho mucho mischief and I feel my heart beating normally again. It's only been five days, and other than some sneezing attacks and few squeaks, she seems to be getting better.

I'm still not getting too excited as she may take a turn for the worse at any time with a thing like this, but she was getting better within two days of the baytril/doxy combo and has only gotten better from there.

She's also sleeping, which was something she couldn't do much of before, she's sleeping when she used to and is drinking water back from her bottle and eating on her own, including the hard stuff and lots of veggies. She's gained the weight back (although I have to admit, she's actually chubby, but right now is no time to think about changing her diet crazily, that we'll get to when she's better.) and is hating the cage she's in. She's so used to the big cage that this little starter cage is driving her nuts. We're taking her out as much as possible, but it's hard to keep her from getting out of our sights, she's a ninja

I'll keep everyone updated, and again, thank you all so so very much for your support and advice, like I said earlier and when I first joined, these are my first babies. And without the help of people like all of you, I'd be completely lost.

Also again I must apologize, I write ALOT. I hate leaving things out.

 

[ashana]

So glad to hear that your little girl is feeling and acting better.

Your not stupid, knowledge comes from dealing with it ourselves and i think i can speak for all of us when i say that the best thing about knowledge is being able to share it and help others.

Keep up the good work ;-)

 

[Cityratt]

:joy: :joy: So glad to hear she's doing better!! I just saw this thread and your first couple posts really had me scared...but I think you did the right thing taking her to the vet when you did. I sure hope that she keeps on improving Lucky girl to have such a good mommy like you

 

[vitaldose]

:dance:

Thanks guys!

And I was scared, so scared I could barely talk. I really thought I had killed her and it was tearing me up inside. But now that I know what to look for, I know my future ratties will never, ever have to suffer like she was.

I'm huggling her right now

 

[SQ]

Is she still improving?

 

[vitaldose]

She is, although she's still making noises, mostly when she sleeps however, it's as if she's going backward through her sickness.

 

[vitaldose]

Okay I have a question and it comes from what the nurse from the emergency vet said when they called me to check up on my Lilah. I told her she was still making noises and she said something about her might having asthma.

Now I myself have asthma, and it's no friggin picnic I tell you that.

Is there a way for my vet to check for asthma? And is it possible that the sickness damaged her lungs causing asthma or asthma like symptoms?

 

[jorats]

It seems to make sense that it could be asthma. I've used my inhalers on my rats before, seems to give them some slight relief. Maybe you could try that?