Pneumonia

[jorats]

Meghan I'm so sorry... fight hard with her.
We've had several rats pneumonia and they've come back from the brink of death with Zithromax and Baytril.
Keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[mamarat]

Thinking of you and your girl. My Cookie was on oxygen and antibiotics for pneumonia when she was young.(Baytril and Zithro) She got better and lived to 33 months. :hugs:

 

[meghan]

Thinking of you and your girl. My Cookie was on oxygen and antibiotics for pneumonia when she was young.(Baytril and Zithro) She got better and lived to 33 months. :hugs:

Thank you so much for saying that.
I have a feeling the vet thought we were making the wrong decision.

 

[meghan]

Another seizure

 

[Fujin]

i hope she makes it through ok :hugs:

 

[meghan]

Its 5:25am and both my mom and I cannot believe how well she is doing!!

She ate 10ml of baby food between 1:45 & 2:15, and 7 or 8ml of the re-hydration fluid Shelagh gave me the instructions for.
The difference we saw in her at that point was amazing. She was moving all around, fighting us to get where she wanted. Shes still very wobbly in her feet so her walking isn't great, but shes at least moving all over.

We both were so unsure of if we should put oxygen into her tank. She had been off of it from 1:30 and seemed to be doing fine. We decided not to and just set up an old baby cage for her to bring into the bedroom with us. She buried herself in a pile of fleece and was happy to rest up.

Her stomach was no longer caving in, and her general look, the look in her eyes even, was 90% better. She looked to have life back in her.

My husband called me at 5:00 to see how she was (hes an hour and a half away at work, i told him to call whenever) and I updated him. He thinks we should still give her some oxygen.
We got up and I was extremely nervous to open her cage and peek inside. Mom looked in the cage and she had moved to the other side, but her eyes were wide and she looked happy to see us. I can't tell you how happy we were to see her!!

We got up, fed her about 7 more syringes full of baby food (about 7ml) and 3ml of the re-hydration fluid. Shes now trying to bury herself in my moms shirt.

I don't know how to think right now. Shes not stable on her feet, but shes been eating and her general well being is, I would say, 90% better. She hasn't had a seizure since before she began to eat before.
The vet office opens at 8:00am, so I'm thinking of calling and ask if I can just drop by for a very quick visit to see what the vet thinks now.


Thank you EVERYONE who helped in the chat last night, and for all of your prayers and positive thoughts. I don't know how I would of gotten through the night without you ladies.

 

[meghan]

Another thing for your expert girls.

Shes burying her head and doesn't seem to like light right now. Could this be a sign of something?
Could her wobbly walking still be an ear infection? Given her history last night? Or are we looking at something else?

 

[meghan]

She just had another small seizure. At least I think thats what they are.

 

[user 78]

How is she doing since her last episode?

I'm really not sure what could be going on. Pneumonia wouldn't react like this, I can say that much. If she's had a stroke, it would make some sense.

 

[meghan]

Shes just been curled up in the fleece with the oxygen mask on. Her breathing is definitely faster than last night.

I wanted to ask you guys one more thing. Whats the ideal medication she should be on in either case? Stroke or ear infection. Just so I can suggest that to the vet.

 

[user 78]

Baytril is a very broad spectrum antibiotic, so something like that would be ideal. If, for some reason, she doesn't want to use that, you could also use Amoxicillan, chloramphenicol, or azythromycin. If it's an inner ear infection, you would want to double up on the antibiotics, so using something like Doxycycline or one of the other abs I listed along with the Baytril would be preferable. An anti inflammatory such as Dexamethasone will help any inflammation she may be having, even if your vet will just give you enough for a few days.

As an aside, all of these medications are also good for pneumonia - so if your vet refuses to entertain the thought that it's a stroke and/or inner ear infection, you can still ask for these meds under the pretense of her original diagnosis.

 

[meghan]

Do you think the cloxacillin could be a cause of the seizures?

One of my cats had a reaction to one of her medications and it was seizures, but I don't know anything about this medication.

 

[lilspaz68]

Are you going back to the vet who saw her yesterday?

 

[user 78]

You said she had had a seizure type episode while at the vet yesterday. Had she already been medicated at that point?

I've never even heard of cloxacillin and had to look it up. Just about everything has a side effect or reaction of seizures, muscle spasms, etc.. listed, but how likely that is, I'm not sure. I really don't have enough information to say it could be the medication, either way.

 

[meghan]

Yes and yes.

Unfortunately I don't have my own car yet or else I'd go to Toronto. I don't want an actual appointment today, I'd preferably just like to see what the doctor thinks of her progress and the possibility of the seizure/medication reaction.

She had her first mini seizure after she was medicated at the vet yesterday.

 

[lilspaz68]

Are you feeling well enough to go to that vet's office and insist on baytril/doxy and oral prednisone? Thats a good combo for most ills.

 

[meghan]

I'm in chat now if any of you have any spare time. Might be faster than this.

 

[jennifervb]

Oh Meghan,

the poor, little, snooze! I would keep her on the oxygen until your vet says that you can take her off.

I tend to be anal with vet instructions when I am not sure of things.

She is such a beautiful little thing! I would be wrapped around her little paw too!!!! :love6:

 

[lilspaz68]

Meghan is now on her way to My vet Dr. Munn. She went back to her supposed expert and they belittled her and refused to give her any baytril/doxy, insisting that Cloxacillin is the choice for respiratory. If you google that antibiotic you find its used for staph infections and if you google it and seizure, if can CAUSE seizures! Ella had what we think are seizures last night after getting her first dose of cloxacillin

She promised to email me after her appt, so I will post an update.

 

[jennifervb]

Meghan is now on her way to My vet Dr. Munn. She went back to her supposed expert and they belittled her and refused to give her any baytril/doxy, insisting that Cloxacillin is the choice for respiratory. If you google that antibiotic you find its used for staph infections and if you google it and seizure, if can CAUSE seizures! Ella had what we think are seizures last night after getting her first dose of cloxacillin

She promised to email me after her appt, so I will post an update.

What an @$$hole.

I hope he wakes up in a bag of poop. oop: