Rat can't move legs and spine seems to be stiff. Help!!!

[Mandyf]

My little rattie Mason has been to the vet in the first of January with head tilt, middle ear infection. I gave her the medication, Baytril and in about a week and a half she got better, but she was very wobbly a couple days after and started to drag herself around. I figured out that she was constipated and gave her more fiber in her diet and after that she felt 100% for about a week. Just right now I noticed she looks like she is paralyzed and can't pick up her food to eat. She wants to eat, so she just lays in the food and trys to. She seems to have a curl to her spine and she keeps toppling over when she tries to move.

Also when I set her on the floor her legs are spread apart pretty far, and she falls on her side and doesn't move.

I'm not sure whats wrong with her, I don't think she is constipated again as she still has fiber in her diet.

If anyone knows anything please help me, I can't afford another vet bill. Also Mason is about 1 and a half years old, hooded rat.

 

[kscanuck785]

we are currently discuising this issue in chat with the OP and it looks like PT to me...
anyone else agrees?

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Oh dear, poor girl. I have a few questions to help figure out what's wrong. Did her tilt go away from the baytril? Has she fallen recently? Or does it seem like one side of her body is weaker than the other?

And this is probably irrelevant but what are you feeding her to give her the extra fiber?

edit: PT or stroke are my thoughts.

 

[Mandyf]

Her head tilt did go away for about a week, and she was great but then got constipated one day and didn't look like she did when she had head tilt. My friend said she looked constipated and gave me some bran cereal to give her. It worked, next morning she was back to herself again. Just today though, I noticed she was like this, I don't know if she fell or not. It's possible since she has a big cage.

She can barely move her arms and legs, only a bit when she tries to get up but it's useless. I don't think either side of her body is better than the other.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

If I am reading this right then it seems very quick for PT. I'm leaning towards a stroke, but either way keeping her warm and hydrated is the best you can do. Do you have some ensure you could try offering her?

 

[Mandyf]

I have some banana baby food I'm spoon feeding her right now, she keeps getting it up her nose though so I'm being careful not to do that. I have to hold her by the waist to feed her. Poor girl I'm so shocked at how fast it happened.

 

[Dazzle87]

For stroke, PT, or ear infection, steroids can help.

They need to be treated aggressively, how long and how much baytril did you give?

 

[Mandyf]

I gave her the amount the doctor told me which was like, 0.6ml I think, he showed me where to put it on the syringe. And this went on for about 2-3 weeks.

 

[PitLuvs]

The third picture spells PT to me. If shes been battling a head tilt and ear infection, would those not seem similar to PT? I know my Cas has head issues and balance issues for a bit before PT set in. I didnt know what PT was, and our vet suspected infection. PT took 2 weeks to take our Cas

Sending my love to your Mason, I love her name as well.

 

[Mandyf]

Thanks, I call her my little Mason Jar. She's still able to clean her face, I just gave her some strawberries by hand and banana baby food. She looks a bit more alive but is still pretty stiff.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

I have no experience with PT but I didn't think that baytril would have caused an improvement (?).

 

[Mandyf]

No the baytril was for her middle ear infection she had a month ago. She is cured from that now and finished medication.


After I fed her I just rubbed her ears and she started boggling for me At least she knows she is loved.

 

[MomRat]

Prednisone and Baytril, soon as you can get them. I'm so sorry. 18 months just seems to be the perfect onset window for PT's... :sad3:

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

No the baytril was for her middle ear infection she had a month ago. She is cured from that now and finished medication.

What I think Pitluvs was saying was that she thought that the ear infection could have actually been PT but because she got better with the baytril I'm not so sure that the head tilt is PT related. I hope that makes sense lol.

 

[PitLuvs]

I was saying that maybe what looked like middle ear infection coyld have been signs of early PT, or maybe the infection masked the PT signs? Just wondering because my old vet thought Cas had an ear infection causing him to loose balance, before the real signs of PT showed. By the time I found out about PT on here, he was too far gone. One of the many reasons I switched vets.
Also, does she normally burx a lot? Burxing with PT can be a sign of confusion or pain, Cas burxed a lot in his last days, I think he was in a lot of pain or his happy switch was left on.

 

[Mandyf]

Oh I understand, it could have been early symptoms of PT I suppose, but she isn't acting the same. I'm just going to have to monitor her and see if she improves, if not, I'll have to say goodbye.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

If it's PT then it might be time to make that hard decision but if it is from a stroke then she has a chance of recovering.

 

[Dazzle87]

She won't improve on her own, all the possibilities will get worse or stay the same without treatment, it can't get better without it. Baytril and some steroids could give her more time with a better quality of life though, as steroids can really help the symptoms.

 

[PitLuvs]

She won't improve on her own, all the possibilities will get worse or stay the same without treatment, it can't get better without it. Baytril and some steroids could give her more time with a better quality of life though, as steroids can really help the symptoms.

Couldn't agree more with this.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Sorry I worded that poorly, I meant that if it's PT then it will ultimately come to making that tough decision but if it was a stroke then there is a chance of recovery. Either way meds will help but they won't cure her if it's PT.