Roquefort and Myco

[jennifervb]

For the last 2 months, Roquefort has been on and off antibiotics.

He was diagnosed with viral pneumonia two months ago and placed on Baytril and Vibramycin. Dr. Richards told me to keep him on the meds for 30 days.

Since he was sneezing, Dr. Richards said that he needed to be sneeze free for a full 7 days before coming in for a recheck.

The 30 days passed and I took him off of the meds. 5 days later he started sneezing again so I placed him back on the meds for another 30 days. The 30 days ended a week ago, Friday.

Last Thursday he started sneezing again. I was out of Baytril so I made an appointment for him to see Dr. Richards on Friday evening. X-rays indicated that his condition had worsened and that there appeared to be what looked like an abscess growing inside the lung.

Dr. Richards said that it was practically impossible for it to be a tumor because of the location of the thing, and further said that lung abscesses were typical for Myco outbreaks.

Roquefort was not in repiratory distress at all. He continued to play and have a good appetite. Nevertheless, I could tell that something was not quite right with my little man.

He continues to gain weight with his Gerber Baby Food and Olive Oil assist feeds (went from 420g up to 450g!!!!) so he seems to be doing well.

He is now on meds for life, which he doesn't seem to mind since it means that he gets soy yogurt for breakfast and the others don't. :laugh4: :bunnydance: :laugh4: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :laugh4: :bunnydance:

He has been back on the meds since Friday and already seems to be responding well to them. Keep your fingers crossed for my little boggler. He was happy to see Dr. Richards and did her the favor of cleaning her hands during the examination.

Such a little charmer... :heart:

On another note, Buddy had his first wellness exam on Saturday and enjoys impeccable health! Needless to say, Dr. Richards is now in love with Buddy too. LOL!!! :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance: :bunnydance:

 

[Moon]

Keep plugging away, Roquefort!!

 

[Godmother]

So glad that Roquefort responds to the meds. Guess he will be a lifer, but it's worth it if he has god QOL.

 

[jorats]

Can you change his med to Zithromax? Or do a combo with the Baytril?
In one of our rats, a postmortem revealed that long term use of Zithro had actually changed/shrunk a lung abscess. It might be worth a try. Also, adding a steroid might make him more comfortable, even metacam would help, it reduces the inflammation.

 

[lilspaz68]

I agree with Jo, definitely try the zithro with the baytril, it has done wonders here for some of my rats, the steroid will definitely help with any lung inflammation.

 

[jennifervb]

Thanks!!! Left a message with the vet and will let you know the outcome.

Roquefort was doing beautifully yesterday! He spent alot of time popcorning around my bedroom. :laugh4:

 

[mamarat]

Go Roquefort. :joy: I just love his name.

 

[jennifervb]

Go Roquefort. :joy: I just love his name.

Thank you! It is a wonderful name isn't it? No matter how much I dislike whoever his previous owners were, they did actually manage to give him a really good name.

 

[jennifervb]

Roquefort has taken a turn for the worse.

He has an appointment with the vet today at 5:30 PM

Roquefort's breathing is again labored and he has only been on the meds for about a month.

I spoke with the vet last week about giving him Zithro but she said that her research had not indicated that it would benefit him as well as the Baytril and Vibramycin. I will bring up Zithro again today when I take him in.

I have to prepare myself for the worst. Roquefort is my heart boy and I hang on him. Nevertheless, I refuse to let him suffer just so that I can have him for a few more days/weeks/months.

If the vet does agree to add Zithromax to his plethora of other meds, how long should I give to determine if it is helping him?

I'm worried that the meds are not doing enough to stop the myco or the lung abscess and that Roquefort will develop the same respiratory distress that plagued Ben in the last 12 hours of his life.

Right now, I'm seeing the same onset that I saw with Ben. Ben's breathing was labored but he was functional the evening before he died. I decided to call the vet the next morning to get him in there. The next morning, his breathing had worsened and he was making that clicking sound and gasping through an open mouth. He went from "troubled" to "critical" in less than 12 hours.

Roquefort started showing the early signs of troubled breathing last night. He was the same this morning except for the fact that he was doing something strange with his back foot. He walked forward and left the foot where it was, in a curled position. It took him about 10 seconds to pull the foot back in.

I had him with me on the couch and he seemed really confused and lost... as if he didn't know where he was. He has been all over that living room and the couch is one of his personal territories, so it really concerns me that he seemed so lost.

Thanks for listening. This is really painful because I have bonded so deeply with my fragile little man. My little brux and boggle king. My little man who was so terribly neglected and ignored during his first 6 months of life. My little man who followed me everywhere and climbed my jeans to get close to my face. Oh God, it's going to be one hell of a ride if I have to help my baby to the bridge. Roquefort is only 1.5 years old. :tearful:

 

[mamarat]

I'm so sorry, Jen. Thinking of you and your little man. :hugs:

 

[jorats]

Some rats do come back from the open mouth gasping. We've had a few do that with the right meds.
Zithromax has always been the "big guns" for us, especially coupled with Baytril. Beg for Zithro and give him/her this link: http://ratguide.com/meds/antimicrobial_ ... omycin.php or better yet, print it out and bring it with you.
Also, you could try a bit of dexamethasone... that seems to help with the breathing as well.

Good luck!!! we'll be thinking of you both.

 

[jennifervb]

Update on Roquefort.

X-rays were taken to determine his lung capacity and to see if there were any tumors building which would explain his hind leg dragging.

The Baytril and Vibramycin are doing their job. The lung abscess is still there but it is not compounded like it was last time.

Roquefort's weight has remained the same so there has been no weight loss. :bunnydance:

No tumors, blood clots or spinal cord injuries were diagnosed so we are not sure what the deal is with his legs. Dr. Richards is worried about bacterial meningitis so he is on Chloramphenicol for that.

Debbie D suggests that a B Vitamin deficiency can cause full or partial paralysis depending on the rat and it's needs.

Roquefort is now taking Baytril, Vibramycin, Chloramphenicol and Meloxicam. As long as I mix this all with both yogurt and Ensure.... he is good with it.

Dr. Richards determined that the labored breathing is a result of the exertion. Roquefort is still fairly active and pulls himself along wherever he wants to go.

He has just inhaled his meds/yogurt/Ensure and his baby food/olive oil/Probiotic mix with two drops of B12. (I don't know how to convert mcg to mL so I'm being cautious with the dose).

Since he can't clean his back end.... mommy helps with a warm washcloth and gets her hands cleaned as reciprocation. :love6:


I'll keep you posted on his progress.

 

[jorats]

Unfortunately, your vet doesn't know rats very much.
Hind end degeneration is part of aging... but can also be a symptom of pituitary tumors. But since the little guy doesn't have any other symptoms, it's just part of his old age.
Meloxicam is good, it will work somewhat like the dexamethasone but not as well. Chlorpalm I doubt will work but has been proven to penetrate abscesses, so that would be great to see if it can shrink the lung abscess.

Keep up the fight!

 

[jennifervb]

Sorry Jo, but I beg to differ on my vet's knowledge of rats.

She is an exotic animal specialist and has treated many a ratman and ratgal.

She knows about the possibility of a pituitary tumor being the reason for his hind leg degeneration as well as the fact that it can also come with age. Roquefort is only 1 1/2 years old. Debbie D says that B12 should be given to all rats 2 years and over which indicates to me that 1.5 years is not yet considered "aging".

According to Debbie D's Guide, anti-inflammatory medication and an antibiotic are the best treatments for a possible pituitary tumor. Roquefort is on Meloxicam which is an anti-inflammatory med as well as Baytril, Vibramycin and now Chloramphenicol which are antibiotics.

X-rays did not indicate any tumors but since the pituitary gland is under the brain, a PT would not be visible.

Another point of concern was the fact that he did not react when she did the "smack test". Normally, rats will react when a hand swings at them. Roquefort had no reaction.

If Roquefort does have a PT then the meds will, hopefully, stop the growth, shrink the thing, and help my little guy maintain a dignified quality of life.

Today he slept in the rat laundry piled up on my bed. He came out when he wanted a drink of water and cleaned my face while I massaged his backside.

He was still bedwarm. :love6:

 

[jorats]

It's just little things like zithromax is not effective or that HED could be caused by meningitis.
18 months is the right time for a PT.
btw, I just tried the "smack test" on a few of my rats, and none reacted either... what does it mean if they don't react?

In any case, I hope your little guy continues to improve!!

 

[jennifervb]

It's just little things like zithromax is not effective or that HED could be caused by meningitis.
18 months is the right time for a PT.
btw, I just tried the "smack test" on a few of my rats, and none reacted either... what does it mean if they don't react?

In any case, I hope your little guy continues to improve!!

The "smack test" tested to see if Roquefort was possibly going blind or was having any reactional issues (at least that's what I remember). I tried the test with Buddy and Albert and they both took a dive into the pvc tube. Both peeked out at me and were deathly offended. I had to apologize with a double portion of fruit and yogurt before they would stop greeting me with their butt cheeks. :laugh4:

One important thing is that Roquefort was in a bright room. He doesn't see well anyway so bright light does not help.
Dr. Richards took him into a dark room and I believe he did react to the test in there.

I tried something new this morning and gave Roquefort his B12 directly on my finger. That was a winner! The brand is a good tasting one so he enjoyed it "in the raw". It makes it much easier for me to give him a tiny portion of approx. 0.005 mL as opposed to the full drop from the syringe.

Roquefort is being carted all over the house. I put him on the bed so he can drag himself around. It's hard to watch but I don't want him to stop exercising his front legs and growing lazy by being transported everywhere.

He still likes it on the floor so I put him down and let him drag himself under the bed. The little man can definitely move when he gets going. He just has to stop and catch his breath more often.

Not surprising... I tried dragging myself across the living room without using my feet.... it ain't easy!!!!

I'm busy finishing off Roquefort's Gerber Baby Food (3rd day and it needs to go). Geeeeeez.... you'd think my colleagues had never seen baby food in their lives!

Colleague: "What ARE you eating?????????"
Me: "What does it say on the jar?"
Colleague: "Gerber Vegetable Beef"
Me: "Bravo.... that must be what I'm eating then!" :roll: