Roys PITA Inner Ear Infection... [Doing better!]

[Scythe]

About a month ago, Roy started getting a tilt. I figured no big deal, we go to the vet, he gets .15cc's of Baytril and Doxy and .2ccs of Metacam, we go home, dose and immediately he does better. Two weeks later, exactly when the doxy should expire, Roy suddenly gets a heck of a lot worse. This is the second time a rat of mine has declined in health on Doxy after two weeks when I'm prescribed it for three. Of course, I'm mad.

We go back to the vet. Vet's convinced it's not PT because he got better. Nothing's really done, just upped the dosage of baytril+doxy to .2cc's and Metacam to .25ccs, and now Roy's being overdosed to kill this infection.

Three days later, Roy's inner ear infection is so bad he's rolling, wont eat, wont drink, and wont come to the front of the cage. He's basically back to what he was a MONTH ago. I call the vet, I go in, and they give me new medications.

Now Roy's on .15cc's of Tramadol, .1ccs of Meclizine, .25cc's of Metacam, .2ccs of Chloropalm, and .2cc's of Doxycycline.

First few days, he does okay. He tussles with Ed, even! I was happy, thought he was improving. Last night, however, he turns his nose up at everything but ensure. So, I suck it up, give him all his meds with ensure despite the doxy. Today? Wants Nothing to do with anything. Not Pablum, not ensure, not anything I can offer him that's under the sun. He just chills out on my bed. Lays there with his tilt-so-bad-he-rolls. I also noticed the other day he's got one eye bulging slightly more then the other.

I'm getting really frustrated. I don't know what this is, I can't tell if it's PT or an inner ear and I want to rip my hair out because I can't even force the meds into him.

Anyone have any ideas? X_X

 

[Cigar]

That's alot of medication for one little rat.. I'd be worried. Tramadol and Metacam are both pain relievers aren't they?

Is he clubbing his hands? That's usually a tell tale sign of PT. The bulgy eye would concern me, too. If it IS a tumor you'd probably want to do an antibiotic + steroid combo. You could give them a ring and ask if they have Prednisone or Dexamethasone available. If the steroids don't give him a second wind, I don't know..

 

[lilspaz68]

I think I would pop him on a steroid myself esp. since Tramadol is safe with steroids although metacam is not, he'd at least have his pain meds. But after this, I would stop, and let him go. :sad3:

But it sounds like there might be a tumour or something going on behind his eye, maybe pushing on that nerve that causes the headtilt. I am so sorry Scythe...

 

[SQ]

Very sorry ...
The treatment for brain tumours (including pt) and also for inner ear infection is the same ...
aggressive treatment with either clavamox + baytril or chloramphenicol palmitate (25 - 90 mg/Ib twice a day) plus an anti inflamatory - usually a steriod such as predisone.
When an ear infection has progressed to the point where the rattie is rolling, people have had good results from giving dexamethasone (1 mg/Ib once a day) for several days (can not be used for more then 5 days) and then switching to predisone (0.25 - 1 mg/Ib twice a day). (When taken off pred, pred is gradually reduced over time.)
(drug info from the Rat Health Care book)

As Lilspaz68 said, metacam (and other NSAIDs) can not be given with pred.

 

[jorats]

My sister's boy did something similiar, got so bad he rolls but now he's adapted to what he is and works it out. I'd stop all the meds except the Baytril and ask for pred. See how he does with that for another two weeks.

 

[mamarat]

Make sure he has a box where he can feel a "ceiling" above his head, he will roll less.

 

[Scythe]

He's got a little 'house' that I've put a bed in, and he seems to spend most of his time in that; plus, it's a roof over his head.

I guess Ill give them a call on the way to work... I hope they'll just give me what I need, again, like they did last time because they'd just seem him a couple days before...

He's not clubbing his hands, either. And I tried the cheerio test and that didn't work because He wouldn't take his hands off the ground(he'd roll if he did) so he just shoves all the cheerios in his mouth and runs away with them. I know Al's eye bulged a bit(or at least I only noticed when he got the tilt), but Al's tilt wasn't nearly this bad.

 

[Cigar]

Sending healing vibes to your little man.. <3

 

[Scythe]

So, I called the vet today and described everything. We're off to the vet on Monday morning... I feel bad for the poor guy, he's so wobbly and 'ehhh' that I'm scared the wobbly trip down there will stress him out too much(we bus it because we dont have access to a car :\). I always put blankets and a bed and water and food in with him, but he's so all over right now that I dunno. He can't even jump on to the top of his little wooden house, anymore. He liked wedging himself between that and the bottom of the CN shelf. D:

I mentioned I wanted to discuss trying a steroid with Roy. Right now, he's on Chloropalm, Doxycycline, Metacam, Tramadol and Meclizine. I know with a steroid, he cannot have Metacam. What steroid would work well with any combination of any of this? And are they expensive? I'm scared to look in my bank account after all this, LOL. He killed my emergency vet fund, I'm now going into my tuition savings...

 

[Cigar]

Print a copy of the linked drug chart and take it with you tomorrow morning. I take that and drug conversion chart to every appointment even though my vet is a smart guy. He appreciates having something to reference when I want something new.

http://www.rmca.org/Articles/dchart.htm
http://ratguide.com/meds/reference/conv ... ations.php

If I were in your shoes I'd request Baytril, Prednisone, and Tramadol.. Then you've got all your bases covered.

 

[Scythe]

I have baytril... I know Chelle has had luck with Chlorapalm. So either of those as an AB I would be okay with... but on Baytril, there was no difference. Tramadol for sure...

 

[victoria]

As far as costs go, Pred is usually about the same price as Batryl for me, which is fairly reasonable. I hope he shows improvement soon Scythe. ((hugs)) I'm so sorry.

 

[Maple]

Poor guy, I hope he starts feeling better soon. :hugs:

 

[M0onkist]

When you're traveling with him, you can make a sort of hammock in the travel cage - have fabric go high up on the sides and stuff. I had to do that with Princess (she had head tilt to the point of continually rolling over, the hammock cushioned her from the sides and also kept her relatively stable).

I really hope stuff gets better, and that the vet is able to give you meds that will help. I'm going through a PT case with Chancey Pants - no head tilt, but definite clubbing of hands, and inability to grab the Cheerio (or even eat it from my fingers) - all stuff I know you've dealt with. Crossing my fingers for your Roy!

 

[Scythe]

Now he absolutely will NOT touch his meds. I can't even force it into him because he screams and squirms too much. I've even tried putting it all in pablum, ensure, whipped cream... will not touch it.

Sigh. X_X

 

[mamarat]

Can someone else hold him and you try to syringe the meds into the side of his mouth? I'm so sorry, you're trying so hard for your sweetie.

 

[M0onkist]

What's the flavoring? I find often the vets give medications the worst taste (or so appear to say the rats). Shelagh recommended to me, when I started mixing my own meds, to use strawberry Nesquik, and boy, does that *work*. Even at their sickest they'll take it and not lose a drop.

I'm not sure how to mix what you have with the nesquik though - I'll leave that to the other experts here, if they think it's possible.

 

[Maple]

You can also try doing the "rattie sausage" (roll him in a hand towel with only his head sticking out the top. It makes it easier to get the syringe in the side of his mouth. Try to block out the noise as he will make alot of it. Monday can't come soon enough. Good luck :hugs:

 

[Scythe]

Noope, no one else in the house will TOUCH him. My aunt, maybe, but she doesn't live here and asking her to come over every twelve hours...

I tried the towel, thing. He still gets his paws up to push me away and squirm out. siiigh.

 

[lilspaz68]

Noope, no one else in the house will TOUCH him. My aunt, maybe, but she doesn't live here and asking her to come over every twelve hours...

I tried the towel, thing. He still gets his paws up to push me away and squirm out. siiigh.

If you were closer I would come and teach you how to medicate your boy... :?