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

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Well, we're on another change of medications. Roy is no longer ever, ever allowed to have Doxycycline. The vet thinks that Doxy is the reason Roy has been feeling like **** and wouldn't eat this entire time, because it's the only common element in it all and the one day he WOULDNT eat it he was much perkier, eating his blocks, etc by the time I got home from work. Not his words, but something like a rat allergy. Basically, we think Doxy makes him sick. :\

Now, we're on Metronidazole, Baytril, and Dexamethasone. Finally, a steroid :joy:

Metro is twice a day, and Baytril is once a day. Just to help spread it out since the vet knows that once he has a certain amount of meds, he doesn't want anymore(Three meds at once + the two he gets once a day... By the time I tried getting the third med into him, Roy was going "Noooo No moooore!") It's just easier to spread it out throughout the day for him).

AND! With no doxy, he can have calcium and I don't have to worry! The little bugger would only take meds in pablum(60% calcium) AND Ensure(27%) ... little bugger :(
 
Correct me if I am wrong but if you have to give two at the same time can you not mix them together since they would end up in the stomach all together anyhow. I have a spoon with cool whip on it put the meds on and mix dry baby cereal into it and make a paste that is the size of my finger pad. Mine love it.
 
It's tough but you really shouldn't mix the meds together. There is always a reaction and we don't know what that can do inside the body. If you can, wait at least 30 minutes in between.
 
I was told by the vet tech that the ones I give every 12 hours can be given one after the other, but not all mixed together like a cocktail -- but the ones every 24hours have to wait until later. (But that was metacam and meclizine vrs doxy, clorapalm and tramadol, she might have said different if they were different meds).
 
Thank goodness he's finally taking his medication! That's a crazy medication schedule, what a lucky bum he is to have it though. :)
 
What a lucky bum that he's off it! He really didn't like it. Now it's baytril once a day and metro twice. ;) much easier on him.

I actually had to put up a whitebaord in my room to keep track of his drugs, so many I couldn't remember when he'd last had what and if he'd taken it!
 
Roy ate his meds without a single complaint! Fingers crossed this is the winning combination... If this doesn't work, the vet and I don't know what we're gonna do!
 
I'm getting so frustrated. Roy's back to refusing his meds. I managed to force one into him this morning, but now when I try, he screams and screams and when I finally let go to give him a break, I can hear his lungs crackling... x_x it's just too stressful to force it into him. I don't know what to do.
 
He's only on two, now.

Now he wont eat anything I offer him... x_x Called the vet about it and all they said was they'd show me how to force him to take his meds when he goes in tomorrow for his next dexamethasone shot(which is POINTLESS at this point because hes had ONE dose of meds since he got the stupid shot, so some good it does...). Dumb, I know how to, its Roy that just wont cooperate.

And of course, I'm out both Metro and Baytril now, because not only has Roy made me waste almost the whole bottles trying to make him eat it, but Ed decided to knock them both right over! Along with an entire bottle of Ensure to join it on the carpet.

I'm so frustrated I don't even want to look at these animals anymore. :wallbang:
 
Hang in there Scythe! He needs you to be strong and patient. My girl is having some type of neurological problem, and lost a lot of weight before I noticed, weighed her and was shocked. She presented with lots of porphyrin over her whole face. I started her on Baytril and Doxycycline. She was OK for a few days, then started to refuse her meds, and refused to eat more than a tiny bite of food. She would eat a bit, and then turn her head to the side, and look at the side of her belly. Then stop eating. I finally figured out that the medications were making her feel sick or giving her pain in her belly. She made the decision for me - I took her off the medications completely. I fed her yogurt regularly, and kept giving her baby food. She has now rebounded, and even though I would like to have her on some antibiotics, still lots of porphyrin, she is doing better without. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Are ear infections fatal, or self-limiting? This won't be a popular recommendation, but maybe he'd be better off without any meds for a while so he will eat. You should be weighing him regularly to see how he's doing, and if you should be worried about his food consumption. Good luck!
 
I'm sorry Scythe :hugs: Is it possible the meds are causing Roy's stomach to be upset? (I went through this with Monty, especially when he was on Tylan and lost 10% of his body mass in 10 days.) Probiotics, probiotic yogurt, and Bio-K (a little expensive albeit) given at least two hours before/after meds may help. I'm sorry your boys are driving you mad... I remember feeling absolutely hopeless when Monty wouldn't take his meds and then they didn't work.
 
I'm not sure... because he's had the steroids. So I'm trying... so hard, to keep him on the meds. Because the Steroids will lower his immune, wont they? So he NEEDS the antibiotics... Plus, I DO work in a pet store, and I can try as much as I can, but if I brought something home..? Even as little as a URI bug...

I know the vet thought Doxy was making his stomach upset. Is it possible that it's all meds, since he's been a drug junkie for the past month or so? He's been on this, off that, on that again, back off that, this that on and on. Constant changing of medications...

What's a good yogurt brand with probiotics that would be safe to give him? I don't feel safe taking him off meds completely considering the tilt is already so bad... So I think I will try the probiotics thing.

What would you all do if this was happening? Would you PTS? Try one more dose of steroids? I really, really don't know what to do... I've asked some of my closest friends and one responded saying she'd let him go.. But I feel like I'm not ready to lose him over this.
 
I usually give a plain yogurt... I like Astro Biobest or Liberty. The bacteria in probiotic yogurts is "good" bacteria that helps with digestion, not the kind that causes infections. You can also try non-dairy based probiotic capsules, but my guys won't take those.
 
He keeps changing his mind... He went a day or two where he wouldn't eat -- nibbled a TINY bit on new babyfood -- and last night he suddenly ate a plate of baby food. So, I eagerly mixed meds in and he ate around where the meds were. Little bugger....

I forced metro into him last night and it's not an ordeal I want to go through again. :cry:

I'm off to the vet again, though.
 
Scythe said:
What would you all do if this was happening? Would you PTS? Try one more dose of steroids? I really, really don't know what to do... I've asked some of my closest friends and one responded saying she'd let him go.. But I feel like I'm not ready to lose him over this.
It's a tough call, and a decision only you can make. I would certainly try him without drugs first before euthanizing him. Antibiotics are known for causing stomach upset and pain. I'd probably try him without them. I'm still not 100% sold on why rats need antibiotics with steroids when other mammals like us don't.
How did the vet visit go?
 
Vet visit went okay(First thing the vet said is "It feels like you're here everyday, now!" haha). Of course, Roy was a traitor and behaved like a proper angel for the vet. But we got meds into him, and another go of Dexamethasone. We'll see, I guess...
 

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