Sid again - Update 12/05 (pg.4)

[ryelle]

It kinda looks like bite marks from like mites or lice or something to me anyways.

yeah thats what i'd think aswell. i've been treating him for mites for weeks though. Either it hasn't worked one bit, or its something else

 

[jorats]

You've been using ivermectin right? He needs something better...selamectin.

 

[lilspaz68]

Start with the Revolution or selamectin (Stronghold in the UK)...looks like mites and Ivermectin isn't as effective consistently anymore.

If things don't improve then you will need a vet visit. Its a possibility of surface pyoderma and you will need antibiotics for it, but definitely start with the Selamectin.

 

[ryelle]

I have no idea where to buy that Stronghold stuff lol. What type would i be getting? Dog, Cat, kitten, puppy if i do find some?

I think i've found somewhere online to buy it from.

Sid's had 4 seperate Ivermectin treatments over the past 6 or 7 weeks - once every week for the past 3 weeks. Would using something else so soon (the last one was maybe Saturday? - my short term memory is shot to pieces) make him ill or anything??

i feel like a bad mommy

 

[ryelle]

anyone?

 

[SQ]

Did you check with vets?
We can only get revolution from a vet here in Canada.

 

[ryelle]

Did you check with vets?
We can only get revolution from a vet here in Canada.

Nope. Im calling tomorrow. Trying to avoid going paying for 4 consultations at the vets though - hopefully only one or two of those being a double for both rats ><

 

[jorats]

I would think that it's safe, Ivermectin is only effective for about 10 days... selamectin is good for a month.

 

[ryelle]

They have an appointment on Monday at 5:30. I dont know where the woman booked me in at, so im either walking 5 minutes round the corner, or sittin on the bus for 45 minutes ><

I might have to change it to Tuesday, depending on how much cash i have.

I asked for the vet most experienced with treating rats, because ive never been to this vet before, and i'm taking both boys. If Patrick does have a chest infection then i'd have to get Sid checked too for it. Might aswell kill two birds with one stone.

 

[ryelle]

Vet day today. I had a panic last night thinking i couldn't afford the appointment, but Patrick sounds bad :? and i almost had to re-arrange it to take Sid in later in the week. I think i can just afford it though. Patrick is making a lot of grunty noises, more than he was last week. He has no porph, no puffy fur, no signs of being sick. But he is grunting. Im seeing a new vet today, so im hoping and praying they give me something for it.

I bathed Sid the other night. I was about to go to bed and he was sat on the floor itching and scratching and looking a lil irritated. He normally screams his head off when he has a bath, but i massaged the shampoo in to his sides and his back and he just sat there and licked the towel over and over again. His skin isn't as red as it has been, so i think hes a little more comfortable.

Trust me to go get sick aswell!! My damn Sinus' have been stupid lately. My forehead hurts, my nose is bleeding cus i have hayfever and cant stop sneezing, and im currently deaf in my right ear (better than yesterday, couldnt hear out of neither of them). Looking forward to the 30 - 45min bus ride (traffic is normally horrific).


Will the rats be ok on the ride there?! oO Its going to take about an hour to an hour and a half to get there and back, and im hoping the appointment will only take 10 minutes. We will be out for about 2 hours

 

[ryelle]

We made it to the vets. Sid hated every second of it. The vet gave him an injection of Ivermectin, and a steroid (he said it will help with inflammation and itching). He said that the spot-on treatments arent as good as an injection. Sid poor baby, he screamed when the vet gave him the injection. Given half the chance i think he would have bitten the Vet (hes never bit anyone in his life or reacted like that before). The vet tech popped her head round the corner and was shocked at the noise. I have to take him back on Saturday 11th April for a check up and another injection.
He didnt check his lungs or his heart though, which i was surprised at. He asked how old he was and i told him Sid is two next month. He said he is fat and i should try get weight off him (bear in might Sid cant use his back legs too well, he is almost 2, and over the last year he has managed to lose 100g and stay at his current weight) :?

I got Patrick out of his box and the vet lifted him up so he was stood up and he says "oh, he's quite heavy too. you need to get some weight off the pair of them". He checked Patricks chest and said "his heart and lungs sound fine. He has some noise in the upper chest area, but in animals like this it is very common. I dont know if i would be able to get rid of it, so i dont want to pump him full of meds if they arent going to work". Patrick sounds like he has a mini motor in him today. Im going to keep an eye on him.

Is Patrick actually fat then? I weighed him when i got home, and he weights 475g (i dont use electrical scales, so give or take a few grams). He is a 6 month old male. Sid is a 23 month old male and weighs 640g. Neither of them have been neutered

 

[Moon]

Patrick doesn't sound too big, Sid might be... but that's just me. Keep in mind that some rats are just BIG without being fat, especially if they are muscular.

And no antibiotics for Patrick? If he sounds "grunty" as you put it (I call it the "monkey noises") then he really needs to be on antibiotics.

 

[ryelle]

Sid used to be 750g, and he was fat then. He is still tubby now, but he did manage to lose 110g. He has more saggy skin than fat though. He cant climb or jump or run fast because of his back feet so there is only little that i can do to try make him lose the weight. He eats good. I havent weighed him ni a while, but i was writing it in a diary for a while. ill weigh him again in a bit. hes very skittish since the vet trip. if we move he jumps, runs and hides. hes not a happy guy

 

[ryelle]

O.O i weighed Sid and he is 685g. I am going to buy some electric scales tomorrow so i can get more accurate readings (reading a little stick bobbing all over the place while the rat moves in the box is difficult).

What should i do?? Should i reduce the amount of blocks he is having per day? He won't exercise and i dont want to force him to do anything he doesnt want to do

 

[jorats]

A rat can be fat at 475 grams depending if he's meant to be a small rat but usually anything around 500 grams is pretty darn good. As for Sid, no way are you to try and make him lose weight... at his age that is no longer a goal. Once they start to lose weight when they are old, it can get out of control too fast.
I'm quite disappointed you didn't get any meds for Patrick. That vet needs to brush up on his rat knowledge.

 

[ryelle]

The vet asked how old Sid was, and i told him 2yrs next month, and he said i should get some weight off him.. Then he looks at Patrick and says "Is Patrick the same age?" And i was like "...hes only 6months old...". Patrick looks a little podgy lately, but hes a crazy guy. He runs in his wheel all night too. Hes one of the most active rats ive seen. I dont know how much of his weight is muscle, but hes a growing guy. He still has a lot of maturing to do yet.

But, how active he is, is where im worrying about his chest. The vet i saw yesterday was the first visit there. They were referred to me by my mums friend who works there. When i made the appointment i asked for the vet that knew most about rats - incase Sid's skin problem wasnt mites, i wanted someone with more knowledge than basic. Im tempted to go see the old vet people, and see what they say about Patricks chest (like a 2nd oppinion)
I know its hard to age rats sometimes by looking at them... But Patrick is a baby face. I call him Hamster-face sometimes cus he has big cheeks, and when he dangles he looks like a hamster with stuffed cheeks. He even walks on his tippytoes still, and keeps his tail up in the air. The vet did say he had a nice coat on him. (he wasnt too impressed with Sid, but he's a rex, and a barber)
Babyface: - does he look 2yrs old?

I was pleased with Sid getting to 640g. Hes an oldie, so i just let him get on with his life. I give him the scritches and the cuddles he needs, along with making tasty food for him

 

[ryelle]

Just got back from town with my new electrical scales. I've weighed Sid twice and got the same reading of 661g (put him in a box, weighed him in the box, then took him out, and weighed the empty box). Not as bad as 685g. 24g must be a lot for a ratty.

Been thinking of all that baking i've done, and how wrong the ingredients must have been... no wonder my Scones wouldn't rise properly!

 

[lj]

Aw, Patrick is cute. How's Sid's skin today?

 

[the-boys]

From my own experience it looks like a blister ! I've had the same kinda thing from leaning on my radiator... Maybe he's rubbed his tummy on the carpet or something ?

 

[ryelle]

Aw, Patrick is cute. How's Sid's skin today?

I haven't really had the chance to have a good look at him. I don't think he's been scratching as much today though - i've only seen him grooming once or twice. He isn't as red either as he has been and i don't think there is many more new scabs. Hes seriously pissed at me though, and he won't come out :? He squeaks loads and pushes to the floor when i try pick him up. A lil upset from yesterday i think. Ill have to go mix up some nice veggies for him

Hes laid in his own wet though, and i cant get him to move out of the pee or off the pee-soaked blankets. Gunna have to dunk his bum in some warm water to wash him off before he gets another abscess / urine burn. He likes to keep my on my toes lately