Swollen red ears

[Nicole]

My rat Basil has swollen ears, theyre very red. We've been to the vet 4 times now and they have no idea whats wrong. We haven't introduced anything new the the cage/food/play environment. He doesn't have mites or an inner ear infection. there are no white crusties. hes not scratching them. but i know theyre uncomfortable. he has them drooped down like hes a dumbo. the vet has been calling around for a week to other vets and no one seems to have a clue to whats going on. he was prescribed prednisolone but it didnt do much. any ideas?
pictures to follow

 

[Nicole]

 

[jorats]

Poor little guy...
I'm thinking perhaps fungal... getting an antifungla/microbial cream might help. Also you could try Novotrimel aka Bactrim aka Septra to see if it helps, it's good with skin disorders. You could also try the Convenia shot.

Keep us posted!

 

[Nicole]

Well we're back from the specialist in Halifax. We saw Dr. Dibblee at the Fairview Vet. Hospital, wonderful vet. They still aren't sure what is wrong with Basil's ears. They did a skin scraping of his ears and on the back of his head and are sending them samples away for fungal culture testing. They also gave him an injection of something (I can't for the life of me remember the name) for mites/fleas etc, although she doesn't believe they are the cause. I've seen some of you mention the name it on the board, I think it starts with an I. We have to go back for the next two upcoming Fridays for follow up injections. She also took pictures to post on an International vet forum to see if she could get some feedback from other vets. The Dr. is going to an exotic conference in Florida tomorrow and said she would take the pictures and ask around.
So one very expensive vet trip and an extremely unhappy Basil later, we still aren't sure what the problem is but will hopefully have answers soon. I'll post again when we find some answers.

 

[jorats]

He was given Ivermectin.
Was he given any antibiotics or creams? Or are they waiting for test results?

 

[henry's_mum]

Ivermectin?

i'm glad you saw the vet, i'm sorry nothing really came of it though, although she sounds like she's trying....
:hugs: to you and your wee boy hun...

 

[Nicole]

Yes Jo, that it is! She is definitely trying She was very confused as to why the Pred. didn't do much in terms of swelling which is why they didn't prescribe anything else. She didn't want to give him too much in terms of antibiotics or creams in cause it made the issue worse. She is waiting on the results but said we should hear back by Monday or Tuesday.

 

[jorats]

Sounds like a pretty good vet. :thumbup:

 

[Maple]

Yes this vet sounds very good. Definitely not leaving any stone unturned.

 

[Joanne]

Awwww, poor Basil! Your boys have had a rough go of it! Not easy for a first-time mom! I haven't heard of this vet - is she new to the area? It would be great to have an exotics vet who is interested in rats.....

 

[Nicole]

I'm not sure if she is new or not. We only saw Dr. Benoit when we went to the Fairview clinic. I will ask at our next appointment. But she and the nurse were wonderful with Basil.

 

[blytherue]

Oh how strange! It looks almost like a human's allergic reaction. I hope they find out what it is soon! :hugs:

 

[Cigar]

Oh how strange! It looks almost like a human's allergic reaction. I hope they find out what it is soon! :hugs:

I feel the same, could it be an allergy? Maybe some Benadryl would help relieve some of the swelling.

 

[jorats]

If it was an allergy the pred should have completely taken care of it.

 

[Cigar]

If it was an allergy the pred should have completely taken care of it.

True. :doh:

 

[trexgorawrrrrr]

wow. hopefully there will be some results soon! poor little basil

 

[Nicole]

Just a quick update. Basil's ears are definitely improving. They are still swollen, but do not have that painful red look to them. They do look pinker than usual but don't seem to be bothering him as much. No word back from the clinic, but the vet may not be back from her conference yet. We still have a Friday appointment for another Ivermectin (spelling??) shot, as well as a third shot for the following Friday.

 

[Joanne]

Glad to hear poor little Basil's ears are doing better...

 

[Nicole]

Went for shot number two today. No news back from the tests yet and no response on VIN (the vet forum). Hopefully there will be answers at next weeks appointment.

 

[eagle]

Glad to hear he is doing some better. :thumbup: