This URI is driving me mad! Update 06/16 page 2

[crumbilina]

Well, I have to admit. I am frustrated right now.

The honking and noises that the girls had been making were gone. WERE gone.

Tonight I was playing with the girls and heard the oh so familiar honking that I have grown to dread. And now, I have no idea what to do.

I ratphoned everyone. Delilah and Trixie are for sure honking. Yoshi might be, it was difficult to ratphone her with a giant tumor. Lily is not honking but when you hold her up to your ear she breathes normally and then kind of skips a breath. Glinda and Abby sound clear.

Mr. Fluffy, Remy and Tellie are fine. They are also in different cages away from the girls.

In the recent past Delilah and Yoshi were on just baytril, then a baytril/doxy combo, then a zithro/baytril combo and at that point I thought, ok let leave it for a while. I stopped the zithro and baytril and a couple days later they were ok. Now a couple weeks (like 3 or so) they are back to this URI.

Why does this suck extra bad?
I finally defeated that previous URI in hopes of getting Yoshi in for her surgery to have the tumor removed and have her spayed. Now? I don't think that she can have the surgery... Her pre-operation appointment is on Wednesday and I was hoping for surgery on Thursday or Monday. Not anymore. The tumor is huge and it is only going to continue to grow with the sugary meds. ugh.

So, my game plan? I am going to call the vet in the morning asking if there is anyway that I can get the other girls in at the same time as Yoshi on Wednesday. If not, then I will have to take them back on a different day.

Now, I will be going to the vet but I have NO idea what to even ask for and last time he didn't know what to give. It seems as though I have almost exhausted all of my antibiotic options except chloramphenicol. Should I ask for that? Should I ask him if he will give me enough for Glinda and Abby too even though they aren't showing any obvious signs now? After all they are in the same cage... and the vet is an hour long drive away... on a good day.

Geeze could they have something else? Is there a chance that what they have is contagious? So many questions and so few solutions. No idea what to do at all.

Any suggestions?
Also, feel free to ask clairification questions, I am quite tired while writing this so I may have left out some important details or something.

Thanks for any light that you can shed on this...

 

[victoria]

Have you tried Bactrim/Septra/TMZ (all variations of the same thing)? I have found success with it for URIs and it can be combined with Batyrll and or Doxy. Then again, I may be in a very different situation than you. I have tried Chlorpalm a few times over the years and the only thing it's done for my guys is cause weight loss because it killed off so much intestinal flora despite the probiotics I was giving.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Is there any crackling or wheezing actually in the lungs or is it just echoing from their noses?

 

[jorats]

I've noticed that some with chronic URI will sometimes make noise yet have clear lungs. I don't know if it's scarring or something else but your vet will be able to hear the lungs more thoroughly and gauge from that if the op is good to go.
You could try Bactrim but I'd do it in a combo with baytril.

 

[lilspaz68]

Your girls probably just have weak immune systems, and will need to go on and off meds all their lives. Pick the antibiotic that cleared it up the last time and double the time you have them on it.

 

[crumbilina]

Thanks for the responses guys!

@victoria- no i haven't tried bactrim. I can ask about it. Thank you

@smilez_n_hugs- I can't tell if it is echoing or if it is in the lungs. I tried, but have no idea. I think that Dr. G. will be able to tell better. I think a large component is echoing but I think that there might be some lung in there too, especially with Lily

I have begun to think that these guys just have some upper respiratory thing kinda like what Jo suggested going on where they are just always congested and the lungs are clear. They were on antibiotics for SO long and nothing really helped so thats why I was looking for something to ask for. I tried to avoid chlorpalm before for reasons that I only remembered from classes and it sounds like I was right to do so. I couldn't imagine a couple of these girls losing any weight, if anything they need to gain! So, since really nothing has worked, I cant double the amount of time on it.

I also thought about the possibility of some sort of antinflammatory/decongestant in case there is some inflammation int he nasal passages. Not sure if I want to go with that, it really depends on what it does to the immune system, and if it would work... I think there was a list in a previous thread I will look for before I go to the vet.

*sigh* these rattums!

 

[crumbilina]

Ok so half good news

I got Delilah in. The receptionist said that there are no more appointments that she can fit anyone into and she wasn't sure if we could get to all of them in the time period I have booked. SO I am going to take them all and IF we get to them, we do, if not I will have to take the ones that didn't get checked back, which is fine since I have at least one rat going in for surgery for sure... well hopefully for sure.

SO I should suggest bactrim and baytril since I really didn't have a combo before hand that actually worked? How long should they be on this for? Should I ask for enough for ALL the girls - Glinda and Abby too? Should I ask for a brochodilator just to see if it helps? Victoria, what did you have luck with?

I'm going to have to be super prepared for this appointment... I want to make sure I know exactly what I need and how long I need it for. I think aggressive fast treatment of this is the only thing that will work.

Anything I should do at home to help them out?

 

[jorats]

I believe all abs should be at the very least 4 weeks.
The bronchodilator is a good thing to have on hand if she gets worse.
At home... do you have an air purifier? Do not use any bedding other than Yesterday's News or the like, anything with lots of dust is too much an irritant at this point.

 

[crumbilina]

I have a Honeywell HEPA filter beside their cage, and I also have an oreck air purifier that have not yet hooked up that I can hook up if need be. The air purifier runs 24/7 - if not, my allergies are TERRIBLE when it comes to the little rattums... especially since adding the boyos.

As far as bedding goes, they are currently on yesterdays news and fleece. I haven't changed it. I have been using aspen on the other 2 cages because it is much easier, but if I need to switch them to YN that would be ok too. Its just that the boys/Tellie seem to like the aspen much better then YN so I left it for them figuring since the girls weren't living on it, they would be ok.

I will ask for 4 weeks and I will print off the list of possible antibiotics to use and see if we can decide on one. I will also ask for the bronchodilator, even if I don't use it right now, it would be good to have JUST in case. Ill ask him to write the expiry date on it too.

They all seem content and happy, like this really isn't effecting them all that much... so...

lol hopefully they will like the new meds as much as they likes the zithromax... Abby chewed through syringes trying to get to the stuff!

 

[Unepuce]

To echo Shelagh and the weak immune system... My Mac was making honking sounds on and off when I rescued him last year, I sometimes would wake him up because it was getting so loud I was worried he might end up choking. Then one of my vets suggested to use Booster - and that was it. No more sounds, not even an URI up until I had to put him to sleep yesterday for unrelated cause. I really believe an immune system booster is worth a shot!

 

[crumbilina]

What is booster?

Do you know where I can find info on it? I have a feeling I am going to have to bring as much information as I can to this appointment.

Thanks

 

[MissGuardian]

My girl Nirvana has had honking noises most of her life, but the vet never finds anything wrong with her.. It´s only in her nose, not her lungs.. And antibiotics don´t help..
He suspects she has some kind of allergy, since nothing really helps, and nothing in her lungs since she´s had it for months.. Several of her relatives have it too, with them not being sick either.. Only girls strangely..

 

[crumbilina]

I thought allergies too. So I tried giving her childrens benadryl (an antihistamine) during a time when she was off other meds. There was no response. I can't really for sure rule out allergies because of this response, but I have doubts that it is allergies because I would have seen SOME effect with the antihistamine.

At least thats what I think... Maybe I'm wrong? lol I doubt myself too much >.<

 

[MissGuardian]

Nirvana hasn´t been on antihistamines yet, so I wouldn´t know..
She´s not bothered by it, and she would need like 1/10 of a pill.. And the vet only has packs of 1000... I will get it if she gets worse tho.. but for now she don´t need it..

 

[crumbilina]

I used over the counter liquid benadryl used for children from the pharmacy.

It was on somewhat of a whim - hoping that it would help Yoshi out... no :-/

 

[MissGuardian]

I don´t think we have anything like that here.. most medicines are prescription(even de worming for dogs.....)

 

[Unepuce]

What is booster?

Do you know where I can find info on it? I have a feeling I am going to have to bring as much information as I can to this appointment.

Thanks

Here's the link: http://www.healx.co.uk/booster.html

It works wonders for all my ratties!

 

[crumbilina]

What is booster?

Do you know where I can find info on it? I have a feeling I am going to have to bring as much information as I can to this appointment.

Thanks

Here's the link: http://www.healx.co.uk/booster.html

It works wonders for all my ratties!

Can you get that in Canada? How do you administer it? lol Do the rattums like it?

At this point, I will try anything!

PS thanks for the link

 

[Unepuce]

You can order it online - Victoria got some for somewhere will check and come back. I get it from my vet (in Montreal), but it's a bit more expensive then online, I believe.

Nope, they don't really like it as basically, it is very thick oil... I mix it in their meds mixture, usually PB and apple sauce. For Mac, the dosage was supposed to be 0.3 cc, but I always gave .1 cc and it worked its miracle!

ETA: here's the link Victoria got hers from: https://www.healthybird.net/store/index ... h3du66mtb4

ETA2: I keep editing I'm sorry - Just to let you know I actually emailed Healx to make sure the avi formula was the same as the one I used - and they confirm it was the exact same product. :wink2:

 

[crumbilina]

Great!!! Thank you!

It is worth a shot imo.

I will check back before purchasing

lol ETA: I read your post wrong... since you already said it was the same lol. So I don't need to chec back before ordering, although I probably will

I want to check the vet office first and then, if they don't have it, I will order online.