Toby **Update Jan 2/2010**

So the inhaler isnt doing much anymore :wallbang:

Vet tomorrow to see about starting him on enalapril, to see if there's any difference. If not, then we will be starting him on a steroid (hopefully dex) tto reduce inflammation & theophyiline to open things up ..for scarred lungs.

 

[jorats]

Hopefully that will make him feel better.

 

Toby went to the vet tonight.
We did xrays, his heart looked perfectly normal.
His lungs look scarred, not abcessed, no fluid.

My vet dose not think there is anything wrong with his heart because he has had other rats with heart problems, and he says Toby act's like a normal rat, his heart looks and sounds fine.

We are pretty convinced that Toby has scarred lungs, and the only option we have left is to try steriods.
My vet dose not like Dex.
His inhlaer is the best thing to open his airways.

BUT Toby had very little congestion at the vet (actually none until xrays), even after his xray, he never had too much ..i think the air in the rat room is too dry ..its a big room, and we only have one humidfyer in there, so we have added two fountains, and jars of water around the room to help!

So right now, Toby is on no meds. He has his inhaler which i find is working if just sprayed by him while he is in the cage.

I know alot of you won't agree with not trying heart meds, but this is the only vet I have, and he is the one I trust.

 

[Joanne]

Well, he's the one that went to vet school! They don't call him Dr. for nothing...

 

[jorats]

I wonder if the flovent inhaler might be better? It's not for acute attacks but for prevention.

Getting dex from my vet is like pulling teeth. I don't know why that is. Some vet uses it easily while others shy away from it.

 

I can ask him about that inhaler. Is it by prescription too?

Since I have added more humidty to the room, Toby has not made hardly any sounds.

 

[Rachael]

I think your vet sounds good about the heart medicines. My vet is the same. They can have a lot of nasty side effects, sometimes you have to weigh out what good it will do, the side effects it could have that might make them worse. My vet has given me Frusemide and I can't remember the name of the tablets, but she wouldn't use a lot of the other heart meds for rats.

 

& I agree with him Rachael!

Toby is much better today with the added humidity in the room. He has hardly made any sounds. He is 100% better than he was yesterday.

So taking him to the vet was not a waste of time, lol ..it made us discover that the air was too dry :giggle:

Last night at the vet ..he thought we would crazy ..cause he never made a sound :giggle: ..he did make "some" sounds after his x-ray ..but they never lasted long. He also took his time with the xrays and let Toby do his own thing until he was ready to be still.

 

Good News!
I have not heard any congestion sounds from Toby in 2 days

YAY for humidty

 

[mamarat]

:joy:

 

Toby is still on no meds, still doing well

 

[Joanne]

Great news!

 

[mamarat]

Fantastic!

 

Toby is still doing well

He has been off meds now for two weeks.
We have a humidifyer, 2 small fountains and 15 jars of water next to heaters for humidty :giggle:
The rat room is really big.

 

[Godmother]

Yay, Toby! :ratwave: Hope he keeps on doing so well.

 

[Joanne]

Good stuff!

 

Toby has been off meds now for a month and a half ..and he is doing great. He makes thoese strange sounds when he gets excited, but thats it.

We also went and bought a much larger humidfyer ..so now it could rain in the rat room, but everyone is doing great with it.

 

[Asheka]

:joy: :dance: :joy: