ugh

[hopefloats]

So I have been looking and looking for something other than sneezes, they only sneeze when they are out here sniffing around. Well tonight i have a wheezer, our baby al. He did just sound wheezy not so much congested. I am so upset. I kept saying go to the vet, well she will look at you like you are crazy if you take them in there for a few sneezes and nothing else. I didn't have any staining or anything, no excess round the eyes except on the hairless who only showed it when they got beat up, so I was figuring that was stress, nothing on their fur, the plastic n the cagee, nothing, I haven't even heard a rattle in the chest or anything.

I cleaned the cage today, I didn't do anything different though, except wash the plastic in dish soap rather than just vinegar, which now i am about to redo it.

I had antibiotics so i started him on that, Monday i will call the vet and see if she wants me to bring all 6 of my boys in and my 5 girls or if she want to go call us something in. The girls are probably ok, I dont hear them sneeze, but I know it can travel fast through these critters. so i am not sure what to do for them right now other than keep them away from them, which they are anyway because that would be a lot of babies, oh my, i dont even want to think about it LOL i already have nightmares about it.

 

[hopefloats]

what signs am I missing here? This is a strange wheeze not even a rattle I might need to get it on video, I am not sure what is happening, He is eating fine, they have some cooked brown rice and broccoli earlier and he ate a lot of it, he is chewing on a lab block now, he is acting fine other wise. I am now hearing alot of sneezing in the cage, so i am not sure if it is soemthing i did or them getting sick

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Do you have a humidifier? I could just be the dry air this time of year or a new smell in the house. Did you rat phone him? If you don't hear clicking/congestion when you do then I personally wouldn't start meds yet but that's just me.

 

[hopefloats]

It sounds almost clicky, It is hard to explain, I could still hear it in his chest, which is why i started it, I put the humidifier, next to the cage, And they have a heater right by them, it is one of those oil radiator heaters so it should be ok, Luna did a clear rattle, you could almost hear her cough like, he is a wheezy with a bit of the of a click, but it is hard to tell if it is his wheezing or what if you listen, He was really loud, but now he is quieted down a bit, I had him in the bathroom sink with the steam though a few times,

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Oh the clicky sounds are in the lungs too sorry I misunderstood. Sounds like a URI to me...what abs do you have him on?

 

[hopefloats]

we always get smz, i think it is called, It worked with the girls when they had it months ago, but luna had a few different ones that never seem to work.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

I don't know what smz is....I always use doxy and baytril. Also if your meds are compounded then they are probably expired (just something to be aware of).

edit: figured it out but the rat guide says "Good choice for use in urinary tract infections or secondary infections." So I would go with doxy/baytril.
http://ratguide.com/meds/antimicrobial_ ... _sulfa.php

 

[hopefloats]

I refilled it recently, our other rat is on some for an abscess that comes and goes and they filled both when I told them the one for the rats LOL so it is new, I was questioning their sneezing this week, so i figured they might need it

 

[hopefloats]

I guess when I go there on monday, I will ask her about that one instead, is it combined or is that two separate medicines you give together?

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Two separate abs that you give together and you want to make sure that you get enough meds for 4 weeks to make sure that the infection is completely gone. I hope you can get both of them as they are the best combo to fight a URI.

 

[xxchelle]

Completely off topic, but your other rat with the recurring abscess, I'd recommend if you can getting the bacteria tested to see which antibiotics will kill it completely. I have a girl here with a recurring abscess and the bacteria was tested and found to be susceptible to baytril, so she's on two to three months of baytril to get rid of it completely.

I'm not sure if all vets can do this but if yours can it could save you a lot of hassle and save your rat a lot of pain.

 

[hopefloats]

No that is good to know, it goes down, then i think it is done with the swelling, then it come right back pops, so i say ok, now we are done, nope, it is swell up again, I cannot figure out what else i can do to clear it up for good. I am having a hard time keeping it open so it can drain, I hold her with a compress, and she is like trying to hold a tornado, she fight and fights, i am at my wits end with her LOL

 

[hopefloats]

oh yeah it is to cold for me to put her in a tub, so i havent tried that, this house is old and drafty so i dont want to add to it with a bath

 

[jorats]

SMZ/Bactrim/Septra/Novotrimel (same drug different name) is excellent with abscesses but not respiratory.
It seems to me that your gut is telling you something is off with Al. So I'd get him to the vet to get a listen to his lungs and start Baytril. If he's young, I'd ask for zithromax.

 

[lilspaz68]

Sneezing at this time of year is a normal occurrence, the air dries out, the heat is turned on, windows are kept closed, etc...if its just sneezing don't worry. A regular URI (which it sounds like) has more to do with the rat's immune system than being contagious. I have had sick rats in a whole cageful of healthy ones who never got sick, so you shouldn't have to medicate any others at this point, unless they start showing secondary symptoms of illness.

 

[hopefloats]

humm interesting, smz is what the vet here gives for them when they are sick, for her abcess she was given a different type. I will have to talk to the vet that does the surgeries that is who i am planning on taking him to if he doesnt sound better.

Today ludo has a little red around one eye, he is the other baby. The other are sneezing a bit but i havent seen anything else. We had luna who was sick with the others and they never caught it but we lost her because of that and a tumor, she was my daughters first rat, well Al who is pew as well as luna was, is my daughters new rat, I really cannot deal with losing another yet, the year i lose them all will be hard enough

It also worries me that he will go through what luna did, I am going to get some coroplast and put on the side of the cage, I seen in a post that would help with keeping their heat in. I should of thought of that soon, I was thinking about a blanket, but that would just end up pulled in and chewed up LOL

I just want to make sure I catch it early so it doesnt get crazy like it did with luna, we could not get rid it for her, she had extras and other meds, and nothing worked for her. although we started treating her early, and it still happened LOL I guess it was just her genetics

I dont hear al wheezing today, but I am still going to keep checking him and figure out what to do.

that is why I seeked out forums to join, beein on a few but stopped going to most of them, I didnt have this when I was dealing with Luna so I was lost pretty much. I just dont want to go through that again if it can be prevented.