Urinary Tract Infection?

[dan2333]

I think my rat Jasper might have a urinary tract infection. I'm worried about him. But it could be something else.

The sheath around his urethra is dark purplish. Sometimes there is a bit of blood in the cage too. He doesn't have a plug. I checked many times.

In the meantime, I'm going to get some unsweetened cranberry juice and mix it with some pablum for him.

I live kind of far from that rat vet Dr. Munn but I will drive there if I have to. I don't know how else to get the medication though. I have been there before and it was stressful for me and my rat because I had to take public transportation to get there and it took several hours. I can't always get a ride there.



Would I be able to get the proper medication from any local vet instead of having to go to Toronto?

Does anyone in the GTA have access to the antibiotics that I could just buy??!!

 

[Aida]

Do not buy antibiotics yourself, or get them from a vet who isn't educated in rats. It could be something completely different, and internal bleeding is DANGEROUS. Also, antibiotics prescribed for a urinary tract could even worsen your rat'shealth if it is something else. From what you're saying, it sounds like something bad. I think you should go to the vet ASAP. Hugs and kisses to you and your little boy. D:

 

[Joanne]

I would try and beg/borrow/steal a ride and go to see Dr. Munn. At least we KNOW that Dr. Munn is one of the best educated rat vets around, and it is worth it to get that opinion and get your rat diagnosed and treated correctly the first time.

 

[jorats]

Is the colour of the sheath your only concern? Does he act like he's not feeling well? Is he cleaning himself there a lot? What does his urine look like? Any blood?

 

[dan2333]

He isn't acting different. He is acting normal. I believe the condition is called "posthitis" or "Balanoposthiti" which means the foreskin is affected.

It may not be a UTI but I found out about this natural supplement called D-Mannose.

D-Mannose is supposed to be an alternative treatment to antibiotics and is extracted from cranberries. It doesn't have the side effects of antibiotics. It helps treat UTI naturally and it can be used for people and pets. Look at all the reviews: http://www.amazon.com/Now-Foods-D-Manno ... B000HCMK90

It works on people and pets. They have done studies on D-Mannose on rats with that have e-coli UTI with good results.

I cleaned his area tonight with puppy shampoo and put some polysporin. On other occasions I have applied aloe vera with good results.

 

[jorats]

If you believe it's balanoposthiti, that could be due to a staph infection. That might need to be treated asap. But you said he's not looking poorly. I'd keep an eye on it. Perhaps the penis got scratched which trauma can also cause balanoposthiti. Keep us posted.

 

[dan2333]

I've been keeping it clean. I popped out a small plug tonight. The good news is that there wasn't any blood in the cage today.

He is a bit fat which I think is the reason why he's not cleaning himself as much as he should.

His cagemate Theo is slimmer cause he doesn't eat as much as Jasper. Jasper is kind of a hog with food. He eats more and he eats faster too.

Theo doesn't have any issues because he is not fat like Jasper. I am going to try and get Jasper to lose more weight. Jasper used to be fatter but I changed their diet a bit over the past 3 weeks. I still feed them Harlan Teklad and I let them run around everyday.

 

[Aida]

Could you maybe give us some pictures?

 

[dan2333]

Okay, I'll try and take some pictures tonight. He squirms so much though. It's difficult to clean him.

 

[dan2333]

I've been giving him a bit of D-mannose powder supplement each morning mixed with healthy times organic oatmeal (for babies).

It appears to be working. His pee doesn't smell anymore.