Very sick little girl

[Sorbin]

Sharona had a tumor removed a couple of weeks ago and she was doing fantastic, but now she is not doing well at ALL! I think she may have pneumonia. :'( Her teeth have turned white, she's and she's breathing really hard. We took her into see the vet yesterday and he gave her some baytril drops, and said we should see improvement by tomorrow. AND her tumor has come back! Here's the thing though, it is much softer than the first tumor, is it possible it's an abscess? Its growing really fast, much faster than the first one did!

 

[jennifervb]

Can you call your vet and tell them that her condition has worsened?

She may need something like Lasix if she has chest congestion or possible congestive heart failure (many rats suffer from this Sorbin so don't panic! :hugs: )

Just try to get your baby treated for this as quickly as possible. Respiratory distress is not something you want to mess with. :sad3:

 

[Sorbin]

She's not any worse than she was yesterday when the vet saw her, but she does have chest congestion! Is baytril too mild? And what about the tumor/abscess thingy?

 

[mamarat]

If it's pneumonia you need a combo, Baytril and Zithro are my choices. As for the "new" tumor is your girl spayed? Tumors do come back and sometimes pretty fast when not spayed. Where's the tumor? Can you take a picture?

 

[jennifervb]

She's not any worse than she was yesterday when the vet saw her, but she does have chest congestion! Is baytril too mild? And what about the tumor/abscess thingy?

My vet never gave Baytril on its own. It was always accompanied by Doxy and whatever else the rat needed for its condition (like Meloxicam for pain, Lasix for congestion, etc.)

Based on this, yes, I will safely assume that Baytril, on its own, will not cut it for her breathing.

You don't want to witness a rat slip into acute respiratory distress, Sorbin. It is terrible and unless you have the necessary meds, IVs and such at home with which to help, it will be a painful experience for both the rat and the parent. I've been there and it hurts. I don't want you to have that experience. It's painful. :sad3:

 

[hopefloats]

It can take a few days to see improvements with pneumonia. That is a hard battle to win. Feed her lots of ensure and anything else she can or will eat. Pinch test her skin to make sure she isnt dehydrated often. I do agree you need a combo.

 

[Sorbin]

This picture shows my sister's finger under the lump, which is directly under her right front shoulder blade, behind her elbow.

It is about 1 inch across (bigger than it was yesterday).

One other question; is Lasix a prescription drug, or is it something that can be purchased over the counter? (If so what would the dosage be?)
Thanks for your help everybody!

 

[mamarat]

Lasix has to be prescribed by your vet and he would know the dosage.

 

[SQ]

Yes, ask your vet about lasix and about azithromycin.

(baytril is 10 mg/Ib, other internet sources say 5 mg/Ib; azithromycin is 10 to 15 mg/Ib, both are given twice a day)
(info from the Rat Health Care book)

 

[jorats]

It could be an abscess due to the surgery or it could also be the mammary tumour growing back. Some vets don't remove enough of the mammary gland surrounding the area. And if the rat is not spayed, when there's one tumour, there's bound to be more.
I too agree to call back your vet, it should only be a recheck and see about adding doxy to the Baytril.

 

[Sorbin]

Lost her yesterday morning. :'( Thanks for your help everyone!

 

[mamarat]

I'm so so sorry.

 

[SQ]

I am so very sorry

 

[TheRatQueen]

Sorry for your loss.

 

[leescait]

I am sorry That's awful. Our little rats never live long enough.