Virus?

[RattusNorvegicus]

I am worried that my rats may have a virus. All of them have myco flare ups which I treat, but this time they're worse. All but two out of seven rats are on abs, and now I think I need to put another on. She just started sneezing excessively and open mouth breathing. The sneezes sound dry but rough I can't explain it. There has been more porphyrin than usual on most rats, and one, Owl, today didn't look so good. She is doing much better as I gave her a dose of Metacam. She also has already been on Baytril+Zithro before all of this. I have been in contact with rats recently. Over a month ago Jessica (who was a member here) stopped by to pick up some rat things I had for her. She brought her two rats for me to meet unexpectedly and I held them. This happened outside and right after I came inside back to my rats. Again, this was over a month ago. She stopped by again a few weeks later to pick up some hammocks I had made for her, but said she hadn't been home all day. More recently I went with a close friend to take her very sick boy to the vet. He was very congested, blue, and stayed overnight on oxygen etc. He and his brother have been on Doxy and Baytril, and recently their sister. I did go home to my rats without changing clothes and such and if they do have a virus that time would make most sense. I will stop rambling as I don't want to make this longer than I need to. I don't know what to do, and I may be overreacting as maybe it's a coincidence, but I don't know.

 

[lilspaz68]

Do a timeline of possible contagious events (the sick friend's rat sounds most likely) and when the first of your rat showed symptoms..was it around a week later?

The symptoms sound like Sendai to me.

 

[RattusNorvegicus]

One of my girls, Ellie flared up a week later after the first time me being around her sick Gus, but half of my rats were already on (and still are on) antibiotics so I really have no idea. I watched her four girls July 6th (They were in the bottom part of the CN with my girls on top) but even then the resp issues were already there and seemed to be worsening and possibly spreading. I just can't figure out if maybe it's a coincidence. All of my girls seem to be very unlucky with URI's and always get them after treatment ends. Now that I've been more aggressive and keeping them on meds, it seems they've stopped working.

 

[RattusNorvegicus]

I was with her very sick boy on June 23rd. She comes to my house a lot directly from hers, but if it is a virus that I got from her ratties, would they have surely gotten it the first day I was in contact with her rat?

What is the best combination of antibiotics lest this is Sendai? Do I start them on it when they show symptoms?

 

[jorats]

This is not good. I'd have all the rats on a combo of baytril and doxy. Or better yet, Baytril and Zithromax. Keep them on it until a week after being back to health.