Weak Heart?

Just trying to find some infro on heart issues because well you all know I lost my baby boy to a neuter this past Friday (he went through the op perfect, 10 seconds after waking he turned blue & they lost him), most of you said it could have been due to a weak heart. So my question is, can a rat have a weak heart without us knowing? is there any signs?

 

[SQ]

Yes a rat can have heart problems without showing any signs.
My rats have not shown symptoms of heart disease until the disease was very advanced.
Heart problems seem to be very common in rats. It seems to be more prevalent in older rats but I have had young rats with advanced heart disease as well.

I did have one rat, Caleb, whose heart problem became very serious in early 2005 after he, as a seemingly healthy young boy, underwent nebulizing as a preventative health proceedure. We assume the stress did it. Unfortunately Caleb was the first rat I had with a heart problem and it took 7 - 8 months of serious illness and repeated near death eposiodes before his heart problem was discovered.

An enlarged heart can be seen on an xray but other heart problems can only be detected by symptoms.
The symptom my rats have always displayed is a respir problem that does not respond to the various combos of antibiotics. Turning blue, and congestion in the lungs are two other symptoms that may indicate a heart problem. Enalapril, an ACE inhibitor, is given as a diagnostic tool and if it helps then a heart problem is assumed and other heart meds are added.

Rhubarb was put on heart meds recently. He had a very slight respir problem which was being treated by antibiotics. It was just by luck that we discovered that his heart is hugely enlarged as his symptoms are so slight I wouldn't have thought heart problem for a long time. My vet was xraying two other rats and since he does 3 at a time for the same price he decided to xray Rhubarb.

There was no way to know that your boy had an underlying heart condition.
I am so sorry.
I hope this info. helps.

 

Thanks SQ, this info helps alot.
Poor Bruno was very healthy, he never had any illness and he was almost 14 months old.
I'm trying to accept that him leaving the way he did was better for him, instead of suffering later in life with a heart condition.
It's just really hard to accept

 

[jorats]

They sure can. A lot of times the symptoms of a weak heart is the same as myco.

 

I guess I should get my vet to do an x-ray on Toby, as he has had a ongoing resp issue for quite sometime now. He was put on baytril/doxy combo for a few weeks which cleared it but it just came back, so now he has been on doxy on and off for the past few months, he dose well with it and after being on the doxy for two weeks, he usually comes off them for a month befor needign to go on them again. Could this be a heart issue?

 

[SQ]

It could be myco.
Usually you need to treat myco for at least 4 to 6 weeks or symptoms will soon return.

You might want to try meds for a longer duration.
If the doxy + baytril combo doesn't do it, you might want to try zithro + baytril combo.

I always try enalapril, an ACE inhibitor, as a diagnostic tool and if it helps then a heart problem is assumed and other heart meds are added. And then my vet does an xray to see if digoxin is needed.

 

We tried the baytril doxy combo for 6 weeks & We also had him on just doxy for 6 weeks, he was doing good on that, but when he was finished a month or so later it acted up again.
I will ask my vet about zithro, not sure if he would have this, Iassume so, but he has never mentioned it before ..but he too is still learning as we go along.

 

[SQ]

My vet writes a perscription to the drug store for azithromycin. Dosage is 5 to 15 mg/Ib twice a day and I give it for 4 weeks. I think jorats finds it more effective with younger rats then older rats.
I always give it in combo with baytril.

 

My vet has to write prescriptions for doxy from my compounding pharmacy, so I'm sure they would have this too.
Also, I forgot to mention Toby's symptoms when off meds after about a month are mild congestion, wet snezes and mild porph.
He has no problem with eating or drinking nor dose he lack in energy haha.
He has gained a little bit of weight, I presume this is from the meds.