Medical care for my rat

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edt94

edt94

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I have two adult male rats, one albino and one brown. The brown rat only exhibited mild symptoms of a URI when I first got him, but they promptly went away (I've had them both for close to 2 years). The albino rat has always sneezed rather chronically, and I've kept a close eye on it since I got him to watch for it to get any worse... but that's the thing. It has never gotten any worse than a sneeze ... until recently.

Recently, the albino had a mite outbreak. During this outbreak, which has caused him to gash himself, his sneezing symptoms have gotten worse. I've read that a compromised immune system could be behind mite infestations. I'm going to be administering ivermectin to him, orally, starting this Friday to treat the mites.

This is where it gets complicated. I'm willing to take them to a vet within reason, but I have a few concerns. Firstly, if I take them now, the vet will want to treat the mites via injection, when I'd rather do it orally at a percentage of the price and less stress to the rat. I'm also not keen on vets charging mandatory exam fees to tell me what I already know... If there's anywhere you can purchase antibiotics independently that would be great. Either way, I'm not sure whether to wait until after the mite treatment to make a decision about his sneezing and wet nose/eyes? (Neither rat is exhibiting irregular breathing and their lungs still sound clear). Is this something that could very well go away after the mites are gone and he can once again groom himself properly?
 
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edt94 said:
I have two adult male rats, one albino and one brown. The brown rat only exhibited mild symptoms of a URI when I first got him, but they promptly went away (I've had them both for close to 2 years). The albino rat has always sneezed rather chronically, and I've kept a close eye on it since I got him to watch for it to get any worse... but that's the thing. It has never gotten any worse than a sneeze ... until recently.

Recently, the albino had a mite outbreak. During this outbreak, which has caused him to gash himself, his sneezing symptoms have gotten worse. I've read that a compromised immune system could be behind mite infestations. I'm going to be administering ivermectin to him, orally, starting this Friday to treat the mites.

This is where it gets complicated. I'm willing to take them to a vet within reason, but I have a few concerns. Firstly, if I take them now, the vet will want to treat the mites via injection, when I'd rather do it orally at a percentage of the price and less stress to the rat. I'm also not keen on vets charging mandatory exam fees to tell me what I already know... If there's anywhere you can purchase antibiotics independently that would be great. Either way, I'm not sure whether to wait until after the mite treatment to make a decision about his sneezing and wet nose/eyes? (Neither rat is exhibiting irregular breathing and their lungs still sound clear). Is this something that could very well go away after the mites are gone and he can once again groom himself properly?
Click to expand...

He needs antibiotics. He was already mildly compromised, which is why he is showing symptoms of mites in the first place and his friend isn't. Now that he has mites, it's a vicious cycle - he gets sicker because of the mites and the mites get worse as he's more compromised.

Waiting until Friday to treat him is too long, he could deteriorate a lot between now and then. I wouldn't say that injectable meds are more stressful for a rat but there is a case to be made for using topical/oral instead. I myself would use Revolution instead of Ivermectin because it will kill the mites right away and will kill any new hatchlings as well.

When a rat with a low grade respiratory infection is left untreated for a long time, you increase the risk of them developing pulmonary abscesses, which are harder to treat and will eventually kill a rat. I would take both rats to the vet to have them examined/listened to. Respiratory infections don't clear up on their own, sometimes rats don't make noise or sneeze but they are still quite sick. It'd be best to take both rats to a rat savvy vet to have them checked over and confirm what they have and get the appropriate meds.

Do you have a rat savvy vet? Do you need help finding one?
 
I'm not sure the vet near me is savvy, although it's from the same locally owned shop I purchased my rats from. I live in Colorado, if you know of any. Friday is the soonest I could get the oral ointment if I opt out of an injection, I'm afraid. His mite symptoms aren't terrible yet, just some scabbing on the tail and shoulder region (obviously I don't want to wait for them to get bad, just to give you a time frime).
 
What Victoria said!!!
The vet can apply revolution to the back of the necks of both rats during the appointment, or you can pick up a tube of kitten revolution from your vet and apply it to the back of their necks (4 to 8 mg/Ib)
Good vets who are experienced in treating rats may see problems that we miss.
The vet can listen to their lungs and determine how serious the problem is etc.

They likely need baytril + azithromycin (10 mg/Ib twice a day .... prescription from the vet for the pharmacy), for 6 weeks
 
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I decided to concede and go to the vet. I called around and could only find 2 places that see rats. I went to the vet inside the friendly place I bought them from, whose front desk assured me they see rats. Fine.

I get there, and everything I feared might happen, happened. This guy didn't seem to know a thing about rats. Took a couple skin samples with scotch tape, which I recall reading doesn't always show mites, and said there weren't any mites. I said, "Okay, well I'm also worried that he sneezes a lot and has a runny nose and eyes while the other rat doesn't". All he said was, "Yeah, rats sneeze". But wait, it's all okay, he said he'll call me after he "does his reading" and determines "if I've got anything I can give them smaller doses with".

Freaking, thanks.

$60 and some ointment later, and now I don't know what to do.


Think I might try a dose of the mite stuff anyway just to be safe.
 
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Most vets don't see rats, you really need to make sure you go to someone who can. Colorado's a big area so I'm not going to list every single possibility I find. This is a good place to start: http://www.aemv.org/vetlist.cfm

Rats get fur mites so the tape test on the fur is the way to look for them. Rats are sometimes negative for mites but it's still worthwhile to try treating them.

I would contact the vet you saw again and explain to him/her that the receptionist assured you they were experienced and that's why you went there. Ask if it's possible for him to consult with a specialist about what drugs can be given to treat a rat with a respiratory infection and to confirm that it's worthwhile to treat for parasites just in case. Hold off on the ointment, it can cause more issues than it solves.
 
victoria said:
Most vets don't see rats, you really need to make sure you go to someone who can. Colorado's a big area so I'm not going to list every single possibility I find. This is a good place to start: http://www.aemv.org/vetlist.cfm

Hold off on the ointment, it can cause more issues than it solves.
Click to expand...


Thank you for the list. I just can't believe that I asked them specifically if he saw rats and they said yes. Also, since the attached store pretty much specializes in selling rats, I had no reason to personally doubt he was a bad rat vet. If you can't take them on their word, how do you know which ones are good?

He also prescribed me the ointment himself, for the open wound, so I might just trust him on that. I'm just confused at this point with everyone giving me different answers. Part of me thinks the vet was right in saying my rat's sneezing symptom isn't much to worry about as is? Maybe I'm just worried about his scabbing and over exaggerating the complications. Definitely wouldn't be outside the norm for my personality :p
 
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The sad thing is, many vets will see an animal, having not know about them.
Your vet HAS probably seen many rats, but that doesnt mean he knows anything about them. Sad really.

I hope your little man gets better soon! And good luck on the vet search.
I'm in Canada so I'm not much luck
 
You generally do not want to put ointment on a rat if at all possible as the first thing they will do is turn around and lick it off.
I know this may seem like a waste of money, but maybe you should try another vet. You're going to need to find a competent one anyway for the future, and you need to get meds for the respiratory issue even if you treat your guys with the ivermectin for the buggies. Make sure you have the correct dosing amount and schedule. A good reference for meds, etc. is the Rat Guide:
http://ratguide.com/meds/anti-infectives/ivermectin.php
 
Just wanted to give an update. Apparently my mother also had a prior bad experience with the same vet, so she took it upon herself to call in and get me a 50% refund. (Poor vet :rofl4:)

Anyhow, I'm using that money to see someone our dog's vet recommended for rats tomorrow. Fingers crossed.

Appreciate all the advice so far. Also, just want to let everyone above know, as I'm re-reading my posts, any fluctuations in tone were out of frustration against the vet and worry for my ratty, not against any of you. Thanks!
 

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