Desperately need advice - Dawson acting strange

I'll take him to the vets tomorrow. They're closed.

I'm paralysed with fear. Dawson is 13 months old. He's eating and drinking but acting very strange.

He hasn't come out of his bed all day and when I hit him out, he's disorientated. He's barely moving but looking around as if he can't see. He's barely walking and he looks scared. He's on my lap not moving and looking worried.

He's not pushing his head up. He's able to eat with one paw on the ground, but he's always done that.

Has he had a stroke? I have a video that I'll post shortly. This is bad. Please help!

http://i839.photobucket.com/albums/...B-1184-4EFF-B613-1951C79452CF_zpshs0rpxka.jpg

Here is the link to the video I took. He is bruxing and his fur is standing on end. I believe he's in pain or anxious. I've given him some infant ibuprofen so we will see if that helps.

He's so young! I can't lose him like this.

Sorry wrong link. Here is the right one. http://s839.photobucket.com/user/be...9-4E95-90A8-16746F4DF067_zpszuroosn3.mp4.html

The ibuprofen has kicked in and he's calmer, which suggests he was in pain. He's grooming and eating very enthusiastically. I think he was really hungry because he couldn't get up the top of the cage to eat.

He's not limping, there's no swelling and his urine smells fine.

I'm so glad to hear he's eating, Claireybell2477! Just in case it's helpful, here's a link to ibuprofen dosing and other ibuprofen information from the Rat Guide. I see it's recommended to give it every four hours.

I wonder if he might have a pituitary tumor? Or maybe he had some sort of stroke?

In any case, his fur looks healthy and glossy. He doesn't look underweight, either, which is good. I'm glad you have an appointment with your vet for tomorrow. Dawson is such a cutie. I'm sending positive wishes to you both.

Be sure and let us know what your vet says. I hope you have a veterinarian who's very experienced with pet rats----sure makes a difference.

You and Dawson are in my thoughts.

Thank you so much for replying. It's a comfort. It's 2am here in the Uk and I can't sleep. In tears actually. I really think it's PT. I'm just full of dread every time I take my rats to the vets because most don't have a clue. I feel really alone because I know what's coming.

I think I might have my baby put to sleep. I don't want to separate him from his brothers by putting him in a low level cage, and the one they have is not safe for Dawson. I really should have invested in a DCN.

He's only 13 months. I can't believe this is happening so soon. I'm just so unprepared. I'll do whatever it takes to make him comfortable. I won't let him suffer.

Just returned from the vets. They were actually pretty good. They have given me 7 pred tablets. 1mg. One whole tablet for 5 days crushed in food, then half a tablet for four days. We will see how we get on in a weeks time.

The pain was taken care of by the ibuprofen, but the movement issues hadn't. That's why she's prescribed the steroids.

I need to ask, is it ok to give Dawson the infant ibuprofen alongside the steroids? Does anyone else do that, or does it have to be metacam?

Thanks in advance.

I really need some help guys. I've never dealt with steroids before and I have no idea what to expect.

I really want to do the best by Dawson. Are there any side effects and what can I expect? When will I see results? How will I know that the steroids haven't worked, how long should I wait to determine this? And also, can he have ibuprofen with steroids or is it just metacam? I've got some bio acidophilus. 10 billion per capsule - is it safe to give him the contents of one these capsules to protect his gut whilst he's on steroids?

Here is some info on pred http://ratguide.com/meds/endocrine_hormones/prednisone_prednisolone.php
It depresses the immune system so it must be given with an antibiotic.

It should not be given with NSAIDs. Both metacam and ibuprofen are NSAIDs
acetaminophen is not a NSAID http://ratguide.com/meds/analgesics/acetaminophen.php

Sometimes it will decrease appetite (or increase it)
It reduces inflammation so you should gradually see a reduction in symptoms
If given for more then 2 weeks, it must be gradually decreased by gradually cutting the dose or frequency in half

I have used oral pred (2 xs/day) numerous times for inner ear infections, stroke, and neurological issues such as pt, without any problems
I do not know how much Dawson weighs but the dosing range for pred is quite large so his dose likely falls within the range

Info on metacam http://ratguide.com/meds/nsaids/meloxicam.php
and on ibuprofen http://ratguide.com/meds/nsaids/ibuprofen.php
a medication chart some use http://www.rmca.org/Articles/dchart.htm

I don't know much about giving bio acidophilus. Many people give some probiotics to rats on antibiotics to help replenish those killed off by the meds. It is not given within 2 hours of giving antibiotics

I hope this helps
I hope Dawson is soon feeling better

Oh god, thank you so much SQ. I'm gonna have a read through. Thanks so much!

I haven't checked your video yet but did they give you antibiotics along with the pred? Did they rule out inner ear infection?

Yeah the video didn't help much unfortunately. Does he seem dizzy or is there any tilt, smell inside his ears (you can gently insert a q-tip to see if there's ucky discharge at the base of the canal). Inner ear is most probable at his age, and they hurt which the ibu would've helped with. They make rats dizzy, nauseous and afraid to move. But you need antibiotics to cure it and also to give with pred since its a medication that reduces the immune response allowing secondary infections in

Did your veterinarian give a diagnosis for Dawson? (Does s/he think it's a PT?)

Looks like you're getting some excellent advice here! If it is a PT, be sure and read the treatment section (scroll down) in the rat guide.

Thinking of you and Dawson and sending positive wishes!

No head tilt Shelagh. Dammit. Why the hell (I'm really bloody angry now) didn't the vet give me the antibiotics if they are so crucial?! This really annoys me that I can't trust my vet in our time of deepest need. Rant over.

I don't have any Q tips and Dawson is asleep with his brothers and it's the most comfortable I've seen him in ages. I don't have the heart to move him. He looks so happy. I'll try and devise a make-shift-thingy to gently prod into his ear and check for infection.

No more ibuprofen for him then. I'll give him some strong probiotics before bed with some porridge and rice milk.

So I'll have to make another appointment to get antibiotics then. What about if he just had Dex? Does that require antibiotics as an accompaniment too? Sorry, I have so many questions and I don't want to screw this up!

Thanks again - aboutpet rats. The vet didn't know what it was. She just said that we will have to chuck medication at him and see what happens.

Does anyone know about the symptoms of concussion? If it's not pt or inner air infection or stroke, maybe he has taken a tumble and is concussed.

The ibuprofen really helped him. I gave him his first pred tablet about 2 hours ago. Should I stop because he hasn't got any antibiotics?

He doesn't seem dizzy. His limbs look stiff! Like he wants to move but is hesitant. He looks very confused. His eyes are telling me that something is wrong and he is clingy with me and wanting to be comforted.

Your vet shouldn't need to see him again in order to prescribe antibiotics.
I personally would keep him on the pred and get antibiotics asap (but I am not a vet)

I agree with SQ, call and ask for antibiotics (bautril is fine) for any bacterial infections. Dex is also a steroid and cannot be given with ibu.

With stroke they often get limp and floppy. With inner ear they can be scared to move since they are so dizzy. Steroid and abs are the initial treatment for both.

His ears seem clean, but I guess that doesn't mean it's not a deep inner ear infection. I will get the antibiotics tomorrow. Dawson is already beginning to move about with greater ease. He even dragged himself over and looked at the litter tray earlier, but obviously felt a bit over ambitious as he decided against it in the end. Bless him.

He was wet and a little bit stinky around his crotch. He can scratch behind his ears with his back leg and groom his face, but he's obviously not able to clean his winky. I've just given him a little warm wash and I'll be vigiligant in the coming days in keeping him clean in that area.