Update on Phil/questions about surgeries

Fins us on Amazon
Shop with us on Ebay
Advertise with us
The Rat Shack Forum

Help Support The Rat Shack Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Oh no, I am so sorry that Phil is not well! :(

I took such a shine to him and you are such a wonderful rat parent to see to his health right away and get meds going for him. No cherry flavor in his baytril, nooo! The vet forgot to add it, eh? Dang. Can you hide the taste of it by mixing the doses into some good tasting/sweet baby food that is a flavor you know Phil would like? I have done that in the past with sweet potato Gerber baby food, with a sprinkle of rolled oats mixed in, etc.

He is such a dear and I am crossing my fingers and sending healing thoughts to your sweet boy. Your housemates are WONDERFUL for knowing that Phil is part of the family and going to the vet with you and Phil in the middle of the night. Phil is absolutely family, like all of our rats are to us.

You are not overreacting at all. Our ratties are our children and we all fret and worry and get very upset when they are ill or not feeling well. A vet trip is also very stressful for ratties, especially when they do not feel good, poor things. It was only natural for Phil to want to scramble up your arm to hide on you...you are his safe person and he wanted to feel safe when he was scared/stressed.

I hope the steam from the shower is also helping? You are doing all you can for him and your love for sweet Phil shows. Keep us all posted on how he does, okay? I love that handsome, sweet faced boy...he just melted my heart. Give him all my love and well wishes to stay strong and get better very soon, okay?

Here are some cyber Get Well flowers for Phil from Aunt Vlad. :getwell:

Get better very soon, Phil, we love you!
 
Last edited:
I have to find something to mix it with that he will eat, because he is just a nightmare when it's medicine time.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and kind words. They're appreciated. He seems to be doing much better. His breathing is noisier now, but I think that's because the gunk us working its way out, because he's much more active and he isn't having as much obvious difficulty breathing. He's also getting some of his weight back. He let Kalee (one of the housemates) hold him yesterday, so he seems less anxious about his health now, too. I'm so relieved. I already lost two rats in July, the last time they all had respiratory problems, and another of my little ladies is in her final days. One of Robey's (another housemate) rats has been letting us know that it's almost time for him to leave us. There's way too much loss happening lately. I couldn't risk anything happening to Phil, too.

I really appreciate my housemates too. Between the four of us, we have 7 rats and one cat, soon to be two cats. Whenever one of the pets is in distress, everybody's on it.
 
Awesome roommates you got there!
So glad Phil is feeling a little better! Keep us posted. And give Phil I kiss from me!
 
Agreed...what Steph said! :)

We lost our two previous ratty boys to respiratory issues so I know how terrifying and scary it is. I am sure Phil will get better and how awesome to read that he seems better already! Keep strong Phil, you can beat this, buddy! Phil is also very fortunate to be surrounded by loving people, who care about him and are helping him. So wonderful to hear. :)
 
We had another vet visit last night. He took a little bit of a turn. He's going to be okay. He just really scared us. The vet wanted to up his dosages a little, since his weight is getting back to normal, and he also wants to try chewable tablets that I can break up and mix with food, since Phil is such a pain and spits out more of his liquid antibiotics than he swallows. So, we're gonna crush it up and give it to him with a little spot of yogurt tonight. The vet (who has tasted all of the rodent antibiotics, apparently) says the pill has less of a bitter aftertaste, and could be easier to disguise with food.
 
I'm a pediatric nurse and I have tasted everything I make my kids take. I don't wanna lie to them and say it's delicious if it tastes like feet! Lol
 
Just make sure your not giving his antibiotic in yogurt that has probiotics or within 2 hours of any probiotics since it lessens the affects. Hope he gets better soon. You can mix the baytril with strawberry nesquik if they forget to flavor it again.
 
We have to go back to the vet again. We have to try the nebulizer. He won't take the solid pills and I don't know how much of the liquid he's even getting down his throat. We're kind of out of options.

This morning had an added layer of fun to it, because when I was trying to get him out of the cage, he hit his foot on the cage door and broke open the scab on his toe, which proceeded to bleed through a napkin, all over my floor, all over the sink when I tried to clean the wound, and all over the kitchen counter when I took him downstairs to dip his toe in flour. The flour made the bleeding stop and I could finally see it. It's a very tiny wound. It looks like maybe he got his nail caught and pulled the corner of it up. It's one of those tiny injuries that gushes. It terrified me. But he's okay now and we're going to go back to get the nebulizer tonight or tomorrow.
 
Oh, no, poor Phil! Like he needed the extra bonus of having that accident with his toe, eh? I feel so bad for the little guy, I really do. I am hoping with all my heart that the nebulizer will help him. We are rooting for you, Phil! Stay strong, okay? :cuddle:
 
Oh hun, I totally know how it feels to be worried sick about your baby. We all love our ratties so much, it can be indescribable how much.

Just know you are not alone with your worry and you have us here, as your cyber rat family, so to speak, and we all understand how scary it is be worried about your boy.

All you can do is to take the best care of him you possibly can and try to help him, which is what you are doing.

Keep us posted on how it goes, okay? I am sending good vibes, lots of good luck and healing thoughts his way today. Stay strong and give Phil lots of hellos and kisses from me. :cuddle:
 
Hi again! I wanted to check on Phil and see how he is doing? Is he feeling better after getting the nebulizer? I was thinking about him today. :)
 
He actually started relaxing a little and letting me give him the liquid meds. We didn't have to go back to the vet. He's much better. He's breathing normal and active again. We are going to go back for a check up soon, to make sure he's good, but things are going so much better.
 
Oh, that is great news! I am very relieved! I was hoping so much things would get better for him. Super to hear!

Give Phil my love and a kiss too. What a good boy he is! He was a trooper and pulled through it (with the huge help of his loving adopted Mom of course). :-D
 
That is super! Let us know how things go! Tell Phil we are all so glad he is feeling better! :wave:
 

Latest posts

Back
Top