Help Choking?

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fattyratty

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Jul 24, 2014
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Hi,

Nom Nom has been on prednisone and antibiotics for the last week because she has dark/red pee and her hind legs were getting really weak.She seemed to be doing better until something happened yesterday.

So i know you arent supposed to give rats peanut butter but i never had a problem before, and we aren't really sure it was the peanut butter, but yesterday morning she was sitting and mucus started coming out of her mouth and then she started doing the throw up kind of movement and opening her mouth, and making weird huffing sounds and doing lip smacking. We figured she was choking and after like 10-15 minutes she stopped doing it, but was lethargic and not herself.

All day yesterday and this morning she pretty much refused to eat or drink and was the most lethargic ive ever seen her. This morning she ate a half of a rice crispy and drank a tiny bit of baby formula, but then she keeps rubbing her face on the ground.

I dont know what to do, I am planning on going to the vet, but i want to know what they can do or if anyone knows if there is a possibility of something just still being stuck?

Help, I feel so helpless
 
fattyratty said:
Hi,

Nom Nom has been on prednisone and antibiotics for the last week because she has dark/red pee and her hind legs were getting really weak.She seemed to be doing better until something happened yesterday.

So i know you arent supposed to give rats peanut butter but i never had a problem before, and we aren't really sure it was the peanut butter, but yesterday morning she was sitting and mucus started coming out of her mouth and then she started doing the throw up kind of movement and opening her mouth, and making weird huffing sounds and doing lip smacking. We figured she was choking and after like 10-15 minutes she stopped doing it, but was lethargic and not herself.

All day yesterday and this morning she pretty much refused to eat or drink and was the most lethargic ive ever seen her. This morning she ate a half of a rice crispy and drank a tiny bit of baby formula, but then she keeps rubbing her face on the ground.

I dont know what to do, I am planning on going to the vet, but i want to know what they can do or if anyone knows if there is a possibility of something just still being stuck?

Help, I feel so helpless
Click to expand...

Sounds like typical choking to me. Offer her soft food and see if she's more willing to take it?
 
we tried and she will maybe take a lick and then wipe her face. its been over 24 hours so im just concerned there is still something in there.

We tried syringing liquids last night because she has to be dehydrated, but she wiped most out on the floor.
 
fattyratty said:
we tried and she will maybe take a lick and then wipe her face. its been over 24 hours so im just concerned there is still something in there.

We tried syringing liquids last night because she has to be dehydrated, but she wiped most out on the floor.
Click to expand...

can you get a video of her? Have you listened to her lungs, by holding her sides to your ear and listening for any sounds besides her heart and the gentle whoosh of air in and out?
 
here is a video i can try to get a better one
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLluQTwEnio[/ame]

i cant really hear anything weird when i listen to her lungs etc. but, she keeps kind of doing lip smacking etc
 
last night her chin was wet, close to midnight. But now it's not wet. I didn't smell anything from her mouth.
 
We took her to the vet. But the vet didn't really know what it was. Mainly thought it could still be a pt.

I'm going to try to get nom nom to drink some more liquids and let her be. Now that she is going to be exhausted from the trip to the vet on top of it all.

Fingers crossed she gets better.
 
fattyratty said:
We took her to the vet. But the vet didn't really know what it was. Mainly thought it could still be a pt.

I'm going to try to get nom nom to drink some more liquids and let her be. Now that she is going to be exhausted from the trip to the vet on top of it all.

Fingers crossed she gets better.
Click to expand...

Later on once she's rested, get us another video of her on a flat surface so we can see her body movement, etc
 
Ok will do. Unfortunately I am leaving the house now but tonight I will do it. I set her up with some treats and water so she doesn't have to go far.

She walked to her water dish when we had her out before we just put her back to the cage. And she seemed to drink a decent amount. So that is good. And she ate two yogies. She wouldn't eat anything else we tried. She has cleaned herself a few times too. Which I don't think she did yesterday.

Will update with video tonight. Thank you for your help! I'm just so worried. I know she is old but the whole thing was so sudden.
 
I agree it sounds like it was a case of choking. It's good news that she's drinking again. Just give her some more time to recover. How is her urine these days?
 
Urine has still been gross. But she was walking better until this ordeal. I took two videos of her right now. She was pushing the ground and not really wanting to eat until I offered her some lettuce. Both videos are here

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuCP4nS3z5o[/ame]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7YwoM9_G4U[/ame]
 
Her front paws are moving funny. Have you tried to give her a cheerio to see if she can hold it correctly?
 
This is her eating a yogi

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNOzGTIpI8c[/ame]

I think she is hungry she started running around the kitchen looking for food. But she is being particular. Yeah the way she is moving her hands is weird like she is uncomfortable. But she is much more active now than earlier and yesterday and is at least eating and drinking so I'm a little relieved.

Maybe she had a stroke?
 
Walking

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNOzGTIpI8c[/ame]

She seems to just be feeling a ton better. So crazy. Let me know what you think about her walking.
 
Hahaha Nom is in fantastic shape for 30 months of age :D

NO PT, a bit of hind end weakness but no HED, this is normal.

She grasps things well, her eyes are bright, her coat and condition look good.

In the 2nd video your poor girl is trying to scratch and is unable to with her weakened hind legs, so its up to you to help her.

Scratch rub everywhere she cannot reach, including her itchy ears...you see how rats curl around and stick a toenail in their ears and wiggle it around? She cannot so she must be terribly itchy. Start with just rubbing the whole ear, by folding it over...she'll probably lean on your fingers and make squinchy faces...you can stick your finger in her ear and circle it for more relief. Rub near the base of her tail, her face (her cheeks, under her chin a bit), her shoulders, and her back.

The darker urine could just be really concentrated from the gradual renal failure older rats often get...nothing fatal but the urine darkens and often smells much stronger. If there's red blood in it, you have a UTI.

She honestly looks well but itchy in those videos :D
 
thanks!

She seems to be feeling a ton better, she was walking around exploring this morning and is eating and drinking. What a crazy thing though, one minute she is fine the next we think she is dying and now she is once again back to herself.

She has a few spots where she can clean easier because she leans on things, but yeah i figured i need to help her out, but usually when I try she gets offended. She will be cleaning and ill lend her a hand or help prop her up and she stops cleaning and looks at me like "what do you think youre doing?" haha

When she is sleepy i can usually get some good scratches in though.

I think we will keep her antibiotics and the prednisone for awhile and try to get more from the vet so she can have longer than a 2 week course to see if it helps the urine, i will check it today, but i usually see red so maybe blood.
 

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