Very sick rat, not sure what more to do?

amount of zithro is up to you as there is a range of dosages that can be given

According to the ratguide.com, the dose is

4 mg/lb to 8 mg/lb twice a day

Click to expand...

or

15 mg/kg to 30 mg/kg once a day

Click to expand...

..................... which is slightly less then what my vet prescribes. http://ratguide.com/meds/antimicrobial_agents/azithromycin.php

Your Azithromycin is 200mg/5ml = 40 mg/ml
at 4 mg/Ib twice a day, she needs 0.08 ml twice a day
at 8 mg/Ib twice a day, she needs 0.16 ml twice a day

at 15 mg/kg once a day, she would get 0.14 ml once a day
at 30 mg/kg once a day she would get 0.25 ml once a day

If she's eating moist foods she'll be getting some liquids at least.

You can use the 0.2 ml per day of Zithro.

Kim Kenney said:

So should I give .19 of Zithromax? I just gave the .04. Going in tomorrow and will ask about the baytril. We only seem to have one exotic vet in town so this is my only option. She easily took the AB but has no interest again in food or water. She feels quite strong as she tries to walk but she’s starting to look thin. Any ideas on foods to entice her? I’ve been doing sweet oatmeal, avocado, avocado and mayo (saw that suggestion on a website) all sorts of baby foods, cream cheese, and offering fruits and veggies. Sometimes she’s excited to eat but not over past two days.

Click to expand...

lilspaz68 said:

If she's eating moist foods she'll be getting some liquids at least.

You can use the 0.2 ml per day of Zithro.

Click to expand...

Very sad to update that she was so very sick today, refusing to eat or drink at all. I took her to vet and they took one look at her and said she was in such pain and needed to be put down. I’m quite devastated even though I felt it coming. I am a first time rat owner and feel I failed her terribly as I didn’t want her to suffer so to hear she was hurting was awful. I tried and hoped so much she’d feel better. She is gone now and free from pain which is some solace. I’m just so sad in this moment.
We have another rat. Very sweet and healthy and we will be paying special attention to her as I’m now worried losing her friend will cause her to be depressed. How do bonded rats tend to do when losing their friend? Maybe there ar things I need to watch for. My heart can’t take doing this again for a long while. I sincerely thank everyone for their guidance. It’s helped and meant a lot.

Edited to add it was an exotic vet who sedated her first, then used a gas before euthanasia (I’m crying just saying it) we asked and made sure how it was done which I would not have known if it wasn’t for this forum.

I’m so sorry for your loss. You did all that you could and gave her a very good life! Rats are really great pets – affectionate, intelligent, and wonderful companions. Their only downfall is that they are comparatively short-lived. 1.5 happy years is a great life! You did what was best for her – by no means did you fail her.

I was in the same sort of position a few months ago. I’m a fellow first-time rat owner and I lost my first boy to a tumor when he was 1 year 9 months old. He reached a point where his quality of life had diminished and he was suffering. It’s a hard choice to make and at the end of the day, you can only do what you feel is best.

Regarding bonded rats losing a friend – I’m not at all a professional but I can share my limited experience. My situation was a little different – I went from four to three. The three noticed that their brother was missing and, maybe it was because of my demeanor, seemed a little glum for a while after. They weren’t quite as playful or cuddly as usual and I couldn’t help but feel like they missed their brother. One of my boys, the biological brother of the one that I lost, seemed particularly lonely – he stopped wanting to cuddle with the other two – so I made a point of just keeping him with me more often. So I’d definitely say that your rat could use that extra, special attention.

I’d suggest giving her fun things to do when you can’t be with her. For my boys, I use some foraging toys so they have to do some puzzle solving. I also like to rearrange the cage regularly so they have new ways to explore. They’re also big into any types of chew toys that let them tear up some good nesting material. All Living Things has sushi chew toys with a sort of tissue paper that keeps my guys occupied most of the night. Maybe keep your girl in stock with some of her favorite toys to keep her occupied when she’s alone.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable can step in soon.

I am so very sorry for your loss.
{{hugs}}

Your other girl will grieve for her sister.
It would help her if you can intro her to one or two new rattie friends (intro steps on his forum as well as info on joinrats,com)

MinisterPumpkin said:

I’m so sorry for your loss. You did all that you could and gave her a very good life! Rats are really great pets – affectionate, intelligent, and wonderful companions. Their only downfall is that they are comparatively short-lived. 1.5 happy years is a great life! You did what was best for her – by no means did you fail her.

I was in the same sort of position a few months ago. I’m a fellow first-time rat owner and I lost my first boy to a tumor when he was 1 year 9 months old. He reached a point where his quality of life had diminished and he was suffering. It’s a hard choice to make and at the end of the day, you can only do what you feel is best.

Regarding bonded rats losing a friend – I’m not at all a professional but I can share my limited experience. My situation was a little different – I went from four to three. The three noticed that their brother was missing and, maybe it was because of my demeanor, seemed a little glum for a while after. They weren’t quite as playful or cuddly as usual and I couldn’t help but feel like they missed their brother. One of my boys, the biological brother of the one that I lost, seemed particularly lonely – he stopped wanting to cuddle with the other two – so I made a point of just keeping him with me more often. So I’d definitely say that your rat could use that extra, special attention.

I’d suggest giving her fun things to do when you can’t be with her. For my boys, I use some foraging toys so they have to do some puzzle solving. I also like to rearrange the cage regularly so they have new ways to explore. They’re also big into any types of chew toys that let them tear up some good nesting material. All Living Things has sushi chew toys with a sort of tissue paper that keeps my guys occupied most of the night. Maybe keep your girl in stock with some of her favorite toys to keep her occupied when she’s alone.

Hopefully someone more knowledgeable can step in soon.

Click to expand...

Thank you! We will definitely spend extra time with her and I will go buy some toys an various things to hopefully help her. Unfortunately for her the vet has put her on a diet so not only has she lost her buddy but she has to eat nothing but healthy foods. We want her to live a long life so a diet it is.

SQ said:

I am so very sorry for your loss.
{{hugs}}

Your other girl will grieve for her sister.
It would help her if you can intro her to one or two new rattie friends (intro steps on his forum as well as info on joinrats,com)

Click to expand...

Unfortunately, my husband will not go for adding another rat especially after this experience. Maybe as time goes on I can talk him into it. It’s so hard because they are so short lived. For now we will spend extra time and attention with her and I plan to go buy some new and hopefully exciting toys for her to hopefully help. I do think she’s confused about where her friend went although she definitely knew she was very sick so maybe she knows she’s passed. It’s a long weekend and the kids will be giving her a lot of attention so hoping we can cheer her up.