SqueakingJellybean
Mission Control -- All is ratness
What acts like an ear infection, causes a full-body tilt, and doesn’t respond to antibiotics?
We had Milo on Baytril and Clavulin. He was fine with the Baytril, but refused the Clavulin after the first couple of days. Wouldn’t even swallow it if we squidged it into his mouth; he just let it run out and wiped it on the bedding, on the girls, on anything within reach. We usually mix their meds with mashed banana and/or peanut butter, but even that wouldn’t convince him to take the Clavulin. Unfortunately, the Baytril did nothing.
He’s otherwise behaving normally. He eats, drinks, and excretes as usual. He’s more active and social than he’s been in ages, and enjoys the company of the three wee ladies. Coming out for playtime is hard on him because he doesn’t trust himself on the bridge any more. I have to pick him up to bring him out, and he is not nuts about that. He’s happy to be on the bed when he gets there. When he wants to go back, he waits by the bridge and then climbs into my hands. His activities usually involve the rearranging and sorting of nestmaterial, or cuddling with/grooming/being groomed by the ratgirls.
Our vet has reached out to a specialist and is waiting to hear back. Milo is on Metacam while we wait, but it seems to be making things worse. Maybe it’s reducing inflammation enough that he can poke at it with less discomfort. He’s been digging at his ear enough to either make it bleed or leak porphyrin. Is ear porphyrin a thing? The staining on his neck is dry but still pink.
We’re considering taking him for a CT scan, but my husband goes in for brain surgery this week. Timing would be tricky. We’d also probably be looking at taking him to Toronto or somewhere that’s not Guelph— the OVC may be great with dogs, cats, and farm animals, but they have become abysmal with rodents and other small fuzzies. Given that Cleo almost died as a reaction to the anaesthetic they gave her (and they missed finding the mass that showed up shortly after) I am reluctant to place another family member in their hands.
Milo officially reaches Old Man status this week. He’s always been on the neurotic side. Car trips are hard on him on the best of days; the list to starboard is making travel that much more stressful on him. We’re not sure what else is kindest to try.
I’m a bit worried there’s a mass. We lost a girl years ago when a mass in her ear/nose passage ruptured.
Has anyone else dealt with an initially unresponsive ear problem? What did it turn out to be? Were you able to finally treat it once you found out what it was? What was the outcome?
We had Milo on Baytril and Clavulin. He was fine with the Baytril, but refused the Clavulin after the first couple of days. Wouldn’t even swallow it if we squidged it into his mouth; he just let it run out and wiped it on the bedding, on the girls, on anything within reach. We usually mix their meds with mashed banana and/or peanut butter, but even that wouldn’t convince him to take the Clavulin. Unfortunately, the Baytril did nothing.
He’s otherwise behaving normally. He eats, drinks, and excretes as usual. He’s more active and social than he’s been in ages, and enjoys the company of the three wee ladies. Coming out for playtime is hard on him because he doesn’t trust himself on the bridge any more. I have to pick him up to bring him out, and he is not nuts about that. He’s happy to be on the bed when he gets there. When he wants to go back, he waits by the bridge and then climbs into my hands. His activities usually involve the rearranging and sorting of nestmaterial, or cuddling with/grooming/being groomed by the ratgirls.
Our vet has reached out to a specialist and is waiting to hear back. Milo is on Metacam while we wait, but it seems to be making things worse. Maybe it’s reducing inflammation enough that he can poke at it with less discomfort. He’s been digging at his ear enough to either make it bleed or leak porphyrin. Is ear porphyrin a thing? The staining on his neck is dry but still pink.
We’re considering taking him for a CT scan, but my husband goes in for brain surgery this week. Timing would be tricky. We’d also probably be looking at taking him to Toronto or somewhere that’s not Guelph— the OVC may be great with dogs, cats, and farm animals, but they have become abysmal with rodents and other small fuzzies. Given that Cleo almost died as a reaction to the anaesthetic they gave her (and they missed finding the mass that showed up shortly after) I am reluctant to place another family member in their hands.
Milo officially reaches Old Man status this week. He’s always been on the neurotic side. Car trips are hard on him on the best of days; the list to starboard is making travel that much more stressful on him. We’re not sure what else is kindest to try.
I’m a bit worried there’s a mass. We lost a girl years ago when a mass in her ear/nose passage ruptured.
Has anyone else dealt with an initially unresponsive ear problem? What did it turn out to be? Were you able to finally treat it once you found out what it was? What was the outcome?