Rat acting unusual

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oasisandbambi

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 6, 2018
Messages
48
Location
Portugal
Hello. One of my rats is very puffy and sort of dragging himself around while he sucks in the sides of his lower abdomen, like his stretching. He seems alert. Just walking very weird. Sometimes he has seizures and he had one very violent one this morning. He's seizures are him running in blind panic, very violently. He hits the cage walls pretty hard. Him wondering if he might have hurt his back legs? He seems to be very uncomfortable. He will lay down for a little while then get up and change his position but seems uncomfortable anyway. Does anyone have an idea of what this might be? I have some meloxicam at home. It's 0.5mg/ml. He ways 379g. If someone could maybe figure out a dosage for me to give him in case his in pain? Thank you.
 
The stretching is a clear sign of pain as is the puffy fur.. I would suggest taking him to a vet as soon as possible.. Personally it sounds like it may be a brain tumor but it could be something completely different.. Only way for sure is to get a vet on board..
 
He's a sick little guy. Could be respiratory, or heart, or something else. Meloxicam would be a shot in the dark when you don't have a clue what's wrong. He's obviously suffering badly and really needs a vet check.
 
Thank you both. My vet won't be back for another 2 weeks so I couldn't take him there right that day. Luckily he is doing better. I'm guessing he injured himself during a seizure but with a little rest he's healing :)
 
Thank you both. My vet won't be back for another 2 weeks so I couldn't take him there right that day. Luckily he is doing better. I'm guessing he injured himself during a seizure but with a little rest he's healing :)

I'd take him to another vet asap anyway. The symptoms you describe indicate severe pain. He's suffering a lot and needs treatment.
 
Dragging the back legs/body and side sucking is definitely related to pain. My boy Pi was side sucking and dragging himself along w/ dragging his back legs after he ate a piece of lamb that didn't agree w/ him. One very expensive emergency vet visit later and it turns out that the drama was caused by a horrible tummy ache :( . Not the same issue here but the behavior is very likely related to pain.

Were you able to find the dosages for Meloxicam? Check the ratguide.com and then use this site to accurately calculate per dosage, concentration and the rat's weight in grams (be sure that you selected grams instead of pounds, kg to lb for dosage, etc):

http://vprcloud.com/tools/dosage-calculator/

You may want to ask your vet to check his ears for polypoid polyps since they can sometimes cause seizure like behavior. There are meds that can be given to prevent the seizures or meds to keep him calm during an episode regardless of the cause.

Scritches and well wishes for your boy that he is feeling better!
 
I'd take him to another vet asap anyway. The symptoms you describe indicate severe pain. He's suffering a lot and needs treatment.
He's doing good. I understand sucking in his side indicates severe pain but I believe he may have twisted something ( spine or leg ) after I watched him for a while longer. He wasn't actually sucking in his insides he was struggling to move his leg a certain way. The next day he was feeling better already, limping a little bit you less. Thank you for your concern but its been several days since I made this post and he has been feeling okay for a while now.
 
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Dragging the back legs/body and side sucking is definitely related to pain. My boy Pi was side sucking and dragging himself along w/ dragging his back legs after he ate a piece of lamb that didn't agree w/ him. One very expensive emergency vet visit later and it turns out that the drama was caused by a horrible tummy ache :( . Not the same issue here but the behavior is very likely related to pain.

Were you able to find the dosages for Meloxicam? Check the ratguide.com and then use this site to accurately calculate per dosage, concentration and the rat's weight in grams (be sure that you selected grams instead of pounds, kg to lb for dosage, etc):

http://vprcloud.com/tools/dosage-calculator/

You may want to ask your vet to check his ears for polypoid polyps since they can sometimes cause seizure like behavior. There are meds that can be given to prevent the seizures or meds to keep him calm during an episode regardless of the cause.

Scritches and well wishes for your boy that he is feeling better!
Thank you! I believe he may have twisted something ( spine or leg ) after I watched him for a while longer. He wasn't actually sucking in his insides he was struggling to move his leg a certain way. He feels better now after some days of resting inside the cage and is not struggling anymore.

He's on seizure medication now :)
Thank you!
 
Glad he is feeling better! Poor buddy, he probably banged himself up during the seizure like you had mentioned in an earlier post. Hopefully the new med acts quickly and eliminates the seizures for good! Did the vet mention what could be causing them? Just out of curiosity since I've dealt with something similar with one of my ratties.

Some of those anti- seizure meds taste terrible and/or vet offices always tend to compound them for larger rodents and you end up having a huge dose to give. If the dose is more than 0.1ml and you have any trouble getting him to take it, I highly recommend biscoff's biscotti butter or Harrison's Recovery Formula to mix the med into. :) Those two products have been life savers and saved me from stressing my rats out and myself. ❤️

Make sure you bookmark that dosage website too! It really comes in handy especially for double checking dosages in a pinch.

Best to you and your little guy!
 
Glad he is feeling better! Poor buddy, he probably banged himself up during the seizure like you had mentioned in an earlier post. Hopefully the new med acts quickly and eliminates the seizures for good! Did the vet mention what could be causing them? Just out of curiosity since I've dealt with something similar with one of my ratties.

Some of those anti- seizure meds taste terrible and/or vet offices always tend to compound them for larger rodents and you end up having a huge dose to give. If the dose is more than 0.1ml and you have any trouble getting him to take it, I highly recommend biscoff's biscotti butter or Harrison's Recovery Formula to mix the med into. :) Those two products have been life savers and saved me from stressing my rats out and myself. ❤️

Make sure you bookmark that dosage website too! It really comes in handy especially for double checking dosages in a pinch.

Best to you and your little guy!
Not really. I asked for the medication based on advice I got from people here who have been dealing with this for a while. I got phenobarbital and it seems like it is working, slowly but surely! My vet is good but never delt with seizures in rats before. I'm from Portugal and there are very few vets here that see exotics and actually know what they are doing.
Oh I don't think we have those here! takes his medication very well tho! I mix it with oatmeal and peanut butter. He loves it!

The dosage website is amazing and I am so grateful to you for it!

Thank u so much for being so kind!
 
If you do ever find out what may be causing the seizures, please update! It sounds like your vet is open to advice and willing to learn more about treating rats-- that's really great! Some vets that don't have much experience w/ rats aren't always receptive to discussing and following guidance that rattie caretakers bring with them to the appointment. It's fantastic that your vet is open to trying things that she may not have had experience with before. Your vet is definitely a keeper. :) It can be incredibly frustrating and difficult finding a great veterinarian especially when it comes to exotics like our rats.

In case you're interested in reading about Phenobarbital, here's a link to the ratguide for the medication: http://ratguide.com/meds/central_nervous_system_drugs/phenobarbital.php

I personally enjoy reading this kind of stuff, it's really interesting and it also helps to know a little more about the med and how it works. :D

That's awesome! It sounds like a great mix to hide the medicine and I'm glad that he is eating it up without a fuss. Hm ...as far as the biscoff's biscotti butter, if you have access to Amazon in Portugal you should be be able to order it. I wouldn't be surprised if it's sold in Portugal but under a different brand/product name. The next time you visit your vet maybe ask about the Harrison's Recovery Formula. It's actually for birds but exotics vets here in the States use it for small mammals. Harrison's is an international brand and if your vet doesn't carry it at the clinic, she might be able to order it for you. The Recovery Formula is a great thing to have on hand especially if you have a rat recovering from illness or surgery and it's great for baby rats and elderly rats too (can help w/ weight gain or maintaining weight).

Hey I'm glad that the dosage website was so helpful! I think one of the admins should add it to a sticky thread on the forum-- I don't know how many times I've seen posts asking for dosage calculations and before I found that site it was painful trying to calculate the correct dosages for myself IMO.

You're very welcome! I'm so glad that I was able to help. :)❤️ Please give your boy lots of scritches and a smooch for me!
 
If you do ever find out what may be causing the seizures, please update! It sounds like your vet is open to advice and willing to learn more about treating rats-- that's really great! Some vets that don't have much experience w/ rats aren't always receptive to discussing and following guidance that rattie caretakers bring with them to the appointment. It's fantastic that your vet is open to trying things that she may not have had experience with before. Your vet is definitely a keeper. :) It can be incredibly frustrating and difficult finding a great veterinarian especially when it comes to exotics like our rats.

In case you're interested in reading about Phenobarbital, here's a link to the ratguide for the medication: http://ratguide.com/meds/central_nervous_system_drugs/phenobarbital.php

I personally enjoy reading this kind of stuff, it's really interesting and it also helps to know a little more about the med and how it works. :D

That's awesome! It sounds like a great mix to hide the medicine and I'm glad that he is eating it up without a fuss. Hm ...as far as the biscoff's biscotti butter, if you have access to Amazon in Portugal you should be be able to order it. I wouldn't be surprised if it's sold in Portugal but under a different brand/product name. The next time you visit your vet maybe ask about the Harrison's Recovery Formula. It's actually for birds but exotics vets here in the States use it for small mammals. Harrison's is an international brand and if your vet doesn't carry it at the clinic, she might be able to order it for you. The Recovery Formula is a great thing to have on hand especially if you have a rat recovering from illness or surgery and it's great for baby rats and elderly rats too (can help w/ weight gain or maintaining weight).

Hey I'm glad that the dosage website was so helpful! I think one of the admins should add it to a sticky thread on the forum-- I don't know how many times I've seen posts asking for dosage calculations and before I found that site it was painful trying to calculate the correct dosages for myself IMO.

You're very welcome! I'm so glad that I was able to help. :)❤️ Please give your boy lots of scritches and a smooch for me!
Again thank u so so much for your time and all the info and the links ♥️ I hope u have a lovely day!
 
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