Delly's Decline......PLEASE HELP..... Update

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Sharlees rattakisses

Sharlees rattakisses

Well-Known Member
Joined
May 15, 2008
Messages
2,701
Location
Toronto Canada
Delilah is 33 months old. :joy:
She has been enjoying good health up to a few days ago. :(
She is breathing rapidly but not like Tobi who is congested, wheezy & sneezy.
Delly hangs her head and is listless and will eat treats but usually just holds them in her mouth.
It is VERY hot & humid in Toronto and while I have on my central air it is still rather hot in the 'Rat Room'.
Could this contribute to her rapid breathing?
I know she is very old and I am lucky to have had her for this long but.........
I don't want her to leave me!!!! :sad3:
I :heart: :heart: all my Rattakisses but Delly-Shoes is my goofy silly girl
She kisses me like crazy, boggles and bruxes when she hears my voice.
She's a hoarder extraordinaire.
Is there anything that I can do?
Baytril has had no affect.
It makes me SO sad to see her like this. :cry4:
silly Delly!! (click to see full size)
 
Do you have a fan or ceiling fan you could use to move the air around? I have to run fans even with my air on to keep everyone cool.
 
Can you move her cage to a cooler area? I often move my compromised rats to better locations.

OR you can freeze a water bottle (plastic/human) draw a sock over it and let her cuddle up to the coolness. try to have 2 bottles so you always have a frozen one.

IF she's uncomfortable you could add a pain medication (mild) to see if that helps.
 
Delly is now on CHLORPALM.
I hope it works soon.
Her lips are tinged blue and she keeps trying to climb.
She doesn't want to be held.
Feeling useless watching her struggle. :cry:
 
You may need to ask for advice RE using heart meds to help diagnose a possible heart issue. A blue tinge to the extremities can be indicative of a heart problem.

Good luck to your girl.
 
Yes, I have had a few on heart meds over the years. Debbie Ducommun's Health Care booklet says to try the rat on Benazepril for a few days. If that helps, then it's probably a heart problem. That medication (an ACE inhibitor) makes the heart beat more efficiently.

That medication plus Lasix (furosemide, to clear liquid out of the lungs) is a big help. Some rats also benefit from adding Atenolol and Digoxin to the meds. So it can be complicated doing the meds for a rat with a heart problem, but it can give them a few more months of quality time.

The hard question is whether it is a lung infection or a heart problem. Lasix (I found out from Joanne on this forum) is not good to use for pneumonia because it would dry out the lungs. I guess that's why they recommend trying the Benazepril first to see whether it helps.

Good luck with your girlie, and I hope that she will be with you for a while. She sounds like such a dear girl. :heart:
 
I too have had many rats with heart problems.
As Godmother wrote, an ACE inhibitor is used as a diagnostic tool. Enalapril (0.25 mg/Ib twice a day) is recommended.
If this helps then atenolol (1 mg/Ib twice a day) is added. Furosemide (1 - 2 mg/Ib as needed) is also added if/when needed.

If the rat has an enlarged heart (as seen on an xray), then digoxin (0.0025 mg/Ib twice a day) is also added.

(drug info taken from the Rat Health Care book)
 
That oppressive heat and humidity have broken this morning. So open up all your windows and get some fresh air into the rat room. Like you, we have had our A/C running non-stop for a month, but the upstairs bedrooms are still uncomfortable, and I can tell our older rat is feeling it. (Our downstairs is open concept, so nowhere safe to keep the rats, b/c of no doors on the rooms).

See if the cooler air today helps her feel better.
 
It looks like Delilah is rallying. :joy:
Unfortunately Rube (the boob) is declining rapidly. :(
He is on baytril but it's not really helping anymore.
Out of my remaining 5 ratties only Philbert is robust and healthy and not on meds.
The rest I hand feed baby foods,cereals ect.
Every morning I worry that one will have left me during the night.
It's hard being a Rattakiss Momma but I would never regret loving them. :heart:
 

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