head tilt?

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L

lawless

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hiya! my boy has started some... behavior i just cannot put my finger on
im pretty experienced with rats, ive been caring for them and owning them for a very very long time now but this has me a little puzzled? hes really got me stumped!
anyway, benvolio is 8 months old and hes started noticably showing a head tilt over the past little while but the thing is theres... absolutely no symptoms of anything else that could cause a head tilt. theres zero symptoms of a respiritory infection, zero symptoms of a pt, zero symptoms of an ear infection. absolutely nothing at all! and this has been persistant for a little while now so i would assume if there was a major issue it would have kicked in by now. the head tilt is the only weird thing hes been doing, otherwise hes completely fine and healthy. hes eating and drinking very well, playing every day and not acting confused or off-color, running around and jumping and climbing very well, responding to commands and me calling his name, his balance is fine he can sit on my shoulder or hand without falling or losing balance, hes cleaning himself perfectly, and everything else pointing to a completely healthy rat is there! ive taken him to the vet and they couldnt find anything wrong with him, so could this just be an odd quirk or something neurological?
 
sounds like an inner ear infection ..... head tilt can be the only symptom of an inner ear infection until it becomes so bad that the rat starts circling and then roiling. Untreated inner ear infections kill.
I would suggest antibiotics (at least 6 weeks) and an anti inflammatory (short term to prevent permanent damage) from the vet

See http://ratguide.com/health/auricle_ear/otitis_media_otitis_interna_labyrinthitis.php
 
i thought as much huh thats really odd, my vet was persistant in it being nothing even after i had pressed for double checks on an ear infection. it was a pretty recent visit too. i guess ill be looking for a new vet! thanks for the second opinion its been bugging me for days
 
I agree with SQ, the infection may be low grade and only causing the obvious tilt for now. I had a youngster who had a head tilt when I got him, but since he showed no signs of anything else, assumed it was a residual tilt from a prior infection. When he went in for his neuter, my vet put a scope down his ear and found the infection.
oct28Rhesusinnerearinfection.jpg
 
The treatment for an inner ear infection is pretty much the same as a neurological issue so always a good idea to treat with antibiotics and an anti inflammatory
 
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