Jake didn't make it ***Was: Jake's head tilt

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KristyR

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Joined
Sep 6, 2007
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889
Location
Oklahoma City, OK
*** Update in reply a few posts down***

Sunday evening before I left for work I noticed that Jake's head was tilting to the right. It was much worse by Monday morning when I got home. He was so tilted that he was mostly just lying on his right side. He was alert and very interested in food and water... he was just sideways! We took him to the vet - we were there when they opened the doors. He gave us some ear drops and some oral antibiotics and we go back in a week for a check. He said he should improve greatly, may always have a slight tilt, but that he should be able to live normally.

So for the last two days, we've been helping him eat and drink. I've been hand feeding him his veggies, and holding up a water bottle to his little mouth to make sure he gets plenty of food and water. This morning I put some veggies in his cage before I went to bed, and when I got up a bit ago, he had eaten almost all of them. I'm very relieved about that! I don't mind hand feeding him if I need to, but I'm glad to see that he is able to do it himself.


By the way... this is Jake (the night before I noticed the head tilt, perhaps a little tilt in the pic... thought it was just a curious look at the time!)

1350842682_4b7be023ce.jpg
 
May I ask what antibiotics that he has been put on? There are some that are better than others for inner ear infections, like Baytril/Doxy and Chlorpalm. Other antibiotics might not be as effective.
Inner ear infections are very serious and need to be aggressively treated or they can result in brain damage and other health issues. I have recently battled for a long time with Neil, who had an ear infection that took weeks and weeks to improve on Baytril/Doxy. My vet even took photos of the inside of his ear to show me how advanced it was. They can be a challenge.
Sometimes the tilt goes away, as it did with my William, and sometimes it is permanent, like my Timmy and Neil.
He is very adorable. The tilt does not look as progressed as some that I have seen, you were all over it in good time, there is a good chance that it will be corrected.
 
Aw, cutie-pie!
I sure hope the tilt isn't permanent. They can do just fine with a head tilt - especially if you can make some cage-alterations if it's severe to protect him from a lack of balance.
But no kid needs that for sure...
So I'm hoping for you and Jake that it will go away...
 
Vanessa said:
May I ask what antibiotics that he has been put on?
Click to expand...

I'm at work and the meds are at home, so I may not get this quite right... the oral antibiotic is a compound of Baytril, Dexamethasone, and Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole. The eardrops are Synotic.
 
My Russo developed a head tilt when he was about 6 months old. He was put on meds but the titl remained. He adapted very well except in his later months, before passing, he was really disoriented. But he lived a good long time, leaving me at 28 months.
 
I came home from school one day last year to find my rat Tevy with a head tilt. We first tried baytril alone (and 1 week of dexamethasone) but after 2 weeks it wasn't getting better. Then I did 4 weeks of baytril & doxycycline for a total of 6 weeks of antibiotics. (That was fun! :shock: )

She is permanently tippy but she adapted great even though she was almost 2 years old! She even went through a tumor surgery fine. It took about 2 months after the antibiotics were ended for her to be able to climb again, and not fall out of hammocks when trying to get down, etc. but she got there finally.

Sounds like your vet is hitting it with a good dose of antibiotics and a steroid (dexamethasone). Did he talk to you about weaning slowly off the dex? I would also recommend putting in a shallow dog dish of water so that it is easier for him to drink when he wants.

Hugs go out to Jake from his tippy friend Tevy!
Here is a pic of how she lives her life now:

IMG_0311.jpg
 
Jake was doing so well on the antibiotics and ear drops until last night, when he seemed to have a stroke. (At least that's the diagnosis when my human patients do what he was doing) His right front leg was drawn up and his paw was closed into a little fist. His right eye was glassy and dull. He couldn't walk, but he pulled himself from my chest up to my neck and groomed my ear and was bruxing and seemed content. He ate and drank fine, although I had to hand feed him and water him.

I put him to bed and planned to take him to the vet first thing this morning. I prayed hard last night - something I don't do too often, really - prayed not that Jake would get well, but just that he wouldn't suffer. I prayed that if he was going to die, that he would go easily, and if he was going to get well, that he would not be in too much pain during his recovery.

So I got up this morning, still planning on taking him in, and when I saw him, and he looked at me, I knew. I knew he wasn't going to make it. He wouldn't eat or drink anything, and his little body was so limp. He did groom my finger just a little while I held him. He died peacefully in my hands. No struggling. The last couple of minutes, he was mouth breathing, and I knew it was close. Then his back legs twitched a little, and he stopped breathing. I felt his heart slow down and stop under my fingers. I saw the spark leave his eyes.

Oh my sweet, sweet Jake. My beautiful boy.

I buried him in the front garden, next to Evie. Two beautiful babies, beautiful little souls who brought so much joy in such short lives.

Rest in peace, my little one. You are missed terribly.
 
I'm so very sorry...

With the new symptoms, it sounds like a pituitary tumour. The knuckling is a classic symptom of PT.

He's free now...
 
I am in tears now I should learn not to read these at work. (where do you get your babies from?)

My Ivy had head tilt when I got her, that is why I got her I did not want her to suffer at the pet store like that and I knew that no one else would take her. I would have to say she is my most curious and outgoing rat. She loves everyone and is very popcorny. Her head tilt does not affect her at all and she is actually my best climber. She is the one in my profile you can see her lean in the pic.

I am so sorry. You have had a lot to deal with in the past days. You really need a break from all the heartache. :tearful:
 
I am soo sorry. As Jo said, the knuckling is a classic symptom and usually PT is a quiet peaceful death that can often happen at home with you. That is the only reason I don't hate PT completely.

I hope your heart heals soon ((hugs))
 
It is hard to predict what conditions they are suffering from sometimes. You did everything that you should have considering the symptoms that he was showing. The vet was definitely on the right track to treat for the inner ear infection, but sometimes the diagnosis is going to be off and there is no way to catch it with these little ones.
I'm very sorry that you lost your little Jake.
 

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