Lasix and steam

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jorats

jorats

Loving rats since 2002.
Joined
Jul 20, 2007
Messages
45,196
Location
Northeastern Ontario
My mom had a talk with my vet this morning. She's an exotic vet with lots of rattie knowledge.
She said that Lasix is not a drug that should be given freely to rats. Our rats as we already know have a thicker mucus than we do in their lungs and in their nose which is why they get congested quite easily. If a rat with mucus is given Lasix, it will suck all the moisture out of their mucus making it a very heavy paste like substance, making it impossible for the rat to clear his lungs and nose naturally which can lead to death by suffocation.

Steaming rats or even nebulizing rats with lung and heart disease is not a good idea either. The heat of the steam can cause the rat to panic and have a greater difficulty to breath.

My vet recommends a cool mist vaporiser for rats with nasal congestion. Short term treatment of Dex can also be beneficial until the meds kick in. She says it takes longer than just 4 days for Baytril to start working. This is why it's important to have your rat on abs for a good long time.
 
That makes perfect sense, thanks for checking with your vet on this one.
I have only been given Lasix when the rat suffering with CHF has also developed an edema, which was the case with Jimmy. He had a huge chest edema that did get resolved by the Lasix. Ajax was not given the Lasix because he did not form one.
Nebulizing is tricky business. Although I think it is a very effective way to administer certain treatments, it can have it's downfalls. It is very important that you discuss the option with your vet prior to trying it and monitor the reaction of your rats while being nebulized. I have seen both scenarios with my rats - those who have totally freaked out (in which case I opted for another treatment course) and those who were very calm and even fell asleep during treatment. If you are concerned, err on the side of caution.
 
It's a bit of a catch 22 when it comes to nebulising. Isn't nebulising mainly used for administering medication when a rat has respiratory infections? Personally, I never saw the point of steaming though, as it can be much harder to breath in a steamy room. Hmmm.... thinking twice about nebulising Chutney.

Dewi
 
I've never recommended nebulizing sick rats. I've never found it to work too well, in fact, it seemed that the stress just made things worse. I have nebulized as a preventive treatment.
 
I have treated ill rats with the nebulizer with some great success. There are many factors to take into account before using one, and a nebulizer will not be the best route for treatment in all cases, but for some conditions it has been a lifesaver.
 
Injectable Baytril, Gentocin. There might have been a couple of others way back that I am forgetting because they weren't that effective. Those two are the main ones I have used.
 
Thanks for the info.
Will mention it to my vet.
In the past, my rats have been given lasix when they were retaining fluid in their lungs (CHF).
 

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