sonnyvincent
Well-Known Member
Need help & suggestions for my last female rat, Dallas.
She has suddenly taken ill and it look as though she has a pituitary tumor. She did not seem to have the symptoms leading up to when it finally became obvious. What symptoms she might have had, I sadly attributed to other things. Her appetite issues which would come and go, I attributed to her loneliness as she's the last female in her cage. Her head tilt I attributed to late treatment of an ear infection. Those were the only two symptoms from the list I've seen that she showed.
Until Wednesday afternoon.
Back a night to Thursday night. I came in to feed her her nightly feeding. Noticed she hadn't touched her dry food. So, as I have been doing whenever she loses her appetite, I made her baby cereal. She was not grateful. She was active as usual, she ran up and down her ramp. Then she climbed into her hammock as if to say she'll get to the cereal when she darn well pleases. (This is Dallas's personality lol).
Now Wednesday afternoon. Dallas, who ALWAYS chills in her hammock, if found unresponsive lying on the lower level of her cage on fabric. Not in a spot where she would land after falling from a hammock. She lets me touch her and doesn't nip at me as usual (it's our "game", well HER "game" with me). I pick her up. She doesn't jump out of my arms as per usual. She doesn't seem to be able to really move. She moves her fists close to her face but her legs are outstretched.
I think I'm losing her. I research and ask questions on another group and the PT does seem like the closest thing.
I did not believe she could move but last night she moved from under the "cover" fabric I made her to the top. She was warm, she must've been too hot. Then tonight after a feeding I saw her walk the entire perimeter of the hospital cage. She's probably confused as to where she is.
While she CAN move, she rarely does. She drank Tuesday night but not during the morning attempts or throughout the day. Not interested in water, suger water, or pedialyte. She will eat. Yesterday she ate a 1/2 spoonful of baby cereal, a spoonful of Jello, a spoonful and a half of baby banana food, and 2 1/2 spoonfuls of yogurt. I am NOT sure if she is eating enough. All these feedings were spread through 6 separate feedings. They seem to tire her out. But aside from being not very interested in her first meal of the day she ate everything offered to her. So far just things she can lick.
After she eats she has a ritual of grooming her face and then making some strange sounds with her mouth. Like she's grinding her teeth. She breathes heavily after an eating session as well.
What else-- I'm givig her infant ibuprofen for the fever and it has seemed to have helped. I found her moved under one of the fabrics so she must not be too hot anymore to be under any of them. I'll give that to her regularly with feedings.
I've given her prednisoone, one dose so far per dosing instructions found on another site. I read that this can be useful in cases where a rat might survive a PT, as the main medication takes awhile to kick in. And that at the least it can offer some comfort at end of life.
My concern mostly is the liquid. I was able to mix only 1/2 ml of pedialyte with her last helping of yogurt which she took but she won't take liquids out of a bottle or a syringe- and even if she took it out of a syringe I've read she'd need 60 syringes full (it's a 1 ml syringe).
If she's eating but not drinking that's not good enough, right?? Any suggestions? She is NOT an Ensure rat. We had some last year when I had a very sick rat and when she passed we let the other rats use the rest. Some liked it, Dallas was not one of those.
Thank you
She has suddenly taken ill and it look as though she has a pituitary tumor. She did not seem to have the symptoms leading up to when it finally became obvious. What symptoms she might have had, I sadly attributed to other things. Her appetite issues which would come and go, I attributed to her loneliness as she's the last female in her cage. Her head tilt I attributed to late treatment of an ear infection. Those were the only two symptoms from the list I've seen that she showed.
Until Wednesday afternoon.
Back a night to Thursday night. I came in to feed her her nightly feeding. Noticed she hadn't touched her dry food. So, as I have been doing whenever she loses her appetite, I made her baby cereal. She was not grateful. She was active as usual, she ran up and down her ramp. Then she climbed into her hammock as if to say she'll get to the cereal when she darn well pleases. (This is Dallas's personality lol).
Now Wednesday afternoon. Dallas, who ALWAYS chills in her hammock, if found unresponsive lying on the lower level of her cage on fabric. Not in a spot where she would land after falling from a hammock. She lets me touch her and doesn't nip at me as usual (it's our "game", well HER "game" with me). I pick her up. She doesn't jump out of my arms as per usual. She doesn't seem to be able to really move. She moves her fists close to her face but her legs are outstretched.
I think I'm losing her. I research and ask questions on another group and the PT does seem like the closest thing.
I did not believe she could move but last night she moved from under the "cover" fabric I made her to the top. She was warm, she must've been too hot. Then tonight after a feeding I saw her walk the entire perimeter of the hospital cage. She's probably confused as to where she is.
While she CAN move, she rarely does. She drank Tuesday night but not during the morning attempts or throughout the day. Not interested in water, suger water, or pedialyte. She will eat. Yesterday she ate a 1/2 spoonful of baby cereal, a spoonful of Jello, a spoonful and a half of baby banana food, and 2 1/2 spoonfuls of yogurt. I am NOT sure if she is eating enough. All these feedings were spread through 6 separate feedings. They seem to tire her out. But aside from being not very interested in her first meal of the day she ate everything offered to her. So far just things she can lick.
After she eats she has a ritual of grooming her face and then making some strange sounds with her mouth. Like she's grinding her teeth. She breathes heavily after an eating session as well.
What else-- I'm givig her infant ibuprofen for the fever and it has seemed to have helped. I found her moved under one of the fabrics so she must not be too hot anymore to be under any of them. I'll give that to her regularly with feedings.
I've given her prednisoone, one dose so far per dosing instructions found on another site. I read that this can be useful in cases where a rat might survive a PT, as the main medication takes awhile to kick in. And that at the least it can offer some comfort at end of life.
My concern mostly is the liquid. I was able to mix only 1/2 ml of pedialyte with her last helping of yogurt which she took but she won't take liquids out of a bottle or a syringe- and even if she took it out of a syringe I've read she'd need 60 syringes full (it's a 1 ml syringe).
If she's eating but not drinking that's not good enough, right?? Any suggestions? She is NOT an Ensure rat. We had some last year when I had a very sick rat and when she passed we let the other rats use the rest. Some liked it, Dallas was not one of those.
Thank you
She's bruxxing her teeth, and the grooming and clubbed paws near the face are classic. I am sorry. PT sucks.
