Lilspaz Rescue and Hospice - CLOSED and under QT 03/12

[trillium]

You know what's funny -- I actually had that thought too. Many of us more casual pet owners might not have recognized it fast enough, or had the injectables/med combinations on hand, or the experience to get things to work for the really sick ones - I know I would likely have just thought it was a myco flare up or something a first.

 

[Sharlees rattakisses]

:bow: YOU ARE TRULY AMAZING!! :bow:
I haven't been able to visit the site since before Christmas so this is the first time I heard of your ratties being sick.
Thanks to you(and some truly amazing friends),
You were able to struggle through a very difficult time that would have brought most of us to our knee's. :shock:
It is because of your dedication and never ending work that so many of your babies lived.
I am saddened and sorry to hear of the ones who will probably not make it. :hugs:
I hope the worst is over.
Thankyou for doing all that you do!! :heart:

 

[crumbilina]

YAY! :dance:
I am so happy that they are doing better

 

[Godmother]

Carina...oh my lovely girl is BACK.

:joy: :dance:

And it is such good news about the others, too. Love those photos of "I-know-I'm-gorgeous" Emily!

You've got a ways to go in this battle, but at least it must feel good to know you have a chance. Wonderful work. :thumbup:

 

[fenshae]

On the possibly gone list;

Smoosh, Wispa, Marley, Hera and Quark, Brulee, Maline, Carina, Jaffa and Emily for sure.

I'm so sorry Shelagh. I know a lot of your kids improved but it's still hard to lose the ones that didn't. :hugs:

Oh no!!! Victoria all of these are well!! BUT if I hadn't pounced and given them the rescue shots they would likely have been dead. Another person who doesn't have my resources may have lost them.

I had that same thought on first reading, took me a second to follow lol.

Out of curiosity because I always wonder....how do people like you and SQ manage to get a hold of meds all the time? Is it just the long-standing awesome relationship you have with your vet or are you buying them online somewhere? It would be AWESOME if I could start my guys on meds without having to wait for the vet every time considering what a pain she is to get hold of....

 

[lilspaz68]

I do have a very good relationship with my vet.

 

[Joanne]

On the possibly gone list;

Smoosh, Wispa, Marley, Hera and Quark, Brulee, Maline, Carina, Jaffa and Emily for sure.

I'm so sorry Shelagh. I know a lot of your kids improved but it's still hard to lose the ones that didn't. :hugs:

Oh no!!! Victoria all of these are well!! BUT if I hadn't pounced and given them the rescue shots they would likely have been dead. Another person who doesn't have my resources may have lost them.

I am assuming that your 'rescue shots' are antibiotics - what kind? Is penicillin the drug of choice in this situation?

 

[lilspaz68]

ringers lactate solution, gentocin and dexamethasone

Tonight's mixture was a little different since my supplements just arrived. I added Immunoregulin and Vitamin B Complex. I'll let you know how Maline responds.

 

[Joanne]

ringers lactate solution, gentocin and dexamethasone

Ah, so fluids, antibiotic, steroid. Why the steroid?

 

[xxchelle]

A corticosteroid helps with bad cases of pneumonia, which is what this progresses into. It helps reduce inflammation in the lungs to allow the rat to breathe easier.

 

[lilratsy43]

Any updates Shelagh? Did you recieve the package I sent, yet?

 

[lilspaz68]

Any updates Shelagh? Did you recieve the package I sent, yet?

Yes Lauren I did...I dreamt I PM'd you, obviously didn't in RL :doh:

My bubbies are enjoying their no-sew hammies :joy: I didn't know if they would figure it out like a pocket or double decker, but they did :thumbup:

the new CSB group are very happy with theirs

especially Maline

 

[lilspaz68]

Good updates, very few sneezes, gurgles or crackles anymore.

Mame is still on baytril as she has a teeny sound in her lungs, but you have to listen hard. I am updating the Baby thread soon...today I hope.

Hayla is all good, no recurring abscess...she she LOVES the sputnik. I am not sure how she fits in there with everyone but she manages.

Milly sounds horrible, crackling away...never improving, but her spirits are good, just not her lungs. Trying to decide what the next course of action shall be for her. I looked up her age and couldn't believe my Backyard Baby is 23 months old!! :shock:

Marley still has a funny pop and click sound in his lung even after being on abs for almost 3 weeks...I realized that his ears, tail and feet were cold, so I am trying him on diagnostic heart meds. I hd him on lasix for a couple of days and he seemed to show improvement, so I am now trying the enalapril :sad3:

The Sugah's are the healthiest they have been in a long time...they took over Marley's decker. :lol:

Timmy sneezed about 6 times through the whole thing, but he sadly has a very deep abdominal mass...sweet boy. I was told he was young, so he should only be 16 months old

Zoey never got sick but her neck/throat tumour came back with a vengeance (she had it removed at 6 months of age), and is very inoperable right now...I can tell by feeling it. Its deep, and lumpy and all over the place now. Poor lass is only 15 months old.

And Talty is aging fast but not ready to go yet...

Not when he enjoys his scratches

his ear rubs

and his tasty fingers :giggle:

Not quite yet Mom!

 

[skinnyhippiechick]

Awwww, Talty is such a handsome old man.
Great to get an update about your crew.
Thinking of you and continuing to send healing vibes your way.
YOU ARE AWESOME!!!

dl
:heart:

 

[Rachael]

I love Talty
How many did you lose to the virus? With sendai I think you'd have lost more

 

[lilspaz68]

I love Talty
How many did you lose to the virus? With sendai I think you'd have lost more

Not necessarily. I saw the trend very quickly with my rats, already was aware of the rat viruses and put everyone on meds ASAP. the sickest ones who were practically dying got rescue injections which saved most of them...didn't save Dudley and Theo though Most pet owners wouldn't have access to these meds, or have them on hand...I was lucky.

I lost 3 but if I had been a regular rat owner, I might have lost 20 or more.

 

[Rachael]

I've seen quite a few cases of Sendai and even the most experienced rat owners with all the meds can't do anything. As you know you can't treat the actual virus, but even with meds, it's not going to stop it killing them.

 

[lilspaz68]

I've seen quite a few cases of Sendai and even the most experienced rat owners with all the meds can't do anything. As you know you can't treat the actual virus, but even with meds, it's not going to stop it killing them.

I have spoken to Bella about this, and she says it runs it's own course, there's no predicting it. We are still not sure its confirmed SV but most people are sure it is. Others I have spoken to said they lost 6 of 18 rats, others that they only had a few losses.

We need to wait for the blood draw and test results before jumping to any conclusions.

 

[wonderrodent]

I am so sorry Shelagh that this happened to you and your ratties.
Sophie and I keep thinking of you!!

 

[Avatar]

I've seen quite a few cases of Sendai and even the most experienced rat owners with all the meds can't do anything. As you know you can't treat the actual virus, but even with meds, it's not going to stop it killing them.

The Virologist I spoke to said that depending on the initial health of the rats, and the rapid treatment of the secondary infections (sendai does not cause a URI directly, the URI occurs due to cell death in the lungs and UR tract) can result in a lot of saved rats.

However, due to how mild this seems to be overall, I wonder if it is sendai, or just another virus that does the same general thing (though in my mind it's still a virus, as it has an incubation period and a reproductive phase). I'm awaiting an e-mail from the Virologist as she said she would speak to the head of mammalian diagnostics at the UoG for us.