Lumpies and Bumpies and Respiratory Problems - Wildlings

[lilspaz68]

My poor Wildlings are only 22 months old but they are starting to show some nasty symptoms. Of course these are the rats that must be treated through the bars and will never meet my vet.

Beni - my CHF love. He's very skinny although I think he's putting a little bit of weight back on. He's on just the enalapril and doing well physically besides the weight issue. No gasping unless I hold him too long and he stresses. He's become the sweetest boy. He likes gentle scritches on the shoulders/back of neck and will lick me heartily now to say thank you He is able to go up and down the cage with no real issues (4' high), so technically he is much better than he was...until you look at my scrawny fellow.

I think its Nissa that has the severe respiratory issue going on, she's got "that" breathing (CHF again?) and some pretty awful resp. sounds that wake me up. Its hard to medicate her since they are mostly identical and they hide their illnesses more than the domestics. I am trying to keep her on baytril.

Kara has what looks like the same lump Bear had (same location, look, etc different hip)...which was a tumour. Kara was one of my blood-letters but let me hold, examine and even take pics of it. She was frightened but never offered to bite! :mrgreen: She is on baytril for possible infection.

Teya was my original Wildgirl (before her 4 sisters came back to me a year later), very timid, very nervous. She lets me hold her briefly and runs to the cage door now. She has the strangest lump on her head. She is on baytril just in case. I don't think its an abscess since it's only changing very slowly.
She looks like a dinosaur to me right now

My poor little 'Gouti Booties. :sad3:

 

[bruxxy]

awwe that head lump looks terrible...poor teya! :sad3:

if you don't mind me asking...will they be able to see a vet if they need to pts at any point? Or would you just have to let them go naturally? It seems like they have pretty bad genes...22 months is so young :shock: . I'm wondering is that's because rats in the wild have bad genetics too?

 

[lilspaz68]

awwe that head lump looks terrible...poor teya! :sad3:

if you don't mind me asking...will they be able to see a vet if they need to pts at any point? Or would you just have to let them go naturally? It seems like they have pretty bad genes...22 months is so young :shock: . I'm wondering is that's because rats in the wild have bad genetics too?

I think that its definitely that, but I think Rennie their mom also added a load of genetic crap in there too...she's only 25 months old and she has crackling issues I cannot get rid of. She's been on courses of meds and I have to maintain her on baytril. I think I will be adding dex in soon to see if it helps a little. She also is drinking a lot of water which is a sign of renal failure.

I spoke to Dr Munn about euthanizing them and we will sort something out on her end. She normally does the mask but will be prepared just in case for my Wildlings

 

[Godmother]

Poor sweeties. But they have come a long way since you got them.

 

[mamarat]

I have their 3 brothers and two have a funny looking lump/bump on a thigh. They're not growing very fast though. It looks like a black bump with fur on. All three are otherwise healthy.

 

[Moon]

Awww the wildlings... poor scary beauties.

 

[jorats]

It's quite a coincidence that 4 wildlings have funny bumps on them.

 

[lilspaz68]

It's quite a coincidence that 4 wildlings have funny bumps on them.

4 out of 10 is pretty odd. And we really cannot count Ortiz since he passed at 13 months old...he also may have been a bumpy fellow

 

[lilspaz68]

Well the lumpies and bumpies are actually worse. Kara's hurts her so I am getting metacam into her now, Teya looks like she isn't feeling any pain.

Kara was my other biter girl along with Nissa. Now she will lie flat inside the cage while I stroke her...eyes closed, swallowing away :heart:

I have even seen them happily grooming each other and even bruxxing!

Kara

Teya (whom someone mentioned looks like a Klingon

My poor 'goutis.

 

[jorats]

Yikes... have you tried Baytril on Teya?

 

[lilspaz68]

Yikes... have you tried Baytril on Teya?

They are all on baytril and amoxi except Beni (who does very well with strictly enalapril. They've been on the combo since Wed and just baytril prior to that for a week.

 

[jorats]

And no change or do you find it's getting worse? It looks painful but it may not be. Has her behaviour change?

 

[lilspaz68]

And no change or do you find it's getting worse? It looks painful but it may not be. Has her behaviour change?

Kara has gotten friendlier but hers looks painful. Teya's still the same girl.
they are both worse

 

[jorats]

:sad3:

 

[mamarat]

How sad, the poor sweeties.

 

[allykatt]

The one on the hip really looks like an abscess, especially with the fur missing on it, and the scabs. The one on the head looks a bit red, maybe it is inflamation? Too bad you couldnt take a culture. If the hip one is painful, if you can, try the warm compresses. One of the rats that I used to babysit a lot had a lot of tumors ( she was almost 4) and one supposed tumor suddenly burst and was an abscess. Since she was so old and sick, she got metacam and meds, but I found the warm compresses really made her relax and seem to hurt less.

I personally can attest to warmth helping infection pain. I have had severe staph infection in my bones following spine surgery, and for awhile, the only thing that made me comfortable was laying on a heating pad, even with all the pain meds.

 

[lilspaz68]

The one on the hip really looks like an abscess, especially with the fur missing on it, and the scabs. The one on the head looks a bit red, maybe it is inflamation? Too bad you couldnt take a culture. If the hip one is painful, if you can, try the warm compresses. One of the rats that I used to babysit a lot had a lot of tumors ( she was almost 4) and one supposed tumor suddenly burst and was an abscess. Since she was so old and sick, she got metacam and meds, but I found the warm compresses really made her relax and seem to hurt less.

I personally can attest to warmth helping infection pain. I have had severe staph infection in my bones following spine surgery, and for awhile, the only thing that made me comfortable was laying on a heating pad, even with all the pain meds.

Sadly Allykatt these rats are barely handleable being half domestic and half wild
Medications cannot be forced and handling them for compresses would end up with me badly bitten from their fear and them never coming near me again. Kara (hip) I have her on baytril for any infection and metacam for discomfort but it keeps getting worse

Teya (head) I am thinking I should add dex to her meds to see if it helps with the inflammation at all?

 

[user 78]

I'm a big believer in steroids for inflammation. Penn's been on pred since last October and hasn't shown any further PT symptoms, and the ones she had shown are much better.