My Little Matilda: It's PT NEW UPDATE pg. 8
- Thread starter Aida
- Start date
Help Support The Rat Shack Forum:
Good news first:
-It's been 10 days since we saw the lump, and it hasn't gotten bigger or changed much. In fact, it may have gotten smaller. Hasn't popped or anything like that, but it honestly looks like a zit- without a bright white head, so I'm not very worried. It is on top of her skin, so I seriously doubt it is a tumor or anything serious.
-No more mites or scabs/itching since the treatment of invermectin on all of them, next dose in 4 days and then we are done.
(The vet actually told me that it may be the PT pressure on her skull giving her discomfort, thus causing itching, but I guess not. Her fur is still a bit crappy in that area, but it looks, eh, all right over all)
- No new PT symptoms, not really at all. She is different than when she was, obviously, but overall I think she is doing OK considering she's aging, has a respiratory infection, and we found out about the PT on Nov. 5th.
- Cataract in one eye still there, but the eye is looking fine overall, and her second eye is just fine- I shine a light on it and it doesn't seem that anything is forming in it(in the health eye).
-Although she doesn't go crazy for it anymore, she still most likely eats the most out of all 3.
Bad News:
- She just isn't my little girl anymore. She has slowed down a bit, doesn't come running out as much. she still does, but doesn't go as crazy as before, for example it's harder to catch her outside of the cage. Her fur isn't as soft and is thinner on the back of her neck.
- I think the respiratory infection isn't clearing up very well. It's been 10 days on baytril and doxycycline, 0.2ml of baytril twice a day, 0.1ml of doxy twice a day. No more porphyrin around her nose, but today I heard a whistle.
- She is refusing her bromo extremely. She likes the baytril and the pred, she takes those, she doesn't like the doxy but it is a small amount so I get that in her. The bromo is 0.5ml, and it is IMPOSSIBLE to get it in her. Firstly, almost all of it gets out. Secondly, if it doesn't, she will hold it in her mouth and spit it out- or she will run her whole face across me or the cage the second I put her down, rubbing it off. I've tried:
a) yogurt
b) almond milk
c) extremely sweet and yummy french vanilla coffee creamer, super expensive christmas edition
d) smushed banana(ate some of this, but not all)
e) a small amount of gassed-out coke(I was getting extremely desperate)
f) peach, mango, and banana baby food
I still have sweet potato baby food to try, and then I will try a fruit smoothie mixed with it. If i use too large of an amount, she won't eat it all herself. If i use a too small amount, she will be able to taste the bromo and reject it. i think she can just "tell" and refuses to eat it. I tried to dip a puff that she likes in the med-laced baby food. She ate hte half without the meds....
I will try giving her these foods in the cage a bunch of times without the medss, so that when I do put them in, maybe she won't notice much.
I'm even scared that when I force feed these meds into her, I make her breathe the fluid in and hurt her lungs....
-It's been 10 days since we saw the lump, and it hasn't gotten bigger or changed much. In fact, it may have gotten smaller. Hasn't popped or anything like that, but it honestly looks like a zit- without a bright white head, so I'm not very worried. It is on top of her skin, so I seriously doubt it is a tumor or anything serious.
-No more mites or scabs/itching since the treatment of invermectin on all of them, next dose in 4 days and then we are done.
(The vet actually told me that it may be the PT pressure on her skull giving her discomfort, thus causing itching, but I guess not. Her fur is still a bit crappy in that area, but it looks, eh, all right over all)
- No new PT symptoms, not really at all. She is different than when she was, obviously, but overall I think she is doing OK considering she's aging, has a respiratory infection, and we found out about the PT on Nov. 5th.
- Cataract in one eye still there, but the eye is looking fine overall, and her second eye is just fine- I shine a light on it and it doesn't seem that anything is forming in it(in the health eye).
-Although she doesn't go crazy for it anymore, she still most likely eats the most out of all 3.
Bad News:
- She just isn't my little girl anymore.
She has slowed down a bit, doesn't come running out as much. she still does, but doesn't go as crazy as before, for example it's harder to catch her outside of the cage. Her fur isn't as soft and is thinner on the back of her neck.- I think the respiratory infection isn't clearing up very well. It's been 10 days on baytril and doxycycline, 0.2ml of baytril twice a day, 0.1ml of doxy twice a day. No more porphyrin around her nose, but today I heard a whistle.
- She is refusing her bromo extremely. She likes the baytril and the pred, she takes those, she doesn't like the doxy but it is a small amount so I get that in her. The bromo is 0.5ml, and it is IMPOSSIBLE to get it in her. Firstly, almost all of it gets out. Secondly, if it doesn't, she will hold it in her mouth and spit it out- or she will run her whole face across me or the cage the second I put her down, rubbing it off. I've tried:
a) yogurt
b) almond milk
c) extremely sweet and yummy french vanilla coffee creamer, super expensive christmas edition
d) smushed banana(ate some of this, but not all)
e) a small amount of gassed-out coke(I was getting extremely desperate)
f) peach, mango, and banana baby food
I still have sweet potato baby food to try, and then I will try a fruit smoothie mixed with it. If i use too large of an amount, she won't eat it all herself. If i use a too small amount, she will be able to taste the bromo and reject it. i think she can just "tell" and refuses to eat it. I tried to dip a puff that she likes in the med-laced baby food. She ate hte half without the meds....
I will try giving her these foods in the cage a bunch of times without the medss, so that when I do put them in, maybe she won't notice much.
I'm even scared that when I force feed these meds into her, I make her breathe the fluid in and hurt her lungs....
patchesboo
Well-Known Member
sorry to hear about all the problems you're sweet baby is having. it sounds pretty stressful for both you and her. I'll be praying for you both.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
Hang in there, you are doing the best you can.
Godmother
Well-Known Member
It's very grueling, isn't it, trying to get meds down a reluctant rat.
Would it be worth trying a reduced dose of Bromo? I've had a couple of rats who refused it, so I've since changed how I start them on it: I start them on a reduced dose and work up to the full dose if they tolerate it. I don't know whether it would work in reverse, but maybe she would do OK with a half dose.
Would it be worth trying a reduced dose of Bromo? I've had a couple of rats who refused it, so I've since changed how I start them on it: I start them on a reduced dose and work up to the full dose if they tolerate it. I don't know whether it would work in reverse, but maybe she would do OK with a half dose.
Thanks Jorats!!! T_T
patchesboo, it is pretty stressfull, but luckily she is still happy and that makes me happy and glad to have her each day. <3
Godmother, I'm pretty sure she is only getting half now this way, anyways. I am able to get SOME in. They are 2.5mg tablets dissolved in 1.5mls of liquids, I am to be giving .5ml a day. Since some of it always gets wasted or spilled a bit, I have been giving one tablet per two days instead of per three. So she is getting I'd say 3/4ths or so of her dose, despite spitting it out and stuff. It's hard to say if the bromo has helped or not. She hasn't gotten worse, PT wise, so I suppose it is. She is nothing like the other PT ratties I've seen around... :c
patchesboo, it is pretty stressfull, but luckily she is still happy and that makes me happy and glad to have her each day. <3
Godmother, I'm pretty sure she is only getting half now this way, anyways. I am able to get SOME in. They are 2.5mg tablets dissolved in 1.5mls of liquids, I am to be giving .5ml a day. Since some of it always gets wasted or spilled a bit, I have been giving one tablet per two days instead of per three. So she is getting I'd say 3/4ths or so of her dose, despite spitting it out and stuff. It's hard to say if the bromo has helped or not. She hasn't gotten worse, PT wise, so I suppose it is. She is nothing like the other PT ratties I've seen around... :c
patchesboo
Well-Known Member
Well, at least she's still holding her own. that's a good thing.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
Hey friends, another little update on Matilda:
It's been a month since my last update, but there isn't much to say as she is still doing very well, even better! About two weeks ago my little girl I guess decided that like it or not, she will get disgusting meds squirted into her mouth, so she has given up on the squirmy, spitting, wiping battle and started to take her meds nicely. :dance:
THANK YOU RATTIE! :bow:
That was also around the time that I gave up on mixing her bromo with delicious things as it does not work anyways, and compounding it in a tiny bit of water means that I only have to give her around 0.1ml of it, instead of 0.5, which obviously makes things better.
We finished her treatment for the URI(it was 4 weeks, but I actually gave it for about 6 as it wasn't clearing up very well) and it seems at bay now, but I imagine it will come back since the prednisolone is holding back her immune system, and our weather has been crazy- we jump 30 degrees in a matter of one night with all the cold fronts, and one minute it is real cold, another it is Florida-toasty once more. Hopefully this will go away soon, as she is a lot less active when it is cold. Right now, however, we are having a warm spell again and she is currently munching on oxbow and stretching, wanting to come out.
The only issue is the lump, as it seems as though another has formed nearby it, which makes me doubt that it is an abscess. The first one came to a black head, it seems, but never popped or changed much. She doesn't like me touching it, but I don't think it bothers her otherwise. It also is on the surface of her skin, it isn't sticking up or out, and hasn't gotten larger- just another lump like the first has formed to the left of it. It doesn't seem like the lumps are on a tumor, and they are firm on the skin-- I can't pull them back or "wiggle" them, etc. Any idea what this could be? Would removing it even be an option, with her having the PT and the respiratory issues? I would figure no, so I haven't really spent much time worrying over it, other than feeling and checking it every now and then.
It's been a month since my last update, but there isn't much to say as she is still doing very well, even better! About two weeks ago my little girl I guess decided that like it or not, she will get disgusting meds squirted into her mouth, so she has given up on the squirmy, spitting, wiping battle and started to take her meds nicely. :dance:
THANK YOU RATTIE! :bow:
That was also around the time that I gave up on mixing her bromo with delicious things as it does not work anyways, and compounding it in a tiny bit of water means that I only have to give her around 0.1ml of it, instead of 0.5, which obviously makes things better.
We finished her treatment for the URI(it was 4 weeks, but I actually gave it for about 6 as it wasn't clearing up very well) and it seems at bay now, but I imagine it will come back since the prednisolone is holding back her immune system, and our weather has been crazy- we jump 30 degrees in a matter of one night with all the cold fronts, and one minute it is real cold, another it is Florida-toasty once more. Hopefully this will go away soon, as she is a lot less active when it is cold. Right now, however, we are having a warm spell again and she is currently munching on oxbow and stretching, wanting to come out.
The only issue is the lump, as it seems as though another has formed nearby it, which makes me doubt that it is an abscess. The first one came to a black head, it seems, but never popped or changed much. She doesn't like me touching it, but I don't think it bothers her otherwise. It also is on the surface of her skin, it isn't sticking up or out, and hasn't gotten larger- just another lump like the first has formed to the left of it. It doesn't seem like the lumps are on a tumor, and they are firm on the skin-- I can't pull them back or "wiggle" them, etc. Any idea what this could be? Would removing it even be an option, with her having the PT and the respiratory issues? I would figure no, so I haven't really spent much time worrying over it, other than feeling and checking it every now and then.
Joanne
Well-Known Member
I'm glad she is holding her own right now!
I have my two oldest girls on a maintenance dose of Baytril every day as the respiratory problems kept recurring. I am planning on keeping them on it until they pass. I have had rats with bad respiratory issues before, and some have been on meds for over a year with no ill effects noted.
I would agree that your Matilda is not a good candidate for surgery, so I would just enjoy her day to day until she tells you it's time. I hope it stays warm for her!
I have my two oldest girls on a maintenance dose of Baytril every day as the respiratory problems kept recurring. I am planning on keeping them on it until they pass. I have had rats with bad respiratory issues before, and some have been on meds for over a year with no ill effects noted.
I would agree that your Matilda is not a good candidate for surgery, so I would just enjoy her day to day until she tells you it's time. I hope it stays warm for her!
Godmother
Well-Known Member
I'm glad that your girl is accepting the Bromo and holding her own.
Thanks guys, I'm very happy for that, too.
I got very sad and worried when I found out it's PT, and then when the other problems appeared. I guess my little girl is a fighter, and we still have a loooooooooong time to play together.
I got very sad and worried when I found out it's PT, and then when the other problems appeared. I guess my little girl is a fighter, and we still have a loooooooooong time to play together.
RattusNorvegicus
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2011
- Messages
- 905
I am so happy to hear she is still hanging in there! Instead of water, if you mix crushed tablets in the same amount of syrup, maybe she would be happy when you force it in her mouth. I couldn't ever get Twitch to not wipe her face, so I am glad to hear Matilda stopped.
Can you post a picture of her lumps?
Can you post a picture of her lumps?
I tried to wet down her fur and take a video/picture, but there is absolutely nothing showing on either. In fact, I can't even see the bumps, only feel them. They seem to be changing, as the first or second ones are no longer there, but another has formed nearby and I think I can feel one or two more beginning to form. I'm thinking more of a skin condition than tumor of some sort? They feel hard and round, but they are very small- smaller than a watermelon seed.
They are all slightly above her vagina or to the sides, but they don't seem to really hurt, I don't think. She is kind of squirmy when I touch them, but then again, that might just be because of the general area and today she didn't really mind.
The first one was noticed by my vet at her last appointment, and the vet offered that we do a needle biopsy. This was something like 70$, and an exam visit will be around $80. Back then I figured there is no point doing that, as I wouldn't want to operate on my sick rattie anyways and we thought it could be an abscess. I don't want to spend $150 to honestly satisfy my curiosity over what this is, but I also don't want this to progress into some crazy thing/disease and find out I could have treated it early...
They are all slightly above her vagina or to the sides, but they don't seem to really hurt, I don't think. She is kind of squirmy when I touch them, but then again, that might just be because of the general area and today she didn't really mind.
The first one was noticed by my vet at her last appointment, and the vet offered that we do a needle biopsy. This was something like 70$, and an exam visit will be around $80. Back then I figured there is no point doing that, as I wouldn't want to operate on my sick rattie anyways and we thought it could be an abscess. I don't want to spend $150 to honestly satisfy my curiosity over what this is, but I also don't want this to progress into some crazy thing/disease and find out I could have treated it early...
jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
My mom's rat had something similar. It looked like tiny grape clusters near the vagina. The vet saw it and wasn't sure what it was but we decided it was best to leave it alone, it never caused any ill effect and she died of old age and unrelated to the small lumps.
RattusNorvegicus
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2011
- Messages
- 905
Are the lumps tiny and symmetrical just above her urethra? They have glands called vestibular glands that can sometimes become blocked or swollen.
Alternatively she could just have mammary tumors starting which I wouldn't worry about just yet. Some mammary tumors seem to start out as a collection of tissue (or so I have seen during a necropsy) and not exactly a distinctive mass.
Sent from my TPC0921 using Tapatalk
Alternatively she could just have mammary tumors starting which I wouldn't worry about just yet. Some mammary tumors seem to start out as a collection of tissue (or so I have seen during a necropsy) and not exactly a distinctive mass.
Sent from my TPC0921 using Tapatalk
Yes, they are tiny and feel perfectly round.They are juuuust above her urethra, but some off to the sides as well. Do you think this bothers her, or can that turn into something worse?RattusNorvegicus said:
I wouldn't really think a mammary tumor, because the lumps are going away and being replaced by new ones elsewhere in that area, and they all appear around the same size. I think I recently saw a picture on here of someone's ratty where a mammary tumor was forming in that area, and it looked lumpy like you said, but much bigger. These lumps are not above the skin on any tissue, just growing on it like zits or something.
Today is May 23rd, and I first noticed these PT signs on November 6th-- that's nearly 6 months.
In this time, Matilda has deteriorated very little. She is a bit more sleepy now, not as playful, and she is more likely to fall off of things or not have as much strength to climb and jump(not that I let her!), however, she is still bright and alert, eating on her own, as pudgey and big as always, and generally happy.
I believe she has cataracts in both eyes, but there is not much we can do about that, and possibly her URI is coming back. :/
As for those lumps I mentioned earlier, nothing has changed. The two bigger ones(as big as pinheads about, the round, pearly ones) are completely gone, and a few smaller, flatter ones appeared after them. Now there either isn't any, or they are small, I am not sure. Still, they have caused absolutely no problems whatsoever.
I'm so proud of my baby. She has come so far with this horrible condition, and she hasn't let it faze her much. She is such a fighter, and so feisty! No way in heck will she let anything beat her!!!! I <3 my Matilda. :tumkiss: :tumkiss: :tumkiss:
Edit: How do I edit my original, first post? I'd like to change the title to reflect the new update.
In this time, Matilda has deteriorated very little. She is a bit more sleepy now, not as playful, and she is more likely to fall off of things or not have as much strength to climb and jump(not that I let her!), however, she is still bright and alert, eating on her own, as pudgey and big as always, and generally happy.
I believe she has cataracts in both eyes, but there is not much we can do about that, and possibly her URI is coming back. :/
As for those lumps I mentioned earlier, nothing has changed. The two bigger ones(as big as pinheads about, the round, pearly ones) are completely gone, and a few smaller, flatter ones appeared after them. Now there either isn't any, or they are small, I am not sure. Still, they have caused absolutely no problems whatsoever.
I'm so proud of my baby. She has come so far with this horrible condition, and she hasn't let it faze her much. She is such a fighter, and so feisty! No way in heck will she let anything beat her!!!! I <3 my Matilda. :tumkiss: :tumkiss: :tumkiss:
Edit: How do I edit my original, first post? I'd like to change the title to reflect the new update.
Last edited:
dspch911
Senior Member
That's great to hear - so glad she is doing so well. Just something to think about - we thought Curley had cataracts and/or eye injured, but it turned out the tumor made him blind. Just mentioning that because I didn't know it and twice he walked off the edge of our couch. I felt like such a bad mommy. That could be why she is falling off things. Hope she continues to do well! :rose:
