Peach not doing well. HELP! PLEASE!

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Does anyone have any idea how to help Peach?

She's being kept warm on a warmed bean bag, and is being petted/comforted. At the moment, she isn't swallowing any water or ensure-- just drooling it out. She's also cold to the touch. The vet cannot see her until tomorrow POSSIBLY... :'(
 
Have you felt her for any lumps, bumps, tumors? Have you rat phoned her to see what her lungs sound like. Its obvious she has labored breathing, but does she sound junky? Was this a sudden onset? Any trauma, did she fall off anything? Is she peeing and does it look normal? Just trying to see if we can come up with anything. Do you know if she is pooping?
 
dspch911 said:
Have you felt her for any lumps, bumps, tumors? Have you rat phoned her to see what her lungs sound like. Its obvious she has labored breathing, but does she sound junky? Was this a sudden onset? Any trauma, did she fall off anything? Is she peeing and does it look normal? Just trying to see if we can come up with anything. Do you know if she is pooping?
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I've re read and answered some of my own questions. If this has been going on for 3-4 days and she has not ate or drank in that time period you have to get fluids into her. Coconut water or pedilyte asap even if you have to syringe it in a tiny amount at a time. However, you don't want her choking on it and aspirating it into her lungs if she isn't swallowing anything at all. Did you try the skin test to see if she is dehydrated. Pull it up and if it stays in a "tepee" or pinch shape (doesn't fall back into place) she needs fluids. Although there is definitely something else going on.
 
Here's a day by day. Saturday I noticed her acting sort of distant / grumpy but she ate dinner and had a poop. Sunday morning she was slow waking up but she took her breakfast with her usual energy. She also ate dinner but was last to come get it which she is almost always first or steals whoever got first dibs. She didn't fight for it but ate when she was offered. She pooped during play time Sunday night. Monday and tuesday was similar she was slow getting up but was her usual self eating. Today she was just so different. Lethargic, looks like she's emaciated even though she had been eating. It was kind of sudden how bad it got.
She is dehydrated but anything I try to syringe into her comes pouring out of her mouth. She is sitting on my chest on a heated bean bag and fleece blanket. She's making her usual noise in my ear but its slower and not as often. Her cheat sounds clear. There is some fluid coming from her nose. And her eyes continue to build up poryphorin. The vet is not being helpful they are booked tomorrow and have no emergency openings. I am on their call-in list. She has a small bump under her left arm. Its fairly new and small maybe 1/2 pea sized.
EDIT: she did jump the other day (sunday) about 1.5ft down which she has never done before. Maybe she injured herself? I checked her over when it happened she wasn't under any duress.

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Daddy's girl to the end. She took her bit of energy she has and climbed to Daddy's side table. So put a warm towel under her and she's sleeping there.
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She looks like she has a severe pneumonia, not PT. You need to get her to a vet (I don't think there are any good exotic vets in your area unfortunately) and get her antibiotics. Make sure you get two antibiotics, I would push for azithromycin and Baytril, and she will need them for at least six weeks. Theophylline or another bronchodilator and an anti inflammatory (NSAID or steroid) will help ease her laboured breathing. She's in pretty bad shape, it's going to be an uphill battle to help her recover. Try to keep her comfortable until you can get her to the vet. :hugs:
 
Pneumonia you think!? What would have caused that?
There is only one vet in Glencoe (45 mins away) no one else Will see her. And he's booked up. Hopefully we get called in tomorrow and hopefully she makes it. Is there anything I can try to give her in the meantime like when my cats allergies flare he gets baby benadryl?

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Respiratory issues are very common in rats and, being prey animals, they hide illness well. Most rats will develop respiratory issues at some point in their lives.

Find out if they have an emergency appointment, sometimes clinics leave a spot or two open and don't fill them until the day of. It's important to call first thing to try to get those slots.

If you have a Ventolin (arbuterol) inhaler it may help with her breathing but it won't be a huge improvement. Don't bother with the Benadyl, it will not help and you will only stress her giving it to her. If you get meds for her, DO NOT force medicate her in that state. Find something to mix her meds with that she will take. I use mashed banana and PB with a bit of coconut oil and strawberry syrup and that seems to work well here.

If you have baby food, offer her some or some blocks soaked in warm broth. Baby cereal or Ensure are the types of foods that encourage mucus so she's unlikely to take those. She's not eating because it's too hard to breathe. That's why her mouth is open also.

A cool mist humidifier may help but, again, it will only help a small amount if at all. Keep her cage very clean - the more ammonia you can remove from her environment, the less she will strain to breath. (Use dish soap and water or something other than vinegar or strongly scented cleaners to clean the cage.)

Don't separate her from her friends unless she is being bullied. Even if the vet tells you to. All the rats in your household are already exposed. Rats are exposed to many pathogens throughout their lives but often they are not affected by them. It is not unusual to have one or two rats in a colony get very ill and the others be unaffected. Rats are different than other animals in this regard and vets often give poor advice as a result. Separating her will only cause her stress and make it harder for her to get better.

If you can't find a vet to see her tomorrow, you may consider euthanasia. Most vets would recommend it in the state she's in (if I'm right, which I may not be) but without aggressive treatment, she really has no chance and she will suffer.
 
The vet has filled all their appts. I am on the wait list. I am going to call again first thing in the morning.

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I managed to syringe some water into her. She will not take anything else. I tried all her faves. She's not taking anything

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When my Luna and Xena were sick this is how Luna was acting, Xena wasn't quite as bad. Occasionally I got them to lick a little baby food off my fingers. Luna didn't make it, Xena did. None of my others got sick. They were both in really bad condition and I didn't think either one would make it. I think my girls had really bad respiratory infections. They were on Baytril only and that cured Xena, it was too late for Luna. Does Peach ever start gasping for air and jumping around panicking? Luna acted like your girl for maybe a week then did this for a day and the next morning she passed. I have a couple videos of it if you don't know what I'm talking about.

If I were in this situation again, I think I'd euthanize so they didn't suffer. It was terrible to watch. I couldn't hold her because when she panicked because she couldn't breath she would jump all over the place and jumped from my hands to the floor. After that I had to put her in a small cage until she passed (or got better).

Hoping for the best.
 
I'm so sorry this isn't looking like your going to have a happy outcome so soon after losing Sterling. Can you see if they will just give you the medication? Perhaps if you just show up and they see your baby in person they will see her. :cuddle:
 
Is there a video somewhere? There's 2 threads so I am a bit confused.

The description sounds like PT, holding the yogie in her mouth, acting distant (and confused?).
 
I tried posting a vid. I couldn't open the link I will try again http://s1314.photobucket.com/albums...=view&current=20131113_223602_zps2e3d7ae0.mp4
The mess on the blanket is ensure I tried to give her. Shes not vomiting or anything.
She perked up early this morning for a bit (she slept beside me) I actually ended up putting her back to her cage cuz she was so active. Still waiting on a call in from the vet.

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Changed my mind, not seeing PT in the video, seeing a rat that has bad respiratory...when you listen to her lungs you don't hear anything, what aobut a tiny constricted whine? Does her chest feel harder than a normal rats? She looks like she's breathing hard.
 

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