PT?

[Cityratt]

Hey guys,
I'm not sure if any of you remember Yuki the little smeezer girl my friend adopted from GHS? She's come to live with me for a little while as my friend's living conditions have been a little unstable and ive noticed some things about her....

We never really got an exact age on the poor girl, or where she originally came from - but I have to admit I assume the shitty local pet store..

Firstly her coat condition is horrable, its been thinning and she looks like shes balding she has no scabs or wounds of any other type so I dont suspect ectoparasites

Secondly her hind end movement is not very good, her hips seem lower angled and her hind limbs drag sometimes....I've also noticed what I would describe as "clubbing" of her hind feet occasionally....

She's had some behavioral changes as well, she outright lunged and bit me the one day when I opened her cage - but that was just after the move so maybe that was stress induced....

No discharge, Still eating and drinking well - I had her out with the gang the other day and she tolerates them very well (stays to be groomed and does occasionally try to groom the others herself) and basically hung out during out time...

Could this be PT? I've never dealt with this before...

Should I continue with out-time interaction if she seems to be enjoying herself and the others aren't being overtly rough with her?

 

[jorats]

Hi Anne, I do remember that little one. Could she have hurt her back in a fall or something? The knuckling with PT is usually the front paws. Does she look confused like if you put the food in front of her, she doesn't find it right away or has trouble grasping. Any slight head tilt on her?
The lunging, I bet it's the stress of the move... I would continue to have her interact with your guys, she really needs to feel secure. Also, I'd recommend a vet visit just to see about her back end, if it is either spine related, arthritis or PT. A vet should be able to tell if it was a spine injury.

 

[Cityratt]

Thanks for the speedy response jo
I was thinking about potential injury and although it is possible (i never put anything past those little monsters) i dont think she's ever been one to climb...i know her home cage is longer versus taller ... I'll ask Melissa if she ever noticed her take a tumble or something. ....
Should I give her metacam and see if that helps?
Shes not having any issues finding things I dont think and although she does hold herself low to the ground I havn't noticed a tilt at all

Shall do some detective work and see about making a vet appointment..

 

[jorats]

You could try metacam and see if she walks better. Although, the metacam would help somewhat with a PT too.

 

[Debbie]

Once you've seen a PT, the signs are unmistakable. The first of which, is trouble holding food. Does she use just one hand, prop her food on the other, or not sit up and use both hands? They often get a "lost" look about them too, like they are just a little lost and not sure quite what's going on. Their back gets can get very stiff, but don't usually drag.

IMHO by what you explained, I might guess that she's probably elderly. It's very common for older rats (though more so in males, but I've had females) to start to lose the strength in their back legs. Their toes start to curl under, and you will see one leg drag more than the other...but they both tend to decline. This is usually a gradual decline, rather than fast. Fast might indicate injury.

The thinning of fur can be due to mites/lice (even if you don't see any scabs), but can also be age related. Where do you see the thinning? i.e. all over, or moreso on her back/bum area. The latter might indicate either hormonal or even kidney issues. With kidney issues, you might see more drinking/peeing, and a little neurological loss too (my two I've lost to kidney failure, got quite lungy...but it was more out of not knowing than wanting to bite).

Going along with the same thought that she's elderly....she might be going blind as well, which might explain her lunging too. They tend to startle easy, when they don't see your hand coming.

Do watch those front hands as that's a sure sign it could be a PT (I've also heard of a head tilt, though all of our PT sufferers never had a tilt).

Hope that helps.

 

[Cityratt]

Thanks Debbie....
I was thinking that without knowing her exact age, that age could itself be a factor....

She does have pink eyes so I dont know how good her vision ever was....poor doll....and the hair loss is more like a thinning

But she's still eating well and seems bright and alert which is promising

 

[lilspaz68]

She definitely sounds like she's aging to me
I have quite a few of those. Wilbur who doesn't seem "blind" actually startles very easily these days...and a lot of my olders are shuffling around and their hind feet are floppy. I wanna see a pic!! I love little old ladies