Rats won't get better after multiple rounds of medicine

[Kaelyn Mahoney]

This post is long, so sorry in advance, but I could really use some help.

I have five rats (3 girls, 2 boys) who currently all have lice. The three boys also had/have URIs. I had the girls for about 4-5 months before getting the boys (who are in a separated cage but the cages are attached to each other because it's a divided DCN) and I think I made the mistake of not quarantining them away from the girls long enough. The boys brought home lice and URI's which I didn't catch until I moved them into their permanent cage right above the girls. The girls didn't get the URIs luckily because it's the mycoplasma strain which I guess isn't contagious, but they did catch the lice. As soon as I caught it, I brought all 5 of them in for a checkup which is when the girls (Strawberry and Marlo) were treated with a shot of ivermectin for the lice and the boys were given a combo of Baytril and Doxycycline for the URIs. At that point, the lice weren't visible on the boys so they weren't treated with anything for it. Two of the boys (Jack and Vincent) recovered from the URI after the first round of medicine. However, the other boy (Sully) was still sneezing and all 5 rats still had lice so I brought them to the vet again and all of them got a topical dose of selamectin and Sully went on a round of Clavamox for the lingering URI. After that, Sully was still sneezing and Vincent started sneezing again as well so they both went on another round of Clavamox which finished a few days ago, and as of today Jack hasn't sneezed in at least a month, but both Sully and Vincent are still sneezing and everyone still has lice.

Ok. I don't know if that made any sense, but basically, I'm at my wit's end with these rats and I'm about to go broke. They've all had at least two rounds of medicine for both URIs and lice, and one has had three. Only one has recovered from the URI but he still has lice. Neither ivermectin nor selamectin has been effective and I'm not sure where to go from here. Do I bring them all in for another round of selamectin and hope it works this time? The last couple of doses have all been staggered so I'm wondering if the boys gave the lice back to girls after they got treated and then when the boys were treated, the girls gave it back to them again. Maybe bringing them all in at the same time would take care of it once and for all? Sorry if that makes no sense. As for the URIs, I'm stuck and worried sick. Sully and Vincent are still sneezing fairly regularly, and although I don't hear wheezy breathe when I hold their chests to my ears, I'm not really sure what to listen for. Both have had Baytril, Doxycycline, and Clavamox so I really don't know why they're not better yet. Other than the intermittent sneezing attacks, they're both very sweet and active and eating/drinking well. The girls are active albeit itchy. Actually, everyone is itchy. Even I'm starting to feel itchy. The lice and URIs are driving me crazy lol. Has anyone has had an experience like this where the lice/ URI just wouldn't go away no matter what? Sorry that this post is so long. If anyone has any tips or answers or advice I would really really really love to hear it. Thanks.

 

[SQ]

Can you post videos of the rats sneezing? What do you hear when you hold each up to your ear and listen to both sides of their chests?
Is it possible that the sneezing is due to environmental factors - such as odors?

Try baytril + azithromycin (10 mg/Ib), orally twice a day for 6 weeks if it is working.
You can post their weights, the strength of each med (mg/ml) and the amount each is receiving to see if they are getting the correct dose.
If that does not work then try adding doxy to the other two meds, and they will stay on it at least 6 weeks if it does work.
If that doesn't work then there is something else you can try
You can not cure myco, all rats have one or more strains and they will experience flare-ups throughout their lives that will require treatment with antibiotics
http://ratguide.com/health/bacteria/mycoplasma_mycoplasmosis.php
http://ratguide.com/health/lower_respiratory/pneumonia.php


As for the lice, if it has been at least 30 days since they were treated for lice, I would suggest revolution be given again - amount is based on their weight; wash, rinse and dry everything, freeze everything wooden, and throw away anything not washed or frozen. http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/ectoparasites.php
Also, always freeze new bedding for 48 to 36 hours so that any parasites. in it are killed.

good luck

 

[jorats]

It does sound frustrating but I do agree with SQ. You need to clean up the environment when dealing with lice. And for the persistent URI, I would definitely do enrofloxacin (baytril) and azithromycin.

 

[lilspaz68]

Ok Lice first. Just an FYI, ivermectin has to be given for 3 weeks once a week, as it only kills off hatched adults, so 3 rounds to catch all 3 life cycles. If your vet only gave 1 round we can just discount the treatment. Selamectin is very effective and safe and stays in the bloodstream for 30 days. Generally the only way it doesn't work is if it's underdosed, or if it wears off and your bedding is infested with lice and you keep reinfesting them. The fact that your girls showed symptoms first probably means the boys didn't bring it in. Are you still seeing buggies moving around in the fur near the skin (lice)? Or just scabs over the shoulder/,neck(mites)?
If you are just seeing nuts on the fur shafts and no live bugs don't worry the nits will come off when the hair sheds.

Back to the URI's. Do you remember how long a treatment was with each antibiotic? 7 days, 10 days, 2 weeks? 3 weeks? This is very important. Do you still have the bottles or doses of the previous treatments so we can double check dosing?