Respiratory Infection?

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It is likely that he has a resp. infection and hopefully the antibiotics I suggested will soon have him feeling much better. Despite what the rat guide says, azithromycin is very effective if it is given with baytril at the dose I suggested (what my vet prescribes)

If he did have a heart issue, rats can live for a very long time with meds, but it depends on how fast the disease progresses

Your best option is to go see a good vet and get a proper diagnosis and meds that will help.
I have found it is essential as a rat owner to have a good vet and establish a good patient/dr relationship.
Otherwise, Lilspaz68 may be able to give some suggestions as to where to get medication
 
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Let's start with where do you live? If you are in N. america you can order antibiotics online and dose them for longer. Some vets don't research and still use old recommended dosages, treatment lengths etc that were proven ineffective long ago.
 
Being in Canada it's a a bit more difficult but you can order 10% Enrofloxyn and Doxyvet from a site called Ladygouldianfinch.
Once you get it, I can help you with mixing and dosing. Do you know how much your rat weighs?
 
Sounds like a plan to me. My final 2 cents for Ratowner - please don't beat yourself up as a rat parent. It's so easy to do when our pets get ill, but of course it's not helpful and in your case it's not warranted. You clearly love your boy and will do your very best for him. I hope you enjoy each day with your boys and can try not to dwell on how much time they may or may not have left. They all leave us too soon anyway.
 
Update (kind of):
Today his symptoms have gotten worse. He started to have rough breathing while he was eating. I was able to get a few videos of his breathing during this time.

I am honestly going to beat myself up over every single little problem that arises with any of my animals health or if anything goes wrong. I would do anything in the world for my pets if it means that they are happy and it pains me when I can't provide them with what they need. I hate to admit it, but I am crying writing this. I hate that my animals have to suffer because of my wrong doing.

Lilspaz68, if I did purchase the medication off of the site you mentioned, how much would it cost and also how long would it take to get to Ontario (closer to the Manitoba border). I don't want him to suffer and also I don't want him to get worse as to where it is hard to medicate. He is around 1 pound even from when he last got weighed if that helps any.

I worry so much about how his symptoms are getting worse. I hate that I have put it off for so long. I do not have the money to pay for a vet visit or medication at the moment and I hate myself for it. I do not have the money or the time to drive 2 hours to a better vet everytime something goes wrong. It pains me everytime I hear his breathing flare up. When I did originally go in to get him evaluated the first time he got "sick", there was a nurse who I think said that she owned rats (I am not 100% sure). I would trust her input in my rats health as she may know what I am going through.

You do not understand how much I appreciate all of your guys' help. It means so much to me. Thank you again.
 
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So sorry to hear about your baby. Hope he gets better soon. We're new pet owners in a similar position. Our approximately 6 month little lady has been on back to back 10 day rounds of antibiotics. They helped until she finished and then symptoms start again. I live in the US. Is there a suggested source here for antibiotics?
 
Angie, 10 days is not a long enough treatment course for an active infection the very minimum it should be is 14 days but 3 weeks is much better. 10 days suppresses the symptoms but the infection is still there and when you stop the antibiotics it roars back to life. :(
 
Do you have a Gmail account? If so, that's what you will sign into YouTube with. It's free. Gmail is free. It's really easy, as well. Just in case no one told you. :);)
 
Dena said:
Do you have a Gmail account? If so, that's what you will sign into YouTube with. It's free. Gmail is free. It's really easy, as well. Just in case no one told you. :);)
Click to expand...

It may be simple to create an account but I am unable to upload the video itself. I have no way of doing so.
 
Update:
I let him out of his cage this evening. I let him just do whatever on my lap (run, lay, clean himself) while I was talking with someone on the phone. His breathing was rough most of the time he was out but it did calm down a few times when he was cleaning himself, laying down/resting, and when I was giving him calm attention (petting slowly, talking gently). I don't know if this information helps any.

His breathing has worsened since I first started this thread. It is now more constant. My concerns still stand.

I think I already know the answer to this but I'm going to ask anyways. Is it more expensive if I got enough medicine for 3 weeks opposed to only "10" days? Also, does it cost more to have the mixture of medication opposed to just the baytril?

Thank you so much to the people who have replied and helped me. All replies are appreciated.
 
Get two meds ….. baytril and azithromycin. This is not a mix
It is usually cheaper to get more meds at one time then to keep buying meds because vets and drug stores etc charge a service fee
If baytil is mixed up by the vet it has a short life span. If you buy injectable baytril it should have a very long shelf life (a year or longer) depending on how close it is to the expiratory date. (injectable baytril must be diluted after you have measured out the amount and before you give it to him by mouth - baytril is never given to rats by injection)
Azithromycin is only good for 10 days once mixed up, so I mix it up myself and divide the powder into two so that it will not expire before I use it up

Yes, he is getting sicker and sicker.
Antibiotics take time to work once a rat starts taking them.
He will soon need to be put to sleep, humanely by a vet (most vets do not know how to do it properly) …. because dying gasping for breath is a horrible way to die.

Are there any rat rescues or rat owners near you that would take him and give him the medical care he needs?

EDIT: see if the vet will sell you baytril and will give you a prescription for azithromycin ( with 6 to 8 refills) that you can take to a drug store. Since the vet has already seen him, the vet should not need to see him again as it is the same condition - perhaps the vet only gave you 10 days of meds because the vet mixed it up and it would only last for 10 days. So please contact the vet asap, the worst they can do is say no ...…… Note Lilispaz68 may have other additional med suggestions

Here is some info, you can share it with the vet
http://ratguide.com/meds/antimicrobial_agents/enrofloxacin_baytril.php
http://ratguide.com/meds/antimicrobial_agents/azithromycin.php - my vote doses at 10 mg/Ib. 8 mg/Ib is the max suggested dose in this article, you would not want to dose at a lower level then that
 
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Thanks! Do u have a suggested place to buy these in the US? The vet prescribed AZ instead of BX this time. This is going to get really expensive really quickly! The good news is she sounds better in just 24 hours.
 
SQ said:
Get two meds ….. baytril and azithromycin. This is not a mix
It is usually cheaper to get more meds at one time then to keep buying meds because vets and drug stores etc charge a service fee
If baytil is mixed up by the vet it has a short life span. If you buy injectable baytril it should have a very long shelf life (a year or longer) depending on how close it is to the expiratory date. (injectable baytril must be diluted after you have measured out the amount and before you give it to him by mouth - baytril is never given to rats by injection)
Azithromycin is only good for 10 days once mixed up, so I mix it up myself and divide the powder into two so that it will not expire before I use it up

Yes, he is getting sicker and sicker.
Antibiotics take time to work once a rat starts taking the,.
He will soon need to be put to sleep, humanely by a vet (most vets do not know how to do it properly) …. because dying gasping for breath is a horrible way to die.

Are there any rat rescues or rat owners near you that would take him and give him the medical care he needs?

EDIT: see if the vet will sell you baytril and will give you a prescription for azithromycin ( with 6 to 8 refills) that you can take to a drug store. Since the vet has already seen him, the vet should not need to see him again as it is the same condition - perhaps the vet only gave you 10 days of meds because the vet mixed it up and it would only last for 10 days. So please contact the vet asap, the worst they can do is say no ...…… Note Lilispaz68 may have other additional med suggestions

Here is some info, you can share it with the vet
http://ratguide.com/meds/antimicrobial_agents/enrofloxacin_baytril.php
http://ratguide.com/meds/antimicrobial_agents/azithromycin.php - my vote doses at 10 mg/Ib. 8 mg/Ib is the max suggested dose in this article, you would not want to dose at a lower level then that
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It honestly breaks my heart that you would even suggest that I give him away. I love my animals with all of my heart and they mean the absolute world to me. I am doing the best I can.

We contacted the vet and they are going to call us back. I will try to talk to them about what you have suggested in the edited section of your reply. Should I get enough medication for 3 weeks or do I need more or less? How long would he need to take each medication for? The baytril vs the azithromycin?

Would Lilspaz68 be able back up this information and confirm that it is valid? Thank you.

EDIT:
One of the people at the vets office says that it may be an allergy to something in his cage which I do not think is valid. They are telling me to replace his bedding, which I use fleece, to see if that is the problem. They suggest chips or a towel. I am not using a towel as their toes can get stuck, and I am not using chips because of slivers and some are not safe for rats and it is dusty. Also, I would need to replace everything if I did so. They are giving me another round of baytril for him which I doubt is going to work in the long run. I didn't have say in that decision. They are giving me it for "10" days again which I doubt is actually going to be 10 days again. Honestly this whole situation with the vet is just getting me mad. They believe it is his environment but I don't know what it would be. I did all this effort to figure out what to do and what medication to give him and in the end I am given 10 days of baytril for the 3rd time.

Thank you all for your help. All replies are appreciated.
 
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_ratowner said:
It honestly breaks my heart that you would even suggest that I give him away. I love my animals with all of my heart and they mean the absolute world to me. I am doing the best I can.

We contacted the vet and they are going to call us back. I will try to talk to them about what you have suggested in the edited section of your reply. Should I get enough medication for 3 weeks or do I need more or less? How long would he need to take each medication for? The baytril vs the azithromycin?

Would Lilspaz68 be able back up this information and confirm that it is valid? Thank you.

Thank you all for your help. All replies are appreciated.
Click to expand...

I suggested finding a good home for him as an alternative to dying, since he is getting worse and you keep stating that you can not give him the medical care he requires. Rats get sick and die fast without medical care.
He needs to be on medication for at least 4 weeks and will likely need meds for 6 weeks

As for Lilspaz68, she will suggest baytril, and will likely also suggest the azithromycin (unless she has a different antibiotic in mind). She may also suggest other meds in addition to these two, but it is difficult as we are not vets and we have limited info …… a video would have helped a great deal

I hope that you can get him started on medication and that he is soon feeling better.
If you post his weight and the meds and the strength of eat (mg/ml), then we can check the dose for you
 
SQ said:
I suggested finding a good home for him as an alternative to dying, since he is getting worse and you keep stating that you can not give him the medical care he requires. Rats get sick and die fast without medical care.
He needs to be on medication for at least 4 weeks and will likely need meds for 6 weeks

As for Lilspaz68, she will suggest baytril, and will likely also suggest the azithromycin (unless she has a different antibiotic in mind). She may also suggest other meds in addition to these two, but it is difficult as we are not vets and we have limited info …… a video would have helped a great deal

I hope that you can get him started on medication and that he is soon feeling better.
If you post his weight and the meds and the strength of eat (mg/ml), then we can check the dose for you
Click to expand...


We will try to get medication for at least 6 weeks. We are going to the vet later today to pick up his medication. I can try to post a video to YouTube if I can if you still want to see for a better understanding. Are there different dosages of azithromycin? How much shall I get for the first time. Would someone be able to help with dosages once I do get the medication? Does anyone have input on the allergy topic?

Thank you. All replies are appreciated.
 
Geez! I'd suggest you find a new vet. Or put your foot down and be firm with yours. They don't seem to be listening to you. I KNOW that has to be frustrating! Hope he feels better soon!
 
Dena said:
Geez! I'd suggest you find a new vet. Or put your foot down and be firm with yours. They don't seem to be listening to you. I KNOW that has to be frustrating! Hope he feels better soon!
Click to expand...

Apparently there are 3 vets here where I live but I don't know how wualified two of them are in rat health and the one who I originally went to is on vacation.
Hopefully I am able to get the 6 weeks worth of medication and get the azithromycin.
I will still try to post a video of his breathing on YouTube if I am able to.

Thank you. All replies are appreciated.
 

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