One of my new boys, Haskell, has a odd medical history. His previous people said that from time to time, he will get just ONE "porphy" nostril, on the right. They took him to a vet and the vet gave them antibiotic nose drops to use. they used it once and he was fine the next day, so they came to the conclusion that he didn't need an antibiotic, but that using saline nose drops would be sufficient any time he had a flare up.
They also said he sounds like he has nasal congestion when this happens.
I'm skeptical, but they insist that he only gets better if they use a single drop of saline to clear up this "problem"
The boys have been here now for 2 weeks and except for a tiny tiny bit of morning nose "porph", they've seemed fine to me. With one tiny exception I'll get to in a minute.
So here it is, day 15.
The boys were out playing, they had a great time, I put them back in the cage, which had been cleaned out and switched around, so they ran around quite a bit when they were put back.
I walked by the cage about oh, 10 mins later and noticed that Haskell has a porphy nose, it is more on the right side/nostril than the left but both nostrils are porphy.
I also thought I heard some odd noises coming from him when he climbed up me.
I should add, he was more active today than he usually is.
Now, to my concern- knowing that he sometimes gets a porphy nose and having had rats with heart trouble in the past, I've been watching him carefully when he is out to play. Looking specifically for any hint that he gets tired with exertion or exercise. And I think I do see a tiny tiny bit of trouble in that dept. Not really obvious, but just enough, given what I already know about him, to think maybe he could have a heart issue.
I have also thought that I saw his feet turning a dusky color, his back feet I mean, when he's been running around. They immediately go back to normal when he stops, and he tends not to run around for long periods anyway....so I'm not sure.
So, to my question- should I take him to the vet and request a xray and exam and see if there's any reason to suspect that he's got a heart issue?
and/or should I dig out the enalapril and give it a try.......
although since the symptoms, IF they are symptoms, are so mild, how would I know if there was improvement?
except perhaps to try to entice him to run around a lot and see if he gets winded...??
I adore this boys- I have loved all of my rats, but these two fall into that group of "specials".
If putting him on meds now can help him live longer, that would be awesome. He's 18 mos old (they both are, they are brothers)
These guys came with a vet fund, so cost is not a major issue when making a decision about what to do.
They also said he sounds like he has nasal congestion when this happens.
I'm skeptical, but they insist that he only gets better if they use a single drop of saline to clear up this "problem"
The boys have been here now for 2 weeks and except for a tiny tiny bit of morning nose "porph", they've seemed fine to me. With one tiny exception I'll get to in a minute.
So here it is, day 15.
The boys were out playing, they had a great time, I put them back in the cage, which had been cleaned out and switched around, so they ran around quite a bit when they were put back.
I walked by the cage about oh, 10 mins later and noticed that Haskell has a porphy nose, it is more on the right side/nostril than the left but both nostrils are porphy.
I also thought I heard some odd noises coming from him when he climbed up me.
I should add, he was more active today than he usually is.
Now, to my concern- knowing that he sometimes gets a porphy nose and having had rats with heart trouble in the past, I've been watching him carefully when he is out to play. Looking specifically for any hint that he gets tired with exertion or exercise. And I think I do see a tiny tiny bit of trouble in that dept. Not really obvious, but just enough, given what I already know about him, to think maybe he could have a heart issue.
I have also thought that I saw his feet turning a dusky color, his back feet I mean, when he's been running around. They immediately go back to normal when he stops, and he tends not to run around for long periods anyway....so I'm not sure.
So, to my question- should I take him to the vet and request a xray and exam and see if there's any reason to suspect that he's got a heart issue?
and/or should I dig out the enalapril and give it a try.......
although since the symptoms, IF they are symptoms, are so mild, how would I know if there was improvement?
except perhaps to try to entice him to run around a lot and see if he gets winded...??
I adore this boys- I have loved all of my rats, but these two fall into that group of "specials".
If putting him on meds now can help him live longer, that would be awesome. He's 18 mos old (they both are, they are brothers)
These guys came with a vet fund, so cost is not a major issue when making a decision about what to do.
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