sick baby- please help! urgent!!!

[matry]

:cry3: So I'm frantic, because the babies I just got a few weeks ago have LICE. That's what I think it is. They're small (smaller than fleas) and kind of amber colored. Also, there's all these white dots near the skin. Also, my favorite girl, Kino, is sick on top of it! She's sneezing, colder than usual, her heart is beating fast and has been making strange clicking noises nonstop. It's hard to describe the sound. Anyways, I'm frantic (and sick, been running a fever) because I'm scared she'll die. She's hasn't been moving much (but still bright and alert) and so I've been cuddling with her for the last few hours (despite being terrified of the lice!). What's even worse--- we have no money to see the vet, here's no way we can get enough money. She's the sweetest rat I've ever had, if she dies I'll be heartbroken.

I'm pretty sure that the lice are from the big rat we adopted from Petco a month ago. Is there anything I can do about this?

Also--- do you think it's lice? can I catch them? is there any sickness a rat can catch from a person? what do you think she has, and what can I do to save her?

I'm sorry for all the questions, I'm just very worried for her. I nearly started crying earlier (but I blamed being sick, of course! XD). I don't know what to do, my poor baby rat is dying, I'm running a fever, and I have college finals Wednesday! :cry4:

PLEASE reply asap :bow:

 

[lj]

They have lice. A bit of revolution will clear that up. You'll have to get that from the vet.

Kino sounds like she's got a bit of myco happening. I'd take her into the vet tomorrow so you can get some medications for that.

 

[lilangel]

i think you can use revolution for kittens for them but you buy that from a vet and you have to weigh them to know how much to put on them and all that stuff. and for the sick rat im not sure it would be good to treat her if she has other problems the only way is to go to the vet they are the only people who can help most.

i hope all the best for you.

 

[jorats]

If you can see the buggies, then it's lice. It's species specific so you won't get it or any other pets in the home, only the rats. Unfortunately... Kino really needs to see a vet. There's nothing you can do to help her respiratory infection, only meds.
Also, the lice could be causing the sickness in Kino. You need to try and get some revolution so you can first treat all the lice and then concentrate on her breathing issues.

 

[SQ]

Kino needs antibiotics asap.
Perhaps baytril + doxy, or baytril + azithromycin (and possibly lasix if her lungs have fluid in them) and she needs to be on the antibiotics 6 weeks - some people would disagree and say at least 4 weeks.
The only place to get her the medicine she needs is from the vet.
Perhaps your vet would see her and work out a payment plan with you ... doesn't hurt to ask.

As for the bugs, as jorats said, you can't get the lice from them but all of your rats need to be treated with revolution (from the vet) asap. Bedding cleaned, etc.
If you use bedding material such as wood chips, carefresh, etc. it is important to freeze it for 48 hours before using it to kill parasites that may be in it .... such as lice, mites, etc.