Harway
Member
Hi there.
After some extensive research I believe my 17 month old rat Peach may be suffering from a Pituitary Tumour. My partner noticed on Tuesday that she seemed lethargic and uninterested in food/treats. At first I just attributed it to being grumpy as we have had a very warm few days in the UK for September, and despite doing all we can for them when it is warm, they definitely slow down and take it easy when it is hot. However, in the early hours of Wednesday morning I found her slumped on her left side, which I feel is important in specifying as it seems she is always leaning or slumping to her left side since. She looked void of all energy and emotion, did not respond to her favourite treats unless being hand fed, and when she did move, she was very low to the floor and dragging her legs a little. She also suffered from poor balance and would stumble a lot, and even fall to her side when she tried grooming. I also noticed that she was not using her front hands at all well, and upon testing her with her favourite foods (frozen peas and mealworms), instead of holding them with her hands, she would sort of just drop her face into it. I tried to force her to use her hands, which caused her to fumble and drop it, before then resorting back to eating the best she could with just her face. This change was really scary and literally happened within a few hours. The only small positive at the time was she became really cuddly, and after some hand feeding and some heavily diluted juice, she simply cuddled up and lay with me for about two hours.
From what I have read on here it seems that these are common symptoms for a PT. I took her to the vet on Wednesday evening and he said she had lost a bit of weight and although he couldn't offer a CT/MRI to investigate if it was a PT, he was happy to give her a steroid shot (she had dex*) to see how she responds. I informed him that the general online consensus and reliable resources such as ratguide.com suggest Cabergoline/Bromocriptine if it were a PT, and he said he would be happy to pursue this Friday if she responds well to the steroids as he is unfamiliar with rats/PTs, and would need some time to review the sources and do some independent research and make some calls. Further, he did also point out that she is squinting with one eye and that the other seems to be bulgling/enlarged, which would lend some credence to the assumption that there is some sort of pressure within the brain/cranium.
Thursday morning comes around and she looked a lot brighter and was moving better. She was still a little lethargic, but she even went for a climb, which did prompt us to separate the cage into two sections to try keep her a little more grounded just in case. She was keen to eat by herself, and managed to use her hands a little to crack open a seed, but she was definitely struggling and has stopped using them since. Unfortunately, she has been struggling to drink by herself, but will willingly take water and heavily diltued juice if given by syringe or if we hold the bottle for her. While in the cage she mostly lays down and keeps to herself. If I try to get her out of the cage she does not seem that interested even if I'm coaxing her out with her faovourite treats. She will wait for me to give her them and then just recoil back to her spot. However, when I do get her out of the cage, she bursts into life and is very affectionate in her grooming and has a little walk about and explore. She is also definitely more herself, and resists going back into the cage. However, when I do put her back into the cage, the same behaviour I just outlined resurfaces.
Obviously I'm very pleased the steroid had such an impact. She went from looking like she was ready to serve her notice on this world to being mostly normal. From being unable to move properly to skittering around on our bed. I will now hopefully be pursuing Cabergoline/Bromocriptine to see if there is chance for further improvement. I just wanted to ask for a little bit of information regarding the dosing. It seems that the dosing for Bromocriptine is very cut and dry, 3mg/kg, but I am getting little information regarding the Cabergoline (which I understand would be the best option if it is indeed a PT that will respond to such treatments), and I will admit the dosing page on ratguide.com has left me a little confused.
Any anecdotes, advice, and general support would be much appreciated.
Thank you kindly.
After some extensive research I believe my 17 month old rat Peach may be suffering from a Pituitary Tumour. My partner noticed on Tuesday that she seemed lethargic and uninterested in food/treats. At first I just attributed it to being grumpy as we have had a very warm few days in the UK for September, and despite doing all we can for them when it is warm, they definitely slow down and take it easy when it is hot. However, in the early hours of Wednesday morning I found her slumped on her left side, which I feel is important in specifying as it seems she is always leaning or slumping to her left side since. She looked void of all energy and emotion, did not respond to her favourite treats unless being hand fed, and when she did move, she was very low to the floor and dragging her legs a little. She also suffered from poor balance and would stumble a lot, and even fall to her side when she tried grooming. I also noticed that she was not using her front hands at all well, and upon testing her with her favourite foods (frozen peas and mealworms), instead of holding them with her hands, she would sort of just drop her face into it. I tried to force her to use her hands, which caused her to fumble and drop it, before then resorting back to eating the best she could with just her face. This change was really scary and literally happened within a few hours. The only small positive at the time was she became really cuddly, and after some hand feeding and some heavily diluted juice, she simply cuddled up and lay with me for about two hours.
From what I have read on here it seems that these are common symptoms for a PT. I took her to the vet on Wednesday evening and he said she had lost a bit of weight and although he couldn't offer a CT/MRI to investigate if it was a PT, he was happy to give her a steroid shot (she had dex*) to see how she responds. I informed him that the general online consensus and reliable resources such as ratguide.com suggest Cabergoline/Bromocriptine if it were a PT, and he said he would be happy to pursue this Friday if she responds well to the steroids as he is unfamiliar with rats/PTs, and would need some time to review the sources and do some independent research and make some calls. Further, he did also point out that she is squinting with one eye and that the other seems to be bulgling/enlarged, which would lend some credence to the assumption that there is some sort of pressure within the brain/cranium.
Thursday morning comes around and she looked a lot brighter and was moving better. She was still a little lethargic, but she even went for a climb, which did prompt us to separate the cage into two sections to try keep her a little more grounded just in case. She was keen to eat by herself, and managed to use her hands a little to crack open a seed, but she was definitely struggling and has stopped using them since. Unfortunately, she has been struggling to drink by herself, but will willingly take water and heavily diltued juice if given by syringe or if we hold the bottle for her. While in the cage she mostly lays down and keeps to herself. If I try to get her out of the cage she does not seem that interested even if I'm coaxing her out with her faovourite treats. She will wait for me to give her them and then just recoil back to her spot. However, when I do get her out of the cage, she bursts into life and is very affectionate in her grooming and has a little walk about and explore. She is also definitely more herself, and resists going back into the cage. However, when I do put her back into the cage, the same behaviour I just outlined resurfaces.
Obviously I'm very pleased the steroid had such an impact. She went from looking like she was ready to serve her notice on this world to being mostly normal. From being unable to move properly to skittering around on our bed. I will now hopefully be pursuing Cabergoline/Bromocriptine to see if there is chance for further improvement. I just wanted to ask for a little bit of information regarding the dosing. It seems that the dosing for Bromocriptine is very cut and dry, 3mg/kg, but I am getting little information regarding the Cabergoline (which I understand would be the best option if it is indeed a PT that will respond to such treatments), and I will admit the dosing page on ratguide.com has left me a little confused.
Any anecdotes, advice, and general support would be much appreciated.
Thank you kindly.
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