B
barrelgirl8899
Guest
Hello all, I just joined your group and I am here for advice.
My boyfriend has a 2.5yo male rat named Smokey. About 2 months ago we noticed he seemed a little lethargic (just not as active in his cage generally) and brushed it off due to his age. He progressively seemed to get worse; more lethargic, dull coat, porphyrin around eyes and nose, he got mites, penis plugs, poor appetite and very poor hydration, and developed a sneeze. His lethargy included loss of balance, and not being able to hold his food with front paws (which I know now, through research, are typical symptoms of PT). Treated the mites, began feeding him a mash of bananas (his favorite), avocado, ensure, and Pedialyte. Which he has been eating 30-35ml a day for about 3 weeks. He will also snack on solid food, bananas, cashews, strawberries, grapes, but is really only into the sweet stuff.
However, because of funding issues we are unable to take him to a vet. Because of the lethargy, sneezing and porphyrin; myself and a fellow nurse self diagnosed with respiratory infection. Started him on IM injections of tetracycline Q12h for 5 days, today is the end of day 5. Not noticeable improvement, if anything, he is gradually getting worse. Today is when I continued researching possible ailments and PT is definitely the culprit. With his progression of symptoms I found on this forum and other rat sites, I'm 99%. Loss of appetite/drinking, inability to hold with front paws, loss of balance (kind of 'slinks' around and falls over often), weightloss, porphyrin, inability to clean himself resulting in penis plugs and no improvement with tetracycline.
Now, my questions. Am I correct in thinking PT is the culprit? I have many animals or many species and I have been reading dexamethasone can be used to to suppress inflammation and improve comfort. I have injectable dex on hand (for the horses), and was wondering about dosaging (was reading .01ml, but how often, for how long? IM, or subQ?) Following dex with prednisone like I've seen suggested is not possible due to funding. I'm honestly just looking to keep him as comfortable as possible and maintaining his dignity during his journey. Any help is greatly appreciated, so are prayers and good thoughts for our boy Smokey. THANK YOU for taking the time to read my novel and welcoming me to your group.
My boyfriend has a 2.5yo male rat named Smokey. About 2 months ago we noticed he seemed a little lethargic (just not as active in his cage generally) and brushed it off due to his age. He progressively seemed to get worse; more lethargic, dull coat, porphyrin around eyes and nose, he got mites, penis plugs, poor appetite and very poor hydration, and developed a sneeze. His lethargy included loss of balance, and not being able to hold his food with front paws (which I know now, through research, are typical symptoms of PT). Treated the mites, began feeding him a mash of bananas (his favorite), avocado, ensure, and Pedialyte. Which he has been eating 30-35ml a day for about 3 weeks. He will also snack on solid food, bananas, cashews, strawberries, grapes, but is really only into the sweet stuff.
However, because of funding issues we are unable to take him to a vet. Because of the lethargy, sneezing and porphyrin; myself and a fellow nurse self diagnosed with respiratory infection. Started him on IM injections of tetracycline Q12h for 5 days, today is the end of day 5. Not noticeable improvement, if anything, he is gradually getting worse. Today is when I continued researching possible ailments and PT is definitely the culprit. With his progression of symptoms I found on this forum and other rat sites, I'm 99%. Loss of appetite/drinking, inability to hold with front paws, loss of balance (kind of 'slinks' around and falls over often), weightloss, porphyrin, inability to clean himself resulting in penis plugs and no improvement with tetracycline.
Now, my questions. Am I correct in thinking PT is the culprit? I have many animals or many species and I have been reading dexamethasone can be used to to suppress inflammation and improve comfort. I have injectable dex on hand (for the horses), and was wondering about dosaging (was reading .01ml, but how often, for how long? IM, or subQ?) Following dex with prednisone like I've seen suggested is not possible due to funding. I'm honestly just looking to keep him as comfortable as possible and maintaining his dignity during his journey. Any help is greatly appreciated, so are prayers and good thoughts for our boy Smokey. THANK YOU for taking the time to read my novel and welcoming me to your group.