the wilson boys and serraphim-Bribery LIVES!!!

[twitch]

i was updating about stewart and bribery in another thread, but after losing rosie and babydoll in that thread, yeah i just don't want to continue it anymore. i tried but i can't do it again. so as there is new drama and all with just wilson boy rats i'll make them their own thread.

of the 4 wilson boys 3 have decided i don't have enough to do or worry about. chop suey is my good boy! he takes care of zen and doesn't want to worry his momma at all. the others need to get to know him better and hopefully he'll rub off on them. :stickpoke: so long as they don't rub off on him i will be a happy woman. :lol:

i am also going to keep a record on serraphim's weight gain here. she is in serious need of it IMO. i don't think anyone will mind the cute pictures i plan to update with as she gets better either... :cheeky:

first up, Magi.
he was adopted through the rescue effort and originally was supposed to be the only rat i was to be getting. there was a cheap neuter being offered in halifax at the time and i took advantage of it. well that turned into more headache then it
was worth and was just as expensive as my regular vet. long story short they butchered my poor fellow and left sutures in when they knew he was going to be in a other province in only a few days after surgery.... :doh: it was not looking right to me and i took him into the vet.

the vet took the sutures out and checked him out. she says it looks like someone with little experience had done the operation and had left some fatty tissue which she normally takes out as well to prevent problems. so far everything is fine and it should stay that way. the bump which looks like swelling is scar tissue and some fat left over. she has it will resolve itself down some more and to keep an eye on him. if there is any problem to put him straight on antibiotics.

next up, bribery.
he's my heart rat. and he's been worrying me for a a little while. on the 20th he was put on zithro with stewart (who has cleared up beautifully). he was getting better and started acting like himself wanting to play an deat all the goodies he could. then about the same time he was put on a once a day dose he started going backwards. his breathing got fast again and he stopped wanting to play.

so he went with me to the vet today as well. the vet listened to his lungs and says, yes, there is definitely a crackle. i mentioned how well my fosters were responding to the amoxil and she prescribed that for him as well. i have to pick it up from shoppers drug by my house this afternoon. where its been working so well for my fosters i'm hoping this will clear up bribery's problem.

his dear litter sister belle that reachthestars had adopted died at under a year old with resp. problems. i hope the same doesn't happen to my bribes. he was my first boy that i got to keep and didn't make me sick. my first blue, my first rex and my first breeder rat. on his dad side he has grandparents that lived to 4 years. great grandparents that lived to 3. many of his older uncles and aunts were pushing 3 when he was born, his father was from a younger litter. but typical to canadian breeders, there was no information on his mother's line.... :roll: i was really hoping that he was going to take after his father's side... maybe if we can get this cleared up he will...

next boy up, stewart!
so stew is a jerk. he's a lovable squishy old man rat at 29 months of age and he loves giving his mom a heart attack. some may remember him from a couple of threads on here. one was when he was having resp issues (which have seemed to have nearly completely cleared up) and the other was from my panic attack when i thought he had broken his foot! anyone remember this picture:

we put him on infant motrin at 0.51 every 4 hours at first, then when the swelling went down some i cut back to every 8. he's now on it every 12 and i'm considering stopping and just waiting it out now. he's putting some weight on it now and though he still hobbles a bit not nearly as bad as before. he's getting a lot of mom time right now as the cage i have available to place him in is only the nursery cage. this has restricted his movement so he can't hurt his foot anymore but its small and boring so he spends most of the night with me either on the couch or in my lap or on the bed, pretty much anywhere i am when not dealing with the other rats after my son has gone to bed. i have had him out with magi, chop suey, bribery and zen a few times though. he seemed quite happy to meet some new guys and see his buddy. he and zen have on more then one occasion decided that the crook of my neck was a wonderful place for a nap while i was playing video games with them on the bed.

but i bet you're wondering how his foot looks now if he's moving it so much:

i think its looking much better. not back to normal yet by nay means but better.


finally serraphim. she's a tiny tiny girl (for those that know she was the head tilt girl, mocha. from clark's) and needs a weight gain. i will be accepting any recipes you want to share and will let everyone know how she takes to it. but for now she's been getting a calorie boost strawberry ensure mixed with baby cereal and pastas 2x a day. unlike rosie, serraphim is far from picky in what she wants to eat but she is a nibbler. it can take a an hour to get her to eat all of it. she's more interested in checking out the bed...

her current weight as of june 10th is 9 ounces or 250 grams. i would like to see her in the 300 gram range eventually.

and to meet everyone:

magi

bribery

stewart

(i promise to get a newer picture. he's settling into his age and so his starting into his scruffy phase, he looks little different now)


serraphim

 

[user 78]

I'm so glad the Motrin's helped Stewart out! His poor foot looks soo much better! From the looks of it, you should be able to stop the Motrin without any problem. Just make sure he doesn't go trying to do back flips off of anything. :wink2:

 

[twitch]

that's what i was thinking and with is age, i don't think he's much interested in the back flips... mind you if it mean sgiving mom a heart attack... :roll:

i think i'm going to wait another couple days to see how stew's foot is and if its still improving i'm going to put him back with the others in the big cage. the nursery cage wasn't meant to hold adults for long, and certainly not adults that are feeling better and getting bored... :? but i think if is foot is continuing to mend he should be ok with the big cage.

i'll move the food and water to the middle level so he doesn't have to climb down. he likes hanging out in his hut on that level a lot too. so i don't think he'll mind nor do i think he'll do much climbing if he doesn't have to. he's always been a lazy boy... except when there is a cat around, then he'll chase the bugger off :evil: poor sessho doesn't know what to make of stewart. sessho normally considers and treats the rats all like his babies but stew doesn't want daddy sessho anywhere near him or his girls... :lol2: but its not all bad, i have seen the two of them laying down watching each other so not all is about hating the cat :lol:

 

[mamarat]

His foot looks a lot better. He'll be happy to get back to his buddies.

 

[jorats]

Yep, much much better with the foot.
The other guys are so gorgeous too.
Looking at serraphim's pictures... I wouldn't say she needs to put on weight, unless it's because you can feel her spine and there's some muscle loss on her hips? From what I can tell in the pics, she's nice and slender, perfect.

 

[twitch]

she's posing well in the pics, but you can feel her spine and hips a bit. not badly but certainly more then i would like to feel.

 

[user 78]

It's always difficult to tell when they're so small. Even the scary thin babies can sometimes look pretty okay because of the general 'round' look of baby rats. It's weird. This would also be why preggo pics are so hard to judge sometimes, their little bellies already look kind of rounded.

I use soy milk/Ensure and a mixed 5 grain oatmeal as my Fatten 'er Up! mix. Some rats are picky and want it heated up and mushy like real oatmeal, others are fine with the raw grains in the soy. I also like to make 'Surprise!' type melts/bakes. The surprise would be the multitude of veggies that get lost behind the sea of blocks in the freezer. Slap it all together with one egg to bind it all together, a bit of tuna or shredded chicken for variety, and breadcrumbs if I'm feeling fancy. Bake for 15-30min at 350F-375F depending on if you've thawed your veggies, portion sizes, dish, etc..

 

[twitch]

bribery seems to be improving with the new antibiotic, i think. he's still not interested in much and isn't acting like his normal self but i think his breathing speed has gone down. i think... its still very early in the treatment though, so i guess there wouldn't be much improvement yet anyway...

i put stewart back in the cage with everyone else yesterday. the new liners came in and i couldn't resist when he's been looking so much better and has been so bored in the nursery cage. i put the food and water up on the middle level where he likes to hang out most so he wouldn't have to climb anywhere. i figured this would be all he would need. there's a litter pan there, his hut, the food and water and all his friends. before the accident he would spend most of his cage time in or around his hut if he wasn't at the food dish. once in a blue moon i would see him in the hammock but NEVER in the chin flower pot. that is until this morning... :doh: apparently now that he's supposed to take it easy on his climbing he's all for it.... :roll: when i was frigging with the cage bottom he jumped down to the bottom to see what i was doing. that's a big jump too! :shock: i can tell he's feeling better that's for sure.

stew's foot still looks good. there is no extra swelling from his excursions at least. and with the way he's using it i guess it feels good too. but honestly! when he is supposed to take it easy he's more active then he's been in weeks.... maybe he's making up for all the boredom he had to endure waiting for his foot to get better enough to go back in the main cage.... :roll: :lol:

 

[twitch]

ok quick update on the others and then a major concern for bribery.

Magi: in the main cage. loving it up with the girls. stew and him have come to a mutual understanding that if magi leaves stew alone (and doesn't try to cuddle with either violet, eyes or tasche) then stew will leave him alone. magi has taken over bribery's hanging basket as well... much to bribery's disdain, but he's too big a whimp and feeling to icky to put up a fuss.

Stewart: still having mobility issues with his foot (doesn't extend it as far as he used to) but otherwise fine. he is starting to show his age in his fur and activity levels though and so is getting some ensure and baby cereal as well. he did lose a bit of weight when he was sick and with his foot, so we want that back. his old skin is funny though, it kinda sags around and is much looser. i think its cute. he has skin pants! :lol:

Serraphim: such a sweetie. we're glad we kept her. there is some mental damage. there is just something a little off with her. she LOVES people though and is just FRANTIC to be in your arms. her head never stops moving unless she is asleep. she is now a solid 300g. she still feels thin though so we are going to keep up on the ensure and baby cereal.


now for bribery: he's still not better. he's lost weight. he is now only 425g and that's from 510g when this all started. his breathing is still fast, he's still not acting like bribery expect for his whimpyness and sookieness (and even then he's more sookie then normal for him). he's hand wrestled a couple times but nothing like he used to.

i contacted his breeder the other day to find out what was going on. stewart, who is nearly 2x bribes age has come back from TWO resp infections and a broken foot while bribery is struggling so. i was greatly disappointed by the reply. though she still has the father, the mother died young from a resp infection, along with most of the babies. there are only 4 left including bribery. many of the babies did not make it to even 1 year because of resp infections they could not fight off. only one of the 4 has not been ill. the other two only survived because they were BLASTED with antibiotics. everything was thrown at them and all at once. their vet was not lenient i the least in what he threw at them. one has been well for a month and the other has been well for 6 months.

bribery is only 15 months old. we've been fighting this for near 2 months now. i realize that there is likely permanent damage to his lungs now. but even given that he's still too ill. the infection is still there. i read up on it and i asked the breeder. i asked my vet to put him on metacam for inflamation, baytril, doxy and to continue the amoxil. i want enough to keep him on it for at least 6 weeks though i'm hoping it will be cleared before that.

and now i beg you, is there anything more i should get him on? is there a supper antibiotic that i could try? something i missed in my travels that would be helpful. bribery is my dilbert. he's my heart, i can't lose him. and especially not to this. his father's side is all long lived some making it to 4 years. bribery is supposed to take after his dad. not his ill mom. i can't lose him. not to this. he needs to get old. he needs to have the saggy old man skin and let me play with it and laugh with him. please, help!

 

[jorats]

Sounds you are doing all you can with Bribery. Instead of metacam you could try dex. My mom's girl has done a complete come back but only after being put on dex.

 

[twitch]

doesn't dex have a high chance of causing ulcers (even of the bleeding kind) with long term use? i had thought of dex but where i was planning on having enough to keep at it for at least 6 weeks, i was concerned about the possible side effects.

 

[jorats]

There are side effects, that's true. If the metacam is doing the job, then I'd stick with that.

 

[user 78]

Dex is faster acting and longer lasting than other steroids, and has a proven anti inflammatory effect. You may be able to get away with an every other day or so dosing of it. It also has less risk than Metacam, which has warnings about using with rats with impaired function, asthma, and GI irritation. It sounds that if anything will cause an ulcer, Metacam will. Also, Metacam is more of a pain reliever than an anti inflammatory. It does have anti inflammatory properties, but not the same as many other medications. Good for when they're in pain and need something to help a little swelling, ie: surgeries, injuries, etc.. but not for everyday stuff, from what I've seen.

If you've already tried the Metacam, and it's working, then Dex will probably work 3x as well.

Ratguide articles on Metacam and Dex

 

[Godmother]

SQ once used Chlorpalm as an antibiotic for her rats when the usual stuff didn't work well enough. As long as you can get it compounded to be palatable, it is supposed to be an excellent choice for myco treatment.

SQ had trouble getting it here, but in Toronto it is easily available in palatable form.

(so glad that Serraphim has gained weight!)

 

[twitch]

bribery is becoming increasingly more difficult to medicate. he no longer just licks it up for me and i have to force it into him. the other day i noticed that his bottom teeth have gone white and his top teeth are a paler yellow. this morning i took him to get his teeth trimmed and we're hoping that he will start to eat better on his own. he is still interested in ensure and baby cereal though but its hard to make sure he gets enough to eat if he's just eating that alone. he's been on amoxil for a while now and started his baytril and doxy combo on friday. tonight he'll get his first dose of pednisone. he has yet to improve but he hasn't gotten any worse either (other then being more stubborn about the meds). i'm considering contacting arlene for a reki and a communication session so i can make him understand that he needs to take his medication and that they are there to help him get better. something to make him keep fighting and cooperating and something to try to make him feel a little better. i'm getting desperate. i can't lose bribes this young without trying absolutely everything.


but the drama doesn't end with bribery. nope, the wilson boys have gotten to chop suey and its his turn to get me worrying. when i came home on friday i noticed that he had a popped abscess by his groin. i cleaned it up and worked on draining it. last night i noticed that the lump had moved up a bit as well. so into the vet to see if it needed lancing. she wants to try him on some antibiotics for a week to see if that takes care of it first. so he got his own baytril and finally he gets the coveted syringe. i offered it to him unmixed with ensure and he snatched it and lapped it down. now i know it doesn't taste good but after all this time watching zen get the syringe of numnum meds i think he got jealous and now finally that he's got a syringe of his own, well he wasn't going to pass it up it looks like! :lol: this likely won't work twice, and i'll mix some ensure in with it next time.

but the abscess was not the only drama that chop suey decided he wanted to give me. nope. he decided to sprain his back right foot too! another lovely surprise when i got home on friday. it was only swollen some. got a bit bigger by supper time and then by midnight was already starting to go down. so we've been keeping an eye on it but i haven't medicated for it. he's tender with it but it doesn't seem to give him any troubles.

oh and the vet weighed him too. he lost some weight which is much needed. his frame is quite small and he's been carrying a lot of weight on it. when he had his neauter he weighed 1.2lbs and now he weighs at 0.8lbs. even then he's still a bit chunky but he's looking much better. he is such a dainty boy and could actually still do will to lose just bit more even.



update on stewart: his foot was definaitely broken. its gone back to normal now except at the ankle where you can see where the bone didn't heal quite right. he does not have full extension of his foot anymore, even when i try flexing it. but he's not letting him slow him any so he's not quite ready for the retirement cage yet.

stewart and violet will be 30 months tomorrow too and its so wonderful to see them going so strong. violet is pleasantly plump in her old age and stewart has funny saggy old man skin. but both are healthy, happy and have nearly full mobility, at least no mobility concerns that means they need to move to the retirement cage anyway. i think i will be making a custom order to javakittie for the retirement cage though just in case they need it later. i have ideas for a weighted mat/floor liner that i will have to go over with her.


the drama with the other boys stays the same. zen still has his heart condition as always and magi still has his lumpy empty ball sack but both are so very sweet. they like to watch shows with me on the comp. magi will sit on my head or under my chin and zen will try to sit under my chin though i keep having to move him, so he'll either sulk behind my neck or demand pettings and sit in my hands. its nice to have such cuddlebugs! :mrgreen:

serraphim has issues with keeping herself clean (she just doesn't seem interested in washing as much as she should) so between me and the others in the main cage we keep her clean. this isn't anything new. its not anything to do with her balance as when she does decide to clean herself she has no problems doing it. she just doesn't decide to do it that often. i've got to wonder if there was some neurological damage done by that ear infection or if she was always just a naturally messy rat. she continues to get her ensure and baby cereal and she continues to want to play every chance she gets. she still needs a bit more weight on her i feel but her back and hips certainly feel MUCH better then before.

 

[Dahlas]

They sure are trying to keep you busy....... and broke.
Hope everyone gets better and you can relax a bit.....

 

[jorats]

Sounds like an old age home at your place. You are doing great by them.
I think I asked this before but I can't remember the answer, have you tried dex for bribery?

 

[twitch]

no, the vet wanted to try pednisone (she didn't have dex and the phamasave can make up the ped) and we tried his first dose of pednisone yesterday. how fast are you supposed to notice a change in sick behavior with that? last night it was a fight to get him to take his meds at all and he barely wanted anything to eat. this morning he's famished and licking up the meds like a champ. i know that ped may cause hunger but wow, i didn't expect a change this quick. i was wondering if it was because of the meds or if he's just having an up day?

 

[user 78]

Depending on the symptoms, you can see a change within a few hours.

 

[jorats]

Same with mine, I saw a difference really fast. But I should caution, not all rats are affected by the pred and in time, you may need to increase the dosage, it seems that sometimes they get used to it so to speak.