Zen-has passed. -notice to rat train adopters

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Sweet Zenners! :heart: I'm so glad he seems to be picking up a bit!

I agree with Shelagh, see if one of your vets will show you how to give SubQ at home and give you the supplies. They dehydrate so quickly, and it can be the cause of some of their worst symptoms.
 
zen passed away just a little bit ago. he was asleep under my neck, then he was gone. i think his heart let out on him.

when i was preparing his body, i noticed bugs moving on him. i took his body to the vet to figure that out. she calls them walking lice. she gave us a spray the cage and surrounding area with and told us to have the rats on lock down for a few days to make sure the lice in the house is starved. she says the walking lice will not be killed off with ivermectin because of the way they work. zen and the others were dosed with ivermectin but i guess it wouldn't have helped. i never heard of bugs on rats that you could actually see! anyway, the reason i mention this is for the other rat train adopters, check your rats. its likely that they have them. i never noticed zen itching. your's may not be itching either. but check them out. if they have the buggies the ivermectin and revolution may not kill them.
 
Oh I'm so sorry twitch. :sad3:

As for the lice, I've seen them before, my rats have had them, they look like cigars with legs. I've successfully treated my rats with ivermectin and killed off the lice. I thought that Revolution killed it too.
Although, I have found my NB rats to be very very itchy even though they were treated with Revolution at the meet up in Markham. I'm now treating them with Eqvalan 10mg which is an oral ivermectin given to me by my vet.
 
I'm very, very sorry about Zen. :(

About the bugs - how noticeable were they? My three have been to the vet already, two of them twice, and I've checked them over pretty thoroughly. Since mine were girls, I'm going to assume that there is a little less chance they could have 'mingled' together and been in very close contact with any of the boys. *fingers crossed*
 
the lice looked like little flakes of buck grease though, i couldn't even see the legs under a magnifying glass. they looked more round then long though. they were a brown orangish color. zen was treated with ivermectin when he came here, but it obviously didn't kill them. i'm not sure if they are quite the same strain.
 
According to Veterinary Parasitology Reference Manual: Reference Manual, Eqvalan ivermectin will kill lice but I don't know about the horse wormer ivermectin.
 
Very, very sorry about Zen.
But glad that he went so peacefully.
Most ratties aren't that fortunate.

Revolution will kill lice as far as I know.
But thanks for the heads up.
I'll have a closer look and perhaps see if I can try the stuff you are using Jorats.
I know a few of my older ratties have been scratchjing a bit.

What is the difference with "walking lice" as opposed to reqular lice?
 
SQ said:
What is the difference with "walking lice" as opposed to reqular lice?
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i was told the difference was that regular lice will stay and suck while walking lice only bite and move on. because of this they do not get enough blood for the ivermectin to do its job. i don't know if revolution would be more effective or not. my regular vet is on vacation until the 28th so i will go with what the foster vet said and do as she says. i will ask my regular vet about this all when she gets back. as nice as the foster's vet is she does not have as much hands on experience with rats as my reg vet.
 
The Ivermectin/Revolution should have killed them, unless they got reinfected. It's possible that they were carrying eggs, which I don't believe Ivermectin would "cover" the whole stage of life for lice. Regardless of how much they drink, they're still getting effectively poisoned.

I am so sorry to hear about Zen, Raven. He was such a special boyo. *hugs*
 
Godmother said:
I'm so sorry, twitch. Zen had seemed better, then he was gone. that must have been so hard for you.
Click to expand...
it is. i still can't quite grasp that he's gone. but life has deemed it necessary that i keep busy and do not have time to dwell on it right now. the rat that i found in the pet store a few weeks ago has arrived at my doorstep. (his story here) only hours after zen's passing we're back to 13 once again. between everything, my mind's in a bit of a whirl. its all a little surreal you know?

thank you everyone for your understanding and condolences. it helps knowing that others understand, even if they are half a country away.
 
We certainly do understand...You don't have to have these special little guys long to fall in love with them....and it hurts all the same when they leave.... :hugs:
 
Sweet Zen :cry4:
They often do a bounce-back before they leave us, like a Last Hurrah...I am so sorry, but glad your sweet boy left while you were holding him. Sad peace for both of you.

With buggies and rats I believe there is just rat lice, fur mites, ear mites (sarcoptic mange) and the rare tropical mite. Revolution or injectable ivermectin used topically (clearish liquid?) should clear up lice. Mites are the ones who could be resistant to Ivermectin these days :)
 
i'm sad he's gone but i'm happy i got to be there in the end. it was so peaceful i didn't even notice him passing. what allerted me was that i noticed the little thrum of his breathing against my neck was missing. when i pulled him away from my neck was when i knew that he had already gone. it must have been peaceful for him to go so quietly, not even a shudder...

maybe its mites then. i will do the spray and clean of the cages and when my vet gets back i'll get revolution as well. that should kill the little buggers!
 

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