yet another rat update...
The good news is that Dustin's abscess is healing well, and the test showed that the bacteria from the pus respond to the antibiotic he's been given. Though it was fairly nasty, according to the vet it was resistant against all seven other antibiotics they tested it with. I seriously hope none of my rats' infections will ever cross the species gap due to close contact.
The bad news however is that his mycoplasma problems just got worse. While he was fairly lively last night, went outside, played a bit and just generally seemed okay, this morning he made horrible raspy gasping noises, far more noticeable than the chronic breathing sounds he never completely lost after the last time the lung infection flared up. He sounded like he otherwise only does after exertion (which he has been trying to avoid the last couple of months for obvious reasons, however sometimes he still runs a short distance or scuffles briefly with his brother). Also he didn't want to eat. His appetite has been somewhat lackluster compared to Ben's for a while now, that is he eats slowly and not quite as much, though usually he still eats without prompting and is usually eager to grab and protect coveted treats, which he frequently has to do because even with treats he eats much slower these days than Ben, who then tries to grab Dustin's share too if I'm not watchful. But this morning I had to give him his antibiotics dose, which I usually feed mixed in about a teaspoon of mashed potatoes or some other tasty pap to make it palatable, and I had to coax him for nearly half an hour to eat that little bit of food by putting a little bit on my finger and patiently encouraging him to lick it off again and again. (For comparison, Ben got some antibiotic-free mashed potatoes to distract and separate him, and I don't think it took him much more than a minute or two to stuff this down his throat.) At least in the end he did eat the whole thing, and today was the last day I had to give him that antibiotic, I now just have to put on the salve.
Anyway, I was at the vet this afternoon, and now Dustin got a shot of another antibiotic (as the lung infection is resistant to the one that worked on the abscess), that still worked last time. I just hope the things in his lungs didn't swap resistances with the other infection, or got resistant some other way in the mean time. The bad thing is that Dustin's tissue reacts to that antibiotic, i.e. the area around the injection will swell for a couple of days. Which will obviously worth it if it helps his lungs, but it still sucks for him. On the bright side this antibiotic only needs to be given every three days, so it's not as bad as the daily injections some of the other antibiotics he had to take previously. He also got another injection with something to strengthen his immune system.
What I found hopeful was that even though he gave his best impression of looking nearly dead during the drive and in the waiting room, i.e. he just lay in his transport box, his eyes closed with labored breathing, and let me pet him (you have to know that when he was really healthy he'd never be so passive and sit still just for being petted, neither does his brother), he displayed huge reserves of energy when he was supposed to get the injections, struggling more than usual, scratching, and he was even trying to flee from my hold back into his box. And it may just have been desperate adrenalin, but he looked just so much less sick right then, that for once I was glad to have my arm clawed by a panicked rat. Since then he has at least eaten some watermelon, a bit of dry food, and perked up a little bit.
Also I think Ben misses having a fit playmate. I mean, I try my best to interact and play with him, but I'm no rat. This would be so much easier if their litter had been large enough for me to get three brothers instead of just two rats. Considering how much stress it could be to integrate two new male rats with mine depending on their temperaments and such, I really don't want to do that to Dustin, so there's not really an option to find more company for them. Not to mention that right now I don't have a cage that's separable for integration of groups. Well, I guess Ben has to make do with merely snuggling and grooming, and no roughhousing as far as social activities go for now.
The bad news however is that his mycoplasma problems just got worse. While he was fairly lively last night, went outside, played a bit and just generally seemed okay, this morning he made horrible raspy gasping noises, far more noticeable than the chronic breathing sounds he never completely lost after the last time the lung infection flared up. He sounded like he otherwise only does after exertion (which he has been trying to avoid the last couple of months for obvious reasons, however sometimes he still runs a short distance or scuffles briefly with his brother). Also he didn't want to eat. His appetite has been somewhat lackluster compared to Ben's for a while now, that is he eats slowly and not quite as much, though usually he still eats without prompting and is usually eager to grab and protect coveted treats, which he frequently has to do because even with treats he eats much slower these days than Ben, who then tries to grab Dustin's share too if I'm not watchful. But this morning I had to give him his antibiotics dose, which I usually feed mixed in about a teaspoon of mashed potatoes or some other tasty pap to make it palatable, and I had to coax him for nearly half an hour to eat that little bit of food by putting a little bit on my finger and patiently encouraging him to lick it off again and again. (For comparison, Ben got some antibiotic-free mashed potatoes to distract and separate him, and I don't think it took him much more than a minute or two to stuff this down his throat.) At least in the end he did eat the whole thing, and today was the last day I had to give him that antibiotic, I now just have to put on the salve.
Anyway, I was at the vet this afternoon, and now Dustin got a shot of another antibiotic (as the lung infection is resistant to the one that worked on the abscess), that still worked last time. I just hope the things in his lungs didn't swap resistances with the other infection, or got resistant some other way in the mean time. The bad thing is that Dustin's tissue reacts to that antibiotic, i.e. the area around the injection will swell for a couple of days. Which will obviously worth it if it helps his lungs, but it still sucks for him. On the bright side this antibiotic only needs to be given every three days, so it's not as bad as the daily injections some of the other antibiotics he had to take previously. He also got another injection with something to strengthen his immune system.
What I found hopeful was that even though he gave his best impression of looking nearly dead during the drive and in the waiting room, i.e. he just lay in his transport box, his eyes closed with labored breathing, and let me pet him (you have to know that when he was really healthy he'd never be so passive and sit still just for being petted, neither does his brother), he displayed huge reserves of energy when he was supposed to get the injections, struggling more than usual, scratching, and he was even trying to flee from my hold back into his box. And it may just have been desperate adrenalin, but he looked just so much less sick right then, that for once I was glad to have my arm clawed by a panicked rat. Since then he has at least eaten some watermelon, a bit of dry food, and perked up a little bit.
Also I think Ben misses having a fit playmate. I mean, I try my best to interact and play with him, but I'm no rat. This would be so much easier if their litter had been large enough for me to get three brothers instead of just two rats. Considering how much stress it could be to integrate two new male rats with mine depending on their temperaments and such, I really don't want to do that to Dustin, so there's not really an option to find more company for them. Not to mention that right now I don't have a cage that's separable for integration of groups. Well, I guess Ben has to make do with merely snuggling and grooming, and no roughhousing as far as social activities go for now.