Update: Chopin

[adoptaratcanada]

Well his urine cleared up really fast once he
started the antibiotics.

However, I've noticed other stuff going on...

I'm not sure how much water he's drinking since I
haven't actually seen him drink in a few days.
He's not eating any "hard" foods such as seeds
(which he gets as a treat) nor his kibbles. I
switched him from the Innova to NutroLite, and he
ate a few of those, but none since yesterday.

His teeth look ok, but I think he's having
trouble holding his food. From what I've read,
does this sound like it might be a pituitary
tumour? He'd been showing some hind-end weakness
for a while now.

He's also been quite lethargic and I'd say his
eyes almost seem a tad squinty. When I open the
cage, he's interested in coming out, and when
take him out of the cage, he's quite keen to
clamber around on the couch. He manages, but is
pretty wobbly.

I've started giving him some Ensure, yogurt and
baby foods.

I have a vet appointment for later today.

Thanks!!

Linda

[Die Fledermaus]

You ought to click on the name 'Rasputin', our rarely seen rat expert, and ask him for advice. Send an e-mail. I am about to regarding the gender issue for my two new rats. Good luck.

[Andrea]

Hhmm.. sometimes antibiotics can make an animals tummy kinds sensative, maybe this is making him not want to eat?
Keep fluids in him and good luck at the vets!

[adoptaratcanada]

THanks, Andrea. The vet had suggested that when I called a couple of days ago, and advised taking him off the antibi, which I did.

I started to think it couldn't be that, because he was on it not long ago without these problems. I THOUGHT!

By a fluke I was searching for a message on a yahoogroup, and found a post that I'd sent saying Chopin had had a funny spell. That was at the end of his previous course of antibiotics! That spell lasted only a day, but maybe being put on it again now has kind of set him back!

Also, the vet couldn't really find anything she could lay her finger on. However, he sure lost alot of weight! He still looks like a plump little thing but the scales say he's way down. We wanted him to lose weight, but not THAT way, and not that fast!!!

The only other thing we could think of is *perhaps* a reaction to a new detergent I'm using on the fabric. Both were baby formulas and hypo-allergenic, but the new one has an odour in the clean laundry whereas the other one didn't. The new one almost smells like softener sheets

[Die Fledermaus]

So, is he OK now?