The risk from pine shavings is from the direct exposure of living on it. However, if you hear them sneezing a little more than normal, just move them further from the tree. Enjoy the holidays! Carol Lawton. Q Update: Thanks for the advice! Any advice on this one? For a couple of days she took it mixed in strawberry yogies—I softened them, mixed the medicine in, and then stuck in the fridge to reharden. Baytril has a very strong taste, and I found it to be very difficult to give to my animals.
The best thing to do is just be tough and squirt it in their mouth. They get a full dose that way. You can try mixing in a little corn syrup, but that just makes the dose bigger. Hannah Wright Robinson, facebook Q I was wondering if anyone can give me some advice. I have a mouse who has cancer—two large tumors that cannot be removed but she is on drugs, steroids, and chemo to stop them from growing. All of this is as under control as it can be as my husband is a small animal vet but, do mice gang up on sick mice and try to drive them out or do they help like rats and look after their cage mate?
She lives with two other mice but spends a lot of time alone now, and last night I heard a small squabble break out.
A Your mice are very fortunate to have such a caring keeper. My experience is that female mice are very caring when a cage mate is sick or has a tumor. It makes sense because in nature, a dying mouse could draw unwanted attention from predators.
The squabbles could be due to the changes in the social structure of the group, particularly if the female with cancer was dominant. In any case, if you feel she is being picked on, it is important that you remove her from the group.
Update: I gave this some thought last night and came up with another idea. There is a possibility that the chemo and other drugs have altered her scent. In humans, chemo frequently effects our skin and body oils. In the end the result is the same.
Regardless of the cause, separating her to keep her safe is really the best option. Heavily infested rats have intense itching, restlessness, weakness, and anemia lack of red blood cells. Infestation is diagnosed by identification of adult lice or eggs on the rat fur. Lice are treated similarly to mites see below.
Several types of mites may infest the skin and fur of rats. Mites are external parasites that often produce no visible signs in rats.
Heavily infested rats may have inflammation of the skin, and mites can be seen as white specks of dust on their hair follicles. In addition, mites can cause intense itching that may cause scabbing on the shoulders, neck, and face. Rat fur mites do not infest humans or other animals. Infestation is diagnosed by identifying the mites or their eggs from the hair and skin of the rat. Mites are treated with medication given by mouth or applied to the skin.
Your veterinarian will advise you on the best treatment. Under normal conditions mites are present in small numbers and do not bother their host. However, their numbers increase when the rat is stressed, has decreased immunity due to other illnesses, or is unable to keep the numbers reduced by normal grooming. Therefore, it is important that you provide proper care for your pet, including monitoring for illness. Low humidity, high temperatures, and drafts predispose young rats to develop a ring-like constriction of the tail called ringtail.
This condition can also involve the feet or toes. Ringtail is most often seen in laboratory rats and is fairly rare in rats kept as pets. Ringtail can lead to swelling and eventually to loss of the part of the tail below the constriction. Surgical removal of all or part of the tail is often necessary, and tail stumps usually heal without complication. Ringworm is caused by fungi called dermatophytes that parasitize the skin. The infection is spread by direct contact or by contaminated bedding, litter, or cage supplies, and it can infect humans and other animals.
Ringworm occurs infrequently in rats. Infected rats may not have any visible signs. However, some affected rats have areas of hair loss and reddened, irritated, or flaky skin.
Treatment should be directed by your veterinarian and includes eliminating the fungus by using topical or oral antifungal agents. Even though a fungal infection may clear on its own in several weeks, treatment can reduce the chance the affected animal will spread the disease to people or other animals.
This infection is caused by Staphylococcus bacteria that are commonly found on the skin of most animals, including rats.
Infection occurs when the skin is damaged by scratches or bite wounds. Rats with weakened immune systems are more likely to become infected. Inflamed skin and sores may be observed on the head and neck, and the resulting abscesses may enlarge and spread under the skin to form lumps tumors around the face and head.
To prevent further damage caused by scratching, the hind toenails should be clipped. Chronic progressive nephrosis glomerulonephrosis is a common disease of older rats. It involves inflammation of the blood vessels in the kidney. The disease occurs earlier and is more severe in male rats than in female rats.
Affected rats are lethargic and lose weight, and they may have increased thirst and urination. Unfortunately, there is no treatment, and the condition is always fatal. Supportive treatment may be able to decrease the signs. Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection of the urinary tract that is most often reported in wild rats and mice. It can potentially be transmitted to pet rats and humans.
Diagnosis is based on blood tests or isolating the bacteria from the urine. Treatment is not recommended because of the risk of human infection. The treatment is similar to that for cases of intestinal pinworms see Intestinal Parasites Intestinal Parasites Infections, parasites, and cancer are some of the most common types of diseases and disorders in rats. Providing a balanced diet, proper housing, and routine veterinary care will help maintain Uroliths stones occur in the kidneys and bladders of older rats.
Affected rats either show no signs or can have blood in the urine and other signs of inflammation or infection of the bladder. Surgery may be necessary to remove the stones. If stones block the passage of urine or damage the kidneys, death may occur. Some disorders of rats can affect more than one body system.
These conditions are also called generalized or systemic disorders. The disorders that affect multiple body systems of rats are listed below. Infection with this virus occurs occasionally in rats. Rats can become infected at pet stores by contact with other infected rodents mice, guinea pigs, or hamsters or from contact with the urine or feces of wild rodents, such as house mice.
Infection is transmitted by coughing, sneezing, or direct contact with the urine or saliva of infected animals. Most infected rats do not show signs. However, some rats carry the virus and shed it in high quantities through urine. There is no effective treatment. Affected animals should be euthanized and the cage should be appropriately sanitized and disinfected.
It is possible that rats with this virus could pass the infection to humans, in whom it can cause serious illness. It may cause influenza-like signs or viral meningitis, an inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.
However, human infections from pet rodents are rare. This viral infection is uncommon in rats kept as pets. During the active stage of the infection, infected rats have small litters, stillborn pups, infertility, and runting. Infected rats may develop fatal hemorrhage bleeding and cell death in the brain and gonads. All parvoviruses are highly contagious. Transmission occurs through direct contact with infected urine or feces or by contamination of objects such as bedding in the environment.
Disinfection of the cage is required to eliminate the virus. There is currently no treatment. Published: June 19, Symptoms and Types Swelling of the tail or limb e. Treatment If the ringtail has progressed to a state of gangrene, your veterinarian will need to carry out surgical removal of all or part of the tail, toe or feet. Living and Management If your rat is living in drafty area, and the conditions cannot be changed by moving the cage, you will need to regularly check your rat's feet and tail for any changes in skin color.
Help us make PetMD better Was this article helpful? Yes No. Share this article. What did you find helpful? What was not helpful? Say more Sign me up for the PetMD Newsletter. Submit Feedback.
0コメント