Hey all, Lavender, the mum of my other five ratties has had a head tilt for ages now. The vet had her on Baytril, then added steroids, on which she improved ever so slightly in her ability to cope - it wasn't turning her world upside down anymore. When that course finished, she was still sounding respy now and then but about a month or two has passed and as of yesterday, her head tilt has got her rolling again

I'm having her daughter Shank's lump removed and getting her spayed at the same time this week, and just as well, as I don't think Lavi will be with us too much longer...she's 22 months old, nearly 23, and her symptoms seem much more similar to PT rather than an inner ear infection.

She reminds me so much of one of my first boys, Joey, who was pts due to his pt at 23 months, it caused him to slowly deteriorate til he was pretty much a shell.

I was just wondering if anyone knows of anything I can give her to perhaps ease her disorientation? I was thinking maybe some Metacam to ease any inflammation around her brain...she's still bright and fairly active. She's always been on the small side but is interested in her food and can still amble about and eat freely. She's had no hand clenching yet, her mobility is still very good.

__________________
http://kaedianmori.tumblr.com/ <--- NSFW





RIP - Marsh, Hugo, Mako, Rufus, Seamus, Lavender, BigBoy, Tetley and Fitch <3

Hey hun did you mean to put this in general rather than Rodents?? Sorry to hear about your ratty problems wish I could help xxxx

__________________

Whoops, that was a total accident...I was just on a board so I posted DX

Could a mod move this please?

__________________
http://kaedianmori.tumblr.com/ <--- NSFW





RIP - Marsh, Hugo, Mako, Rufus, Seamus, Lavender, BigBoy, Tetley and Fitch <3

moved it for you. Sorry your Rattie is unwell

__________________

How we behave toward cats here below determines our status in heaven. - Robert A. Heinlein
http://www.lambchopsiamese.webs.com

If it is PT then the best thing is to get her a dex injection and some gallastop, which has been known to help slow down pt's.

I'm sorry your having to go through this I have a PT rat here it is heartbreaking to see

__________________

Thanks, I'll ask the vet for these when I get Shank seen over her lump and possibility of a spay at the same time It's so hard to tell if it's actually a PT or something else because there's about three different things with the exact same initial symptoms...she's not really showing any other PT signs, just the head tilt and rolling with her balance going, but we have treated it as if it were an ear infection and there's been pretty much no change so it's worth a shot.

Lymorelynn: thanks so much for moving it for me x

__________________
http://kaedianmori.tumblr.com/ <--- NSFW





RIP - Marsh, Hugo, Mako, Rufus, Seamus, Lavender, BigBoy, Tetley and Fitch <3

I havnt experinced this yet so Im not sure

Hopes shes ok Pt sounds horrible for a rat (and owner) to go through

__________________
Owner to-
lots of rodents
2 monster dogs
1 slinky cat

Thanks for responding - luckily with a pituitary tumour, the rat generally isn't aware of what's going on. I guess it can become more frustrating for them when their mobility goes, but they're not in any pain per se. Just gotta keep an eye on her til it gets too much

__________________
http://kaedianmori.tumblr.com/ <--- NSFW





RIP - Marsh, Hugo, Mako, Rufus, Seamus, Lavender, BigBoy, Tetley and Fitch <3

The pressure inside the skull can cause quite a bit of pain, as it does in humans and other animals.
Head tilts are pretty uncommon with Prolactinomas, until the very latter stages usually.

__________________
Stovokor Rattery Breeding for Healthy Russian Blue, Burmese & Siamese Rats with Lustrous coats.
We also have rescue Rats needing homes too. Please click HERE for more information.
Stovokor Rattery on Facebook

Has she had any antibiotics other then baytril? Baytil sometimes clears up ear infections and sometimes doesn't, so it might be worth trying another one. Also, did she have injected steroids? They seem to work a lot faster then oral steroids. Ear infections take a long time to treat. Nix's only cleared up properly after nearly 2 months on antibiotics and 2 steroid injections.

IME, head tilts from PTs aren't like head tilts from ear infections. With a late stage PT the rat appears to be leaning as if it's drunk. I would also expect other symptoms such as an inability to use the hands and arms.

__________________
Cara,
Owned by Fern, Heidi, Asteroid, Bubbles & Fizz
Missing Snippet, Frost, Willow & Nix


Opinions are like armpits. Everyone has them, and some stink.