#tbh I suspect they might just keep me on prednisone if they think they can get away with it

[cesium-sheep]

I Desire Spaghetti

[littlehobbits]

Another Frodo Update (omg)

The vet visit went well! Frodo really enjoyed having Shyguy and Goomba to cuddle with during the car ride, I think they made him much less nervous (even though they were kinda frenzied since they’re not as used to car rides lol) and everyone settled in quickly at least. I’m going to put our new plan for Frodo under a read more, because it’s pretty long lol. And I’m about to try some things with Frodo that I’ve never tried before. So there you go, if you’re at all curious~!

TL;DR - we think Frodo has a bad, chronic case of myco, but despite heavy breathing and nasal scarring (and general upper respiratory illness) he is still showing signs of liveliness, happiness, and a strong will to live, so we’re going to try some new meds, lifelong doxy, and an albuterol inhaler to try and manage it as well as keep him comfortable for as long as possible.

So my vet suspects that Frodo kinda just has a pretty bad, chronic case of myco at this point (which one of you guys actually mentioned). Of course this can lead to heart issues, which is what we had suspected at first, but since he’s old and has been going through this for a few months now, we’re kinda in a trial-and-error phase now. He has been on Lasix (diuretic) for about a week or so now, and last Wednesday/Thursday I halved the dosage from .1cc twice per day to .05cc twice per day (as my vet suggested once he began showing improvement). Now, she instructed me to lower it again to .05cc only once per day, and then add in prednisone once per day as well, which I have on hand but hadn’t given him yet. I’m hoping that the small dose of prednisone will open up his airways a bit and help him to breathe easier (or at least I’ve read it having a similar purpose in other cases). I didn’t want to give him too much since it is a steroid and he might have a heart issue, but she said the small amount to try out wouldn’t hurt him, but we want to see if it helps.

In addition to this, I will be getting more doxycycline soon and he will be on that for the rest of his life. I’m actually happy about this because I have heard of doxy being used for old rats to “maintain” respiratory issues, and they stay on it for the rest of their lives as well. He’s about to finish his enrofloxacin, which he was on with the doxy before (ran out of doxy first somehow) but we won’t be putting him back on that unless it is needed in the future, mainly because it’s harsher than doxy and could take a toll on him if used indefinitely. 

She is also giving me an inhaler for albuterol, which I will be able to give him a puff of if he shows any signs of distress, or even just heavy breathing, which he has been doing a lot lately. I’m actually pretty intrigued by this, I know other rat owners who have used inhalers for respiratory illnesses, so it will be interesting to try. I don’t think he is going to like me shoving it in his face lol but it will hopefully help him, or at least temporarily make him comfortable!

Lastly, she’s going to try another antibiotic that I can’t think of the name of. It starts with a ‘T’, though. I can update once I get that, but she has to make a special order for it through some supplier, and get it to me within the next week. I can’t remember what she said it was for, but she did some research and told me it was safe to try and it’s something I’ve never tried for any of my boys yet, but I’ll take what I can get tbh.

I know this sounds like a LOT. And it IS. Lol. But my vet and I have been discussing things a lot about Frodo, and although he is old (2yrs. 1mo. now!) he is showing signs of so much life, happiness, and a very strong will to live. Hell, last week when I cried on my way to the vet when he was having trouble, thinking I was going to have to put him down (I’m traumatized from my other boys) my vet literally said “NO. We’re going to try something else. He’s not ready to go.” And since my other boys kind of went off of the deep end very fast, and very traumatically, it’s kind of amazing to me that Frodo is such a warrior and fighter through this. I don’t want to jinx myself, because you never know what will happen and he is an old man. But I’m very eager to try these new things, at LEAST to make him comfortable in his old age until the time comes. Whether that’s a week, a month, or another year, that’s something I’m willing to try.

SORRY FOR THE RAMBLING POST LOL. Idk if anyone even reads these things, but posting all of this shit here also helps me keep track of everything, and helps me remember as well lol! If anyone else has ever dealt with bad cases of myco/chronic myco, I’d love to hear your experiences.

PS - I met another rattie owner at the vet as well! She had a beautiful, 2 year old silvermane girl who was so well behaved just chilling in her arms lol. My boys are always brought to the vet in a carrier because they’re crazy lol, so I envied her ability to just chill with her rat on her shoulder in public!!