Goosemoose Pet Portal

I noticed that my rat has developed a head tilt, and I am concerned that it may be one of those pituitary tumors.
She's about 1 year and 5 months
I've noticed some polyphorine from her nose the past few days (thought not now) but figured it was just becasue I've started keeping the windows open since it's been warming up here with the weather and she was just adjusting
I first noticed the head tilt two days before but it was really minor, so much so that I wasn't sure if it was just my imagination, now I can see it's obviously there, which means it's developed to a noticeable point in 3 days
She's still eating and drinking, no weight loss, she can still walk straight and is sitting on my shoulder as I type, eating a mushroom i just took from my pasta sauce
IS there any idea of what the options are? I'm assuming its either A) a pit. tumor or B) an inner ear infection. But I'd like to know what the options are
Please help

**UPDATE:
I spoke with my vet and said it seemed to me like Yui's jaw looked a bit swollen (my bf said she looked like Satchmo b/c her cheeks look a bit puffy) the vet looked inside her mouth and felt her jaw, and said Yui looks fine in her jaw.
However, I was confused as to why she was enthusiastic about liquids/mush and not solids and then it dawned on me -- her jaw IS swollen and it causes her pain to chew. She seems unable to make to make up her mind on how much she wants to eat (she'll take a bite of something, run away and then come back a moment later to repeat the process) but she seems very hungry when she does and I feel sooo bad because I didn't make that connection sooner and now she's gone two days feeling sick adn with nothing but hard food to eat  :BlueDumboBigEyes:

Does this mean anything that her face is swollen like this or do pit tumors do that too?

Either way the immediate reaction should be to get to the vet ASAP to start your rat on a steroid and and antibiotic. Ear infection and PT are pretty much treated the same way.

are there cures for PTs?

No, sadly, but the steroid/pred combo can help give your rat a better quality of life and more time with you.

Are there any other options as to what's causing this head tilt?

i lost one under ayear to an ear infection wernt totally wrong. i have suddenly lost one to tumor too. its nothing to wait around  with.

Vet


stroke  but ear infection and  tumor more likely then not.

Don't just assume it's a tumor and there's no hope.  If it's an ear infection, the right meds quickly enough can cure her!

I'm trying to remain positive, and Yui is doing a great job at trying to keep me from worrying about her.
She insists on still climbing up the 3 levels of her cage for her food even though I've put it on the bottom adn there's no ladder to ger to the 2nd level and she still jumps across the gaps into her hammock as if to say "don't worry mommy" :love2:
I just wish she didn't look like she was practically laying on her side when she looked at me :-\

If it turns out to be a putuitary tumor, please ask your vet about starting your rat on Cabergoline or Bromocriptine (parlodel).  If she won't, ask about melatonin, which has the same affect.

These medications, and melatonin, work against prolactin-producing putuitary tumors.  They stop growth and shrink the tumor.  The sooner the medication is started, the better it will work.  My Peanut was started on cabergoline a couple months after I noticed her tilt.  She had lost the use of her hands and her right eye.  She got both of these functions back after a while of treatment, which amazed me considering the tumor was so advanced at that point.

Keep in mind that not all Pituitary tumors are prolactin-producing, and these only work against those.

Best of luck, and hope it's not a tumor!

she gave me an antibiotic and a steriod. though she suspects a tumor more than an inner ear infection, she wanted to play it safe. i'll get them names of the medicines later.
Yui is sleeping in her cube as we speak...hopefully she'll start doing better soon

So we went to the vet...Yui was horribly lethargic, and I started to really worry, but once we got back home she perked right up (I guess she just didn't like it there too much)
The vet said she suspects a tumor, but said there's a possibility of it being an inner ear infection. She narrowed out a stroke, something about the fact that her pupils are bother working just fine.
She prescribed:
Enroflaxcin 100 mg/ml .01ml twice daily for 14 days
Prednisolone 15mg/ml .04ml twice daily for 7 days, then once daily for 7 days, then once every other day for 7 days

Does this all sound good to you? Nothing fishy?
Also, if it is a tumor...being optimistic, how long do you think she might last? Any one with experience?
She seems to be uninterested in solid foods, but ok with liquids (tomato soup, milk, water, some veganaise, even a teensy bit of lettuce, etc.) could this be because of nausea from her being dizzy? Or does this mean something else?

At least she likes the medicine...bubble gum and cherry flavors

Please any help would be appreciated

It would effectually "cure" her if started soon enough and the tumor is the right type.

Did your vet look in your rats ear?  They CAN see if it's an infection or not.  If it's an ear infection, you'll also need clavamox, in addition to the baytril.   Ear infections are one of the most difficult things to treat, and it has to be aggressive treatment for a minimum of 4 - 6 weeks, instead of the usual 2 - 3 weeks.

I agree with this...and if it's a tumor, you don't want to stop treatment after a week or two either, do you?

She wants me to come back for another appoint. and for the steroids to be refilled
she did shine a light in her ear, but then told me she can't really see into rats' ears in general since they're so tiny. She said from what she could see, the canal was clear, not inflamed, etc. I thought she was talking about her inabilility to see into her inner ear canal

its also looking like yui isn't interested in her meds anymore...i had to force-feed her today, is that a bad sign since she did like them before

***Bump

She should have been able to see inside the ear with an ottoscope.  :icon_scratch:

Dearpie is right, ear infections, in my experience anyway, take at least 6 weeks of treatment. Some of my rats have had ongoing infection that we kept at bay with regular dosing of meds to keep her comfortable. My boy, Richter (who doesn't have a head tilt), has had an ear infection since I got him in November. We're going to knock him out soon and take a sample of the bacteria. In other words, ear infections are not easy or simple and definitely not something to take lightly (not saying you are, but your vet seems to be).

Good luck!

Her tilt seems to be getting worse - she looks the same tilt-wise, but she seems more off-kilter than before. Sometimes now she'll just randomly fall over even when she wasn't moving to begin with

I went to this vet because it was recommended to me through this site and paid the extra bucks for it. Now I'm just frustrated, and Yui isn't looking any better  >:(

Does anyone know why she may be confused about eating (how she'll take a bite, try to stumble around a bit, then come back for one more bite and repeat the pattern)? Don't rats with PT push their food away from them or something?

I just feel bad because I have nothing in the house that is mushy for my baby to eat other than ensure, whipped cream, mayo and bread and I don't want my other girls eating the ensure or them eating that stuff in large quantity or spilling it everywhere - I'm making guacamole tonight for them as a treat and then I think I'll get a water bottle for the ensure

Any other advice on how to feed one rat one thing and keep the others from taking it?

Take her out of the cage and put her in a spot where she's comfortable eating.

What exactly are you angry with? I missed it.

PT can cause confusion, so that may be what you're seeing.  :(

I'm angry b/c the vet told me her mouth didn't look swollen when it was, and that she insisted nothing was wrong with her jaw, but her mouth is swollen and she wont touch solids - so it HAS to be that I was right.
I was just frustrated with her service in general...she didn't even put a cloth down on the metal table so poor Yui couldn't grip and nearly fell off, she hasn't returned my calls or emails about the medications that ratlets suggested, and now this - i know i missed it too at first, but if she's the vet then its her job to notice that isn't it?

And I rigged up a little grotto for Yui on my desk so she can eat and then wander up to the cage to make sure her sisters are still there and then go back to eating

They might not have missed the swelling, though, it could have just come up.

Just to let everyone know...
When I came home tonight, she was barely moving, and having very shallow breaths, and unable to hold her head up.
So my boyfriend and I went to a vets office and had her PTS :'( :'( :'( She went very quiet and peaceful in my hands while the vet did it.

 :heart: :heart: :heart:RIP Yui 12/23/06-5/16/08 :heart: :heart: :heart:
I'll miss you

And thanks to all who tried to help

 :'(  I am so, so sorry for your loss.  You did everything you could.  Play hard at the bridge, Yui! {{{HUGS}}} :heart:

so sorry  hugs

Oh, I'm so sorry you lost her.  (((hugs)))  :heart:

Thanks everyone.

Just so you all can see what a pretty baby she was I'm gonna try to include a pic:

<a href="http://s39.photobucket.com/albums/e173/bugdragon/?action=view&current=xxYUI.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e173/bugdragon/xxYUI.jpg" border="0" alt="Yui"></a>

i'm so sorry.