Antibiotics

Antibiotics are medicines for treating bacterial infections.

It should only be used when it is really needed and it should be used in the correct way.

Ways of abusing antibiotics:

• Overusing antibiotics and not allowing the animal to build a natural immunity.

• Prescribing them inappropriately e.g. Giving it to a rat with a RI due to a heart issue, allergies or a viral infection (like mycoplasma) instead of a bacterial infection.

• Not completing a course.

• Skipping doses.

• Changing between different types of antibiotics without allowing adequate time for the 1st to be effective.

• Not using the correct dose, especially when home medicating and not consulting a vet for the correct dose.

By abusing antibiotics we are creating antibiotic resistant bacteria as the weaker bacteria is killed while the more resistant bacteria survives and multiplies. These are known as “super bugs”.

Rats are all infected with mycoplasma which weakens their immune system some or other time during their lives. While some may show a stronger resistance to it, others in the same colony may be more prone to respiratory or urinary infections throughout their lives. You therefore do not need to split sick rats except if the secondary infection is contagious.

When to use antibiotics:

• When your rat has had major surgery with a chance of an infection.

• When your rat has an infection e.g. abscess, urinary tract infection, uterus infection (pyomethra) or any other wound that is not healing by itself.

• When your rat doesn’t respond to treatment for allergies within a few days.

• When a vet confirmed that the rat has a lower respiratory infection (pneumonia). Usually wheezing, congestion and sneezing combined with rapid or laboured breathing, gasping, hunched position, poor or loss of appetite, ruffled coat due to not grooming, lethargy, panic type movement or extremities turning blue related to inability to get enough oxygen or behavioural changes. A rat in the early stages of a LR infection may not display all these signs but will soon get tired while active and display a ruffled coat or hunched position or even hang head down over levels in order to breathe easier.

It is important to find a vet that knows the difference between allergies (upper respiratory infection) and pneumonia (lower respiratory infection). Do not treat a rat with antibiotics for sneezing only. Dry air, a draft or air conditioning, air pollution, pollen, mould, dust and other irritants like cleaning products, perfume, scented candles and oils may cause sneezing. Climate change may also cause sneezing. Whenever I fly rats from Cape Town or KZN to Gauteng they take a few day or even weeks to adapt to the dryer air and higher concentration of air pollution.

Start by building up your rats’ immune system with a healthy diet and immune boosters like natural honey, garlic, rooibos tea and Junior viral guard syrup. Add 0,1-0,2 ml junior viral guard syrup per rat but take breaks in between (one week on, one week off) or it will lose its effectivity.

Nebulise a clogged up rat with nebulising saline (can also add Bisolvon 0,2 or Duolin respule) and give it an antihistamine like Allergex or Citrizine to test if it is in fact allergies.

Antihistamine helps in most cases to relieve symptoms but the continuous use of Allergex may dry out nasal passages resulting in more sneezing.

Please note that most rats will sound worse directly after nebulising due to fluids draining and airways opening up. Allow a few hours to see if they improve.

Besides nebulising and using antihistamines you may also ask your vet for Metacam to reduce inflammation as some weird noises and congestion may be caused by the swelling of mucus membranes.

Only after you are sure symptoms are not caused by allergies or irritants in the environment or if a vet confirmed that your rat has pneumonia, should you start treating with antibiotics.

Remember that using antibiotics may often have side effects like killing off good bacteria in the gut causing diarrhoea or indigestion. Something an animal with an already weakened immune system does not need. Give Protexin during treatment and a few days thereafter.

If the rat does not respond to treatment, use a different antibiotic or even a combo but do not change after only a few days as it takes a few days for the bacteria to die and the rat to recover. You may end up making your rat even worse and make your healthy rats sick by exposing them to antibiotic resistant bacteria.

There have been cases of rats with pneumonia that did not display other symptoms but it is very rare.

Always consult your vet for treatment and the correct dosage.

#antibiotics #medicine