I have been out for most of the day and got back in around 21:45 to find one of my 27 month old boys very sick. He didn't come running to greet me with the others like he normally does so I went looking for him. I found him in an igloo on the ground floor, face bright red with porphyrin, sitting in a pool of drool and not really moving. I scooped him up for a cuddle and to check him over and he started doing what I can only describe as a slow motion gagging action. He was quite cold but started to wander about on my knee and asking to go on the floor. I put him down on the hard wood and he was walking very slowly. I put him back in the cage and he walked a few steps and then fell over and started doing the gagging thing again, he then pulled himself into the corner toilet and just laid there with his eyes closed. His chin and chest were really wet and slimey but there was no odour and the liquid is clear so it isn't an abscess in his mouth that has burst or anything. Thinking I may well lose him overnight if I did nothing, I took him into the emergency vet. She listened to his chest which sounded clear and palpated his tummy which was nice and soft. Neither of us can find any lumps around his throat or anything. He was clamping his jaw quite tight but when he did let us look in his mouth his teeth and mouth all looked okay. She gave him a shot of antibiotics and an anti-inflammator/pain killer. The vet is hoping that it is come kind of resp issue that will be treated by the antibiotics. Her main reason for this is the only time she has seen rats with a lot of porph is because of myco infections but she admits she doesn't get to see that many rats (the vet I normally see was not on call tonight). I have never had a rat with a normal respiratory issue have these kind of symptoms, could it be some sort of pneumonia? Any help to shed some light on this would be really appreciated! He has five days of ABs and an isotonic powder to put in his water, not that he is drinking. He is sleeping now which I guess is the best thing he can do right now. I have put extra bedding in his igloo and am going to leave the heat on overnight for him. Really worried that I am going to lose him overnight but I guess I have done all that I can for today and he looks quite comfy at the moment
