Biggs are started having bad sneezing fits again. He sounds absolutely horrible and he's having some bloody discharge, too.
Here is his history:
- adopted from a VERY crowded petstore tank at around six months of age
- came home sneezing, no nasal or ocular discharge. Started him on Baytril and Doxy for...two weeks? I don't really remember.
- was neutered shortly there after.
- sneezing never cleared up, but did improve. Never worsened. Got to the point he'd only sneeze if he was excited or nervous about something.
- about two months ago, I noticed a growth in his ear. Took him to my vet, they had NO idea what it was and when they consulted with someone who works with exotics, she had no idea, either. We removed the growth, which was very similar to a polyp.
- when we removed the growth, it bled. A lot. And when Biggs sneezed, he would sneeze blood. This is the first time he ever had bloody nasal discharge.
Picture of the polyp:
-treated for mites with two rounds of Revolution just in case it was ear mites.
- the ear growth is now back, same size, same place, and Biggs has started sneezing pretty bad, akin to when I first brought him home. Now having bloody nasal discharge.
- still no ocular discharge, energy level and eating/drinking habits seem normal
I guess my question is...should I try another round of antibiotics, or does this sound like something else? If we're able to head back north in a week and a half, I should be able to get antibiotics filled at my prior vet, but I just don't know what I should ask for/how long of a time period I should be giving it.
I'm just worried he has a polyp or something IN his ear that is causing the sneezing/bloody discharge, although his balance is fine and he has no head tilt.
With his new ear growth, I'd like to remove it again encase it continues to grow and becomes an issue, but since his sneezing got worse the last time we removed the growth, I'm worried he'll get even worse than he is now.
Has anyone seen or heard of a rat with these issues before?
Here is his history:
- adopted from a VERY crowded petstore tank at around six months of age
- came home sneezing, no nasal or ocular discharge. Started him on Baytril and Doxy for...two weeks? I don't really remember.
- was neutered shortly there after.
- sneezing never cleared up, but did improve. Never worsened. Got to the point he'd only sneeze if he was excited or nervous about something.
- about two months ago, I noticed a growth in his ear. Took him to my vet, they had NO idea what it was and when they consulted with someone who works with exotics, she had no idea, either. We removed the growth, which was very similar to a polyp.
- when we removed the growth, it bled. A lot. And when Biggs sneezed, he would sneeze blood. This is the first time he ever had bloody nasal discharge.
Picture of the polyp:
-treated for mites with two rounds of Revolution just in case it was ear mites.
- the ear growth is now back, same size, same place, and Biggs has started sneezing pretty bad, akin to when I first brought him home. Now having bloody nasal discharge.
- still no ocular discharge, energy level and eating/drinking habits seem normal
I guess my question is...should I try another round of antibiotics, or does this sound like something else? If we're able to head back north in a week and a half, I should be able to get antibiotics filled at my prior vet, but I just don't know what I should ask for/how long of a time period I should be giving it.
I'm just worried he has a polyp or something IN his ear that is causing the sneezing/bloody discharge, although his balance is fine and he has no head tilt.
With his new ear growth, I'd like to remove it again encase it continues to grow and becomes an issue, but since his sneezing got worse the last time we removed the growth, I'm worried he'll get even worse than he is now.
Has anyone seen or heard of a rat with these issues before?