Have any of you pet rat owners taken your rat to the vet for a cold?

Question

How much did the vet charge and what did they do?

Answer 1

I had two Rats and I never took them to the vets. My Rats would sneeze and that was all. Both my Rats lived a full and happy life, and you're looking to get hammered with a major vet's bill. The only thing I can recommend to you is to give your rat some vitamin water to help boost up their Immune System, and hopefully that'll help with curing whatever cold he/she may have. I used to work at Petco, and we usually used the Vitamin water to help cure the Rat's or Hamster's cold. You can buy the Vitamin Water from a local pets store; Petco, Pet's Mart, Petland Discount and etc.

Sometimes vets will give the Rat antibiotics, but sometimes the medication is too strong for the Rat and it may end up dying.

Hope I helped and Good Luck!!!

Answer 2

yes. Several times.

Answer 3

I had a rat with upper respiratory infection. I took her & her cagemate to the vet. They were both given medication (the healthy rat got meds just to protect her from getting sick).

The medication cost $10, and the office visit was $38, so a total of $48 was spent.

Answer 4

Several times.  I used to work at a vet hospital where it was free for me to do so, but since I moved my new vet charges me $30 for an exam and $8-$25 for medication (depending on what brand of drug is chosen).

  Usually the vet will do a general examination, listen to the rat's heart and lungs, palpate the abdomen, look at its eyes, ears, and nose, and generally observe the rat.  If the rat has a respiratory infection it is usually very obvious, with sneezing, wheezing, and rattling sounds in the lungs that can easily be detected with a stethoscope.  They will then weigh your rat to figure out the proper dosage of antibiotics and prescribe some to you (usually Baytril or Doxycycline) and tell you how much to give, how often to give it, and how to give it (usually by mouth).  They will often tell you to call them in a few days and let them know if your rat has gotten better or worse.  If there is no change or he has gotten worse, they will usually switch antibiotics, or add another one.  Rats can get multiple bacteria that cause respiratory infections and sometimes need to be on a few different antibiotics for an effective treatment.

  I hope that answers your question, good luck with your rat!

Answer 5

Rats don't get "colds" but they do get respiratory infections. My past two rats have had to be taken to the vet for a diagnosis and properly medicated.

Answer 6

Rats don't get colds in the same way humans do.  However, they do get respiratory infections that need to be treated by a veterinarian.

The vet will examine your rat.  They should look at the entire rat and examine him from head to tail.  A good vet will palpate (feel) the abdomen and lymph nodes.  They will also listen to the lungs with a stethoscope.

The cost varies by region and clinic.  The only way to determine this is to call around.  I live in a more expensive area, and see a great (but not cheap) vet who specializes in exotics.  For me I pay $45 for a visit and then medication on top.  My last visit for a respiratory infection was around $70 after taxes.  The antibiotics were $15.

Just a note based upon one of the previous posts:  Your pet will not recover from a respiratory infection through the use of vitamin water.  This is just like how you would not get over an infection by taking a multivitamin.  If your vet is even half way competent they will be able to correctly prescribe an antibiotic for your rat.  There are many, many, many textbooks that list safe doses.