Thought I would finally get round to making some sort of post on this as it’s something you see suggested a lot around social media care groups as an option to try very early on with a sneezy rat or one suspected to have a URI. The problem with that for me is it’s something I’ve never had suggested to me by a rat savvy or exotics vet ever so it got me wondering, if they aren’t suggesting it first why do so many others. Especially as I see more experienced rat owners always saying Nebulising is not the best option and in some cases can cause more harm then good. So for those like me who “KIND OF” know what nebulising is and “SORT OF” know why it’s not always the best option I decided to look into this a bit further and hopefully the following simple guide should bring you a bit more knowledge of the subject so you can always make a better decision on the matter yourself.
What Is Nebulising?
Nebulisation is a process that uses a machine to convert a liquid into a fine mist. This is used to get the subject to inhale the mist directly into the lungs, usually medications such as antibiotics or a saline solution to humidify the airways. Its purpose is to treat respiratory conditions, the most common being asthma but also other conditions like infections and post surgical swelling. In rats it is often recommended to nebulise a rat using F10 saline solution which is suggested for flushing nasal and sinus passages or as a nebulizing therapy for respiratory infections
Why Should It Be A Last Resort?
Unfortunately there are quite a few down sides to nebulising. For a start it can be very stressful to a rat especially if you’re trying to put the nebuliser mask over their mouth for them to breathe in. It’s often advised to make a little home made “chamber” for them to sit in and you pump the solution in to inhale but even this is not fun for the rat. It’s an unfamiliar environment which smells weird and is probably quite loud too. Stressing a healthy rat out isn’t good but one that is sick and already having respiratory problems can often contribute to a faster decline in health.
Other reasons why nebulisers shouldn’t be a first option include general ineffectiveness of the method in which a large amount of medication can be wasted with it going on the animals fur and the surrounding environment rather than actually being inhaled. If not cleaned and stored properly there can be a higher risk of infection when using one and also there is a higher chance of systemic absorption which can increase the risk of side effects from medications.
Finally it’s seen quite a lot that heart issues can be mistaken for a bad URI. Now while treating with antibiotics as you would for a URI won’t help the heart issues it certainly won’t harm them in any way. However going in straight with nebulising as discussed earlier can cause multiple different issues to an already sick rat so just something else to bear in mind.
What To Try Before Nebulising
Although I’m not saying you should never use a nebuliser here for a sick rat there are better options to try first. This is especially true for 9/10 URI’s which can be cleared up with the right oral medication. Most vets who know rats well will know to give a long course of a combination of antibiotics to clear up a respiratory infection. A doxycycline and Baytril (Also known as Enrocare) being the one thought to work the best. Azithromycin being another good one to try as an alternative along with Baytril, especially with very young rats or when Doxy doesn’t seem to be working. A minimum of 2 weeks should be issued for medicine but to really give the best possible chance of getting rid of it then up to 4 weeks is much better.
Those vets that go straight to nebulising first should be taken as probably not being too rat savvy and one who is a bit more experienced should be consulted if possible, even if this means taking them to another practice. It’s not the vet’s fault it’s just better to get your rat seen by ones that know rats a little better.
If antibiotics don’t work then further investigations should take place to determine what could be going on. As mentioned above heart problems can often be mistaken for respiratory problems so treating for that might be worth trying first.
Does Nebulising Actually Work?
The short answer to this is likely not. There doesn’t seem to be much evidence especially in rats that nebulising is helpful. Some people do swear by it but most exotic and rat savvy vets always prefer to go down the antibiotics route instead. Nebulising to treat your classic run of the mill URI seems to be more of a “go to” suggestion by people who have heard it helps but aren’t totally sure why and in some cases it can do more harm than good. A bit like the “put them in a steam room” suggestion. This method can put more fluid on the lungs of the rat which you don’t want to do. You need to see a vet and make sure there is no lung involvement before these methods can be used but I would stay clear of trying it just because somebody on the internet say that they do it.
When Is It Fine To Nebulise?
Although there are many things to try on a reasonably healthy rat before nebulising there are rarer exceptions where it may help to do it. Firstly if a rat is in severe respiratory distress and it’s likely they will not make it very long you can try nebulising them to help clear things long enough to get them seen at a vets. Although, some people prefer to use a human inhaler (if you have one on hand) and a make shift mouth piece to do this quickly. The downside to this is not everyone has inhalers on hand.
Also there are some rats who have unfortunately been suffering from respiratory problems that have gotten so bad or been left untreated too long that lung scarring has developed. This in turn causes bad inflammation, congestion and “snottiness” and regular treatments are needed. After a certain point long term antibiotics either don’t work or aren’t a realistic option anymore so this is when nebulising is probably a better option. As mentioned earlier most rats will not enjoy this process, especially having a mask shoved over there face. It’s not ideal but people have said in their experience the rats seem more comfortable in a make shift nebulising chamber during treatment so if you have to nebulise it’s worth looking into this and reducing stress as much as possible. Make sure to only use what an experienced veterinarian tells you to in this case.
Hope this helps everyone who didn’t know learn the process a little bit further. I’m by far not an expert on this as we have never had to do it. This is a reason why I looked into this further because of all the good rat savvy vets we’ve ever seen non have ever recommended nebulising. I’m not saying it’s never needed, more so that when it’s suggested as a first option you may think twice and try other more successful and (most importantly) far less stressful methods first. This is also another reason why it’s really important to get yourself a good rat savvy vet too. They can look into things further and advise from there on what is best to do at any given time depending on each rat’s situation.
The Rat Wiki 