# HELP! Can you use human cold medicine on rats?



## YumYumz (Apr 24, 2017)

My dad is okay with taking my rats to the vet BUT only when they are REALLY sick and showing obvious symptoms such as loss of apatite. One of my rats have been sneezing and having some kind of red discharge from their eyes and nose ever since I got them a few months ago. Now recently he started to make weird rubbery noises. We went to the store today and the women said they most likely have a cold since there have been some rats who were sick at the store a swell. She told us to ask the vet about medication but the vet was busy and dad had no longer the patience. Can rats have URI with only sneezing and only a few minor symptoms? Dad doesn't want the rats to be checked by the vet, instead he wants to give them over the counter cold medicine. He thinks they are fine since they have good apatite and always playing and he prides himself with his 'medical knowledge' and with mum being a nurse and all. He tells me that I'm always too negative. I just don't want my rats to get even more sick to the point where their lungs can no longer take it. Can rats have human cold medicine or should I get them to the vet or are they fine?


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

I'd be hesitant to give human cold medicine (like cough syrup?) to a rat because it'd be very hard to figure out the right dosage, and I don't think it'd work. It wouldn't clear a rat's URI which tends to be caused by bacterial (occasionally viral) infections, and needs antibiotic treatment. Cold medicine doesn't really treat anything, it just eases symptoms like congestion and might even be harmful to a rat. The common cold is just what we call the countless different viruses that pop up with most of the same symptoms, so for a rat's URI that is likely caused by bacterial infection, human cold medicine won't do it. A rat with a URI given only cold medicine is still relying on their immune system alone to recover. 

That's just my guess, but hopefully someone will come in with proof that points to the contrary.


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## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

You can either buy Benadryl online (I'm not sure of the websites, biut hopefully other member will chime in) or give childrens Benadryl (the normal one, not the one with cold medicine added). Here is a link to an old thread on the topic: http://www.ratforum.com/showthread....o-I-need-to-give-my-rats#/topics/97786?page=1


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

I don't think rats catch a cold like people. Respiratory infections are bacterial in nature and require antibiotic treatment. A cold (viral infection) is not treated with antibiotics. I don't think cold medicine will do anything to treat a bacterial infection.

Personally, I prefer to err on the side of caution and bring my rats in to see a vet at the earliest signs of infection. A mild URI is not going to slow a rat down or suppress it's appetite. Once you start to see those signs, the infection has gotten quite bad. JoinRats.com has compiled a bunch of videos with different rat noises if you want to take some time to learn some of the audible signs of infection. If after taking some time to do some research, you're still concerned that your rats might be ill, let your dad know that catching a URI early is much cheaper than dealing with it once it's become a serious, life-threatening issue. When I bring my rats in for a mild URI, it costs me about $115 in my area. I've had a couple of serious issues that I waited too long to schedule a vet visit and the costs rose to over $250 and in once case, I lost a rat.


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## YumYumz (Apr 24, 2017)

Thanks for all the advice! I will ask my dad about buying some antibiotics online or when we visit the vet. I think it's mainly the cost he is concern about. If I find a cheaper solution then the vet then my dad might be okay with it. The only problem is that he is worried about being scammed when you buy something online. Is it possible that you can list some good websites and do you still need prescription to buy some?


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## YumYumz (Apr 24, 2017)

Okay my parents don't want to take them to vet or buy medicine. They still strongly believe that they must be having a major change of behavior like no longer eating or playing before we take them to the vet. I don't think I will ever change their minds since both of them have back ground knowledge in diseases and illnesses and mum is also a nurse as well. Dad is totally okay with giving them cough medicine. He strongly believes that it will work on the rats. It's so difficult when your'e only one growing teenager and you try to argue with two adults.


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## YumYumz (Apr 24, 2017)

I even tried to show my dad this thread but he won't even try to look.  I might just have to wait and see since I'm totally powerless in this situation.


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

He needs to understand that cold medicine only helps with congestion for human viruses and will do nothing for a rat's bacterial infection, which could progress into pneumonia... and I don't think cold medicine has ever cured pneumonia. 

Here's a link to a thread from awhile back that you should find useful for ordering things like baytril/doxy/amoxi online- http://www.ratforum.com/showthread.php?204441-Where-To-Buy-Baytril-Doxy-and-Amoxi-Online


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## Shadow <3 (Jan 25, 2017)

If you have children's Benadryl, you can find doses online to treat your rats. If nothing else, could you possibly convince your parents to buy some for your allergies, and then dose the rat yourself? Its definitely not the best way to go about it, but its better than doing nothing.


As for convincing your parents to go to the vet, maybe tell them about my story where I waited a few days, and my rats URI ended up turning into pneumonia. Fast forward two days later, and I had spent 800 dollars on supportive care (oxygen tank, around the clock care, nebulizer, examination, and medications). My rats survived, and it was completely worth it, but if I'd have only gone sooner, I'd have been looking at maybe $120 dollars, not close to a thousand. I know that my case is pretty rare, but it can still happen. 


Otherwise, maybe try searching videos of sick rats and showing them to your parents? I find that visual examples are often better at convincing people than written words.


You can also (if possible) offer to pay for the vet visit as long as they take you. Maybe try the "there my pets and I'm responsible for keeping them healthy" line? 


Or tell your parents that as rats are prey animals, they hide symptoms until they're very sick. This is true for most prey animals, so if they've had other rodents (like hamsters or gerbils), perhaps they'll be able to relate?


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## YumYumz (Apr 24, 2017)

I told them it's easier to treat them now otherwise the costs will blow up in their face but they just chuckled and laugh. They think they aren't sick until they loss apatite. I told them before about prey animals hiding symptoms but he just ignored it. It's the start of winter now so I can't get hay-fever which I sometimes get. One of the rats that I believe to be sick has his sneezing calming down but I don't want him to fight it all in his own even if it means to get myself sick from hay-fever just to buy some medicine.


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## YumYumz (Apr 24, 2017)

The best thing I can possibly do right now is to try to convince him that we can use Benadryl when we go shopping and happen to pass by the pharmacy. I will tell them that it works MUCH better and safer than the cold medicine and I will use it just clear up their sneezing. I have a glimpse of hope with this plan since my dad was okay with me trying to find amoxicillin for fish to use on my rats. I just pray that he doesn't insist on using the cold medicine instead of this 1 cheap option.


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## CorbinDallasMyMan (Feb 24, 2017)

If you could record and post the noises you're hearing, perhaps someone here would be able to better assess the issue and give some advice.


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## YumYumz (Apr 24, 2017)

Fortunately, the noises seemed to have stopped. He is still sneezing but it has calmed down compared to the last couple of days. I'm still gonna check him to see if the noises comeback.


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## Coffeebean (Jan 6, 2017)

Glad the noises are subsiding! I have a rat who's a chronic sniffler, unfortunately. It's hard to tell when she needs to go in for a check-up. Hopefully your little guy will continue to show improvement, and I'm sorry about the situation that you're in with the parents.


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## YumYumz (Apr 24, 2017)

Thankyou for all your help and advise! Even though my parents aren't as worried about my rats getting sick they do love my ratties. I just recorded a video of Gadget making some faint noises just a while ago however, it's quite hard to hear since he keeps pressing his nose right against the mic. I also don't know how to attach the video. He only makes some noise occasionally now and it's very faint. When I heard it clearly before it sounded like a pair of rubber boots squeaking.


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