# Advice on Sulfatrim?



## Critter (Mar 4, 2012)

Short version: 
My 18 month old, 0.5kg male has been taking sulfatrim 0.3 ml, twice a day. The vet didn't think he would make and and never specified as to how many days I should be giving him this. Does anyone here have any experience with this? How long did you have to do this?

Long version:
Last week Friday I found my 18 month old boy DJ lying on the lowest shelf motionless. I panicked and thought he was dead at first, but when I picked him up he slightly opened his eyes. I immediately called the vet and made an appointment the same day. I had to wait for four hours, and even though he sat on my lap the whole time I had to keep checking if he was alive. I couldn't get him to eat or drink, I couldn't even get him too move.
When I finally got to the vet, it was a different vet then we usually have, which worried me as pet rats are rare here. She thought he was a lost cause and told me we could either put him to sleep now, or try something and then discus it Monday. As he was fine the day before, I didn't want to give up on him yet. She gave him an injection with painkiller anyway and then prescribed sulfatrim 0.3 ml twice a day. She told me he was unlikely to change but seeing as I didn't want to give him up, it was worth a shot. She repeated she'd be there on Monday, should I have changed my mind.
I spend the next few days watching him very closely. I separated him from the other rats so I could see if he had been eating or drinking, if anything and wouldn't have to compete. I force fed him the Crittical Care, that the assistant gave to me and let him drink water from a syringe. This morning, after three days of him lethargic, I caught him eating some of his normal food that I had soaked in water, he also drank quite a bit. I'm very happy and surprised at how alert he seems. 
I'm now pretty confident that he'll make it. The only problem is that I have no idea how long I should keep giving him sulfatrim. Has anyone here had to use it before? How long did you have to use it? I know my other rat had to take doxycyline for two weeks before, but realize this is a completely different substance with a different dosage. The sulfatrim came in a 10 ml bottle but I don't think he's supposed to finish it all. Any suggestions?


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