Tyzzer's disease in RatsTyzzer's disease is more often seen in mice than in other rodents but it can occasionally infect rats and should be considered as a possible cause in cases of diarrhoea and sudden death in this species.
Tyzzer's disease is caused by a bacterium called Bacillus piliformis. This bacterium cannot be cultured because it has to live inside the cells of the animal, so diagnosis of this disease can only be confirmed by post-mortem examination. Recently weaned animals are most susceptible to this disease.
The signs of this disease are diarrhoea, lethargy, anorexia and death; unfortunately the prognosis for affected individuals is very poor. Try to prevent this disease by employing excellent hygiene regimes and reducing stress to the animals. If you have several rats in your colony and some of them are affected with Tyzzer's disease you could try treating them all with tetracycline to try to prevent the spread of the disease.
If you do decide to treat your rats affected by Tyzzer's disease they will need excellent nursing care. Keep them in a warm draught free environment isolated from all other pets. Your vet will advise you on the drugs which will be required but these may include antibiotics, fluid therapy, corticosteroids, and vitamin supplementation. Always take care of sick animals after you have seen to your healthy pets and wash your hands and all equipment afterwards to prevent the transmission of disease. © Samantha Coe. All rights reserved. Further information, news and pet-related healthcare articles are available at vetbase.co.uk
Questions Answered
Sudden death (dog) (24-Sep-07 04:17AM)
Judy asks:
Yesterday, we left our lab in our fenced in area to play for a few hours. It was a nice day with no humidity. When we came home, he ... view
|
Polyneuroradiculopathy (dog) (10-Feb-07 09:43PM)
Emlyn asks:
I am trying to find out anything on the cause and or treatment of Polyneuroradiculopathy as I have an Irish Wolfhound with the disease. Any help would be very much appreciated ... view
|
What is FIV (gerbil) (30-Jan-07 10:01PM)
Lynette asks:
What are the symptoms of FIV? ... view
|
Bleeding from the nose in lungworm (dog) (08-Feb-07 04:15PM)
Coleen asks:
My friend's dog has been bleeding from the nose & the vet has treated him for lungworm. Could you tell me what this is? ... view
|
spotty chaped dotted ears (na) (28-Jan-07 03:49PM)
Abby asks:
I don't know what it is but my rat seems to have tiny white spots all round his ears, they have a crusty texture almost! He's been to the vets but ... view
|
why is sam peeing in the kitchen and lounge (dog) (03-Mar-07 04:58PM)
Patrick asks:
Sam really drinks lots of water until he gags or makes himself sick. After letting him out before we go to bed, he pees in the kitchen and over the floor ... view
|
Hiccups (na) (03-Mar-07 09:40PM)
Greg asks:
Hi my dog has developed over the last couple of weeks, constant hiccups, greatly increased thirst and urination. Weight loss and tiredness. Have you any ideas? Booked into vets next week. ... view
|
Crusty chapped ears in a rat (rat) (04-Feb-07 09:18AM)
Abby asks:
I did send you a question but you have not replied in a week so I will repeat it. My rat has crusty chapped ears and sometimes they look like they ... view
|
Behaviour & Hygiene (cat) (11-Feb-07 01:59PM)
Brenda asks:
Since being diagnosed with an over-active thyroid her personality has changed and she is eating her litter granules. What does this indicate, please? ... view
|
Excessive drinking (dog) (30-Jan-07 11:00PM)
Heather asks:
My dog is drinking a lot of water lately, is this OK? ... view
|
My kitten can't control his bowels (cat) (17-Sep-07 12:39PM)
Rob asks:
I have a british blue kitten, 15 weeks old & although he is litter trained, he can't seem to control his bowels. His rear seems to be constantly leaking but he ... view
|
Excessive Drooling (dog) (31-Jan-07 09:27PM)
Helen asks:
Jake is excessively drooling from the right hand side of his mouth, wetting his bedding and furniture. I took him to the vets where they said it was nothing to worry ... view
|
has parvo (dog) (03-Mar-07 09:41AM)
Vicki asks:
What do you suggest for a home-remedy for parvo. I used chicken broth for one of my dogs, he got better. Do you suggest the same? ... view
|
passing blood (dog) (10-Feb-07 10:21AM)
Dawn asks:
After Baxter has a wee he has started passing drops of blood fresh blood from his penis he is still eating and drinking and in no pain there is no change ... view
|
coughing (dog) (03-Mar-07 08:32PM)
Karen asks:
Hi my dog started coughing on Thursday and by Friday was coughing up phlegm which I can only describe as being like egg white, she was doing this all day .By ... view
|
Illness with mucky eye and very thin (rabbit) (03-Mar-07 04:50PM)
Teresa asks:
My rabbit is 7 years old got very thin, not eating or drinking since Thursday night what might be the cause and what can I do for him? ... view
|
cat is drinking water more than usual and drooling (cat) (08-Apr-07 08:49PM)
Jennifer asks:
what is wrong? ... view
|
Kidneys (cat) (25-Jan-07 11:27AM)
Julie asks:
I have been told that Moses kidneys are getting smaller, why would this be and he keeps being sick? ... view
|
Feline muscular dystrophy (cat) (10-Feb-07 08:48AM)
Dave asks:
Both of our cats have been diagnosed with feline muscular dystrophy. What does that mean and what is the prognosis? ... view
|
cat health (na) (31-Jan-07 04:04PM)
Peter asks:
Can you tell if a cat has had a stroke? My mum's cat has started to walk sideways since last night and is having trouble jumping on the smallest of things ... view
|
|
| |
Your Questions Answered
Injured Wild Owl 30-Nov-07
Kelly asks:
I found an owl this morning, very small but adult. It flew into a power line. It's still alive. ... view
|
swollen hind leg 20-Nov-07
Zshai asks:
I have a 6-day-old bunny who has a swollen hind leg. I saw her mama step on her but ... view
|
Sick syrian hamster 08-Nov-07
Sara asks:
Hi. My syrian hamster is 2 and half yrs. old. The last 24 hrs I have noticed a big ... view
|
lack of sleep 07-Nov-07
Bill asks:
We have a 14 month old Yorkshire terrier, which goes to bed at around 6.30pm, because I have MS ... view
|
wet tail 06-Nov-07
Evelyn asks:
Can a young hamster be successfully treated for wet tail and what would it roughly cost? ... view
|
Alfie 06-Nov-07
Elaine asks:
Hi Sam
Thank you. Alfie has no feeding time he just has food in his bowl when he wants it ... view
|
Guarding problem 05-Nov-07
Elaine asks:
Alfie is a terrible guarder and will take your hand off if you try and retrieve an object he ... view
|
White Gums and Dark Stool 02-Nov-07
Leslie asks:
My 8 week old American Bulldog has really white gums, around the eyes is also white. She has dark ... view
|
Dog's Health 01-Nov-07
William asks:
My dog is around 11 years old, possibly older (we received her as she was taken from a bad ... view
|
behaviour 31-Oct-07
Debby asks:
Hi Max is very lively of course but he seems to get very excited and bites the children, not ... view
|
Blood in dog's stools 31-Oct-07
Lee asks:
Hi. We recently got a 3 year old Labrador from a friend. From what we can see she has ... view
|
upset stomach 30-Oct-07
kat asks:
About three days ago my dog started acting like she was sick; diarrhoea and vomiting along with excessive sneezing ... view
|
Blood in Poo 28-Oct-07
Mandy asks:
Treacle is now 9 wks old and had her first vaccination two days ago. I have noticed that at ... view
|
neutering 27-Oct-07
ashen1956 asks:
3 days ago Molly-Mae gave birth to 5 kittens. How long should I wait before having her neutered and ... view
|
Ordering Insulin Online 26-Oct-07
Purdie asks:
Purdie is diabetic and I'm keen to find a way of reducing the cost of the treatment. Currently ... view
|
Fleas and skin problem 26-Oct-07
Joanne asks:
I have two cats, a neutered tom and his sister. They are 6 and a half yrs. old. They ... view
|
My cat has a hole in its stomach! 23-Oct-07
Sarah asks:
My cat has a hole the size of a dime in its stomach. He doesn't seem to be ... view
|
labrador vomiting bile and nearly passing out 22-Oct-07
Paul asks:
Hi there - our five year old male labrador is generally in very good health - excellent appetite, plenty ... view
|
Guinea pig fits 22-Oct-07
Renate asks:
My guinea pig is acting strange. I've only had him around a week and he's running as if spooked ... view
|
feeding 22-Oct-07
Terry asks:
Is it safe to feed my GSD raw chicken wings, he is 16 months old and is 37 kg? ... view
|
|
|