Hi james,
He's still having issues. He's on a month's worth of antibiotics (AB's), and is just not completely recovering like he has in the past from flare ups.
To answer your question, yes, it is very courageous, but....
See, the root of his issues are with a bacterial infection called mycoplasmosis, or myco for short. From what I understand, it's a bacteria that lives in the lungs and genitals of most all domesticated rats in the United States and Canada. Australia's pet rat population doesn't carry myco fortunately, because they have those strict import policies. Baby rats catch myco at birth. It's very difficult to keep out of a rat colony and almost impossible to remove completely once it's there.
What the myco does is just kind of hang around stressing a rat's immune system until such a time as environmental or social stresses gives it a stronger foothold to overwhelm the rat. It causes inflammation of the lungs which opens the rat up to secondary infections. This can be a UTI in the genitals, or a URI in the lungs. Over time the lungs scar up, like in asthma sufferers, and breathing issues become chronic. Add to that the weakened immune system that accompanies age, and you've got a problem.
The best treatment is preventative care. Feed your rat a high quality balanced diet, keep them at a healthy weight, and keep the cage clean. Keep their air space free of chemicals or dust, keep them well socialized from a young age to reduce their instinctive 'new situation' stress.
Though it is not applicable if you adopt your rats from rescues, another area of preventative care involves choosing a rat with a known family history of strong immune systems. That boils down to choosing a quality rat breeder with a proven track record. At it's best though, getting a rat with a strong immune system is hit and miss no matter what.
My rats come from two different breeders collectively. My four black boys (including Windham, my lost boy) came from one bloodline. They have all had very minor respiratory issues so far--perhaps being treated none, or once each for a URI in their lives. The youngest is currently 10 months old, and the oldest pair are right at 19 months old.
Zmei came from the same rattery as my black boys, but it was a new line the breeder was adding known for their outstanding people loving personalities. It was only after she did one litter pairing, she discovered the buck's bloodline had been misrepresented to her and actually had a problem with respiratory issues. She discontinued the father's line after Zmei's litter.
Zmei has had 4 URI's in his 11 months, with this last one tipping him over the edge from occasional flare ups, to a chronic condition. His illness has already been costly. I've spent more on him alone than I've spent on the other 4 boys together.
My last two boys, the hairless wonder twins, came from a back yard breeder who got her hairless line from Pet Smart. I wanted hairless, so I got them anyway in spite of early concerns I had unrelated to the Pet Smart connection, which I found out only after I brought them home. Hairless rats already tend towards health issues just because of their hairlessness, but these guys had no breeding for health to begin with. They have had problems with abscesses and several respiratory problems.
I had another surprise from that girl too. When I informed the breeder that I was taking them to be neutered for hormonal aggression and that she would want to consider discontinuing the line, she said, oh yeah, she deliberately breeds for what she called 'spunky' personalities. She likes a little rowdy fight in her rats. Call it what she wanted, she was actively breeding for aggression.
I am a cautionary tale.
Anyway, more than you wanted to know, but the moral of the story is: Rats are prone to respiratory illnesses (and tumors), so plan for the high-for-their-size vet care over their lifespan, and take a proactive and aggressive preventative approach to their health.
And oh yeah...avoid back yard breeders like the plague if you can.
