Help - Advice needed for injured baby

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J

JenD

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2009
Messages
112
Location
Los Angeles, CA
I am hoping someone can please help. One of my daughters hugged or squeezed one of the babies too tight a couple of hours ago when we were taking them upstairs to play in the bathroom. I didn't see it and she is so upset that she won't tell me exactly what happened, but when I entered the bathroom, he was on the floor, stretched out flat with his eyes almost closed. Usually the boys are running around excitedly. I immediately picked him up to assess & called the vet, who of course wasn't in. He has eaten some peas, grains and a tiny bit of pasta. He has lightly groomed himself, but is clearly in pain. My husband thinks he is badly bruised & I hope that is *all* it is. He can walk, but clearly is uncomfortable, even laying on his side and almost flipping onto his back shortly after the injury occured. He waddles up the ramps and is mainly laying down. He was just in a PVC pipe tube lying on his back. I've never seen any of them on their back like that before.

Does anyone know if I should rush him into a clinic? I hesitate to as it will clearly stress him out and the clinic isn't knowledgeable with rats. I know he would be more comfortable at home, but can I give him anything to make him more comfy while we wait for the exotic vet tomorrow? Of course, I can't find the rat care guide book I bought. Can I give him a tiny dose of baby tylenol or something? Does anyone have any advice or has something like this happened to anyone here who can provide some hope? Is there a way to tell if he is bleeding internally? I don't know if it's as severe as that, but my heart is breaking for him. He lightly bruxed about 15 min ago on my lap after I gave him a treat, so I hope that's a good sign. My daughter feels terrible. She loves them so much (age 6.5) and I think she just showed it too much. She's been crying the past two hours :( Any advice on how to make Lukie more comfy? Should I put him in the carrier cage for the night and put it next to the big cage so he doesn't get laid on or harassed? He is drinking water now. Thank you for your advice in advance & I'm so sad to post this message.
 
He should definitely see an e-vet immediately. He may have internal issues that you cannot visibly see, internal bleeding for example. And do not separate him from his cage mates.. He will be better off for them to be there to keep him company so he does NOT get stressed.

Please get him to see a vet ASAP.
 
I really don't know ... is he having any problems breathing?
Metacam will help with swelling and pain - you can get it from a vet.

I sincerely hope he does not have internal bleeding, that he makes it through the night, gets to a knowledgeable vet asap, and doesn't need to be pts.

Rats hide pain well.
It sounds like he is seriously injured to me.
But good that he is willing and able to take things from you.
A buddy to snuggle is important. I'd try to keep him warm and quiet. Comfortable and give meds for pain. But just a guess, I really don't know. I have never had a rat that was squeezed too hard.
I would suggest you phone the emergency vet and ask what they suggest ... and if they think you should bring him in.

I pmed you a phone number to call tonight for info/help from someone very knowlegable about rats.
 
Thank you guys so much for the responses. SQ - thank you in particular for the # to call. I did get a hold of her and she made me feel much better. She said that if Lukie was bleeding internally, he probably wouldn't be with us still and that there isn't much the emergency vet could do for him right now, other than giving him a shot to help any potential swelling. She advised me to keep him comfortable at home. My husband just went out to get children's tylenol. He does seem to be doing better - is moving a little quicker and was a bit more active than before to get treats, but he is clearly in pain. DH thinks it's around his spine. I will get up at night to check on him and give him more tylenol in another 4 hours. I think he'll be OK. He seems to be breathing like the others, just in shock, in pain and hopefully rest and lots of TLC will get him on the mend. I'll go ahead and leave him in the big cage with his snuggle buddies. The others seemed to immediately understand that something happened. And they are all leaving him alone and/or being tender with him. Rats amaze me more and more each day. There were many tears shed tonight and we haven't even been rat owners that long.

Thank you for your help. I will update tomorrow with hopefully better news. Keep our Lukie in your thoughts/prayers...
 
That is a real tough one - to the emergency vet right away who sometimes knows nothing, or wait to see your knowledgeable vet the next day. And of course money IS an issue, they both charge bigtime to walk in the door. No decision if your kids needs emergency care, but a helluva one if it can wait. You sound liike a really good ratmom. I'm so sorry your daughter has learned something such a painful way for her, and most sorry for Lukie of course, hope he's ok, for him first, your daughter second and you third. Make sure he's drinking ok? Dehydration would weaken him badly.
 
Oh Jen... I hope he's ok.

A while back I had a very young rat fall from a short distance but it was enough to bruise his back. I really thought I was going to lose him. What I did was put him in a smaller cage so he couldn't move too much, I kept him very warm, hydrated and force fed him Ensure or Boost. I also gave him metacam (a pain reliever) twice a day and he made it... it was touch and go for a while but he made it.

Lots of healing vibes for your little guy!!!
 
Thank you guys. You made me feel better b/c I do feel like a terrible rat momma :(

Update: Lukie is hanging in there. I'm continuing the tylenol every 4-5 hours. He is doing better - moving better, bruxing a bit, eating, using the facilities, etc. I spoke to the vet who encouraged me to keep him comfortable and don't handle him much. She recommended the smaller cage, like you mentioned, Jo. He's with the big boys and they're all snuggling, so he'll stay there for now, but she did encourage me to restrict his movement, so if he gets more active, I'll move him and put his brother in with him.

She said he might have fractured his spine, but even if it's that severe, there isn't much they could do, except keep him comfortable (metacam) and tylenol works in a similar way. So I'm supposed to keep him comfy, keep him on the tylenol and she'll be available tomorrow if I need to bring him in. I was thinking he was doing fine on his own, but every once in a while, he rolls onto his back, which makes me nervous. Does that indicate pain in a rat? He is stretching and yawning a lot, so I think he's trying to get himself more comfortable. He doesn't seem to be in shock anymore, just sore. But I thank you all for the positive vibes/thoughts/prayers. He is doing better, which is good.

She said if it's a bruise, he should be much better in a few days. If it's a fracture, then it could take weeks. I'll post another update soon. Thanks again for your help and wonderful advice. Again, I don't know what I'd do without this wonderful group...I can feel the cyber hugs...
 
I hope he is okay Jen....we certainly are all sending you many hugs, and lots of prayers that your little guy gets better soon. Accidents do happen....to us all. :hugs:
 
Awww, your poor baby! Make sure he stays warm - maybe a heating pad or a hot water bottle that he can use if he wants? He might not be comfortable in a rat pile if he hurts.
And I know this sounds mean, but hopefully this is an experience that your daughter will always remember - it will make her much more careful around little animals in the future (the school of hard knocks...been there!)
 
Luke's been doing a lot of owie stretches since the accident. And he does look a bit puffier, yes. And I did see the picture on this site of a rat really sucking his side in and Luke's isn't anywhere near that bad, but I have seen it mildly once in a while - moreso yesterday than today. Though I wonder if he's hurting more since the shock has worn off. I slammed my finger in a cardoor in college and broke the tip of my finger bone years ago. When it happened, I was in such shock that I don't even remember it hurting at all, even when I yanked it out of the closed door (ugh) - then hours later after it was cauterized (to relieve pressure under my nail), it hurt soooooooooo bad for days...couldn't even sleep or concentrate in classes, it hurt so bad. Hope it's not like that for him :(

He seems to be a bit restless, like it's hard to get comfy, but is hungry and gnawing on various things in the cage, besides his rat blocks. He is definitely better though and actually just got a burst of energy and is scampering around. He also mildly eye boggled this morning???? Should I put him in the smaller cage to keep him less active?

Also, does anyone know if metacam (sp?) works better than tylenol? I don't think he needs to see the vet tomorrow based on his improvement, but I will gladly take him in if the drugs she would give me will provide him more relief than OTC tylenol...thoughts on that? She said the metacam was similar to tylenol. I want him to be comfy. Advice on that?

Thanks again everyone :hugs:
 
Metacam is way better, get him on that asap if you can. When a rat starts to chew on things like blankets, tissues and other items, that's also a sign of pain.
It's really good news that he's made it this far, I would think this means no internal bleeding. We've seen two cases of internal bleeding and both times they died withing hours. Hopefully he didn't bruise any organs either.
So what you want is keep him very restricted, metacam, warm, hydrated and fed very well.
 
Metacam and Tylenol are similar in that they are both pain killers.
However, Metacam is an Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID) - like Ibuprofen. This means that it helps to reduce inflammation, which Tylenol does not.
The down side is that a lot of NSAIDs increase bleeding times and are hard on the belly, which may not be a good thing if you are worried about internal damage. I don't know if Metacam is one that can cause that problem.

I personally take an NSAID over Tylenol most of the time as I find it more effective for my pain.
 
Well, I am very surprised (happily), but it's been about 24 hours since the accident and he appears to be feeling a bit better. He got that burst of energy I mentioned and got really excited. We took all four upstairs for out of cage time and while I was trying to restrict his climbing/playing, he wanted to be on the move. He was hopping about happily, bruxing, eating & markedly better. He still seems to be favoring his back, but I'm amazed at this sudden burst of happiness. He's definitely not as hunched or as "flat" as before when he lies down. This makes me feel hopeful that perhaps it is a bruise versus a fracture/brake. He's drinking water right now. He even jumped on his brother and pinned him down to groom him and then Chaulky tried to groom him - he squeaked so I pulled Chaulky off him. The boys have largely been leaving him alone, as if they sense his pain, so maybe the fact that Chaulky tried to dominate him is a good sign he is feeling better????

So that raises the question again of to separate (maybe with his brother) or to leave in the cage at night??? Also, should I not let him play out of cage like that at all or trust his natural instinct that he will rest if he needs it? The bathroom is long so when he got tired, he would lie down undisturbed. Thoughts?

And good points about the metacam concern with internal bleeding - since he seems to suddenly feel better, maybe I should stick with the tylenol. Good to know, Jo, that gnawing is a sign of pain. He was gnawing on one of those rat shack logs that is edible, but he would do that before the accident. Now he's tired and resting while the others are exploring, so he seems to be regulating himself, which is good. Thanks for helping get us through this everyone...
 

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