Liquid Diet

[zJoker]

Hello!

My boy is on a liquid diet as he is unable to bite well due to a tumor on his face which causes pressure when he bites. The vet I've been to recommended just feeding him Ensure (I got the chocolate flavour!) which he has been eating since he fell ill but he has been losing weight quite quickly... I think? He's at 480g now and used to be 500g just 10 days ago. Would anyone know roughly how much Ensure an adult male rat should be consuming per day? So far I've just been feeding him whenever he seemed willing to eat.

Also, the vet claimed that just Ensure alone would provide him all the nutrients he needs and would anyone know if that is true? Should I still feed him regular treats and fresh produce if he's willing to eat them?

Thank you for reading till here and have a great day/night!

 

[SQ]

Lilspaz68 would be the best person to answer your question
Can you post a picture and provide more info regarding the tumour?

It sounds like you are doing the right thing - feeding him as much as he wants and feed every few hours so at least 5 times a day and whenever he is hungry

Personally, not knowing a lot about the situation, I would suggest you feed organic or nonGMO soy infant formula thickened with baby cereal - this is what is recommended for orphaned baby rats and what I feed my seniors when they find eating food too difficult .... he may be able to eat it from a dish, lick it off your finger, lick it off a syringe or you may need to syringe feed it to him one drop at a time into the side of his mouth so it does not go into his lungs

You might also give him his rat blocks soaked in cool water to make mush, in a shallow dish
Both of these will give him the nutrition he needs and help to keep him hydrated
They should also be able to be licked up without any chewing but use your judgement

You might also supplement the above by giving him cooked vegs such as peas, cooked and mashed carrots, cooked and mashed sweet potato, cooked and mashed squash etc .... he might also be able to eat baby food or cooked pureed vegs .... if he has other favorite foods then you might offer them to him in a form he can manage by himself or with help from you

Just make sure there is no chocking hazard, and you might want to run it by your vet

I hope this helps and that you let us know how things are going

 

[lilspaz68]

I make lab block mush for my oldies,my sickies and my rats with teeth issues, it's a balanced diet, in a form they can lick up easily. Baby cereal with Ensure as a supplement but not the main diet is good.

As for the tumour on his face, is the lump directly under his ear? If somewhere else on the head, can you take a pic or tell us where?