Neuter post op worried

[Bella Collins]

Hi everyone!
I’m a new rat mommy, I got my two 3 month old boys neutered yesterday, one seems to be sipping along already, but my grey boy is being quite lethargic.
An hour ago he was lying on his side in the cage breathing shallowly. He didn’t even respond when I touched him or moved his leg.
When I picked him up out of the cage he stirred and then ate some custard from my finger. Then his brother was bossing him around and force grooming him, so I’ve separated them.
There are some stains around his wound, but they are dried and don’t seem to be seeping currently.
He’s always been a lazy boy but I’m still worried about what happened earlier. The vet didn’t recommend any pain relief or anything. He has been trying to clean the wound a little bit.
What do I do???
*Sorry just minorly freaking out over my little one.

 

[Fidget]

I sure understand, I hope he's ok. First thing to do is phone the vet if they're still open and describe what you've described here.

 

[Fidget]

Are you able to take him in and have him seen by a vet straight-away? That would be best. He could have a slow internal bleed (I don't say that to worry you, just he should be picking up by now) You say he's naturally lazy, but is he worsening since normal or after surgery?

 

[Bella Collins]

Thank you so much for your response Fidget! I called the vet and the nurse at reception said that as long as he was eating and drinking there was nothing to worry about. She said that he was probably still affected by the anaesthetic, but they used a gas so I think it would have long worn off. He has been eating baby food(custard w puréed banana) but I haven’t heard or seen him drink from the bottle. The nurse didn’t seem very worried.
I’ve attached a picture below of what the area looks like now. It’s now been 24 hours since surgery. He has been cleaning the site a bit. He is sleeping very heavily once he’s out and won’t stir for snacks or when I call his name. When I pick him up though he wakes up. He’s moving okay, but sometimes as if his back legs aren’t working properly. The vet didn’t tell me to get them any painkillers, but maybe I should get some baby paracetamol?

 

[jorats]

Some rats do take longer to recover. I'm surprised you didn't get any metacam for pain management. I would get ibuprofen to help him cope.

 

[SQ]

You can see if your vet will give you pain meds ....... rats will bother their incision and rip out stiches if they are not getting enough pain control

Edit: vets usually give an injection of pain meds after surgery that will last for 24 hours. Your vet should have told you if they did this or not and when you could start to give oral pain meds. Please contact your vet to ask and also to get metacam

signs of pain in rats: http://ratguide.com/health/basics/signs_of_pain_in_rats.php

 

[Sheldon]

I agree, the baby boy needs pain meds. He could be less interactive and willing to move because he is hurting.

On the anesthetic, it can take up to 24 hrs for them to leave the body. That is normal.

 

[Olympia✨]

Hi everyone!
I’m a new rat mommy, I got my two 3 month old boys neutered yesterday, one seems to be sipping along already, but my grey boy is being quite lethargic.
An hour ago he was lying on his side in the cage breathing shallowly. He didn’t even respond when I touched him or moved his leg.
When I picked him up out of the cage he stirred and then ate some custard from my finger. Then his brother was bossing him around and force grooming him, so I’ve separated them.
There are some stains around his wound, but they are dried and don’t seem to be seeping currently.
He’s always been a lazy boy but I’m still worried about what happened earlier. The vet didn’t recommend any pain relief or anything. He has been trying to clean the wound a little bit.
What do I do???
*Sorry just minorly freaking out over my little one.

Please please please get your boy some pain relief! These operations are incredibly painful for ratties and pain should be one of your main priorities.

I only ever had to get one of my boys neutered but it took my baby over 24h to wear off from the anaesthetic. I fed him baby food, soft oats with soya milk and a nutritional paste we have here in the U.K. for rats that is designed for post op nutrients or rats that cannot feed themselves but obviously need the nutrition. So maybe try that? As for water, my boy didn’t drink by himself until the anaesthetic wore off so I put water on my finger and let him lick that off- worked like a charm.

But please, get him some pain relief from the vets, if not look for alternatives like baby ibuprofen drops but make sure to measure it out VERY accurately. I’m sure there are sites to help with these measurements. But your best bet is to go to the vets. If you can’t get to the vets now, try an ice cube to numb the area so your boy doesn’t try ripping his stitches out due to the pain.

 

[SQ]

But please, get him some pain relief from the vets, if not look for alternatives like baby ibuprofen drops but make sure to measure it out VERY accurately. I’m sure there are sites to help with these measurements. But your best bet is to go to the vets.

Lilspaz68 can tell you the dose to give etc if she knows the weight of the rattie, the med and the strength of the med (mg/ml)