jessielovesrats
Member
Does anyone have experience with Kidney disease in rats?
My sweet little pet rat (Diego) was diagnosed with Kidney disease a few weeks ago. So far he's been getting weekly vitamin injections and has been getting electrolyte solution everyday. I've got him on a low protein diet as well.
But he's losing weight fast (About 30 grams a week, he weighs about 370g at the moment, he's really skinny and we can see hips spine and ribs sticking out). Initially he started to lose mobility of his back legs. Over the last two days he has started to lose his balance and keeps falling over. Yesterday he appeared to lose all of his strength and can no longer eat out of a bowl (he doesn't seem to have the strength to hold us his head or use his front paws anymore) so we had to keep him off a saucer instead.
Also, I noticed that he has two hard lumps (very tiny) just above his penis on either side and he's been producing a lot of porphyrin (it's all over his little arms and face).
He still has a big appetite and shows interested in his surroundings though.
I know that there's nothing that can be done to cure him, but does anyone have any tips to make him more comfortable? He'll be going to the vet tomorrow again, but they will just give him another injection (they tell each time there is no cure only treatment for make it more manageable), he can't take any metacam (anti-inflamtories) because it'll damage his kidneys more.
Has anyone had a rat with kidney disease before? I know that when the kidneys fail it often leads to heart problems, is that what is happening to Diego now? (All my previous rats died from either tumors or respiratory issues so this is a first for me).
Also, he's only 18 months old.
My sweet little pet rat (Diego) was diagnosed with Kidney disease a few weeks ago. So far he's been getting weekly vitamin injections and has been getting electrolyte solution everyday. I've got him on a low protein diet as well.
But he's losing weight fast (About 30 grams a week, he weighs about 370g at the moment, he's really skinny and we can see hips spine and ribs sticking out). Initially he started to lose mobility of his back legs. Over the last two days he has started to lose his balance and keeps falling over. Yesterday he appeared to lose all of his strength and can no longer eat out of a bowl (he doesn't seem to have the strength to hold us his head or use his front paws anymore) so we had to keep him off a saucer instead.
Also, I noticed that he has two hard lumps (very tiny) just above his penis on either side and he's been producing a lot of porphyrin (it's all over his little arms and face).
He still has a big appetite and shows interested in his surroundings though.
I know that there's nothing that can be done to cure him, but does anyone have any tips to make him more comfortable? He'll be going to the vet tomorrow again, but they will just give him another injection (they tell each time there is no cure only treatment for make it more manageable), he can't take any metacam (anti-inflamtories) because it'll damage his kidneys more.
Has anyone had a rat with kidney disease before? I know that when the kidneys fail it often leads to heart problems, is that what is happening to Diego now? (All my previous rats died from either tumors or respiratory issues so this is a first for me).
Also, he's only 18 months old.
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