Rattieluvr
Member
I’d like to put together a first aid kit for my boys in case of emergency, including meds from vet. Only problem is, I don’t have a clue what to put in it! Lol. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.
Rattie First Aid Kit?
- Thread starter Rattieluvr
- Start date
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SQ
Senior Member - Vegan for the animals
This may help http://ratguide.com/health/basics/first_aid_supplies.php
Luna&Ralph
Member
Wow, the list SQ linked to is great!
What I have on hand at all time is:
-Ensure (although I use it less now than I used to)
-baby food and baby cereal (pablum)
-syrups to flavour meds (maple, strawberry, Rolo)
-manuka honey (fantastic for wounds and antibiotic purposes!)
-lots of syringes (1ml, 3ml, 6ml, 20ml, for any occasion. I find that backs of the larger ones help to crush pills)
-pill splitter, and I just purchased a pill crusher)
-hydrogen peroxide or iodine/betadine for abscess cleaning, and Q-tips
-Children's Motrin
-antibiotics (I order mine online from the US. I always have Baytril, doxycycline, and amoxicillin)
-baby wipes
I don't think I'm missing anything but I might be. I'll add to this list if I've forgotten something.
What I have on hand at all time is:
-Ensure (although I use it less now than I used to)
-baby food and baby cereal (pablum)
-syrups to flavour meds (maple, strawberry, Rolo)
-manuka honey (fantastic for wounds and antibiotic purposes!)
-lots of syringes (1ml, 3ml, 6ml, 20ml, for any occasion. I find that backs of the larger ones help to crush pills)
-pill splitter, and I just purchased a pill crusher)
-hydrogen peroxide or iodine/betadine for abscess cleaning, and Q-tips
-Children's Motrin
-antibiotics (I order mine online from the US. I always have Baytril, doxycycline, and amoxicillin)
-baby wipes
I don't think I'm missing anything but I might be. I'll add to this list if I've forgotten something.
SQ
Senior Member - Vegan for the animals
Personally I prefer organic soy infant formula over ensure because it is used for young babies/orphaned rats and because ensure is not very healthy. But a lot of people do use ensure.
Usually you do not put anything on wounds and hydrogen peroxide damages tissue so not recommended to be applied to rats. Edit: I have used it before for myself and for a cat, so I was surprised when I found this out. For wound care ratguide.com has useful info.
Having things on hand for emergencies or when your vet or a good vet that treats rats) is not available is important …... but a good vet needs to be consulted asap
I find that having:
1. Medications: baytril, clavamox, azithromycin and doxy (less important) as well as lasix, and prednisone on hand or having current prescriptions for them on file (refills) that can be filled, metacam, a bronco dilator (puffer) and a prescription on file for cabergoline to be essential. I get all my meds from my vet or from a human pharmacy by prescription from my vet.
It is important to consult your vet, take rats in for a vet appointment and always work closely with your vet when your rats are ill or something happens. Since I rescue and thus have large numbers of rats, and someone is usually ill, I have meds around …
Plus I have a good working relationship with my vet - something all rat owners need to develop
2. a can of organic soy infant formula (babies, ill rats, rats with medical conditions making eating difficult)
3. organic baby cereal
4. lots of 1 ml syringes for measuring meds, and for feeding food or meds if necessary
5. pill splitter and pill crusher
6. everything necessary to give sub-Q fluids including the bag of fluid, 10 ml syringes that needles screw onto, screw on needles, and 27 gauge butterfly needles
7. corn starch etc to stop bleeding
8. organic (real) maple syrup to add to meds when mixing them up
9. rubbing alcohol for cleaning things - like the bag of fluid before I stick a needle in it
10. digital scale with a tare function that weighs accurately to 1 gram
11. new clean small pill bottles for holding meds
12. a cool mist humidifier (rarely needed in my climate)
13. finger nail clippers, toe nail clippers, things for trimming teeth although trimming teeth yourself is not recommended because of the dangers involved - see ratguide.com
14 sterile gauze
15 small dishes to give meds to rats
16. distilled water
anything else I can think of right now are normal household items or items I can get pretty fast so do not necessarily keep on hand
and I strongly suggest that you always check ratguide.com before treating illnesses, wounds etc
because it is a vet approved medical site for rat owners
and always consult your vet as soon as possible because often we may think something is wrong and then the vet discovers it is really something else and thus requires a completely different treatment
Having a good client/doctor relationship with a good vet who has the knowledge and experience (and is willing to learn) is essential for rat owners.
Usually you do not put anything on wounds and hydrogen peroxide damages tissue so not recommended to be applied to rats. Edit: I have used it before for myself and for a cat, so I was surprised when I found this out. For wound care ratguide.com has useful info.
Having things on hand for emergencies or when your vet or a good vet that treats rats) is not available is important …... but a good vet needs to be consulted asap
I find that having:
1. Medications: baytril, clavamox, azithromycin and doxy (less important) as well as lasix, and prednisone on hand or having current prescriptions for them on file (refills) that can be filled, metacam, a bronco dilator (puffer) and a prescription on file for cabergoline to be essential. I get all my meds from my vet or from a human pharmacy by prescription from my vet.
It is important to consult your vet, take rats in for a vet appointment and always work closely with your vet when your rats are ill or something happens. Since I rescue and thus have large numbers of rats, and someone is usually ill, I have meds around …
Plus I have a good working relationship with my vet - something all rat owners need to develop
2. a can of organic soy infant formula (babies, ill rats, rats with medical conditions making eating difficult)
3. organic baby cereal
4. lots of 1 ml syringes for measuring meds, and for feeding food or meds if necessary
5. pill splitter and pill crusher
6. everything necessary to give sub-Q fluids including the bag of fluid, 10 ml syringes that needles screw onto, screw on needles, and 27 gauge butterfly needles
7. corn starch etc to stop bleeding
8. organic (real) maple syrup to add to meds when mixing them up
9. rubbing alcohol for cleaning things - like the bag of fluid before I stick a needle in it
10. digital scale with a tare function that weighs accurately to 1 gram
11. new clean small pill bottles for holding meds
12. a cool mist humidifier (rarely needed in my climate)
13. finger nail clippers, toe nail clippers, things for trimming teeth although trimming teeth yourself is not recommended because of the dangers involved - see ratguide.com
14 sterile gauze
15 small dishes to give meds to rats
16. distilled water
anything else I can think of right now are normal household items or items I can get pretty fast so do not necessarily keep on hand
and I strongly suggest that you always check ratguide.com before treating illnesses, wounds etc
because it is a vet approved medical site for rat owners
and always consult your vet as soon as possible because often we may think something is wrong and then the vet discovers it is really something else and thus requires a completely different treatment
Having a good client/doctor relationship with a good vet who has the knowledge and experience (and is willing to learn) is essential for rat owners.
Last edited:
Luna&Ralph
Member
I should have clarified. I use a diluted mixture of 1 part hydrogen peroxide to 10 parts water, as suggested by this website: http://www.ratfanclub.org/abscess.html
Nearly all of the abscesses I have treated with this mixture have resolved within 3-4 days of opening and have never come back, nor has the mixture damaged the skin. I find that this mixture helps a lot to soften the scab and the waxy buildup of pus that most abscesses had when opened. Of course, everyone should use what they're comfortable with. I just suggested items that work for me.
Nearly all of the abscesses I have treated with this mixture have resolved within 3-4 days of opening and have never come back, nor has the mixture damaged the skin. I find that this mixture helps a lot to soften the scab and the waxy buildup of pus that most abscesses had when opened. Of course, everyone should use what they're comfortable with. I just suggested items that work for me.
Rattieluvr
Member
Such awesome information! Thank you so much! I’ll start collecting.
