Recovery diet to gain weight?

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Megan Fleischman

New Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2019
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0
Location
Washington
Two of my sweet ratties just went through surgery two days ago. Is there anything besides their normal diet that will help them recover? I gave them a bit of scrambled egg last night, since extra protein may help them regrow tissue.

Cocoa had a large mammary tumor removed and is doing very well. Rockie nearly died after her surgery, but is doing really well today.

Rockie’s surgery was to remove her sick uterus.The diagnosis was pyrometra (extremely infected uterus) AND tumor growth. I didn’t realize how thin she really was because her bad uterus was so enlarged it made her look close to normal weight. Now its been removed she looks skeletal! So sad. What can I give her to fatten her up? I’m hoping she will recover well and be with us for many more months!
 
My go-to things for very old or sick kids that don't eat or need to gain weight are - Ensure or Boost (extra calorie), most love it, I've used all flavors. Shake a bottle up, let the bubbles settle, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it to use as needed since it's only good for 3 days in the fridge once opened. and Avocado is fantastic (they love it), peel one and cut it into pieces and freeze it on a cookie sheet to put in a container after so you have it on hand..
 
Potatoes & sweet potatoes are high-calorie too. and I expect they're on antibiotics? so if you're shopping yogurt can help their tummies..
 
Rats can be lactose intolerant. You don't want to make a kid feel sicker. Ensure or Boost is better, and there are high calorie versions.
 
You can also mix protein powder in with Ensure for an extra boost. My rats tend to favor the vanilla flavors. I've read about some owners using Cali Paste, which is a weight gaining nutritional gel for cats and dogs and can be found on Amazon. My little rat with a middle ear infection was recommended baby food with beef in it but she wouldn't eat it (I am a vegetarian, maybe she picked up on that).
 
I used to give Ensure and then I realized the sugar content was much too high for my liking. Switching to avocado, soy milk, nuts and seeds is more beneficial to their health.
 
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