Two Sick Rat + castration

[ChaoticEva]

Hello!

I am quite new to the pet rat world and I have a few questions about recovery and diet. So Friday we went to the vet as both Darwin and Deku were not eating or drinking, not to mention the weird respiratory sounds they were making. They were diagnosed with respiratory disease (which I know is quite common) and now they're on 2 antibiotic, an anti-inflammatory and probiotics for a month. The vet suggested giving them whatever they wanted to eat, but most importantly, some baby cereal and baby food. So, I'm now fully equipped with the goods and they're doing quite a bit better today. They're eating the baby food and are enjoying it. Here is my main question ; how long should they be eating the baby food? Keep in mind that we rescued the boys a month ago from a hoarding situation and the first vet we saw didn't catch the respiratory issues. I'm glad I decided to try a different vet (who was absolutely A.M.A.Z.I.N.G) and actually go with my gut that was telling me that they weren't doing well.

I also have a question regarding castration. We got both the boys castrated on Wednesday. So how long does it take for the swelling to go down, down there? The vet we saw on Friday said it was normal, but I'm wondering until when is it normal? Like how many days?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

 

[SQ]

Hi! Your boys look very sweet

I am so glad that you found a good vet. A good vet with the experience and knowledge to treat rats is absolutely essential!
If the antibiotics are helping, the boys will need to be on the antibiotics for at least 4 weeks - but 6 weeks may be needed ........ if the antibiotics do not help, then you will need to contact the vet so the antibiotics can be changed.

Please post pictures so we can see the swelling.
Not sure how long it last, a week or 2 I believe but lilspaz68 would know for sure
What did the vet you saw on Friday say?
Here is some info on neuters http://ratguide.com/health/reproductive/neuter.php

What are the antibiotics, what is the anti-inflammatory?
What is the strength (mg/ml) and dose of (mls) of each? How much does each boy weigh?
Are the boys also on pain meds?

When rats are having breathing problems, it is difficult to breath and eat at the same time
Soft foods, such as baby food, organic soy infant formula thickened with baby cereal, cooked vegs such as cooked sweet potato, etc are easier to eat and will also help to keep them hydrated.

You can also offer them rat blocks (oxbow or harlan2014), and other vegs
but they will need the soft food until they are feeling better

 

[ChaoticEva]

Thank you so much for the super quick reply.

To answer a few of your questions : They're both on Meloxicam 15mg/ml (getting 1cc), Doxycycline 100mg/ml (getting 3cc) and Enrofloxacin 100mg/ml (getting 3cc) all that twice a day. I'm not sure on their weight. I didn't listen at that part, as I was quite anxious for the boys.
As for the swelling, I don't have pictures at the moment, but I will try to take some tomorrow (they aren't with me right now). The vet didn't give me a timeline on how long the swelling should last. He just mentioned that I should check it daily to make sure it doesn't become bigger and into an abscess since the swelling is inside.

I have another appointment in a month for a check up. He explained to me how respiratory disease works and how he wants a follow up a month after to make sure everything is going well. He also gave me names/numbers of emergency vets that have the right equipment for small animals, which I appreciated so very much!

So I should be feeding them soft food for a while? Right now, they have mostly fruit baby food, but I mix it with the pablum, so I don't put too much in there. And they LOVE the mix. The lost weight, so I'm happy that they're eating well now.

 

[SQ]

It is good that they are on Meloxicam because it is a pain med that has anti-inflammatory properties.

Yes, give them the baby food for awhile but it is not enough by itself - some fruit is good but too much isn't so you may want to give other types of baby food as well ...... you can also offer rat blocks (oxbow or Harlan 2014), as well as rat blocks ground up and soaked in cool water to make mush or offer some organic soy infant formula thickened with baby cereal - the blocks and formula will both provide needed nutrition.
In addition you can also offer things such as cooked whole grains, cooked sweet potato, mixed greens, frozen/thawed peas, a few organic pumpkin seeds, broccoli, organic baby kale, organic carrots - carrot sticks or cooked, etc ...... there is a forbidden foods list .... you might want to check out: the Reference Thread under health and General care (my computer is not working properly so can not provide the link)

but as the vet said, the most important thing is that they are eating and staying hydrated

anyway, welcome and I hope they are soon felling much better

 

[ChaoticEva]

Thanks again for the info. They get fresh veggies daily, as they aren't a fan of fruits. They also get Oxbox, so I may try adding water and using that instead of pablum. It's probably more nutritional for them.

 

[SQ]

I would suggest that you grind some up and add cool water to make much but also offer the normal solid blocks so they have a choice

 

[ChaoticEva]

Here are the picture of the swelling where they were neutered. I know it isn't the best pictures, but this is as best I could do. They both have like a hard bump inside, which hasn't gotten bigger since Friday. Could it really be swelling? Like those this look good?

 

[lilspaz68]

The incisions look okay but the metacam/meloxicam doses may be too much or not quite enough.
1 cc is a huuuge amount, is it 0.1 cc? and that was a typo? Then again 0.1 cc is a very small amount for pain/swelling relief.
What concentration is your meloxicam? Most are 1.5 mg/ml or 0.5 mg/ml. How much do your boys weigh?

 

[ChaoticEva]

Yes, it was a typo. They`re getting .1cc twice daily. Concentration is 15mg/ml. Or at least that's what it says on the bottle. Not sure on weight. I believe they're around 250/275 grams.

 

[lilspaz68]

Yep its actually 1.5 mg/ml meloxicam and the dose is a bit low but its fine for a simple thing like a neuter.

 

[ChaoticEva]

They're actually getting 0.01ml twice a day. It says on my bottle and on the bill that it is 15ml/mg. The color is also not the same as regular Meloxicam. I give it daily to my cat, but the one I got for my rats is actually opaque and yellow. I'm not sure on the brand he gave me.

 

[lilspaz68]

can you take a pic of your bottle? if its 15 mg/ml they may have made it up from meloxicam pills themselves then the dose would be accurate albeit a little low.

 

[ChaoticEva]

Here is the picture of the meds. Also, one of my boys incision seems that have opened up a little (tip of a pencil opening) and it is a little red and has a yellow scab. Should I be worried? The swelling has gone down a lot though. I tried taking a picture, but he moves to much that i can't get a good pic.

 

[ChaoticEva]

I was able to get a picture of his incision. It's all healed up pretty well except that small area. In the little whole, it's a little white. We disinfected the area.