Bati
Well-Known Member
Is it possible to do a c-section on a rat? sometimes rats cant give birht and I was wondering if it's at all possible for the babies to survive
C-section
- Thread starter Bati
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jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
I'm pretty it's done but I don't think it's very common. I've discussed it with my vet once when we were talking about myco. She did say that it's not very practical.
lilspaz68
Well-Known Member
from ratguide.com
Emergency C-Section/Spay
A Cesarean section, commonly referred to as a âC-sectionâ, is a procedure in which offspring are delivered by cutting through the abdomen and uterus as opposed to a normal birth.
Since it is not feasible to deliver the babies and repair the uterus in rats the procedure is an actual spay â the uterus is removed and opened in an effort save any viable babies and/or the mother.
The Procedure
Your vet should use all normal sterile surgical procedures including a sterile drape. The vet can pre-medicate the rat with torbutrol or Banamine (for pain) and glycopyrrolate (to protect the heart).
The rat should be induced with isofurane or sevoflurane gas for the surgery. A second assistant should be devoted to removing and reviving the pups.
Normal spay procedures should be followed and the incision should be closed externally with staples or staples and tissue glue. The mother should be kept warm and on oxygen for at least 30 minutes post-op.
This mother will be unable to lactate due to the stress of the surgery and a lack of hormones. Ask your vet for pain medication to give her at home â this is a very invasive and painful procedure.
The Offspring
Although not every emergency spay will produce live babies, often some or all of the babies will survive and will need assistance to complete the birth process.
Harvesting the Babies
Once the uterus is removed the vet will need to tend to the mother while an assistant, or several of them, help with the offspring. This needs to be done quickly since the support of the mother has been taken away and their oxygen supply is now gone. Babies stuck in the birth sac with no oxygen may attempt to breath and can aspirate in the birth fluids.
Each horn of the uterus will need to be cut open carefully so that none of the babies are harmed. As the babies are removed, each sac should be carefully opened and the umbilical cord excised approximately 1/4â from the body. Quickly clean the babies with a warm sponge or cloth. Dry them and stimulate them to breathe by gentle and constant rubbing. Check to make sure their mouths and nasal passages are clear. Do not give up if they do not breathe immediately, it can take a few minutes of stimulation to get a breath.
Once you have gotten a gasp for air, continue to rub the babies and introduce them to a pure oxygen source periodically (hold them up to the O2 tube as you rub). This can revive even purple/blue babies, but you have likely lost any babies that are white in the uterus or birth canal.
Initial Care for Offspring
It is difficult to feed neonate rats and they must be kept warm at all times. Hand-raised babies will need to be stimulated to excrete wastes (a damp warm Q-tip or cotton ball).
A lactating foster mother will give the babies a much higher chance of survival. The survival rate for hand-raising is very low.
Neonate rats need immediate nutrition and fluids. The healthiest initial feedings should be colostrum, which is the mammary secretion produced shortly after birth. It is high in antibodies that help keep babies healthy. Colostrum is also high in carbohydrates and protein while being low in fat. Itâs easily digested and places little strain on the gastrointestinal tract
It is crucial that any surviving babies be fed colostrum for the first couple of days. If you can find a foster mother who has given birth within 24 hours this will not be as great a concern.
If you have a nursing foster mother that has not given birth within 24 hours, you will have to supplement with hand-fed colostrum or generously rub it on the foster motherâs nipples to assure the babies get enough.
If there is no nursing dam available, there is a brand of colostrums called âNursemateâ available through Omaha Vaccine online. It is a good idea to keep colostrum in your home if you breed rats. The colostrum can be mixed with human infant soy formula for the first 48 hours of hand feeding. The babies must be fed warm fluids every 2 hours in their first few days of life.
To feed rat neonates do not use a syringe as it can cause the babies to aspirate the formula. You can buy micro nipples from wildlife rehabber stores online and keep them in your emergency first aid kit. If you do not have micro nipples let them suck or lick from a small paintbrush or the twisted corner of a paper towel dipped in formula.
Emergency C-Section/Spay
A Cesarean section, commonly referred to as a âC-sectionâ, is a procedure in which offspring are delivered by cutting through the abdomen and uterus as opposed to a normal birth.
Since it is not feasible to deliver the babies and repair the uterus in rats the procedure is an actual spay â the uterus is removed and opened in an effort save any viable babies and/or the mother.
The Procedure
Your vet should use all normal sterile surgical procedures including a sterile drape. The vet can pre-medicate the rat with torbutrol or Banamine (for pain) and glycopyrrolate (to protect the heart).
The rat should be induced with isofurane or sevoflurane gas for the surgery. A second assistant should be devoted to removing and reviving the pups.
Normal spay procedures should be followed and the incision should be closed externally with staples or staples and tissue glue. The mother should be kept warm and on oxygen for at least 30 minutes post-op.
This mother will be unable to lactate due to the stress of the surgery and a lack of hormones. Ask your vet for pain medication to give her at home â this is a very invasive and painful procedure.
The Offspring
Although not every emergency spay will produce live babies, often some or all of the babies will survive and will need assistance to complete the birth process.
Harvesting the Babies
Once the uterus is removed the vet will need to tend to the mother while an assistant, or several of them, help with the offspring. This needs to be done quickly since the support of the mother has been taken away and their oxygen supply is now gone. Babies stuck in the birth sac with no oxygen may attempt to breath and can aspirate in the birth fluids.
Each horn of the uterus will need to be cut open carefully so that none of the babies are harmed. As the babies are removed, each sac should be carefully opened and the umbilical cord excised approximately 1/4â from the body. Quickly clean the babies with a warm sponge or cloth. Dry them and stimulate them to breathe by gentle and constant rubbing. Check to make sure their mouths and nasal passages are clear. Do not give up if they do not breathe immediately, it can take a few minutes of stimulation to get a breath.
Once you have gotten a gasp for air, continue to rub the babies and introduce them to a pure oxygen source periodically (hold them up to the O2 tube as you rub). This can revive even purple/blue babies, but you have likely lost any babies that are white in the uterus or birth canal.
Initial Care for Offspring
It is difficult to feed neonate rats and they must be kept warm at all times. Hand-raised babies will need to be stimulated to excrete wastes (a damp warm Q-tip or cotton ball).
A lactating foster mother will give the babies a much higher chance of survival. The survival rate for hand-raising is very low.
Neonate rats need immediate nutrition and fluids. The healthiest initial feedings should be colostrum, which is the mammary secretion produced shortly after birth. It is high in antibodies that help keep babies healthy. Colostrum is also high in carbohydrates and protein while being low in fat. Itâs easily digested and places little strain on the gastrointestinal tract
It is crucial that any surviving babies be fed colostrum for the first couple of days. If you can find a foster mother who has given birth within 24 hours this will not be as great a concern.
If you have a nursing foster mother that has not given birth within 24 hours, you will have to supplement with hand-fed colostrum or generously rub it on the foster motherâs nipples to assure the babies get enough.
If there is no nursing dam available, there is a brand of colostrums called âNursemateâ available through Omaha Vaccine online. It is a good idea to keep colostrum in your home if you breed rats. The colostrum can be mixed with human infant soy formula for the first 48 hours of hand feeding. The babies must be fed warm fluids every 2 hours in their first few days of life.
To feed rat neonates do not use a syringe as it can cause the babies to aspirate the formula. You can buy micro nipples from wildlife rehabber stores online and keep them in your emergency first aid kit. If you do not have micro nipples let them suck or lick from a small paintbrush or the twisted corner of a paper towel dipped in formula.
Bati
Well-Known Member
Uh happy mine didn't need that, but good to know!
Lise
Well-Known Member
I have heard of a few C-sections on rats being done out west, where they seem to have very experienced vets and very good breeders willing to do anything.
(As an aside, the C-sections I have heard of recently many seem to have had to be done on dwarf rats. There have been a great many complications with breeding these guys, including difficult births... I don't take a stand one way or the other but it seems things never go as planned when we muck with mother nature.)
(As an aside, the C-sections I have heard of recently many seem to have had to be done on dwarf rats. There have been a great many complications with breeding these guys, including difficult births... I don't take a stand one way or the other but it seems things never go as planned when we muck with mother nature.)
