Cross post from another forum

[Silvermoon20]

I was on the yahoo answers forum and came across this question and was hoping you ladies could help this woman. There are no vets in her town that deal with rats so she's at a loss for what to do.

Here's the link http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index ... 639AAyApTA, the rat ate avocado skin and part of the pit and is not doing well..he's only 4 months old.

Hopefully the little guy will be ok

 

[hopefloats]

24/7 Animal Poison Control Center

800-213-6680

gve them that number.

 

[jorats]

The question was a day ago. Whatever would have happened would have. Hopefully he's all better now.
Maybe just a tummy ache.

 

[TheoBennyWinston]

Hi, first of all let me just say thank you to both of you for taking the time to help me and my poor rat. :heart: You will never know how much I appreciate it. I am a college student and taking care of Theo (the one who ate part of the avocado pit) every few hours along with walking to class and taking exams and studying and staying up all night worrying has taken a huge toll on me.

I am on my way home right now, and from there I can call the poison control center, but it might be too late at this point. He ate the pit about 70 hours ago. The first day after he ate the pit, he was absolutely limp and he would shriek and cry if anyone touched him. I fed him drops of water from the tip of my finger and locked the other two rats in a different cage. I just could not sleep because I was sure he wouldn't make it through the night.

On the second day (yesterday) he allowed me to pick him up and feed him water. I successfully fed him plain yogurt (about a teaspoon) and shredded cheese (maybe two shreds) but he wouldn't eat anything else. He was still limp. I also put a warm washcloth on his anus and that triggered pee and poop, so I thought that was a good thing to flush out his system, but he does not like it.

Today Theo seems SIGNIFICANTLY better but I'm still worried. He stood up last night, but he sways very badly like he is intoxicated, and he can't stand up for long. He started cleaning his face today and I got him to eat a piece of a banana and about 4 teaspoons of baby food. The other rats are miserable because they want to see him, but he is so weak I wont let them. I am not worried about death anymore, but more about permanent damage to his heart. He has improved, but he still can't get up and he definitely can't walk.

The question I have is, should I put a heating pad under his cage? I put one there today and have been keeping it around 75 degrees. The house is around 60. He doesn't seem to like the heat, but I thought 60 would give him a cold, the last thing he needs right now. Also, I take him out of his cage to try to feed him and give him water about every 3 hours. I wonder if I should do it more often or less often. He usually eats a little, but he seems like he's in pain. I hate waking him.

 

[hopefloats]

I would only put a heating pad on part of the cage bottom not all and that is only if he is cold.

Could it be something else hurts him? Is he have diarrhea? You can try ensure to feed him that should help with keeping him hydrated and with getting some nutrients in him.

Maybe you could post a video?

 

[Silvermoon20]

I'm so hoping that he'll be ok..I also posted a link to this thread in my ottawa rat rescue group so if any of them have any ideas hopefully they'll post them. There's a list of rat vets on this forum were you able to find one to at least call for advice that was semi nearby? Do you want me to call my vet and see what she thinks? Maybe she'd know what to tell your small animal vet there...I'm glad to here's he's improving, thats a good sign at least

 

[jorats]

Rats have fast metabolism so whatever is would have passed quickly. I wonder if this is the effect of the pit or something else going on. If he is left with neurological issues, that's not that big of a deal, rats adapt very well. Keep him warm but also allow him a place to move away in case he is too warm. Feeding him every 3 hours is about right. I would also let him visit his friends. His body won't heal properly if he's stressed due to the separation.

 

[TheoBennyWinston]

Thank you again for all the replies. I'm so glad Silvermoon led me to this site. There are only 2 vets in my town, and one of them has agreed to see Theo but he admits he has only has one previous pet rat come in so I'm a little worried he wont be much help. I made an appointment for Friday afternoon though. I will call some of the vets listed on the forum, and maybe they will have some good advice.

I would love to submit a video of him trying to move around, but I don't have a camera. I will ask around for one though, because the way he moves is strange. He can get from one side of his cage to the other, but the best way I can describe it is that he's drunk. He ate 3 teaspoons of baby food this morning and a chunk of a banana. I game him some of his rat food (a nugget) and he eagerly grabbed it to et it but he couldn't manage to bite it.

 

[lilspaz68]

I would soak his blocks in hot water and let them soften and become mush, he should hopefully be able to eat them then. Just give your poor lad some nice fleece to cuddle up into rather than a heating pad, try to keep him hydrated and fed and hopefully in time this will wear off.

Can you let me know what town you are in, and I'll check with Kaia (formerly of Huron Valley Rat Rescue in Ypsilanti, MI. She might know of more vets nearby for you.

 

[crumbilina]

I game him some of his rat food (a nugget) and he eagerly grabbed it to et it but he couldn't manage to bite it.

Is his rat food a block of some sort? You could try crushing up the block and adding some water to make a paste. It would be easier for him to eat it that way if he is having issues chewing bits off to eat.

 

[TheoBennyWinston]

Of course! I'm in Mount Pleasant, Michigan which is a college town with Central Michigan University in the middle, so I was surprised at how few vets there are here. There are more than two, but they are specifically "cat clinics". I went to campus this morning to talk to a pre-veterinary professor, and he gave me the phone number of a vet at MSU. I called and left him a message so hopefully he will call me back shortly. The biggest problem is I don't have a car so I can't travel far. I am still trying to find a way to the vet on Friday since I obviously cant take Theo outside in 30 degree weather. I will keep you updated, and hopefully I'll find a video camera soon.

 

[lilspaz68]

Of course! I'm in Mount Pleasant, Michigan which is a college town with Central Michigan University in the middle, so I was surprised at how few vets there are here. There are more than two, but they are specifically "cat clinics". I went to campus this morning to talk to a pre-veterinary professor, and he gave me the phone number of a vet at MSU. I called and left him a message so hopefully he will call me back shortly. The biggest problem is I don't have a car so I can't travel far. I am still trying to find a way to the vet on Friday since I obviously cant take Theo outside in 30 degree weather. I will keep you updated, and hopefully I'll find a video camera soon.

there are ways to keep them warm on trips outside. I have to take public transit in the dead of winter so I invested in a snugglesafe

http://www.amazon.com/Pet-Supply-Import ... B00008AJH9

You can put the carrier in a duffle bag with a warmer, and fleece wrapped around, and then zip it up, the body heat will stay inside and he should be fine.

 

[jennifervb]

OMG... the poor, little, guy! :shock:

Praying all over the place that he is going to make it through this without any lasting damage. :sad3:

I fully agree with Jo. Don't separate him from his buddies. Rats are kind of strange that way. Where humans seem to welcome being by themselves, when they are sick, rats hate it and can get really depressed. They will focus their energy away from getting well and take forever to improve (if they make it that far. :sad3: )

What a gem you are for taking such good care of little Theo. Its always wonderful to see people who, like myself, will go to the ends of the planet to save a little fuzz-bundle. :love6:

Give him lots of kisses from me. :heart: :rose: :heart:

 

[Silvermoon20]

Was just wondering how little Theo was doing/feeling? Update us when you can.

 

[TheoBennyWinston]

TGIF! I am finally able to sit down and relax. Theo is doing SO much better. Today is the first day I let his brothers in his cage to see him, and it's the first time he has walked in 5 days. At first I thought they were hurting him because they were stepping all over him and grooming him and he was squeaking a lot, but he kept following them when they walked away, so I assumed he was okay with them. He is still not able to support his weight. I don't know if it's because he hasn't used his legs in a few days or if there is some neurological damage. It still looks like he is very drunk when he moves around. His head sways and he topples over sometimes.

Still can't get my hands on a video camera to show you.

I am a new rat owner, I've only had the two 8 month olds for 5 months, and I've only had Theo for one month, so I don't know what all their sounds mean. All week I thought Theo's squeaking meant he was in pain, but the other ones squeak when they play sometimes.

Today was also the first day Theo drank from his water bottle, so a lot of milestones today. I'm still waiting for him to fully recover.

 

[jorats]

Hopefully he will do a full recovery with some TLC.

 

[Silvermoon20]

Was just wondering how little Theo is doing this week? Is he able to walk normally again? What did the vet say when you took him in? Im so glad this forum was able to help you.

 

[TheoBennyWinston]

Theo passed away on Sunday, 6 days after eating the avocado pit. We took him to the vet on Friday, who said there was really nothing we could do for him but give him pain killers and make sure he continued to eat and drink. He was improving significantly all week, and even started walking around on Saturday, but he refused to eat, drink, or move on Sunday. We buried him in the backyard inside his favorite wicker house. It was very sad, but thank you all for the support.

 

[lilspaz68]

Theo passed away on Sunday, 6 days after eating the avocado pit. We took him to the vet on Friday, who said there was really nothing we could do for him but give him pain killers and make sure he continued to eat and drink. He was improving significantly all week, and even started walking around on Saturday, but he refused to eat, drink, or move on Sunday. We buried him in the backyard inside his favorite wicker house. It was very sad, but thank you all for the support.

I am so very sorry for this loss...

 

[mamarat]

I'm so sorry.