foot is extremely swollen

[lilspaz68]

as for the teeny bit of swelling, that's okay, as long as it stays down it was an injury. It will just take time to fully heal. The ibu was just to get the worst of the swelling down to make him more comfortable and keep up the blood flow to the injury so it could heal.

 

[_ratowner]

Hi all !
This morning I realized that I never ended up updating the thread about how my boy is doing. I had started a new job and have been very busy and haven’t had time to sit down and write an update. I will try to as soon as I am able to. Thank you for all of the previous help, I really appreciate it and will try to be back with an update ASAP

 

[_ratowner]

Hi all !

I am so sorry for not making an update for you guys sooner, I have been so busy with work or outright just forgetting to give you an update when I do actually have time.

He still doesn’t have the ability to use his legs, I believe it may be either hind leg deterioration (if that’s what it’s called, I can’t really remember at the time I am writing this) or possibly due to an injury to his back. However, he is able to push my finger away if I touch his feet so he does still somewhat have strength in his legs but not near enough to carry his weight. Unfortunately, I have noticed that his knees bend inwards toward each other like what you would see with paralyzed animals.

He is sadly skin and bones, I can promise you that I provide him with loads of fresh food every. single. day. but that somehow doesn’t keep his weight up. He does eat the majority of what he is given and I have recently started to give him more fattening foods to up his weight if anyone would be able to suggest more. I have tried almonds and lots of different noodles. He has become my heart animal since his brother past away (rest in peace my sweet boy, I love you always) and I cannot stand to loose him, especially so close to the anniversary of his brothers passing.

He doesn’t seem to be in pain and doesn’t squeak or anything when I touch him or pick him up. I just really want to find a way to help him to be more comfortable and gain weight, all help is appreciated as long as not negative. The closest vet is 3 hours away so that I why I am coming here for input before thinking of possibly stressing him out by going on a long car ride.

Today I went to help him with his mating plug as ever since he has been having trouble with his legs, he has needed assistance in removing it which I totally don’t mind doing whatever he needs. When I had taken him out of his cage, he was covered in blood. In shock, I immediately thought it may be something to do with his plug as he’s been having trouble with it so I quickly washed him off in the sink to better access the situation and to see where the bleeding may be coming from. Not as bad as I thought, but still pretty bad, he seemed to have ripped off one of his toenails. He got cleaned up and I quickly cleaned and tidied his cage while he dried up wrapped in a towel (under close supervision, don’t worry). Surprisingly, there was close to no blood in the cage or on his blankets which is really weird to me. I had to go to work right away or else I would have loved to just spend the day cuddled up with him.

If you have taken the time to read all of this, thank you, I really appreciate it. If anyone has any advice on what I could do to help him gain some weight or have any input in the situation please let me know. I was also wondering what I could do to clip his nails as he doesn’t really have a way to file them down himself. Thank you so much.

 

[lilspaz68]

you can use fingernail clippers to snick off the sharp ends of the nails. Be careful not to cut too much off as you could get the quick which would be painful and would bleed like crazy.

I use lab block mush for my compromised ratties, just use a decent quality lab block, add a LOT of water to it (it becomes a mush that a rat can easily eat, and you can add things to it for extra fats/calories while ensuring they get a balanced diet. If you use the big blocks like Harlan or Mazuri, those make mush just with soaking in water. If its a hard compressed form like Oxbow, you will need to grind it up in a coffee grinder the add water.

 

[_ratowner]

Alrighty, thank you for the response, I will for sure clip his nails as soon as I get the chance in hopes of something like that not happening again.

He doesn’t have much troubles physically eating his food enough to have to make it into mush as well as if I were to make mush for him I feel he would have troubles reaching into the bowl to get to it without tipping it over. I also think he would make a pretty big mess if I were to put it on a shallower dish. I will for sure try that if it comes to him needing such though. He does eat oxbow.

Thank you again ! I really appreciate it !

 

[mwp051699]

Hi all !

I am so sorry for not making an update for you guys sooner, I have been so busy with work or outright just forgetting to give you an update when I do actually have time.

He still doesn’t have the ability to use his legs, I believe it may be either hind leg deterioration (if that’s what it’s called, I can’t really remember at the time I am writing this) or possibly due to an injury to his back. However, he is able to push my finger away if I touch his feet so he does still somewhat have strength in his legs but not near enough to carry his weight. Unfortunately, I have noticed that his knees bend inwards toward each other like what you would see with paralyzed animals.

He is sadly skin and bones, I can promise you that I provide him with loads of fresh food every. single. day. but that somehow doesn’t keep his weight up. He does eat the majority of what he is given and I have recently started to give him more fattening foods to up his weight if anyone would be able to suggest more. I have tried almonds and lots of different noodles. He has become my heart animal since his brother past away (rest in peace my sweet boy, I love you always) and I cannot stand to loose him, especially so close to the anniversary of his brothers passing.

He doesn’t seem to be in pain and doesn’t squeak or anything when I touch him or pick him up. I just really want to find a way to help him to be more comfortable and gain weight, all help is appreciated as long as not negative. The closest vet is 3 hours away so that I why I am coming here for input before thinking of possibly stressing him out by going on a long car ride.

Today I went to help him with his mating plug as ever since he has been having trouble with his legs, he has needed assistance in removing it which I totally don’t mind doing whatever he needs. When I had taken him out of his cage, he was covered in blood. In shock, I immediately thought it may be something to do with his plug as he’s been having trouble with it so I quickly washed him off in the sink to better access the situation and to see where the bleeding may be coming from. Not as bad as I thought, but still pretty bad, he seemed to have ripped off one of his toenails. He got cleaned up and I quickly cleaned and tidied his cage while he dried up wrapped in a towel (under close supervision, don’t worry). Surprisingly, there was close to no blood in the cage or on his blankets which is really weird to me. I had to go to work right away or else I would have loved to just spend the day cuddled up with him.

If you have taken the time to read all of this, thank you, I really appreciate it. If anyone has any advice on what I could do to help him gain some weight or have any input in the situation please let me know. I was also wondering what I could do to clip his nails as he doesn’t really have a way to file them down himself. Thank you so much.

Hi,
Clipping is very easy but go slow and be sure to only clip the end part that is white, not pink or translucent. You really don't need to clip them unless there's a specific reason. But I adhere to the old saying....less is more. Cut as little as possible and you don't cut too much as hurt him and cause bleeding, but you still cut enough to stop any sharp, pointy mail damage when he scratches. As for weight gain, if he is drinking normally I strongly recommend Ensure, or any weight gain supplement drink. Chocolate Ensure vis a big favorite with my rats

 

[mwp051699]

you can use fingernail clippers to snick off the sharp ends of the nails. Be careful not to cut too much off as you could get the quick which would be painful and would bleed like crazy.

I use lab block mush for my compromised ratties, just use a decent quality lab block, add a LOT of water to it (it becomes a mush that a rat can easily eat, and you can add things to it for extra fats/calories while ensuring they get a balanced diet. If you use the big blocks like Harlan or Mazuri, those make mush just with soaking in water. If its a hard compressed form like Oxbow, you will need to grind it up in a coffee grinder the add water.

Darn, your answers are always just a little bit better than mine are, lol. But this time you recommended lab block pureé and I recommended Ensure. Really we both should have recommended a combination bof both! Lolol

 

[_ratowner]

Hello, thank you so much for your response.
I of course will go slow and be careful when clipping his nails, I know that clipping animal nails is a really serious situation and you have to be extra patient and careful when dealing with it. I was wanting to clip his nails cause they were getting pretty long, I don’t really mind if he scratches me, I just don’t want any of them getting pulled off again. I will most likely leave the front ones alone as they aren’t far as bad as the back ones. Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it.

lilspaz68, do you agree that Ensure may be a good way to go for weight gain? If so, would I just give it to him in a syringe? How much?

 

[mwp051699]

Hello, thank you so much for your response.
I of course will go slow and be careful when clipping his nails, I know that clipping animal nails is a really serious situation and you have to be extra patient and careful when dealing with it. I was wanting to clip his nails cause they were getting pretty long, I don’t really mind if he scratches me, I just don’t want any of them getting pulled off again. I will most likely leave the front ones alone as they aren’t far as bad as the back ones. Thank you for your advice, I really appreciate it.

lilspaz68, do you agree that Ensure may be a good way to go for weight gain? If so, would I just give it to him in a syringe? How much?

I never clip fronts, too small and risky. And not necessary. As for Ensure I always give it in a cap, like a glass jar lid. NEVER give ANYTHING by syringe unless you are well informed about rats inability to vomit. You can easily kill them by choking. Please don't do it. Besides, they love Ensure. If they don't, give them a few trys to get accustomed to it. Rats are very cautious about new foods. They smell first, taste next, try a few bites next time, and then, if they don't get ill, only then will they dig in and devour it, lol. Smart survival instinct.

 

[_ratowner]

I’ve owned rats for a couple years, I’ve had to give them medicine via medical syringe plenty of times. My rats would just lick it up from the syringe.

I always come here first to see what the proper way to do things is first as not even my old vets knew how to properly tend to rats. I am well aware that rats cannot vomit but thank you for letting me know. I usually only go by what the admins tell me cause I can never truly trust anything any other people tell me no matter how qualified they think they are, unless they have been a long time member or a long time rat owner. I’ve had terrible experiences with people (outside of the forum, don’t worry) thinking they knew enough about rats to “educate” me on them, not saying I know best because I am very far from it. I am just trying to assure you that I am really careful with such things. I do also ask tons of questions and usually triple check that things are safe before further pursuing it when it comes to my animals and yes, I can get annoying at times by how repetitive I can be.

I appreciate your help. Thank you again !

 

[lilspaz68]

You can mix ensure with baby cereal or lab block mush or a shallow dish on its own. My rats prefer strawberry or vanilla with chocolate a distant third lolol.

Syringing is fine, most rats will lick it on their own but it's very time intensive so I'd suggest a low walled bowl or small dish.

 

[_ratowner]

Alright, thank you for the feedback. My boy doesn’t seem to care for anything that has to do with chocolate anyway, I’ve tried giving him chocolate chips on a couple occasions since I found out they can eat chocolate and is somewhat beneficial for them but he never took a liking to it. I do believe he quite enjoys strawberry flavoured things though so I will have to try that out. I will for sure head to the store as soon as I get the chance and pick up some Ensure and a shallow bowl for him.

Thank you again !

 

[_ratowner]

My baby boy is gone.

He passed away in my hands. I went to check on him this morning and there was blood everywhere again but much worse, so much. He ripped off three of the nails on his one back foot. So close to the anniversary of his brothers passing. Thank you all. It’s been a nice journey owning my two boys, life will never be the same.

 

[lilspaz68]

I'm so very sorry

 

[mwp051699]

I’ve owned rats for a couple years, I’ve had to give them medicine via medical syringe plenty of times. My rats would just lick it up from the syringe.

I always come here first to see what the proper way to do things is first as not even my old vets knew how to properly tend to rats. I am well aware that rats cannot vomit but thank you for letting me know. I usually only go by what the admins tell me cause I can never truly trust anything any other people tell me no matter how qualified they think they are, unless they have been a long time member or a long time rat owner. I’ve had terrible experiences with people (outside of the forum, don’t worry) thinking they knew enough about rats to “educate” me on them, not saying I know best because I am very far from it. I am just trying to assure you that I am really careful with such things. I do also ask tons of questions and usually triple check that things are safe before further pursuing it when it comes to my animals and yes, I can get annoying at times by how repetitive I can be.

I appreciate your help. Thank you again !

Ok, ty for you reply. Unfortunately I also see a lot of people think they are giving sound advice but it is not the case, and other people, even worse, asking for sound advice and not being given the correct info, or... they get completely wrong info. Anyway, many if those exact people, who do the right thing by asking for help, are often told to do things that are outside their comfort zone, or their experience level. An example is syringe feeding meds. I always interject the info about about the danger involved, and mainly because an ex GF of mine actually went through that exact traumatic scenario... Gave meds by syringe and held her beloved pet while he choked to death. She told me that she "killed her pet rat". It was a very upsetting event, and I swore on that day that I would never let it happen again. To anyone, including members of any rat groups such as this one. " So I apologise for my comment, I should have asked if you were comfortable and knowledgeable first, but I'm the up side, now anyone reading this will know.

 

[mwp051699]

My baby boy is gone.

He passed away in my hands. I went to check on him this morning and there was blood everywhere again but much worse, so much. He ripped off three of the nails on his one back foot. So close to the anniversary of his brothers passing. Thank you all. It’s been a nice journey owning my two boys, life will never be the same.

Oh my, I am so, so sorry. I'm speechless. My sincerest condolences. RIP sweet boy.