Maurice going downhill

[Shelley]

Poor Maurice, his age is really catching up to him. I'm beginning to be a bit concerned though, as his urine has changed in smell and is incredibly strong. Because he has spinal nerve degeneration and can't clean himself, it doesn't take long for the smell to build up. We keep him clean to the best of our ability, but he really doesn't like his backend being touched anymore. He squeaks at us now I think he's getting closer to the end, today he isn't reacting when I come over to say hello and give him treats. :cry: He's just lying on the bottom of the cage, no effort to even go on his lookout shelf (his favorite spot!)

I'm just wondering though, what could cause a change in the urine? Kidney failure? or something else? *Sigh* I know his time is running short, but I don't want to think about it. He's my heart rat, and he's been doing so well these past few months. It's truly saddening to see them begin to lose interest in their favorite things.

 

[mamarat]

Do you know if he might have a penis plug? I have an oldie here too and I have to remove it for him. Otherwise it does have a strong odor. Caleb squeaks too now when I clean him. It's so pitiful.

 

[Vanessa]

He might not be drinking as much as he should. Maybe try and get some liquids into him, by trying water sweetened with a bit of juice. See if he drinks it out of a bowl.

 

[Shelley]

Thanks Vanessa! That seems to have been the trick. I gave him a bowl of sweetened water and a separate bowl of baby cereal. He's happily eating/drinking it away, so hopefully I'll see some improvement in him I think he's reaching the stage where he is becoming more picky in what he will eat or drink, so I'll have to start offering a wider variety of foods and watch his water intake carefully.

 

[mamarat]

You might also try baby food in jars. Caleb still eats the sweet potato and corn as well as baby cereal with olive oil, but he is very fussy. How old is Maurice?

 

[Vanessa]

It is probably a combination of a couple of things. Becoming disinterested in plain water is probably one, but also the ability to drink as often as he should is diminished by his age and his hind end paralysis. Rats drink huge amounts of water for little creatures, and even if you see him drinking, he is probably not drinking as often or as long as he should. It might be too much of an effort for him at this point.
Making water easier for him to get to, and making it a bit more tasty will encourage him to drink. Keep an eye on his urine and see if it becomes more diluted over the next couple of days.

 

[jorats]

I would also check for that plug, like mamarat already mentioned. Old rats, especially those with rear end degeneration do need our help in keeping that clean. It will have a strong odor and it will make it harder for him to pee.

 

[Shelley]

I already checked for a plug earlier as mamarat mentioned, and he squeaked at me :roll: I don't blame him though, hehe.

What else can I add to his water to make him more interested? And if he continues not to drink enough, what else can I do for him? I'll have to buy some more jar baby food, as we ran out a while ago and haven't gotten around to buying some new stuff. I'll have to see what flavours there are and experiment to see what they like best.

At least this evening he is now back on his favorite spot, bruxing and chewing on the bars Good sign! I'll have to take him out shortly to sit with me on the couch.

 

[jorats]

What about gatorade? it could help with the electolytes too.

 

[Shelley]

I've never tried Gatorade before, would there be a certain flavour I could get? I have to go out tomorrow for some job fairs, so I'll be going through the mall and will be getting some baby food. Is there other things I can get as well, that would be good?

 

[jorats]

I would try orange or the blue one.

Have you tried baby cereal? (pablum)
You could also try watermelon, even if he just suck on it, it would give him some hydration.

 

[mamarat]

How about soy milk or ensure? or even some pudding? they have low fat but not sure if it matters at this point? Caleb likes the chocolate and vanilla pudding.

 

[Lise]

I have heard of people giving cooled tea (I guess herbal tea?) to encourage more drinking.

Personally I don't even like tea, and am not going to buy it for the rats... but it may be something to try if you have some around.

 

[Vanessa]

Oops, I forget about Pedialyte. That is also a great thing to give them and comes in six packs of the smaller bottles. It also comes in fruit flavours.
As much as it is necessary to get nutrients into him, by feeding him baby foods and more solid supplements, it is important to get the clear liquids into him. If his urine is too concentrated, he needs something to flush his kidneys with and clear type liquids do that.

 

[Shelley]

Okay, thanks for all the suggestions! I'll see what I can get tomorrow and will have fun seeing what Maurice will eat

 

[lilspaz68]

If there's no plug does it also seem like kidney failure? This is sadly a normal part of getting old and the urine becomes more concentrated and they do need more fluids to flush out the toxins that are building up.

Can you give rats the rehydration formula at this stage?

Homemade rehydrating formula: 10 oz warm water, 1 tsp sugar, 1/3 tsp salt. Mix well, refrigerate extra, warm up to feed.

 

[Moon]

Pedialyte is great stuff... and I could imagine that you could give the rehydration formula, as it's basically the same as sports drinks, just without flavour.

You might be able to find gastrolyte at a pharmacy... I don't know if you need a prescription to use it. It's a powder you can add to any liquid and it increases hydration.