Setting up to give oxygen at home? (UK)

[indigoc]

Hi,

My rat (13 month old male) has had an ongoing URI since I got him in January. I'm happy with vet care so far, but he's had a bad week. Currently he's on antibiotics, a diuretic, bisolvon, but he's had to be rushed in for oxygen a couple of times, after which he really improves. However, I can't keep paying to go to the emergency vet every night for a bit of oxygen, or staying up all night every night with him anxious about his health - I need to be fit for work to pay to keep for my furry children!

My vet has said I could potentially do it at home - needing an oxygen source, tubing, and a box / bag to cover his travel case, and to ensure it is humidified and not just dry oxygen.

There seems to be a lot of options, will something cheap on ebay do or do I need to be selective about brand?

Any advice is appreciated, rat tax included

 

[Rattdad]

Debbie Ducommun writes somewhere of doing this in her Rat Health Guide, which you should be able to find online. She doesn't give a ton of detail, and it's from the perspective of the US rat owner, but I believe she says that you can buy partially filled oxygen tanks at medical supply stores. When one of my girls was sick, she was put on oxygen at the emergency vet and it was just an oxygen cannister connected to a plastic bin. I've considered setting this up at home myself. I also think you can buy the oxygen from ebay, as you say.