RatPalace.com - Pet Rat Care and Discussion

Sat Feb 11, 2006 6:37 am

Julio is home! Mr. Green

The surgery went well and the tumor was 'encapsulated'.
He actually has stitches though so he has one of those collars around his
neck. Puppy Dog Eyes

I wanted to ask, he can't eat his food because he can't
get his front feet up to his face to hold it, the doctor told me to take the
collar off to let him eat but he doesn't seem to want to yet - all he wants
to do is try to pull at the stitches! Shocked

How often should I take off the
color and try to get him to eat?

Sat Feb 11, 2006 6:45 am

E-collars generally are not great for rats because they can't eat, groom themselves, etc. Do you have any small socks? You could try covering his stiches with a sock "sweater".

_________________
Rosie

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I miss you Tut, Goldy, and Raoul Angel rat

Sat Feb 11, 2006 6:59 am

Also, has he had some painkillers? If the incision is sore, they tend to fuss over it more and if he hasn't been given some after the surgery and then sent home with some, he might well be finding it's paining him.

It's hard to get them to leave stitches alone but collars really should be restricted for those cases where nothing else works because of the problems they have eating and drinking. If you have any bandage, you can try wrapping that around and over his stitches - he'll chew through it in all likelihood, but while he's chewing up the bandage, he's leaving his stitches alone.

_________________
Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Sat Feb 11, 2006 7:23 am

	Ellies_girl wrote:
	E-collars generally are not great for rats because they can't eat, groom themselves, etc. Do you have any small socks? You could try covering his stiches with a sock "sweater".

I thought the same thing ... it can't possibly be good for him to not be able to eat, when he's already feeling so lousy as it is. The stitches are on his stomach, if I covered it with a sock I'm afraid he would pee all over the sock and get it all over himself while I cannot watch him, I don't want to leave that on him for long. Sad

LittleWillow wrote:

Also, has he had some painkillers? If the incision is sore, they tend to fuss over it more and if he hasn't been given some after the surgery and then sent home with some, he might well be finding it's paining him.

It's hard to get them to leave stitches alone but collars really should be restricted for those cases where nothing else works because of the problems they have eating and drinking. If you have any bandage, you can try wrapping that around and over his stitches - he'll chew through it in all likelihood, but while he's chewing up the bandage, he's leaving his stitches alone.

He had painkillers at the vet and they gave me four doses to take home, one for each day. They said to start with them tomorrow ... do you think he might need one now?

What kind of bandage would you recommend? Is there anything in particular that isn't safe for rats? Is it good to have it covered or does it need to get a lot of air? Ugh, I just want to sit and hold him all day to make sure he leaves it alone! LOL! The vet was really persistant on leaving the collar on, he said if he does chew out his stitches it will be my fault for letting him get the collar off. Blink

Sat Feb 11, 2006 9:51 am

Your vet needs a bit of a kick to be honest - rats are perfectly capable of getting out of e-collars, and if they are going to chew out their stitches, then they will try everything to get to them. To suggest that you're to blame if he does is just out of order. Rolling Eyes

Avoid anything bandagewise that is open weave that they could easily get stuck in between their teeth, or that could tangle around little toes. Usually you want to look at a conforming bandage or one that clings to itself - don't wrap it too tightly, but don't let it be too loose. Just snug but with enough space that he can breathe. You can put a non-stick dressing pad between the bandage and the wound. Depending on where it is, you can use the bandage to act as a movement restriction device, rather than to cover the wound.

Does it say what the painkiller is? If the vet said to start tomorrow with it, chances are it's one that has a longer action, and it won't really be good to start ahead of schedule. The main thing is that he has some, and that if he suddenly starts fussing the wound, or starts fussing it more, then it could be an indication he's more sore than he was.

Ideally it would be good to get some air to the wound to help it heal, but more important is that he doesn't take out the stitches and can eat.

A few sources state that the rat is most likely to take out their stitches in the first 24 hours after the operation than any other time - and it really doesn't take long - they can chew through a stitch in very little time (seconds). It happens sometimes to the most experienced of people, and it's certainly not a reflection of your rat parenting if he does. Glue in my experience seems to bother them less, but if they're really determined, they can even pull open wounds sealed with skin glue.

Perhaps you could help him out - put his food in a wide, shallow dish, like a saucer, or shallow bowl, so that he can lean in with the collar on and still get to the food. How far out does the collar stick past his face?

_________________
Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:02 am

The problem with Julio is one area of the stitches, the end is sticking out, I think it's poking him when he walks and it's just annoying him, so he wants to pull on it. I took the collar off to let him eat and drink but after doing that twice, the collar is irritating his neck from rubbing against it (he's hairless) and now he fights me terribly to put it back on, and he's already hurt enough. Sad

I tried cutting the collar a bit, it's about 2 inches in diameter, but he was having trouble with it hitting the ground when he tried to walk so I trimmed it a bit. The painkiller is "Metacam" and he's always taking "Vibramycin".

I honestly just assumed that my vet would use the glue on him, I had read that most vets don't use stitches on rats for this very reason - they will chew them out. I wish I would have asked if glue was an option before all of this. Sad

Even with the collar cut a bit, he still isn't able to pick up the food and hold it while he chews it up. Sad

He grabs it in his mouth and tries with all this might to grasp it, just hitting his fists on the underside of the collar. Puppy Dog Eyes

Sat Feb 11, 2006 11:24 am

Poor little guy. Sad

Is the edge of the collar covered in something - tape even? It's not good if it's rubbing his neck like that. All he needs is friction burns on top of everything else. Can you maybe fold something over the edge and tape it on, so it doesn't rub him? It's not so bad with furry rats, they at least have some fur to protect their skin.

Could you maybe offer him something he doesn't need to hold to eat - like some soft foods in a wide dish, so he can just lean down and eat from the plate? If he can't physically hold food up to his mouth to eat, then he simply can't keep that collar on him.

The stitch that's annoying him - is there a long loose end, is that's what bothering him? Perhaps you could trim that a little (though not too close to the body in case it loosens) and it might stop bothering him.

I'd definitely look at either wrapping him or putting him in the sock.... at least for a bit. Hopefully if it's still covering his incision, he will be able to ignore it for a bit and have some food. Otherwise, perhaps offer him some stuff on a spoon, like baby food, mixed up oatmeal, etc - stuff he can lap up from the spoon without needing his paws for....

_________________
Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~

Sun Feb 12, 2006 1:28 am

LittleWillow wrote:

Poor little guy. Sad

Is the edge of the collar covered in something - tape even? It's not good if it's rubbing his neck like that. All he needs is friction burns on top of everything else. Can you maybe fold something over the edge and tape it on, so it doesn't rub him? It's not so bad with furry rats, they at least have some fur to protect their skin.

Could you maybe offer him something he doesn't need to hold to eat - like some soft foods in a wide dish, so he can just lean down and eat from the plate? If he can't physically hold food up to his mouth to eat, then he simply can't keep that collar on him.

The stitch that's annoying him - is there a long loose end, is that's what bothering him? Perhaps you could trim that a little (though not too close to the body in case it loosens) and it might stop bothering him.

I'd definitely look at either wrapping him or putting him in the sock.... at least for a bit. Hopefully if it's still covering his incision, he will be able to ignore it for a bit and have some food. Otherwise, perhaps offer him some stuff on a spoon, like baby food, mixed up oatmeal, etc - stuff he can lap up from the spoon without needing his paws for....

Ugh, yeah I know. Sad

It's not burning him when it's on him I don't think, but when I TRY to put it on him, he puts up a crazy fight. They actually did line the collar with tape so it wouldn't be directly on his neck, but still, it irritates him when I struggle to put it back on.

I try giving him soft foods but he keeps grabbing large bits, and trying to get his hands up to his face to hold them while he eats them. It's really frustrating! I take the collar off so he can eat and wash himself up, but after he cleans his face the first thing he does is go down to that stitch and pull at it. I tried trimming it, it was pretty sort, but he pulled at it again and actually pulled more of it out at the end.

I wanted to try the sock, but where the incision is, it's like, the "crook" of his leg, on his belly, and if I were to cover it he wouldn't be able to use his back legs. Should I take a picture of it so you'll have a better idea of where it's at?

Sun Feb 12, 2006 3:07 am

No, I think I know where it is... the trouble is, rats have a preprogrammed washing pattern - face first, then sides, then tummy, then privates and finally tail (which is why tails get grotty so easily - they get distracted a lot!) so he's always likely to go for his side because he has this thing in his head saying "OK washed the face, must do the side now".

Can you perhaps cut a leg hole through the sock so that he can still walk, but he sock goes over most of the incision? Or again, maybe bandage him creatively?

_________________
Andy & The Rats

~ Darwin ~ Maisie ~ Ella ~ Zak ~

~ Finn ~ Malachi ~ Azrael ~ Newton ~ Charlie ~