**Important, please read: Please guys, I urge you to be mindful here. Do not treat unknown illnesses, if your rat is showing symptoms of an illness you cannot indefinitely identify, see a rat savvy vet. Do not dose medications at random for every sniffle and cough you hear, that can do more harm than good.
Rat Guide- Clinical Signs and Symptoms Chart:
https://ratguide.com/.../clinical_signs_symptoms_guide.php
Always dose medications, never use them at random. Never dose medications in water, that won’t give them the entire dose and if there are multiple rats, they will all get different amounts. This is ill advised.
Below is a list of things to have on hand in case of illness, or emergency. If your rat gets hurt and you can’t see a vet immediately, sometimes you have to dose pain killers when you absolutely have no choice but to wait. When you breed ethically, or rescue rats, it is vital to have things on hand for the simple illnesses, vet bills add up.
-Gauze To cover wounds in case of serious emergent injury, or healing from surgery.
-Cotton Swabs / Q-Tips To clean wounds and apply ointments. Do not apply ointments with your finger, this will spread bacteria to the wound.
-Medical Tape To protect wounds and serious injuries from bacteria to heal.
-Sterile Saline To rinse wounds and free them of debris and bacteria.
*You can make saline: Boil 2 cups water Cool to room temp Add one teaspoon of salt One pinch of baking soda (optional) Stir until dissolved Refrigerate in airtight container for up to 24 hours (discard after that!)
-Small Animal Stethoscope This helps you to listen to your rats’ lungs and heart, extremely useful. Please study rat anatomy if you do this, their body is not set up as ours is.
-Doxycycline An antibiotic useful for infections, when given with Baytril this can combat a standard URI quickly. Available in capsules, powder, and liquid. Powder lasts a long time when stored correctly.
Rat Guide- Doxycycline Information:
-Enrofloxacin (Baytril) Useful for infections and most commonly prescribed (with doxy) for respiratory infections. Available in capsules, powder, and liquid. Powder lasts a long time when stored correctly.
Rat Guide- Baytril Information:
-Revolution / Stronghold (Selamectin) A topical treatment method for ectoparasites like mites, fleas, and ticks. The safest treatment option for those conditions. This needs to be dosed for proper treatment, after the first treatment, consider a second one for good measure in 30 days.
-Corn Starch For minor bleeding, very gently apply this to slow down / stop the flow of blood.
-Vitamin e cream Good for injuries like cuts and flesh wounds, assists in the healing process. *Polysporin/Neosporin has petroleum jelly, which causes dietary upset. Do not use hydrogen peroxide, as this damages healthy tissue and prolongs the healing process.
-Tweezers
-Syringes To obtain proper dosages for rats when sick. It is vital we draw accurate dosages, rats are small creatures, you do not want to pull too much, or ‘guess’ dosages. I usually have 1mL and 0.5mL on hand for varying dose sizes.
-A digital scale It’s good to keep a log of their weight to notice decline or rapid gain, it is necessary to have this on hand to appropriately dose medications when needed.
-Dark chocolate (75-85%)*
-Honey (bronchodilator)* *These natural bronchodilators can provide mild relief for rats that are experiencing respiratory illnesses. I like to mix the chocolate and some honey into an oatmeal for them, a nice treat when they don’t feel well!
-Ensure Helps in weight gain, and good for growing babies.
-Vitamin water zero sugar Good for sick rats. Always provide a separate source of just water.
-Oxbow critical care omnivore If rats get so sick they cannot eat their food, this gives them the necessary nutrients they need at that time. It is on us to feed them when they are too ill, we sign up for this when we get animals.
*Do not buy critical care herbivore or carnivore, this does not meet omnivorous dietary necessities.
-Pedialyte Hydration for when rats are too sick to drink as often as needed, or not even able to drink themselves for whatever reason. *Liquid version only good 48 hours after opening. I would buy the powder! Gatorade isn’t as affective, but works for hydration and energy.
-Liquid infant ibuprofen This can be dosed when rats are experiencing pain after severe injuries. If you cannot get into the vet right away, it’s vital you help them during this time.
Here is a link to signs of pain in rats, a good source to have on hand.
-A single level hospital cage to limit climbing and monitor rats that get sick, get surgery, or require isolation.
-Heating pad Especially good for sick rats, or very young babies.
Here is a more in depth first aid kit, however some of these I would advise against, such as surgical glue and scalpels. These should only ever be used under vet discretion, these should not be kept on hand, unless you are a trained small animal medical professional, in my opinion. It is my advice that nobody does dental work at home, again unless you are a trained small animal medical professional, as this can do more harm than good and result in a much larger emergency bill than an original tooth trimming bill would be.