bring him to the vet,would be a good idea,
Rat is limping?
My little Rue has hurt his foot it seems. He's walking around with his back left leg lifted in the air, just not using it. He seems perfectly fine, doesn't show any pain other than that limp. He'll stand and either not put any weight on his foot or very lightly. I had him on me and he even crawled into my sleeve without any sign of pain.
Has this happened to anyone else? Should I be worried about his foot?
Has this happened to anyone else? Should I be worried about his foot?
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Agreed. Rats are good at hiding illness and even though your baby is being a little trooper and trying to do all his ratty activities, his limp is obvious and something is wrong. Going into your sleeve takes little effort because he is taking the weight off his leg to crawl in. Do you have a good local small animal vet that knows about rats?
I actually disagree on the vet thing. You will be going often enough with your rat so save your money for when its needed. There's no swelling, very little or no pain...you have an extremely mild sprain. He will gimp around for a few days then it will heal and you'd never know.
If there was a little swelling and a little pain, I would say the same thing. If there was a lot of pain/.swelling then I would say an anti-inflammatory Stat! Infant liquid ibuprofen is really good for this (for people who don't have metacam sitting around). IF you see a lot of bruising, or red streaks on the foot then go to the vet, as it could be a break. Rats are very prone to sprains and there's not much a vet can do for them that you cannot at home.
If there was a little swelling and a little pain, I would say the same thing. If there was a lot of pain/.swelling then I would say an anti-inflammatory Stat! Infant liquid ibuprofen is really good for this (for people who don't have metacam sitting around). IF you see a lot of bruising, or red streaks on the foot then go to the vet, as it could be a break. Rats are very prone to sprains and there's not much a vet can do for them that you cannot at home.
I would definately take it to the vet! Animals, especially smaller animals, are VERY good at hiding injuries. Yes it could just be a sprain, but I wouldn't want to find out later it was serious and could have been minimized. Better safe than sorry.
And what do you think a vet can do? Put a little cast on it? They would give you pain meds and tell you to limit activity even for a break. If it was a compound fracture you would know and you would have to euthanize.I would definately take it to the vet! Animals, especially smaller animals, are VERY good at hiding injuries. Yes it could just be a sprain, but I wouldn't want to find out later it was serious and could have been minimized. Better safe than sorry.
Lilspaz, you are right...I remember now when this topic came up on the forum awhile back. Stressing ratty out just so the doctor can say, "Yep, it is a sprain, etc" and "give it time to heal" and so forth...doh, I can't believe I forgot about this topic from last time! 
how do you know its not a fracture?, i think txtcowgirl had good intentions , if it was a dog or a cat limping youd bring it to the vet without hesitation so why not a rat ?even if they just give it pain meds aleast it wouldnt be sore and youd know for sure, Thing is not everyone is as experienced as you are lilspaz,with rats, and I dont mean any disrespect when I say this, but personally i feel like you didnt have to be so sorcastic with her when you said what would they do put a little cast on it. shes only trying to help the poster.And what do you think a vet can do? Put a little cast on it? They would give you pain meds and tell you to limit activity even for a break. If it was a compound fracture you would know and you would have to euthanize.
I'm saying what I would do. Nibbler you're right I would take a dog or cat without hesitation. In fact recently I took a dog with a broke dog to the vet. There was nothing they could do but give some pain meds and said to keep her off it. Yeah we couldn't keep her off it well but we knew what it was and knew it wasn't anything horrible.
I can't control what you do but you asked for advice and I have given mine. I never said I was right or you had to. It was just my advice.
I can't control what you do but you asked for advice and I have given mine. I never said I was right or you had to. It was just my advice.
Sorry about that, I had a wretched day yesterday, did a long transport to pick up a rat (well 8 but only 2 are staying here). She was a nakie, had both eyes ruptured and infected, she has bumblefoot, pneumonia, and a UTI that is getting worse even on 1.5 weeks of antibiotics.
I am sorry about the sarcasm, not my intent at all, but with the rats Vets just don't do anything for sprains. A break with rats swells and discolours fast (unlike a lot of animals and people), this had no swelling, no obvious pain, and the rat was just limping a little. This particular case was not one to take a rat to the vet for. The vet wouldn't even give metacam in this case and you would be out whatever the exam fee was (30-$70), which could be life-saving funds for a terrible URI next week.
I am sorry about the sarcasm, not my intent at all, but with the rats Vets just don't do anything for sprains. A break with rats swells and discolours fast (unlike a lot of animals and people), this had no swelling, no obvious pain, and the rat was just limping a little. This particular case was not one to take a rat to the vet for. The vet wouldn't even give metacam in this case and you would be out whatever the exam fee was (30-$70), which could be life-saving funds for a terrible URI next week.
I am also going to add something else. I do this ALL the time, helping people on a lot of different forums including my own. I know that its easy and usually best to say to someone "go to the vet" but I also know vet funds are very finite and sometimes even less than that. I don't know Halogen (so this is not directed at them) but how many times have I seen a person take a rat to the vet for this exact thing, basically get told to wait it out by the vet, and then when the rat really does get sick, they will say "I spent all my money last week...anyone know of any home remedies for pneumonia?" If you can take care of it at home, with small injuries like this it can be best, which is why I don't say "go to the vet" but ask...how bad is the swelling, is there any bruising etc"
And your help is greatly appreciated. People with your experience see things differently than people without it. Advice was asked for and though you disagree with advice by me and anyone else doesn't mean you we're trying to hurt the animal. That was my best advice and that's what I would do. If people offer advice it is in the best intentions
For Rue, he's got absolutely no swelling or bruising or any sign of pain or discomfort other than he's putting very little weight on his foot. I might just go with Lilspaz. He doesn't show any pain or discomfort, and he did get his foot stuck in the bars of his cage a few days ago. I didn't think of it then, because he wasn't limping then, but the next day he did. I'll sit it out, keep his activity to a minimum.
And Nibbler, I've owned dogs throughout my life. If a dog was limping but wasn't showing any pain or discomfort, no bruising or swelling, my family wouldn't take it to the vet. We'd wait it out, keep them off it, and always within a few days the dog would be fine. I don't know about cats. But comparing a dog with a rat when it comes to health is very different. It's like comparing a turtle to a goldfish. They both swim. They both don't listen to you. But health is different. Maybe that's not the best analogy but idk.
I thank you all for your advice, I know that no one had ill intentions for my ratty. Just drama on the boards because of one slightly sarcastic comment is ridiculous. I really doubt it needed to be called upon.
Thank you all. I'm just gonna keep Rue home. I'd rather save money for another time, because my vet is extremely expensive and Rue seems to be prone to URI's. Sorry if I caused trouble with this.
And Nibbler, I've owned dogs throughout my life. If a dog was limping but wasn't showing any pain or discomfort, no bruising or swelling, my family wouldn't take it to the vet. We'd wait it out, keep them off it, and always within a few days the dog would be fine. I don't know about cats. But comparing a dog with a rat when it comes to health is very different. It's like comparing a turtle to a goldfish. They both swim. They both don't listen to you. But health is different. Maybe that's not the best analogy but idk.
I thank you all for your advice, I know that no one had ill intentions for my ratty. Just drama on the boards because of one slightly sarcastic comment is ridiculous. I really doubt it needed to be called upon.
Thank you all. I'm just gonna keep Rue home. I'd rather save money for another time, because my vet is extremely expensive and Rue seems to be prone to URI's. Sorry if I caused trouble with this.
No halogen don't feel bad for asking. There are different opinions and people feel strongly in their beliefs. Everyone has the best intentions just sometimes their intentions come across and hurt feelings and attitudes erupt.
Always feel free to ask but remember you are the one seeing what's happening and your gut and instinct is your best friend when it comes to caring for your pets, though there are always opinions on what to do! Don't hesitate to ask about anything but now and then there are STRONG differing opinions, but it happens. Good luck and keep us updated!
Always feel free to ask but remember you are the one seeing what's happening and your gut and instinct is your best friend when it comes to caring for your pets, though there are always opinions on what to do! Don't hesitate to ask about anything but now and then there are STRONG differing opinions, but it happens. Good luck and keep us updated!
Agreed, you did not cause any trouble at all Halogen. Just concerned for your sweet Rue, which makes you a great ratty parent! One thing we all agreed on is doing the best for Rue and I bet he will be fine in a couple of days. You can probably figure out good ways to help him while his foot/leg gets better, like keeping the food dish/water bottle and things he needs daily all on one level, things like that? Keep us posted on how he does, okay? :wavey:
Reminds me of when I adopted my rex rat, Challon, she had a funny looking foot. It was swollen and she used it, but used it less than her other feet. I decided not to worry about it but the swelling didn't go down for weeks.. so I took her to the vet just so they could xray it and say "It was a fracture that's already healed, it just didn't heal correctly. She's not in any pain at all." ._.
I had another foot injury when Sakura got caught in the cage bars somehow and her foot was all mangled D: But again, the vet couldn't do anything. They built a silly little cast for her and that lasted a total of.. maybe 10 seconds after she woke up. Honestly, there isn't a lot they can do with minor rat injuries, haha. Even in an office where they treat exotics.
I had another foot injury when Sakura got caught in the cage bars somehow and her foot was all mangled D: But again, the vet couldn't do anything. They built a silly little cast for her and that lasted a total of.. maybe 10 seconds after she woke up. Honestly, there isn't a lot they can do with minor rat injuries, haha. Even in an office where they treat exotics.
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