This article has been checked and verified by Veterinary Surgeon Charles Halbert, BVetMed MRCVS (Hons).
It’s an emotional and scary time for a rat parent when your rat is about to have an operation. So we’ve created this guide to help you through this anxious time, and to ensure your rat is in knowledgeable hands.
Your pet rat’s Vet should provide plenty of information and advice about post-surgery aftercare for your rat, but this guide will help to prepare you.
Different types of procedures require post-surgery aftercare. Other considerations such as how your rat’s body reacts will factor in too.
The likelihood of serious complications is significantly decreased if you follow these three tips:
- Following all the pre-operative instructions provided by your rat’s Vet.
- Disclosing your rat’s previous medical conditions and/or recent sickness to the Vet.
- Following the post-operative aftercare advice in this article.
Possible Complications
Reactions
As with all animals, some rats have allergies and sensitivities. If your rat has a reaction to the anaesthetic, it is likely to happy within 20 minutes of it being administered, and the veterinary team are ready for this possibility and will quickly provide the treatment needed.
Occasionally, a rat will have a reaction to the suture. This is usually much less serious, and the symptoms to look out for include redness, swelling or a draining wound.
A suture reaction happens when a rat’s skin is sensitive to the material used, and it can take months to fully heal from a reaction.
If you suspect your rat is having a reaction to the suture, you should contact your rat’s Vet ASAP. Quicker intervention will help prevent long-term problems and further surgery may be required to remove the suture material.
If what appears to be a reaction begins more than 6-8 weeks after the surgery, it is unlikely to be related, but it is still worth mentioning the recent surgical procedure to your Vet.
Internal bleeding
Internal bleeding is exceptionally rare and is most commonly caused by a rat being very active soon after surgery. So it’s is important that your rat’s exercise and space be restricted for 5-7 days following surgery.
You can do this by providing your recovering rat with a small cage to minimise jumps and falls, no out-of-cage free-roam time, and keep your recovering rat separated from your other rats.
We also advise keeping the cages close to each other so that they’re not too far from their cage mates, and won’t suffer from the isolation and loneliness as much. Approximately 10cm-15cm apart is ideal.
Symptoms of internal bleeding to watch out for include:
- fatigue
- limpness
- depression
- loss of appetite
- pale gums
- distended abdomen
Infection
A post-operative infection can occur externally around the incision or internally. Infections are rare but are most commonly caused by the rat excessively licking the wound, or chewing on the stitches.
It is important to keep an eye on symptoms and report them to your Vet, because the earlier they start antibiotic treatment, the more effective it is at fighting infection. To do this, you need to observe the wound around 3 times a day, checking for inflammation including redness, swelling, and any discharge or bad smell.
Protecting the Sutures
Rats are notorious for nibbling and licking away at their wounds. Clothing can help to cover them but make sure your rat doesn’t get too hot.
A baby sock sweater like the one in this picture is ideal to prevent your pet rat from chewing their stitches.
If it’s warm or hot weather, then a cone is a more suitable solution. Your Vet can give you advice on how long your rat should use the collar, but for the majority of surgeries rats have, a week of wearing will be recommended.
A collar can affect how much your rat eats, so when you’re able to supervise your rat, take the collar off to allow them to eat, and put it back on when you’re going out. If they’re not eating, then you will likely need to remove their collar, but contact your Vet for further advice.
When to Contact Your Rat’s Vet
Your pet rat needs to be examined by a Vet if:
- Your rat isn’t eat and drinking within 24 hours after surgery
- There are signs of an infection
- You suspect internal bleeding
- Your rat is having an allergic or sensitivity reaction
- There is a consistent difference in behaviour, appetite, thirst, urination, and defecation
- Your rat damages their surgical wound
Skin sutures are removed 7-10 days after surgery, and most rats make a full recovery with zero or very minor complications.
Watching your beloved pet rat go through something where they need anaesthesia for any reason, even x-rays is really tough. Rat’s have a mortality rate of around 1 in 40 while under anaesthesia. So, even if your rat has been doing brilliantly since their surgery, giving them extra snuggle time, (being careful to avoid their wound), will help both of you get through this.
Happy Rat Surgery News
A Veterinary team in York performed a complex surgery removing a huge tumour that was the size of a satsuma, from a 2 year old pet rat called Moon.
The mass weighed approximately 250g, which was almost as much as Moon, weighing in at 330g.
Incredibly skilled Veterinary Surgeons Nina Bertelsmann and Alicia Dixon performed this operation at the Tower Veterinary Group’s main branch in York.
Alicia has said, “There are several risks with this operation in rats, including bleeding, loss of blood supply to the leg, and euthanasia under general anaesthetic. So, we were delighted with such a happy outcome for the patient.”
Wonderfully, Moon made a full recovery from the surgery and is back to playing with his cage mates.
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