Medicine's

[Yorkie mark 69]

Hi, I'd like some advice on medicine's, should I have some medicines ,if so what are the best to have in my first aid box ,any advice much appreciated thanks.

[cyber ratty]

Most medicines are prescription only, so you can't buy them in advance.

For a first aid box though, it's a good idea to have a wound cleaner such as iodine, purple spray, or hibiscrub. It's also worth keeping a plastic syringe in there in case you need to help a rat to drink. A roll of vet wrap (bandage) might be useful too.

Meds which keep a long time such as bisolvon (decongestant), manuka honey (for wounds), ivermectin (to treat lice and mites) are worth holding onto, along with any leftover painkillers. I would not recommend keeping antibiotics unless you have the experience to know when/if to use them unless you would only use them on the advice of a vet (maybe if advised over the phone for instance).

[Yorkie mark 69]

Thank you cyber ratty you're advice is so much appreciated. You must be getting bored of all my questions Well here comes another one, which pain killers and what dosage,I would have thought they are too strong.thanks again.

[cyber ratty]

Answering questions is never a pain, happy to help if I can.

The painkiller I was thinking of is metacam or loxicom - the vet would prescribe it so would give you a dose based on the strength (e.g. dog metacam is 3 times stronger than cat), the size of the rat, and the purpose. It keeps quite well, and unlike antibiotics it can be given in an emergency to give comfort to a rat until they can be seen by a vet - but the dose would be 0.2mg/kg for acute pain, down to 0.1mg/kg for chronic pain.

[Yorkie mark 69]

Thanks,I'm sorting a vet out next week.should probably sorted one out before buying my girls but was like a kid in a sweet shop setting up cage and everything,still a bit giddy but the more I learn the more you realize your responsibilities ,I'm really enjoying it though. I'll speak to vet . Thanks again

[Little_Lovelies]

Hey Yorkie,

I totally understand your excitement, they're the best!

You may well already know this but it's all about getting a vet who has experience with rats. If you have ratty friends locally I'd ask them, otherwise if you're happy to say roughly where you live someone here might be able to recommend one.

Most vets see a constant stream of dogs and cats and the odd other thing, so if you can find an exotics specialist that's usually best. Some even carry way more equipment for operations on tiny patients and prescribe medicines that non-expert vets aren't prepared to etc.

[Yorkie mark 69]

Cheers. I've managed to find a vet near leeds they specialize in small animals and have good out of hours service so should be ok now thanks for all your replies much appreciated