Is isoflourine recommeded as an anaesthetic for rats? and neutering question

[Louise]

Mr. Higgins next course of action might be to have the lump cut out of his tail.  I spoke to the technician at the vet today and she said she was going to talk to the vet this evening and see what options we had.

I am sooo nervous about rat surgery, they are such delicate little critters.  She said they do a lot of exotics surgery, including rats and birds (who she said are really touchy when it comes to surgery).  They use isoflourine gas, which she told me is what is also used on humans and is the safest thing.  

I have never had to have a rat operated on, does this advice sound good?  Is this the right anaesthetic?  This is a new vet for us, I couldn't find a good one in town and I have been pretty impressed with them so far.  They called last week to see how Higgins was progressing with his medicine, I thought that was nice.

My other question is how old is too old to neuter a male?  I asked if it would be wise to have him neutered while under the anaesthetic, or would the two things be too much for him.  She said it would depend on how long it took to remove the lump as they do not like to keep little animals under for too long.  If the lump came off quickly they might be able to neuter him, if it didn't, then they wouldn't want to risk keeping him out for too long.

AAAAaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrghhh, the woes of being a rattie mum!  I already feel guilty and bad for the poor guy!

Any advice welcomed )

thanks so much.

[Ali]

This is the anaesthetic they used when both my does had ops. They offered another (can't remember the name) which was a cheaper option, but apparently they wake up more quickly with isoflorane (which means less time under anaesthetic) and recover more quickly, meaning they can go home the same day normally).

Both of my girls had ops in the morning and were pretty perky again by the time I picked them up in the afternoon.

[Louise]

It's good to know your girls did so well.  -Did you have them in for spaying?  I'm curious because I just answered Jules post who's asking about spaying females.  I remember reading somewhere that it dramatically reduced their chances of tumors.

I never thought I'd be worrying over a rat!  

[Ali]

Hi Louise

No, I never got the girls spayed, though in retrospect it would probably have been a good idea - Lupin was in for removal of a lump! In fact, she went under the knife twice, once for a biopsy (which to be honest I probably wouldn't bother having done again) and the second time for the lump to be removed. Unfortunately the tumour grew back - I didn't have it removed again as by then she was nearly three and was suffering from myco too, bless her. Poppy went under for an op on her foot to remove an ulcer (she had very severe bumblefoot). I think if I had girls again I'd go for a spay, particularly after seeing the responses to Jules' post.

Try not to worry too much about Mr Higgins (I know, daft thing to say). I'm sure he'll be absolutely fine - it sounds like your vet is very good.

You made me laugh when you said you never thought you'd be worrying over a rat!! Crazy, isn't it!!! I can't explain to anyone, let alone myself, why I am so completely obsessed by these little monsters. I just know that I am! Thank goodness there's a place to come where I can be surrounded by so many fellow 'weirdos' !!!!

[Louise]

I feel the same way, I don't know what I would do without this board!

Your poor girls, what they went through.  We have four and I'm beginning to wonder what we have let ourselves in for in the future as they age.

As for blabbing about rats, we had company over at the weekend, it was the first time they had been to the house and within 15 minutes I was gushing forth about the girls and Higgins, fortunately they are animal lovers so I don't think I came across as a total lunatic - guess I'll find out when I invite them back again

[scout]

Louise, sounds like your vet is knowledgeable so far. Isoflurane is the anesthetic of choice, and keeping a rat under for a long time is not a good idea, as they told you. That said, I don't think there is an upper limit for age on neutering rats (I had one done at 10  months), but there is the possibility that his behaviors may have become learned behaviors by the time he is older. If that's the case, you won't see much reduction in aggresive behaviors. My one boy that was done became aggressive once the female alpha in his group died and a male took over. He's separated now.

Good luck with Higgins' tail. One of my boys has a bump on his tail and it turns out it's an infected sebaceous gland. Cleaning it out regularly has reduced its size without having to administer oral antibiotics. Seems tails are slow to heal even under the best of circumstances.

[Paul]

isoflourine - I'm sure that's what was used on our girls for past surgeries.
If it gets them round quicker (than the cheaper option) that's all to the good.

Had to laugh at Louise talking about having company round and talking and talking about her rats.
We do the same.
Except, we have made the mistake when friends have talked about their HUMAN children being off their food, or having a sniffle or whatever, and we say WE KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN - and then tell them about our rattie girls!!
I'm sure we've managed to offend some with our comparison!!

Paul

[Ali]

LOL ! Comparing human kids to rats - I do the same!

My friend is going through pregnancy at the moment and everytime she talks about the baby and it's current size, I always have to chip in with 'oh, like the boys at 6 weeks' or something. I just can't help it!!!

Luckily she's a very good friend!

[Louise]

It sounds like the vet is using the right anaesthetic at least.  That's good because it backs up the good feelings that I have about them.  I'll let you know how things progress with Mr. Higgins.

[Mandarb]

Isoflurane is the best aneasthetic to maintain anything on.  It has the least effect on the cardiovascular and pulmonary system.  The other gas is Halothane, it is cheaper and they wake up a little quicker but it has an increased effect on the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems.  Rats do quite well maintained on iso, What are they going to use to induce anaesthesia, these are often injectable drugs and can have a bigger effect on the anaesthesia than the inhalation gasses that they use once the animal is unconcious.  They can use the gas to make the animal unconciuos, which works well on small animals and is very safe.  
As for castration, there should be realisticaly no age limit to the surgery, the main consideration is the fact that the older an animal the more the risks from surgery.  Taking this into consideration some vets may even refuse to castrate old animals unless it is essential. such as prostate disease.
Hope I have helped, sorry it is so wordy.  Good luck and don't worry, your vet sound very good.