possible megacolon

Question
My daughter has a 2 1/2 year old white rat with black/red eyes. Recently she started eating A LOT and her abdomen is very distended! Is there anything I can do to help this pet or is it too late? She is listless and looking gaunt other than the very large abdomen. We feed her dry rat food mixture from the pet store with fresh veg and fruit for treats. Is there anything we can do to help at this point?

Answer
Hi Helen


Has the rat been passing stools ok?  Are they normal? That is my first question. I need to know what her stools are like and how often she passes them. This is very important when diagnosing megacolon.

Is she drinking ok? Is she breathing heavy and do her sides seem to sink in as she breathes?

Check her feet and  note the color of them. Let me know if they are pink or tinged blue or purple.

Keep her hydrated and warm and let me know asap.

Also, do you have a vet that is well versed in rat care?

hang in there...we will get her on the right path, dont worry!