QuestionMy rat, Rizzo, urinated blood. His eyes are half open, squeaks when touched, wants to be left alone, wobbles. Petsmart said to give him oatmeal if it was an upsetstomach.
AnswerPetsmart should not give medical advice out because it will only cause severe problems and possibly leave the rat untreated when he needs real medical attention from a vet.
The condition your rat has is called uremia which means blood in the urine.
Your rat more than likely has a urinary tract infection.
He will need to see a vet and he will be put on antibiotics orally for a few weeks. The vet may take a sample of his urine and check it to see exactly what bacteria it is that is causing his infection.
There are no over the counter medications that are safe to use to treat this condition so the rat must see a vet that is qualified in treating pet rats. If you do not have a vet for your rat, I will be happy to help you locate one if you can tell me your city and state. If he remains untreated, his kidneys will not be able to function properly and he will become poisoned from the toxins that his kidneys are failing to filter out. He will recover fully with proper treatment so don't worry! He is probably very uncomfortable and that is why he is squeaking and also why he wants to be left alone. If you never had a urinary tract infection, it can be very painful to urinate and it can also burn badly too.
There are several other things that can be wrong too, such as bladder stones or crystals which can also cause blood tinged urine and pain, but usually the more commonly seen problems are UTI and hopefully that is all that it is.
On a final note...
Petsmart is incorrect on the advice they gave you.
When a rat has an upset stomach, since they cannot vomit, they drag their face on the floor as if they are trying wipe out the nasty taste. They also eat strange things such as cardboard or even their litter or plastic and other objects that are not supposed to be consumed.
This action is called PICA and it is done to try to absorb whatever contents it is in the rats stomach that may be causing them to be uncomfortable. Eating oatmeal will do nothing to help and for that matter, rats do not urinate blood when they have an upset stomach.
Please let me know if I can help further
regards
Sandy