# Nutri-Cal



## ilovescience (May 14, 2014)

Algae's due in for surgery Monday, for a tumor removal and spay.. The vet said although she doesn't have to fast the night before because rats can't vomit, but she told me to withhold food the morning of so she isn't full of food (said something about impeding her breathing or something).

Also, Basil seems to be losing weight for some reason. Number-wise, she's not technically *losing* weight, as opposed to not gaining any (plateauing around 260g at around 10 months, even though her parents were HUGE).. But her bones are starting to become more prominent. She's still eating her blocks, veggies, treats, etc, but just not as much as she used to. So i was thinking about getting Nutrical for Algae & Basil, so that Algae would have enough nutrients before surgery without being full of food, and Basil could get some help gaining weight.

Questions:

1. What kind should I get? There's NutriCal for Dogs, Puppies, Kittens, Cats, "Dogs & Cats", and Ferrets.

2. They all have different product packaging.. Is there a difference in the actual product (eg. yellow tube vs. green tube vs. white tube)?

3. Where can I purchase it?

4. What's the difference between Nutri-Cal and Nutri-Stat?

5. How often and for how long should I give them Nutrical?

6. If I can't find it in store in time for Algae's surgery, would Energel suffice in the meantime?



Thanks so much!


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## Hedgian (Aug 18, 2014)

I think the best one to get would be ferret or kittens.


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## ratbasket (Apr 26, 2014)

Nutrical for puppies or kittens are the types I see recommended most often on here, I had no idea there was one for ferrets


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

I always get the dog. I don't think there's actually any difference in the formula, just different packaging maybe? The best price I've found as has been on the doctor's foster and smith website. But i've seen some form of it (either cat, kitten, puppy, dog) in most pet stores. Just ask someone to help you find it because it can be in different departments depending on which store you go to, but it's a lot more expensive. Good luck to your little girl going in for surgery!


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## Minky (Apr 4, 2013)

I'm personally against Nutrical and Ensure and most calorie suppliments, as their primary ingredient is sugar. Sugar is not a nutritious food, and it can encourage tumor growth. You're much better off using real food to fatten up your rats. Try scrambled eggs and some cheese, avocado is also great for weight gain.


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Cheese is terrible for rats, I wouldn't suggest cheese. Yogurt is fine, especially goat yogurt.


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## Minky (Apr 4, 2013)

Why is cheese bad?


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Yogurt is ok because it has good bacteria in it and helps digestion and to break down the lactose. Rats (and almost all animals) cannot properly digest cow's milk. Goat's milk is much easier to digest however, and is a good alternative. But most cheese is made with cow's milk and can cause stomach aches, upset tummies, diarrhea, etc. Even if they don't have a bad case of diarrhea, it's likely they still feel gassy and uncomfortable.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Minky said:


> I'm personally against Nutrical and Ensure and most calorie suppliments, as their primary ingredient is sugar. Sugar is not a nutritious food, and it can encourage tumor growth. You're much better off using real food to fatten up your rats. Try scrambled eggs and some cheese, avocado is also great for weight gain.


Cheese and avocado are also rather fatty. The main idea of suggesting Boost/Ensure/etc. is to at least get some calories in them - it's highly palatable and you can feed it by syringe. The last thing you want to do with a rat who is showing signs of weight loss or wasting is to spend unnecessary time trying to get them to eat foods they don't like. It's not a long term solution.


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## Minky (Apr 4, 2013)

Thanks for the info about cheese - I had no idea!


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## Finnebon (Jul 15, 2013)

Like any unhealthy treat, cheese is ok in small amount, but I avoid just about all dairy except for yogurt to be safe, since tummy aches aren't fun haha. But if you do give cheese occasionally, never give something like blue cheese or Stilton. That nice mold that those types of cheeses have are very toxic to rats.


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