 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / May 2005Help mouse mouse has an abscess
Hi , Mouse-Mouse has an abscess. A couple of weeks ago I felt a hard lump, it's located about 1/4 inch away from his penis on his left side. I put warm compresses on it for about 45 minutes and it seemed to have some what gone away. It started to grow larger this past week and called my vet for an appointment. I thought it might have been a tumor this last week. I took him to the vet yesterday and the vet thought it was also a tumor. I have severe arthritus and can't get to the vet right away. This part is kinda long so I'll skip. Lets just say my illness makes it difficult to go any where. Any way the vet and I scheduled an appointment for surgery for Tuesday. I went to bed last night and when I woke this morning for our ritual petting and snuggling routine and I notice the lump was gone and there was this sort of scab around the area. I checked the area and green pus came out. I cleaned out the pus and cleaned the area with a warm moist paper towel. My vet is closed for the holiday and I need to know what to do until he opens Tuesday. How do I clean it? Is there anything I can put on it to help with it? He's breathing is slightly labored ? He is drinking and eating fine? I just need to know what to do for him to keep him comfortable and so infection doesn't kill him. I never had any of my other Rats go through this and I'm scared and upset for him. Please any suggestions would be very, very, HELPFUL. Thanks, Flo > Hi , > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Thanks, > Flo Hi Flo, First you should know that abscesses are very common and very seldom will cause any grave illness to a rat. I don't know why most vets will assume a tumor when all along it's a simple abscess. Now that the abscess has popped the hardest part is over. You need to keep the hole/wound clean. You can use hibitane (a cleanser) or the saline water, or just plain water. If you can, several times a day, flush out the hole/wound. Don't use anything that would encourage the skin to close like an antibiotic ointment. You want the wound open so you can keep cleaning it out. If the scab is still there, peel it off and clean the inside of the wound. Keep doing this until there's no more scab, no more hole... And call the vet to cancel that expensive tumor removal. ;)  SignatureJoanne Mom to 8 rats http://community.webshots.com/user/joanneb70 Hope mousemouse feels better. Joanne you are a real trooper in times of need ! >> Hi , >> [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > the wound. Keep doing this until there's no more scab, no more hole... > And call the vet to cancel that expensive tumor removal. ;) To clean the wound you can also use a betadine and water solution that looks like weak tea. Flush the wound 2 or 3 times. Then use pasturized honey instead of an antibiotic ointment. The honey is a natural antibacterial and will prevent futher bacteria groweth without promting fast wound closure. As Joanne said, pick off the scab and flush until there is no more hole to close. If you feel you just HAVE to see the vet, try to get some oral antibiotics.... much less expensive that the tumour removal :) Julia and The Mischief Makers >Hi , > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >kill him. I never had any of my other Rats go through this and I'm scared >and upset for him. Please any suggestions would be very, very, HELPFUL. i agree with everything joanne said. keep it open, keep it clean. you want it to heal from the inside out or else the abscess will just recur. i'd actually keep him on all cloth bedding changed daily if you can manage it just until his owie is healed up. rats are prone to abscesses and they almost always heal up just fine, so try not to worry too much! -- "know she breaks, my siren" (tori) http://shattering.org x-no-archive: yes in headers Thank You all Very Much It's so good to have people who understand and can help. My vets office is closed till Tuesday and the Answering service referred me to Northway Animal Emergency Clinic in Gansevoort N.Y. about an hour away but well worth it. They are opened 24 hours a day this weekend. They examined him an gave me some Baytril. They said to use Dial Anti-Bacterial Hand Soap- a very mild solution to clean the wound. Also to do compresses 2 or 3 times a day to make sure it drains. Also to put paper towels in his cage and remove them daily. The vet said it's the kind of abscess with no nodule in it. They shaved the spot when the abscess is. It looks yukkee!!!, But what must be done, must be done!!! I will take everyone advice. The only thing that puzzles me is that they said to put Neosporin on it. Is that a bad thing to do? I haven't done anything yet as I have just come back from the vet and only gave him the Baytril. Luckily he just licks it up and I don't have to fight with him to get it into to him. Are these cyst going to be coming back or is he going to get them all the time. I Thank God it's not a tumor I was worried about the surgery because of where this lump was and his weight. He weighs .85 Grams. I need to put him on a diet some how. When I eat he looks at me like a prisoner with a tin cup in his cage. > Hi , > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Thanks, > Flo > Thank You all Very Much It's so good to have people who understand and can > help. My vets office is [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > his weight. He weighs .85 Grams. I need to put him on a diet some how. > When I eat he looks at me like a prisoner with a tin cup in his cage. I know what you mean but you must resist... lol Personally, I wouldn't put the neosporin. But I really can't advise you to go against your vet's advice. I once had a rat that had a big cut under his arm from a fight. The vet put staples on it and it puzzled me why she didn't stitch it closed, stupid me, I didn't bother asking her either. At home, Max simply took the staples out. Desperate and scared, I applied lots of polysporin on it. Sure enough the next day it was completely closed. All proud of myself, I figured he was going to be alright. But poor Max developed these huge abscesses because the area couldn't drain. He had to be put to sleep because of the abscesses, he had quite a bit and they were so big. His body couldn't fight that infection. From this experience, I now know not to ever close a wound or to put an ointment on it that would promote fast healing. SignatureJoanne Mom to 8 rats http://community.webshots.com/user/joanneb70 This is why my vet advises the use of honey... kills the bacteria, yet doesn't promote fast healing... and the wound can drain and heal from the inside. Julia > This is why my vet advises the use of honey... kills the bacteria, yet > doesn't promote fast healing... and the wound can drain and heal from the > inside. > > Julia Do the rats try and lick the honey? Is that just normal honey from the grocery store? I'll surely keep that in my rattie medical kit. SignatureJoanne Mom to 8 rats http://community.webshots.com/user/joanneb70 Yes, it's just plain honey from the grocery. Get the pasturized. And, yes they will lick it, but the opening to the wound is much smaller than the interior, and the ratties won't be able to lick out all the honey. Then the scabbing will close it until it is cleaned again. With any luck the ratties will think you are giving them a treat in an unusual way and not struggle too much :) Julia and the Mischief Makers Thank You all Very Much It's so good to have people who understand and can help. My vets office is closed till Tuesday and the Answering service referred me to Northway Animal Emergency Clinic in Gansevoort N.Y. about an hour away but well worth it. They are opened 24 hours a day this weekend. They examined him an gave me some Baytril. They said to use Dial Anti-Bacterial Hand Soap- a very mild solution to clean the wound. Also to do compresses 2 or 3 times a day to make sure it drains. Also to put paper towels in his cage and remove them daily. The vet said it's the kind of abscess with no nodule in it. They shaved the spot when the abscess is. It looks yukkee!!!, But what must be done, must be done!!! I will take everyone advice. The only thing that puzzles me is that they said to put Neosporin on it. Is that a bad thing to do? I haven't done anything yet as I have just come back from the vet and only gave him the Baytril. Luckily he just licks it up and I don't have to fight with him to get it into to him. Are these cyst going to be coming back or is he going to get them all the time. I Thank God it's not a tumor I was worried about the surgery because of this lump was and his weight. He weighs .85 Grams. I need to put him on a diet some how. When I eat he looks at me like a prisoner with a tin cup in his cage. > Hi , > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Thanks, > Flo I'm not going to put Neosporin on it. Sometimes vets can make it more confusing, better to go with common sense. Mouse Mouse is mad at me, I cleaned the wound and put warm compresses on it. I know it must be extremely painful, and knowing first hand about open wounds( I recently had hip surgery) I just hope he feels better soon and forgives me. I just don't want him to think I'm doing anything intentional to make him hurt. > Hi , > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > Thanks, > Flo > I'm not going to put Neosporin on it. Sometimes vets can make it more > confusing, better to go with common sense. Mouse Mouse is mad at me, I [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] >> Thanks, >> Flo Just wanted to wish Mouse-Mouse a quick recovery, I'm sure he'll be just fine. Tracey |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.