Warren's Health Thread *Abscess found?

I thought I'd make him a thread to keep all his issues in one place. Being 3 years old I'm sure we have lots of health issues to come.

Warren (whom I may refer to as Bandit as my fiance calls him and it kinda stuck) has his vet appointment tomorrow evening. He had a really good day today. He hasn't been as loud and was running around the whole house (with me right behind him). So, at least right now, he'll be coming home with me from the vet tomorrow. Hopefully with the right medicine.

If the URI symptoms weren't enough, now he's got a lump. I noticed it 2 days ago. I'm pretty sure it's a abscess or something along those lines, not a tumour. It's a small lump, maybe pea sized. It is discoloured yellow and blue. I squeezed gently and a mix of blood and yellow pus came out. It did hurt when I gently squeezed. It is on his back leg. He had one like this on his tail a couple weeks ago that has cleared up.

What does it look like and what should I do for it?

Honestly it looks like a sebaceous cyst that has come to a head (which is good). It is hard to tell through the hair though.

Any time one of my rats has a bump or cut, I trim the hair away from it. This accomplishes two things: it is readily visible and therefore easily monitored, and the hair does not get stuck in any scab or discharge.

^good point.

I trimmed the fur around the bump. He's such a good rat, didn't even care. It doesn't look like anything more then a scab until you feel it. The lump is under the skin I'm pretty sure. Do I let it drain on its own or help it?

You can help it by using warm compresses to soften the scab and perhaps gently squeeze. I find that it will drain eventually on its own anyway. It's fun picking at it though. LOL

Joanne said:

You can help it by using warm compresses to soften the scab and perhaps gently squeeze. I find that it will drain eventually on its own anyway. It's fun picking at it though. LOL

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EWWWWW! :faces:

It does look like a little cyst. I've had these occur on rats in the past. They will come to a head on their own and ooze, but you can help it along by dipping a facecloth in warm salt water and holding it against the spot for a minute or two. The saline will disinfect the area and the warmth will soften the skin and allow it to open so that pus can come out. When it does come to a head, you may have to work some of it out a bit. Make sure pus comes out and does not get pushed back into the wound. When it all comes out, it may leave a bigger hole that looks red. Use a topical antibiotic cream on the spot (like Polysporin). The rat will try to lick the cream off (they always do). Keep it clean and monitor it for healing. Some people will put a drop of colloidal silver drops on it; it seems to work well for healing. These things are quite common it seems. I once had some rats actually chew one of these things off their cage mate. I heard squealing and went into the room to see what was going on; they had most of it off, other than a thin thread of skin. Amazing that they knew it was there and took to their own rattie surgery...a week of some amoxicillin, keeping it clean, and topical ointment healed it up. It could be something as simple as a toenail scratch that infected a little that causes these things. Sending healing vibes to your boy.

Thanks! I'll try the warm compress later and see what I can do for him.

Another question, is it cheaper to get meds from the pharmacy instead of the vet? I've never asked the vet for a prescription so I can pick it up elsewhere but I've seen it mentioned here.

simonsmom said:

Another question, is it cheaper to get meds from the pharmacy instead of the vet? I've never asked the vet for a prescription so I can pick it up elsewhere but I've seen it mentioned here.

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I have never compared prices. But sometimes you can get certain drugs much faster and easier at a regular pharmacy. I get my Doxycycline suspension and Cabergoline at my pharmacy, and everything else at the vet's.

Joanne said:

I have never compared prices. But sometimes you can get certain drugs much faster and easier at a regular pharmacy. I get my Doxycycline suspension and Cabergoline at my pharmacy, and everything else at the vet's.

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Depends on the vet and the medication. Bromo and cabergoline is cheaper from a pharmacy. I never put anything on my abscesses/cysts ointment wise.
Hope your baby feels better.

Just got back from the vet. He would only prescribe doxy + baytril right now, for 2 weeks. He said to bring him back in 2 weeks if he isn't better or if he gets worse. Then he'd put him on azithromycin and do a chest x-ray. I know he should be on for at least 3 weeks.

Suspension form doxy
25mg/ml
380g
0.08ml, twice a day

Baytril 10%
100mg/ml
380g
0.1ml, twice a day

No fluid in the lungs, he wasn't struggling to breathe and teeth were good. Had the vet look at the cyst too and he said it was fine.

Are the doses correct? And should I take him to another vet for the azithromycin?

He use to weight 450g, so he has lost a lot. I found a baby food he likes finally (banana, apple, blueberry, black berry, raspberry). And I got some infant cereal to try. I want to get some weight on him if I can.

The vet was okay, hard to understand though. He's done surgery on rats to remove tumours so he at least knows something about them. He listened when I said what meds I wanted (to some extent) and said they the dose they use is "similar" to what I wanted. I just want to be sure he's getting what he needs. Best part was the exam was only $40.

Doxy and Baytril are a good start. I don't like the two week course though...

Yeah I'll definitely have to take him back to get another prescription. He said its routine to come back in 2 weeks (aka, more money in his pocket).

If the doxy + baytril does not start to help within a few days, you will need to get a vet to write prescriptions for azithromycin.
If it does help then he will need to be on the combo for at least 6 weeks

hope he is soon feeling better

simonsmom said:

Thanks! I'll try the warm compress later and see what I can do for him.

Another question, is it cheaper to get meds from the pharmacy instead of the vet? I've never asked the vet for a prescription so I can pick it up elsewhere but I've seen it mentioned here.

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Depends on the pharmacy and the vet.

But there are some meds that you can only get from a vet and others that you need to get from a pharmacy

How long should it take for the doxy to start helping him? Today he was soooo perky. He use to always be up and waiting for me in the morning to take him out, lately I've been having to wake him up in the morning to come out and it was harder to wake him (I could shake him gently and he wouldn't wake up). Today he was bright eyed and waiting at the front of the cage for me. He came out and did his regular run around the house for 15 minutes then headed back to his cage. He's much more alert and active then he has been for the last week or two.

Is that the doxy helping already (he's only had 2 doses) or are we just having a very good day?

It takes 24 to 48 hours for antibiotics to start working. So it is possible that it is the meds.