Minor Tail Injury in a Senior Rat w/ End-Stage Myco

My first post, I do believe. I've been around a while but due to life, haven't had much opportunity to post. Unfortunately, I now need some advice so I guess this is my introduction

I've already emailed the vet but figured it won't hurt to post here.

I have an elderly (2-3/4) rat that's been on a myco regimine for almost six months. He progressed about a month ago into what my vet called end-stage, but is kept comfortable and happy with a combo of metacam, baytril and doxy. It's not perfect; he has little asthmatic attacks here and there but they are minor, and pass quickly the majority of the time.

Unfortunately, he's also kind of unsteady on his feet. Today, when I put him back into the cage I was midway through closing the door (ferret nation) and didn't see him stumble a bit...his tail went down between the floor and the door and got pinched. Queue awful squeaking and me quickly opening it again.

And that precipitated a minor asthma-like attack

After calming him down and getting the asthma attack sorted (we have a process....distraction and cuddles/love while sitting in a bed in my lap *usually* is enough to calm him down enough for the breathing issue to relax) I checked his tail.

- It's not degloved.
- It's not even really bruised
-There is a tiny area on one side where the skin looks "pulled" or scraped a bit. It literally looks like pinched skin.
- It's obviously painful to palpitate gently
- He's using it just fine, and moving it on his own

My question is, how much of an emergency do y'all think this is? I don't believe this is going to turn into a degloving situation but I'd really rather be cautious.

He's already on daily metacam, so the only other option for pain would be to go to a narcotic, and I'm not sure the vet would like that option with the breathing issues.

He's not *happy* right now, but not panicking or heaving, so for the moment I've tucked him into his cage bed so he can relax a bit.

Thoughts? I feel just awful about it.:sad2:

I would just observe it for now.
Accidents happen, don't beat yourself up about it.
Hugs to your elderly man. :hugs:

Thanks, Joanne! I appreciate that so much.

I tend to have a little panic with anything these days because excitement = poor breathing.

I just passed in a small chocolate drop and made him a couple of boiled noodles to apologize, he isn't heaving anymore and even chittered. I'm not super-happy with the tail; it's bruising a bit, but not in the way a deglove does - just a very small dark spot where the pinched skin was.

He is my last rat (for the moment) and he's pretty special

Have you tried azithromycin (10mg/Ib, twice a day) + baytril
or azithromycin (10mg/Ib, twice a day) + baytril + doxy?
If not, I hope you do so .....

or is he end stage because of pulmonary abscesses?

Hope you still have good quality time left together

Hey SQ,

He has several abscesses on his left lung. We did try the azithromycin, without much success unfortunately. It also gave him horrid diarrhea and made him extremely lethargic.

The last time we were into the vet, he commented on how his heart sounds are *very* muffled now, so he thinks that since the last set of images the abscesses have likely grown exponentially.

That was what prompted the decision to consider it end-stage, and it's a decision I'm comfortable with.

Of course, end-stage simply means more severe in both of our eyes - if he can be maintained without severe pain and with relative comfort, then we're satisfied with his disease course.

I'd love for him to live forever, but it simply isn't feasible. Gus was a feeder bin baby (I know, I know) so we know his genes aren't exactly...the best, to say the least.

Overall, he's been sick with myco for almost nine months so we've done well to push it back. Aside from the myco, he's never had a tumor or any signs of PT or even a case of mites All in all, pretty good.

But it's a great suggestion, and I thank you for thinking of my little love

Tail-wise, he's almost back to 100% today! Only the slightest little mark left THANK GOODNESS.

:mouse1np1: Best wishes for your elderly guy. It's so hard as we see them age & also battle with a condition.:mouse1np1: