Older rats and Anesthesia >_<

[Devon Picard]

Hello, so my Rat Hagrid has been dealing with an abscess issue on his cheek for the past several months. It'll go away and come back after a few months. This is the 3rd time. He was bitten on that same spot when he was younger when I tried to introduce him to a rat I already had, which I believe is causing this problem. The vet thinks so too but she did also mention that this could be an abscess tooth. If this doesn't go away and comes back, she wants to look at his mouth for an abscess tooth.

She told me that he needs to be put under and wheres 1.5 years old, there's higher risk for him not being able to wake up from anesthesia. She honestly freaked me out about it.

What do you guys think? I want to make sure he's happy and comfortable. If this comes back, is it worth the risk? Is the risk big? Or could he just have it cleaned it out every so often? I want to do what's best for him but I don't want to risk his life unnecessarily because if he didn't wake up, I would be crushed. Especially if there was no abscess tooth...

 

[Fidget]

First - Has he been on antibiotics when it flares up? That would be a good first step if you're concerned about having him anesthetized for an exam.. ChlorPalm (Chloramphenicol) might be good if the vet thinks so.

 

[Devon Picard]

First - Has he been on antibiotics when it flares up? That would be a good first step if you're concerned about having him anesthetized for an exam.. ChlorPalm (Chloramphenicol) might be good if the vet thinks so.

Yes, all three times. They gave him Bactril, which is what I'm giving him now. He's not a fan of it. I will ask her about chlorpalm when I bring him in again.

Thanks

 

[Fidget]

If your vet is open to chlorpalm I'd try it, I've had great success with it when my kids have had facial abscesses.. If antibiotics don't work I guess you have to weigh his recurring discomfort &and possible spreading of infection against the risk of anesthesia. If your vet is experienced it's a risk worth taking, 1.5 isn't that old if he's otherwise healthy...
(chlorpalm won't be fun to give either, I had to give my kids quite a bit in volume compared to other antibiotics, better find something he likes to disguise it).