2 year old rat hurt, need advice.

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Large rat may have pressure sores? Need help on resolving

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J

Jasmine shirley

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I would like to consider myself quite knowlageable with rats but this one had baffled me. I have a rather large female white rat. I have just noticed bad sores on her back feet, now I think they’re pressure sores where she is laying on them. The bedding I use isn’t hard but isn’t too soft either. I use the back to nature betting as this contains the less dust which prevents they’re re-occurring respiratory infections. What’s confused me is that she does in fact sleep on the soft bedding (old t shirts, hammocks etc) that are in the cage. So I’m just wondering if anyone else has had this problem with they’re rats and how they resolved the issue. I have also given her a small dose of pain killers just incase because they do look quite nasty and swollen/ cut. Please someone help also her name is Leila x
 
That does sound like bumblefoot but if you can get us a picture, we would be able to tell better. We treated our rats with bumblefoot with antibiotics and padding up the cage and play area. We made sure our rats had not hard surface to walk on.
 
jorats said:
That does sound like bumblefoot but if you can get us a picture, we would be able to tell better. We treated our rats with bumblefoot with antibiotics and padding up the cage and play area. We made sure our rats had not hard surface to walk on.
Click to expand...
I have got flat surfaces on my cage so it can’t be bumble foot. I can’t get a decent picture as she’s a wriggler lol.
 
Wire grids does not cause bumblefoot. Bumblefoot is also like an infected pressure sore which is why my vet recommended padding the cage completely. Rats are more likely to get bumblefoot on hard surfaces, if they are overweight or if they are genetically predisposed to it.
 
So would I need to take her to the vet or clean infected area regularly and pain killer?
 
If we could get a picture of the sore, it would be easier to advise if you need antibiotics. But normally, with my guys, unless it's quite big with bleeding, I would keep it very clean and keep their cage padded.
 
See if you can get antibiotic ointment for pets or children so if she licks it off it doesn't hurt her tummy. Check her feet every day and pluck off any bedding stuck to the sores, wash them in cold water and re-apply the antibiotic. Ask your vet if losing weight would help lighten the load on her feet or if she needs the extra food to help her heal. Just call the vet office's hotline, don't spend the money on an appointment unless the vet tells you to bring her in or the sores don't improve after a week of the treatment I suggested. Pad the cage with fleece and see if switching to recycled paper bedding would help her feet.
 
ointment is not good to put on rats - wounds etc need to be kept open as they heal from the inside out and rats will lick off ointment.
If rats need antibiotics, then oral antibiotics from the vet is the only way to go

Like Jorats said, it sounds like bumblefoot, but please post pictures so people can will have a better idea ...... and as she said, you will need to make sure surfaces are soft and kept extremely clean - this often means changing bedding at least a couple of times a day
If antibiotics are needed fro infection, get oral antibiotics from the vet.

Here is some info from ratguide.com which is a vet approved medical site for rat owners http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/ulcerative_pododermatitis.php
 
Hey all! Quick update on the rat. Her feet are less swollen and after a lot of reaserch it was intact Bumblefoot. I’ve got new softer bedding and I have been deep cleaning daily. Cleaning her feet 3 times a day and applying cream. Swelling has gone but scabs are still there. Looking better. Thanks guys xx
 
  1. Its still better to get us a picture. Bumblefoot shows up in older rats as the sole of their foot eventually drops until it presses on the ground. Most rats do not get it, but rats who are genetically predisposed to it (as Jorats said) and obese rats can have this issue. Once infection is gone, you can treat it with Blu-Kote antiseptic (get the dauber NOT the spray) and it will help dry out and shrink the bumbles. Some rats just get pressure sores rather than true bumblefoot.
 

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