Bumblefoot/abscess question..

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FrYsGaL

FrYsGaL

Junior Member
Joined
Nov 10, 2016
Messages
16
Location
QLD, Australia
Hey all,
Over the past few months, my little man Mash has developed what I thought to be the early stages of bumblefoot. On his left hind leg, he had a small red, soft lump. I kept on eye on it for a while and noticed that it started to get bigger. I ended up taking him to the vet ( not my normal rat vet) and she told me there was nothing that she could do for him as it wasn't bad enough. She gave me instructions to clean his foot with an antiseptic cream twice daily and wait.
I did just that....
One morning when i looked at it, it was a lot worse. It looked more aggressive, there was a white oval area in the middle of the bump and Mash was in pain when I touched it so i took him to my regular vet.
He ended up cutting open his lump and squeezing a HUGE amount of pus out. I had to hold my poor little guy as he squealed in pain. From what i could see, he got it all out and even cut open the wound a little more. He bandaged his foot with a swab with antiseptic on it and told me to either leave it on until the end of the day or leave it on as long as Mash would tolerate it.
He told me that I would have to open his wound a few times a day, squeeze what i can out of it and soak it in some salt water and apply an antiseptic cream or paw paw ointment.
Mash tolerated it all day... to my surprise. :)
When we got the dressing off, his wound had closed quite well and that's when i starting doubting what the vet had said. Mash's foot was red raw. So, with my partners help, I opened his wound again and squeezed it ( i hated every moment of this) but nothing came out. After a little while, I couldn't go on, so we soaked his foot in salt water and put some cream on it.
I just wanted to see if anyone else has gone through this and if what I had done was what the Vet told me or did I get my instructions mixed up..... I just feel it was pointless to put Mash through that stress and pain...
I've attached a picture of his foot as it is now... He decided to lick me as I took the picture.
Any help would be greatly appreciated :)
 
The continued problems makes me wonder if there is a retained foreign body in there. Could be glass, a thick hair or splinter.

Just some thoughts.
 
When one of my rats had bumblefoot, I used Blu Kote spray on it each day and gave him Baytril. It cleared up in six weeks. However, I am dealing with bumblefoot on a different geriatric rat. Baytril and Blu Kote has not helped nor did daily saline compresses. It is still red and sore looking (no pus).

I tried to give my girl Septra but she wouldn't take it. When I tried to squeeze it in her mouth with a syringe she found a way to spit it out because she wouldn't swallow it. Gosh, she looked stupid with a mouthful of pink stuff (Septra mixed with strawberry syrup).

Does your vet think antibiotics would help?

PS: The fact that the pus was removed in your rat has done wonders and he needed his foot drained.
 
Thanks for replying :)
The vet gave me baytril for him, 2x daily.
Since yesterday when I posted this, I tried opening it again but he was just too tender to touch so I left it until I got home.
When I got home, I dabbed his foot with a cotton pad soaked with salt water until his scab decided to come off. My partner held him while I used a cotton bud soaked in salt water to try and squeeze/twist the bud on his wound. I got a very tiny amount of pus (smaller than a grain of rice) out. I then flushed it with saline solution.
I will have a look at it tomorrow and see if it requires that treatment again but I don't want to put him under anymore stress. He's in good spirits but I can tell that his attitude is changing :(
 
I think Septra has an easier time reaching bumblefoot infections. If the Baytril doesn't work, try Septra.

Also, it's best to leave things alone sometimes as we can add further irritation an infection if it isn't the right thing for that problem. However, it is trial and error.
 
That would be the right spot for bumblefoot but not with pus unless it got infected. It's true that with abscesses you have to continually drain it. I would also pad down the cage, make sure it's super soft and no hard surface so the foot can heal faster. Septra is a better med with abscesses but Baytril is good too, it takes longer to heal though.
 
I've had a look at it this morning and it's nowhere near as red and raised... so i i bathed it in some salt water and have left it. I see the vet again on Tuesday to see if the baytril helps. He did mention a stronger medication but wanted to use baytril first.
I'm keeping both of them on our bed a lot more so it's a lot softer for his poor foot. I also lined the wired cage area with some rags and have been changing them daily. I'll see how it looks again in a few hours and soak it in another salt bath :)
Thank you for all the tips. I got a bit worried them for a moment..
 
I've also noticed a red rash that has appeared on Mash's neck/upper back region. No increased scratching from him and no hair loss...
I have a vet visit in 2 days. I hope this isn't another issue for him.. :sad-p:

I've attached a few pictures.... the first is Mash's foot 2 days ago after cleaning it, the second is Mash's foot about an hour ago after cleaned it and the last two are of this new rash that has presented itself on his skin. I have moved the fur around so you can see the outline of the rash ( there is no hair loss)
 
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Yeah that is definitely a scratch wound. My first suspicions would also be first some sort of skin parasites or a reaction to antibiotics. If it is a reaction to medicine, keep in mind that the vet may not necessarily decide it is the best course of action to discontinue the medicine. That would depend on the situation.

But the wound on his foot looks much better!
 
Hey all again,
I'm a little worried again... Mash's rash has turned into a scab. Would this be a normal reaction to a subcutaneous injection? His brother had the same injection, same day and his rash is as small as a grain of rice and it's only red and a little flakey.
There is hair loss in the middle of the scab, whereas a few days ago, the hair was normal. I have checked him for mites, ticks and fleas and there is none present. I do see the vet again tomorrow for their check up but i'm worried now...
 

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