Effects of Abcesses? Update 8-29 with Question

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OldsGal

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 21, 2007
Messages
428
Location
Nebraska
So I have two males right now with abscesses. They are both older guys both turning 2 in September. Since they are older a younger male has been challenging everyone in the cage for alpha status lately. I didn't think too much of it except I did notice that these 2 older males seemed to just not be right. I thought maybe it was just old age not agreeing with them but they were both lethargic and seemed to look more and more sickly each day. Well Friday I discovered a very large abscess on one of the males belly very near the penis. I soaked it and was able to get it opened up and cleaned out. I immediately called my vet and he agreed to give me some Baytril for him as it was such a large abscess. This male is seemingly getting a tad better each day since Friday night. Well I kept looking over the other male rat trying to find anything that could be wrong. He actually is having a hard time holding himself up and lays on his side in the cage. Well I feel so unbelievably awful. My husband tonight discovered an abscess on him as well but down on his scrotum. This male is neutered so not too many concerns with anything being damaged. So I soaked him and his scab came right off almost without soaking. I got him cleaned out and rinsed with Saline and plan to start him on the Baytril too.

My question is can an abscess really cause this much symptomatically wrong with rats? To make them seem sick like this? Or do you think they could have something else wrong that is secondary to the abscess. Like for instance since they are trying to fight the abscess they can't fight other infections?

I have been one of the lucky few who really does not have much experience with abscesses. I actually have been thrown into abscesses just this year. I think I have had like 5 or 6 just this year and never had any before in the past 10 years I have had rats. Believe it or not. But then again I never kept them in such large numbers either.

In the past I would keep 2 females and 2 males at a time.

OK so school me here? Tell me all about what effects abscesses have on a rattie body?

Staci[/code]
 
My first thought would be no. Abscesses is a walled off infection. But I've seen rats with ear infections act exactly the way you described.
So I would have to say that some abscesses can cause a general malaise and if the abscess is left to grow and grow, then I would think his body would get weaker and weaker. :(
But the Baytril should clear the abscesses right up.
 
I can't school you, I don't have much experience. But visible surface ones taken care of didn't cause any major problem with cleaning and antibiotics here..

But a week after a neuter my Alfred had just a bit of greenish looking stuff at his suture that had looked fine, and I took him to the vet right away and the vet started opening the incision and then stink & stuff came out and he took him right away and put him under again and told me he cleaned out a deep abscess he said he was surprised he survived as it was huge.
So from my experience if my vet was on the level an abscess is not 'just' an abscess, it could be surface-visible and home-treatable, or invisibly deeper and dire, tho I don't expect a kid would have a deep one without some trauma occurring deeply?
Could an abscess look like a simple surface problem but go deeper? I don't know. I'm not trying to scare you. Just wouldn't like to think that what seemed like nothing could be a deeper thing. But more experienced people will speak to this.

Kisses to your boys - yes, on their faces and their owies :oops:
 
They say that you should never treat an abscess at home, that your vet should lance and drain it for you. IMHO I think a lot can be easily dealt with at home, but then there are the other ones that will definitely need a vet. These may burst and leak into the body cavity, causing a systemic infection. Sounds like baytril is the way to go. Poor boys. Kisses to them.
 
I have always been advised by vets that frequent abscesses are a sign of decreased overall immunity. I have had rats who have had a number of abscesses that required surgery and I was told that an overall compromised immune system can result in frequent forming of abscesses. The body is just not able to prevent the infection from becoming out of control.
I think they are definitely a symptom of more serious health concerns, for animals and people.
 
Hey all. So how long is a normal time frame for the puss to stop? It will be a week on Friday since I discovered Rubeus' abcess and it is still open which is good. I am flushing it 2 times a day with Saline and I am giving him Baytril 2 times a day. But each time I flush it I am still able to squeeze out some puss. Is this normal? My last abscesses always burst, cleaned them out and then they healed. There was no more puss after the first initial clean out. So is this normal? Other than that the opening looks clean and like it is healing. Nothing looks necrotic. And I think that the energy level is starting to perk up.
 
Oh, I'm so glad his energy is better, that shows he's feeling better.

My Alfred who I spoke of wouldn't even eat anything but ensure for about 2 months after his neuter that started this all. I was compressing and flushing about a month and half before it finally quit giving up gook.. It was a horror show for both of us. But much as i was forced to torture him we became really close because if it, he snuggled into me at every vet visit (too many) and after the awful the flushings I'd just hold him and apologize (& cry sometimes) and he lay in my arms and let me.
But Alfred did finally heal and lived happily for another 4 1/2 mos after that, (he was old when he was neutered)

So it's going to heal and your boy will put it in his past. And you will have good days beyond these bad days.
 
Hmmm...my vet got very concerned when Sebastian's cheek abscess had some pus in it after a week of abs and home care. I can see it still being open but pus as well? Can you take a picture?
 
I will do a a photoshoot of the yuckieness tonight with our flushing. It isn't a lot of puss like the original clean out just some. And it isn't officially a week for Rubeus until Friday night and we didn't discover Mischief's until Sunday.

Staci
 
I would say if there is still pus after a week then you should at least give the vet a quick call.... maybe he needs a different dose, or a different antibiotic to help him kick the infection....
 
Yaaaaa!!! Rubeus had no puss tonight! Mischief still had some but again I didn't discover his until Sunday and got it opened up on Sunday night so he could still use a few days I am sure. Plus his is right on his scrotum where he drags himself all around through the dirtiest of spots in the cage. Plus he is old and fat. Two factors that don't make it the easiest for him to clean himself the best in those parts. I am trying my dangdest to keep it clean. But with how he is acting I would really hate to pull him out of the cage as I think that would throw in hin a downward spiral to be seperated from his cage mates. So we will just try to keep the big boy cage as clean as possible as well as keep Mischief as clean as possible.
 

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