Giant lump under jaw?!

[ThatRatGirl]

Hello everyone!

I have a 5 & a half month old Dumbo Rat named Enzo. He is the favourite out of all my rats because his personality is just perfect. Anyways, about 3 days ago I noticed a grape sized lump right under his chin. It's pretty firm to the touch and doesn't move with the skin. I tried to search all over the internet of what it could be and I think it's an abscess. Yesturday there was blood in his cage but he wasn't bleeding from anywhere when I realized. I inspected his mouth further & his inner left cheek seems to be swollen. His left bottom tooth is very red around the base and a small white bubble is at the base of the left bottom tooth. Is this another abscess? Now when I put pressure on the lump under his chin a thick whiteish/yellow pus(?) seeps into his mouth. It doesn't seem to hurt him but he does get annoyed when im constantly prodding at his mouth. I decided to dip a Q-tip into a salt water solution and try to rub it into his mouth and On the left side of his mouth.

I don't know what todo! Is it possible that an abscess is actually surronding a tumor? He is still eating and acting perfectly normal. Should I just put him down now before it gets worse? My parents will not pay for a surgery for a 'rat'. My mom did agree to euthinize him if he is suffering but he seems perfectly normal right now. Does it sound like a tooth abscess since it seems to be occuring around his bottom left tooth?

Please help!

 

[Kate476]

Honestly I really don't know... I'm sure someone will chime in though.

It sounds like a vet visit is in order though. It's possible surgery isn't necassary. A vet will probably be able to tell you exactly what it is & what's necassary to take care of it.

& I really don't want to be rude but until you have a job/the money for vet care you may want to think of not owning rats. Sadly they get sick so sometimes surgery is necassary, if not surgery other problems will come up & it's not fair to not be able to give them vet care when they need it. :?

 

[ThatRatGirl]

Oh trust me, i want to take him to the vet but my parents don't believe that a rat needs vet care. They see any pets other than a cat and dog something lives 3yrs and dies.. And if I was old enough to have a job I would.

 

[Kate476]

I totally understand where you are coming from. It's sad when parents just don't 'get' it.

But you see it's better to not have rats rather then have rats that you can't give them care when they need it

It's definitelly hard I know.... I soon will have to be ratless because I know I just won't be able to pay for vet care

Perhaps you could foster for a rescue. I do that & they pay for vet bills. If you feel comfortable feel free to PM me your location (just a state is fine. doesn't need to be detailed) & I can see if I know of a rescue in your area.

 

[crumbilina]

It sounds like it is an abscess for sure. This will require a vet visit since antibiotics (at the very least) will be needed.

See if you can talk to your parents about going to the vet. They should understand that any living thing whether it lives 1 week or 100 years deserves medical attention when it is needed. Maybe offer to do chores or something to try and scrape up as much cash as you possibly can, showing that you are serious about going to the vet. There is a thread on this forum about raising money for vet bills, I will see if I can find it for you.

That is really the only advice I can give... good luck!

ETA: Here is the thread viewtopic.php?f=21&t=23107&hilit=raising+money+for+vet+bills
Some won't apply to you if you are not old enough to get a job, but its worth a look

 

[ThatRatGirl]

I know what you mean when you say that you shouldn't have pets that you can't properly take care of but you can't assume that a child is going to automatically know that. We can support our rats needs but my parents do not believe in vet care for pets other than a cat or a dog.


He is acting perfectly normal right now and I'm hoping that I'll be able to take care of it myself right now. A vet would probably just prescribe some sort of anitbiotics and clear out the abscess but a lot of websites said that abscess' around the mouth tend to reoccur & it usually points towards some sort of tooth problem..

And you're right, fostering would be a great idea! I'll message you in a second!

 

[victoria]

If it's a tooth/jaw abscess, it needs aggressive treatment and even then, I don't think it's usually successful. If he has pus/blood in his mouth, he's probably having trouble eating and suffering, even if he's hiding it well. You should offer him soft food (lab blocks soaked in water, baby food, ensure, baby cereal) and you can give him infant Advil to help make him comfortable (you need a scale to weigh him) but if you're not able to get him antibiotics and any other vet care he needs, you should start searching for a vet that's experienced with rats so he can be euthanized humanely.

Not all vets are experienced with rats (in fact, most aren't) and may not know how to humanely euthanize so you'll want to make sure you find a knowledgeable one that will help him without making him suffer anymore. Many of the members her are Canadian so if you give us a better idea of your location (city) we may be able to give you some suggestions.

 

[Joanne]

If your rat has an abscess under his chin that is NOT associated with a tooth, then the treatment will be relatively straightforward. If the abscess IS associated with his tooth, then surgery to removed the infected tooth is necessary, along with frequent tooth trimmings for the rest of his life to keep his opposing teeth worn evenly. Sadly, it would probably be in his best interest to be euthanized if it is a tooth problem, as you won't have the funds to continually take him in for trimmings, IF he survives the surgery.
However, I DO recommend a vet visit to see what the problem is. It seems cruel to euthanize an animal for something that may be 'fixable'. However, it is more cruel to let him suffer with an untreated infection in his face...
I hope you can convince your parents that every life is worth saving and treating with respect. As suggested, perhaps you can find ways to 'earn' the money from your parents to pay for the treatment yourself, such as mowing the grass, raking, weeding the garden, etc.

 

[ThatRatGirl]

Thank-you so mych everyone! I'll try to convince my parents to take him to the ver so we at least know for sure what is going on. Give me a week or so and I'll update you with his progress & my parents

 

[ThatRatGirl]

I haven't been able to convice my parents yet

The abscess has opened up at the bottom of his chin/neck. It's bloody around and if I move the skin there is an opening. It smelt like vomit but he's still eating all the same & everything.

What's the best way to keep it clean?

 

[SQ]

If kept open, it will hopefully heal from the iinside out.
But he needs to see a vet, needs antibioics, and may need surgery or to be humanely put to sleep if the infection is too deep and invasive.

Too bad that your parents do not realise that if they love you, they need to make sure yor pets get necessary medical care.
viewtopic.php?f=26&t=9582

Maybe a rescue near you or someone on here would be able to take him off your hands and get him the medical care he requires

 

[Kate476]

I haven't been able to convice my parents yet

The abscess has opened up at the bottom of his chin/neck. It's bloody around and if I move the skin there is an opening. It smelt like vomit but he's still eating all the same & everything.

What's the best way to keep it clean?

The fact that it smells so bad is very concerning If your parents won't get him the care he needs & a rescue/other can't help putting him to sleep may be a must depending on how bad it's infected (just like SQ said). I'm so sorry but things like this happen, why vet care is a must. I wish your parents would understand that :?

Also if you sent me a PM about your location I never received it.

 

[victoria]

I haven't been able to convice my parents yet

The abscess has opened up at the bottom of his chin/neck. It's bloody around and if I move the skin there is an opening. It smelt like vomit but he's still eating all the same & everything.

What's the best way to keep it clean?

The fact that it smells so bad is very concerning If your parents won't get him the care he needs & a rescue/other can't help putting him to sleep may be a must depending on how bad it's infected (just like SQ said). I'm so sorry but things like this happen, why vet care is a must. I wish your parents would understand that :?

Also if you sent me a PM about your location I never received it.

I know ThatRatGirl has already been in contact with a some members/rescuers in her area. She's not anywhere close to the US border so let's let them work this out on their own.

 

[Kate476]

I haven't been able to convice my parents yet

The abscess has opened up at the bottom of his chin/neck. It's bloody around and if I move the skin there is an opening. It smelt like vomit but he's still eating all the same & everything.

What's the best way to keep it clean?

The fact that it smells so bad is very concerning If your parents won't get him the care he needs & a rescue/other can't help putting him to sleep may be a must depending on how bad it's infected (just like SQ said). I'm so sorry but things like this happen, why vet care is a must. I wish your parents would understand that :?

Also if you sent me a PM about your location I never received it.

I know ThatRatGirl has already been in contact with a some members/rescuers in her area. She's not anywhere close to the US border so let's let them work this out on their own.

Ah okay thanks. I only mentioned it because she said she would PM me & hadn't. Not a problem at all that's just why I mentioned it just in case I hadn't received it. :thumbup:

 

[lilspaz68]

Basically it is this. The smell is a horrible infection, either in his mouth, or his teeth (most likely). IF you can flush it out with saline that's helpful BUT if the saline goes into ihis mouth you cannot, and its time for a vet no matter what. A hole going right through into his mouth is a very bad sign. And now that its bleeding its getting worse.

 

[temblabamomo]

I am sorry your kiddo is going through this, and sorrier still your parents will not help. Antibiotics are a must at this point, but the outlook is still grim. Whether to treat, or be put to sleep, he needs a vet. Your parents need to understand this.

 

[ThatRatGirl]

Basically it is this. The smell is a horrible infection, either in his mouth, or his teeth (most likely). IF you can flush it out with saline that's helpful BUT if the saline goes into ihis mouth you cannot, and its time for a vet no matter what. A hole going right through into his mouth is a very bad sign. And now that its bleeding its getting worse.

It only smelt really bad at first because it seemed to just have ruptured. It has not smelt like that since and the bleeding doesn't seem to be horrble. It isn't continous bleeding and it is only reddish on the fur around the opening. And the staining on his fur wipes off easily with a cotton bal soaked in saline solution.

& I don't know if the saline solution is going through his mouth because I wipe the opening down with the saline solution with a cotton ball. Should I squirt it into the opening and hole? What would be the best object to do that?

 

[Fidget]

You can't do this yourself. He absolutely NEEDS antibiotics, and quickly (if you don't have a savvy vet I'd suggest ChlorPalm for this), but he needs to see a vet, he is suffering. Remind your parents that this kid feels the same pain we would with that problem, tell them to PLEASE fix it this time and you'll do without new clothes til the vet bill is covered and won't get any more ratties til you can afford the bills yourself. I'm sorry, but it's the only decent thing to do. I understand you're at your parent's mercy for this, but also that the kid is at your mercy for this. Please help him, then you could put him up for adoption here if you can't help him in future.. I still agonize over kids I didn't have the money to help, don't carry that regret with you all your life.

 

[ThatRatGirl]

I got you some pictures guys! I don't know if this'll help or not! Hopefully they're good enough shots, he really didn't want his picture taken today :roll:
It kind of gross looking so I marked it Adult content incase you don't want you kids grossed out

Here is the opening:









And it's hard to see from the picture but you can see where there is irritation (Another opening?) By his left bottom tooth.






And I had to hold him by the scruff so he would stop trying to squrim away and go play :lol:

 

[ThatRatGirl]

One else have input? I posted some pictures!