I should never have said anything!! Abscesses!

[Cait]

I can't friggin' believe this crap. Before I went to bed last night they were all fine and I was like "woo no abscesses, yay I win!" and then this morning, not just Izzie, but Izzie, Denny, Tip, AND Andi have abscesses! All over night! And Tip and Andi didn't even get bitten!

I am so frustrated because this is the worst possible timing. I'm leaving Saturday for a month and I planned on leaving the babies here with my dad because next Wednesday I'm also driving to Indiana. And it's just too much to ask of them and my sister.

Now, Izzie, Denny, and Andi have like... they feel like bites, no fur is missing, there are scabs, but not mite scabs, I'm positive they are abscess scabs and how I MISSED them I have NO idea put flippin A. Point being, they look like abscesses on the mend. So those three I am not as worried about because I just need to keep an eye on them.

Tip, on the other hand, has a HUGE lump on his shoulder blades and it hasn't popped or anything and if it doesn't do it before Saturday my dad is going to have to deal with it and he just isn't a person who deals with abscesses. Izzie also has a medium sized lump on his shoulder that hasn't done anything yet either, but it's not near as large as Tip's. I don't want to risk infection by having him drain it when it DOES decide to pop, I don't want him to flush it wrong or do something wrong and then he has to take them to the vet because he literally knows nothing.

Mostly this is venting but crapola if it all doesn't just all happen at once, you know? And on rats that I didn't even know got bitten. I feel like an idiot and I am at my wits end because knowing karma like I know it, they won't pop until next Monday when I'm not here!

 

[lilspaz68]

The others are healing it sounds like but Lumpy might need compressing.

 

[Moon]

It really does seem like they pop up over night sometimes. So don't beat yourself up.

Best of luck to your lumpy sweeties! Flush flush flush

 

[Cait]

I am calm. I have breathed, I have looked them all over, and I even cried a little. There's so much crap and it all just adds up at once, and this one was the straw that broke the camel's back. We're all feeling muuuuuch better after a "Dr. Cait" appointment, some popsicles, and a cuddle session. Would you believe it my boys need cuddled and coddled after getting their owwies tended to just like little kids?

Lumpy does indeed need compressing and it looks like it should pop in the next few days! Emphasis on "looks". It's close to the skin, but there is no opening or scab. I really hope it does so that that can get taken care of before I leave. He is such a whiner... I couldn't even touch it without his little eeps. But he's just a vocal mama's boy.

The others were good boys while I looked over their popped ones (yay!) and they all looked fine, just had really big scabs. Izzie has another one that is no where near popping through to near the skin, but it's there, just have to wait. Tip's will pop before that one does, and if it comes down to it Iz and Denny will just come with me while the rest (and healing) buttmunches stay here. I had a crash course in Abscess 101 with my dad just in case, and showed him as I was doing things. I even showed him how to make saline. I also told him if he has ANY doubts, they need to go to the vet and I gave him a list of meds.

I love how it's changed so much from "Eww abscesses, guess what the vet gets to do" to "Friggin' abscesses, wonder how long it'll take for them to pop?" Everyone is always amazed when I do things to treat them when before I was such an ew-er that the vet was the only one dealing with anything like this. Practice and exposure, though, right? Bwah.