Before I begin, please allow me to explain my situation.
Earlier this morning, my neighbor asked me if I would be willing to take care of her rats for her because she came to the conclusion that she's unfit to give her rats the attention and care they need. (She's an older woman and her health isn't doing so well.) I used to have a pair of rats when I was younger, so I was absolutely delighted by the idea. What she neglected to tell me before handing the two to me was the fact that one of them wasn't in the best shape.
Cookie, one of her older rats, has two abnormally large lumps on each side of her stomach. I'm not exactly sure if they are two separate masses or one giant mass that is connected. On top of that, she is severely underweight. I can feel her spine, ribs, and hip bones. I've offered her more than enough food, but she'll just nibble here and there and doesn't seemed to have been starved by any means. I'm extremely worried at the state she's in... She looks like she's having a hard time moving around; almost as if she's being weighed down. --and on the mass on her right side, there seems to bee a scab or dried of fluid.
I don't know what to do. Apparently, she was taken to the vet a month or so ago and they gave her baytril for the amount of bacteria that was in her system. My neighbor told me that the vet didn't believe it was a tumor or an abscess. (She poked the area with a needle and there was no drainage.)
I'm just a college student with a part-time job and school loans to pay back. I have barely enough to support myself, let alone give Cookie the much needed return trip to the vet she needs. I believe i can save up, but in the meantime, I'm trying to find someone who's be willing to give her the immediate care she needs as well as find someone who will possibly let me borrow a bit of money.
What should I do in the meantime? I'm making sure she has enough food and water. I only want her to be comfortable.
Would it be safe to wipe down her scabbed area with 3% hydrogen peroxide?
Has anyone else ever had anything like this happen with their rats?
I'm sorry there's so much text. I'm just a bit panicky right now.
Earlier this morning, my neighbor asked me if I would be willing to take care of her rats for her because she came to the conclusion that she's unfit to give her rats the attention and care they need. (She's an older woman and her health isn't doing so well.) I used to have a pair of rats when I was younger, so I was absolutely delighted by the idea. What she neglected to tell me before handing the two to me was the fact that one of them wasn't in the best shape.
Cookie, one of her older rats, has two abnormally large lumps on each side of her stomach. I'm not exactly sure if they are two separate masses or one giant mass that is connected. On top of that, she is severely underweight. I can feel her spine, ribs, and hip bones. I've offered her more than enough food, but she'll just nibble here and there and doesn't seemed to have been starved by any means. I'm extremely worried at the state she's in... She looks like she's having a hard time moving around; almost as if she's being weighed down. --and on the mass on her right side, there seems to bee a scab or dried of fluid.
I don't know what to do. Apparently, she was taken to the vet a month or so ago and they gave her baytril for the amount of bacteria that was in her system. My neighbor told me that the vet didn't believe it was a tumor or an abscess. (She poked the area with a needle and there was no drainage.)
I'm just a college student with a part-time job and school loans to pay back. I have barely enough to support myself, let alone give Cookie the much needed return trip to the vet she needs. I believe i can save up, but in the meantime, I'm trying to find someone who's be willing to give her the immediate care she needs as well as find someone who will possibly let me borrow a bit of money.
What should I do in the meantime? I'm making sure she has enough food and water. I only want her to be comfortable.
Would it be safe to wipe down her scabbed area with 3% hydrogen peroxide?
Has anyone else ever had anything like this happen with their rats?
I'm sorry there's so much text. I'm just a bit panicky right now.
