Rescued Rat with Exposed Bone

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Jenn1469

Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2020
Messages
5
Location
Utah
Hi everyone, this is my first post here and I’m hoping I get some good news. We went to a local pet store today and while there I seen a young rat, maybe 7-8 weeks old with a leg wound, I didn’t get a good look at it but after thinking all day about him I went back and told the shop owner to box him up as I was going to take him to the vet tomorrow.

After I got him home and let him settle for a bit I took him out to get a better look and spray some colloidal silver on his leg and I realized I can see the bone. It doesn’t look like a brand new injury so it can’t be stitched closed. With this pandemic the vets are limited on taking appointments but they have four available tomorrow to whoever books them first at 8 am. I am worried they are going to say this won’t heal over.
I am limited on funds as is and just the appointment is 70 dollars without any antibiotics or pain meds but I couldn’t find it in my heart to leave him there to die slowly.
It isn’t a large wound but it is deep and it’s right above and behind the outside of his ankle. I’m sure it was a bite wound from another rat.
Does anyone have an experience with a wound with exposed bone? With antibiotics and pain meds will he heal or are they going to tell me to put him down?
He is eating and has full range of motion and uses his leg, it is swollen though. No redness or pus.
I guess I am just worried they are going to say put him down or do some kind of crazy expensive surgery that I can’t afford.
If he makes it through we have 2 young rats we got recently who he will be living with and he will never have to worry about what a horrible start to life he had.
 
Can you post a pic so we can see what you are dealing with? If the bone is exposed but not broken and there is no infection the muscle and skin will slowly granulate and grow inwards to cover it. It's called healing by 2nd intention. The swelling is a bitconcerning especially if you
think it's an old injury so you might want to try antibiotics and NSAIDs (meloxicam or even ibuprofen) for a few days to see if it helps.
 
Hey! I wanted to give an update. The little guy who we call Kevin now has had 2 surgeries and been on antibiotics and pain meds since Friday Sept 11th. His first surgery was on the 11th and most of a massive old abscess was removed from above his right hip and back. He is around 12 weeks old now. The abscess was hard as a rock went almost to his abdomen, his broken left leg was cleaned and left to heal, which it did not do. It got infected. Monday of this week he went back in for a second surgery to clean out the now infected broken leg and remove the remaining grape sized lump of abscess.
mom still terrified that the broken leg won’t heal. He is in a cone until Saturday because after his first surgery he took out his stitches from his abscess and we can not risk him opening up his leg again. He official hates me I’m sure, even though I’ve done the best I can for him, I’m just the annoying person who takes him scary places where he keeps waking up in pain and then harassed him 2x a day to give him meds. His leg is permanently swollen, it looks a lot better but I think the damage that he has gone through since birth took it’s toll. Even after removing his large abscess he can’t lift the leg high enough to scratch his shoulder/ear.
I do have some pictures but not a great one from today. It looks ok, it has kind of a weirdish looking scab, like a mix of normal and white blood cells. I’m just praying it heals! He has a follow up appointment on the 28th, to make sure it is healing. I may keep him collared even though he hates it to make sure that leg can heal. It was wide open and deep. These are pictures from the day of his most recent surgery on Monday.
 

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You can see how fat and abnormal that foot looks. He does still have close to full function of that leg, he walks fine and jumps around and plays. He was living with our other babies and he was happy but he has to stay alone in a tub cause I can’t keep him from climbing. He can’t use either back leg normally though. It all sounds sad but he can walk and play and he wants to be alive. Here he is with his friends in between the surgeries before he had to be alone. And one of him in his tub eating his breadicine as we call it haha it’s his meds smooshed into bread. His doesn’t have much in there because we keep the lid off 24/7 so he has the best air circulation and I don’t want him trying to jump out!
 

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This was about a week ago. It got to be about 3x this size and something white was clearly visible I don’t know if it was a tendon or bone it it was like the inside of the wound was growing. It was scary. I never got a good picture because Kevin has never been handled besides from me and the vets so he doesn’t like being held. He does like being pet in his cage though.
 

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I’m just really praying it heals because so far his bills have been 375 dollars. I’ve already not paid some of my bills and if he need his leg amputated I won’t be able to do it. I don’t want to put him to sleep though. We don’t have a lot of exotic vets here so they charge a lot because they can.
 
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