Rhys...(Pic a bit graphic)

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lilratsy43

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 17, 2008
Messages
1,600
Location
Syracuse, NY, USA
I don't know what is going on with this boy. Problem after problem, when I decided to have him neutered I knew of his history (i.e. eye removal, UTI, abcess, and respiratory issues) but he had been pretty healthy for at least 3-4 months, so I didn't over think it. I mean I was doing it for him, I am dying for my 4-5 (I say it like that because one of them could live with the girls) boys to live together....

Well Rhys started developing a lump near his penis about 2 weeks after surgery. I was not near his neuter incision (sp?) but it definately seemed related to the neuter. He has now been to the vet twice to have this looked at. The vet is convinced its a hematoma and he felt that it would heal on its own and it does seem to be healing....but boy it doesn't look pretty...

DSC03893.jpg
 
Is that a scab we see or the flesh? Does it have a foul odor? How does Rhys act? Does it seem to bother him?
BTW, how's his breathing?
 
That is a scab, it started as a lump and then slowly scabbed over. It does not smell. Rhys seems to have no clue its there, he acts like his normal self. He breathing is better but still not normal, I think I am going to have to invest in a nebulizer...
 
Ouch! Poor boy!

It looks a bit necrotic to me too. The fact that it's also very close to his urthera, makes me wonder if it might have been a peri-urethral abscess....these are quite common in rats, but peri-urethral tumors are as well. :( Did it all happen directly after his neuter? Neuter incisions have been known to get infected (though I personally have no experience with that).

I personally would watch it VERY closely....both of the things I mentioned above, could possibly break through their urethra and that would become critical very fast.

I had a boy with a peri-urethral tumor, in that exact same spot. Thankfully, our vet removed it, though part of the tumor had already attached to his urethra. Luckily, it didn't grow back and my boy had a normal life.

Sorry, I gave you some worst case scenario stuff....but do watch Rhys closely...just in case.
 
Oh I'm sorry. yeah, necrotic skin smell is quite bad. When our Sadie's face tumor started to become necrotic, it was the most horrible smell. I could only describe it as that dead animal smell. :sad3: An abscess smell is more gag reflex bad.

I wonder if it might be a peri-urethral tumor that has ulcerated? Again, a worse case scenario thing...but if it were a burst abscess, it might not have such a dark scab on it. The scab would probably come off easily.
 
Can someone give more info on what a peri-urethral tumour or abscess is please? Im trying to find info but i can't lol

I hope he is ok :? and i hope it isn't necrotic
 
Ok so you guys are all giving me a heart attack! I went to the vet for Rhys's breathing, and it happened to be the first day I noticed the lump. The vet said keep an eye on it and let him know, so thats what I did...two days later it was much bigger and had changed from skin color to a yellowish and red. So I brought him back in, the vet said he could go in and do surgery or just wait it out...but he really felt it would heal up on its own. Because I recently had 5 neuters done and 2 vet visits, money is becoming tight so I opted to wait it out.

Now to the scab. It is NOT black, I know the pic makes it look that way, its more dark red. It does smell, but definately more of a gag smell and I have to get really close to smell it. It isn't really flakey and I really don't know if its smooth (its weird/hard to feel and I really don't want to hurt him). There appears to be a little hole at the bottom of the scab, so I think its starting to come off. He had his neuter three weeks from Thursday and this lump started showing like Tues (I think).
 
Yep sounds like a neuter abscess...you should try soaking it to get the scab to life. Pop him into very warm water in a sink...try to convince him to just let it soak. This will soften the scab. Some neuter abscess scabs are very thick, like Marley's was, but once the scab lifted, the nasty gunk came out, he healed up beautifully.

http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h75/r ... sjan15.jpg
 
sorry if I scared you. (bad debbie!!). If the lump came up really fast like that, I'm also more inclined to think post neuter abscess too. Though peri-urethral abscesses do come up in that same area. Since this all revolves around the neuter time, AND the scab is not black...I think you might soon be ok too. Whew!

ryelle: I checked the rat guide and can't find any info on peri-urethral abcesses or tumors. I'll dig up some of my pics. But sadly, I don't think I have many. You can also do a search on my Phoebe..she had a peri-urethral tumor, and the vet had to remove part of her urethra with the tumor. She was my third rat with one. I've also seen many peri-urethal abscesses over time. My Carmie had 3 before we finally had him neutered. They did not return. I've also had a few females with them too. Generally, a round of cefa helps clear them right up.
 
So the scab came off, eww it looks icky. I am pretty sure thats how its supposed to be though...right?

His respiratory issues have gotten a bit worse in the last couple of days, but I won't be able to get him to the vet until Wed....
 
i've only ever seen pictures of abscesses, i've never experienced one, and some of them look gruesome! Like there is a giant hole gorged out of the poor animal
 

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