sty?

[sarunia]

hey everybody!!
i came home today from doing a bit of shopping and i noticed that szczurek had what appeared to be a sty on the top of his eye. now, i know that i've gotten them before, but just let them clear up on my own. should i do the same for him and just keep an eye out?? or would you guys recommend a washing of it or something? it's not huge (maybe the size of a small pin head), but i can tell that the skin is red, and eleeated although the entire eye doesn't look swolen and his other eye looks clear.
thanks for your help!! i know i won't be able to get into the vet tom. and can't affor dthe 100+$ it would take to get him in on an emergency visit...
--s

 

[mamarat]

My double rexes used to get lots of those and the vet just said to watch it and if it becomes infected than you will needs meds. I never had to wash the sty. Good luck with your sweetie. On a sadder note, Sam's stye was part of a tumor behind his eye. It eventually involved his whole ear and inside the brain.

 

[jorats]

Ya, just watch it... but it should clear up on its own and in some cases it can take an awful long time too.

 

[sarunia]

Whew... it's getting bigger, but doesn't seem to be bothering him too much. I touched it to see if it were sensitive (he's an eeper, so even if his pride has been hurt in the slightest I know about it) but he didn't make a sound, so I'm assuming that he's not in any pain. How will I be able to tell if it's become infected? I've never seen an infected sty on a rat (although I've seen pretty big ones on humans), and want to make sure that I'm watching out for the right thing

thanks again!!
--s