Swollen foot

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R

Randy

Active Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2008
Messages
43
Location
London, ON
Background info: I woke up around 6 AM Monday morning to my newest addition, Rogue, screaming repeatedly. I realized her foot was caught in loose thread/material in their hanging fleece tube, so I cut it open and carefully cut her loose. I don't know how long she was caught there, but their cage is in my room so I think she woke me up fairly quickly. I had to work, but my girlfriend brought her to the vet at 4 that afternoon. She seemed fine yesterday at lunch when we decided she should probably see a vet (we were waiting to see if the swelling would go down), and she was fine all night and this morning (Tuesday). She was given an anti-inflammatory/mild painkiller and other than dragging her foot or limping, is acting normal. She even scratches/grooms with the swollen foot, so I guess this is more of a story thread than an advice seeking thread, but I did have a couple of questions.

The vet, whom I don't really know that well and only ever taken one other rat to, gave my girlfriend the following options:
1. Let it heal on its own
2. Amputate (I assume she meant if the leg was dead from oxygen deprivation)
3. Have her put to sleep (I...am at a loss as to why a swollen, possibly broken leg would require this course of action. Any suggestions, anyone?)

She also said even if they x-rayed it to confirm whether or not it was broken (I don't believe it is) they couldn't do anything for her anyway. So has anyone else's rat ever broken a bone? I would think they could set it like a human's bone would be, or can a rat's broken bone not be set, or will their bones heal correctly on their own.

I mentioned she scratches herself with the foot and grooms it afterwards like other rats, but one of her toenails looked bloody last night. Is that a sign that she bit it while grooming because she has no feeling left in the foot?

She has about a week's supply of the medication they gave her yesterday to keep her comfortable, and I *think* the swelling is going down very slowly, so I'm not too worried about her. The colour looks normal (matches her other non-swollen foot), so it's receiving blood normally. I just hope she hasn't lost feeling in the foot permanently, but I'll be watching her closely.
 
I don't know much but different vet's have different approaches to broken legs. Had one with a very broken leg, the vet said to put to sleep. I took a piece of hard plastik and glued it to the leg on the outside (the vet refused to amputate), it took two weeks before it fell of and another two weeks before the leg look almost as good as new, he never became straight legged again, but he did have months of good and happy life after the breaking.

I experimented with another rat before gluing the broken leg, as it wasn't all that easy, but it's doable
 
Hopefully the med you were given is metacam. That is what I have given rats who have injured their legs. Should help the pain and swelling.
If the swelling is really bad you might need to put ice, frozen peas, etc. (wrapped up in a cloth) on it to bring the swelling down.

1. Some types of breaks, vets can do something about, other types they can't seem to do much.

2. I guess if a leg became useless and was being dragged around, amputation would be needed.

3. Can't think of a reason why a rattie would be pts for a broken leg!
 
I'm sorry for your little girl. Kids can heal up real good (and even do just fine if they have a lasting defect).
Best to keep her from climbing til it heals tho. And keep an eye on it for withering or bad smell or color or a red line going up her leg.
I'm sure your Rogue is gonna be just fine!!
 
It still amazes me how many vets will suggest putting an animal down as their first line of action. Seriously what??? that should be the last! I had a friend whose rat lost 2-3 toes on her hind foot (either from an aggressive rat or getting it caught on something). Their regular rat vet was out of town so they went to another vet in town who does not normally treat rats but does treat wild animals (raccoons, bats, deer etc)...that vet's advice was to put the animal down since the foot would get infected and gangrenous! He ended up taking the rat home and treating the foot himself since the vet wouldn't help and kept insisting he was right and the rat would die of sepsis and needed to be pts right away.

Needless to say the rat is still a happy little bugger, missing toes and all! And my friend has never ever gone back to that vet.

Sorry for the rant. I'm just amazed at how many vets do not take rats and their owners' concerns very seriously sometimes! I hope your Rogue is ok. I love the name!!!
 
Thanks for the replies everyone. I forgot to mention we did stick her in a carrier so she has nowhere to climb or any other reason to strain her foot, and I'm sure she's cranky with me for it.
She's still really young, I'm guessing < 2 months old, so I'll have to figure out something for her to do to get rid of all her energy.

I'll be posting pics soon, I promise.

Edit: This was supposed to go in my 'Swollen foot' thread :doh: . Can a mod merge it please and thank you.
 
The only reason I can thnk of why the vet would suggest pts is that he/she thinks that a rat is a disposable pet and isn't worth the trouble, tiem or money it would take to have the leg/foot amputated if it was really broken :doh: Once again I feel the ned to go back to my argument that it is really hard to get a free rat but super, super easy to get a free kitten... so why would anyone want to get health care done for their cat? Can't they just have it pts and get a new one for free? I mean... they are cheaper than rats! :doh: :wallbang: :wallbang: :wallbang: Sorry for the rant >.<

I hope your little lady is up and hopping again soon!
 
Surely to god nobody in their right mind spends $100 on a $10 animal? :liar:
For a vet to suggest it as a possibility (without a diagnosis even) when it is most likely an owie that is gonna be just fine is reason to get rid of the vet - not the rattie.
 
Well, it's been just over 2 1/2 days since I cut her foot loose and it appears completely normal again. Same colour and size as her left foot. She seems to be able to walk on it normally, so hopefully by the end of the week she'll be well enough to put back into her actual cage, where there's more room for everything.

I'll be moving into London at some point in the summer, so I'll have to find a new vet anyway. I don't think I'll miss this one terribly much. Again, thanks for all the advice everyone.
 
I'm real happy for Rogue that she didn't have a major, just a twist that would have been a major had us wimpy humans had it to overcome rather than over-obsess over.
She could have been put down it you didn't have more sense than the vet!
I'm happy you're moving. No matter what crap you go thru with packing & unpacking and old and new landlords I think there's a 99% chance you'll get a better vet.
Kisses to Rogue, and hugs & respect to you Randy!
 

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