Ways of naturally treating an abscess?

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Jun 17, 2020
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Hello! I am just wondering if anyone here has experience with rat abscesses, and if so, is there anything you would recommend to do to treat it at home? Maybe some tricks on how to clear up the infection naturally? I have been doing saline washes three times a day and packing it with granulated sugar to soak up the pus. I have also been keeping the cage as clean as it can get, just so that there are no more germs getting in. I read that I could treat it with Amoxicillin? Any tips are greatly appreciated! Thank you! :)
 
they are great people, very approachable and try to keep the most up to date entries on their site.

As for abscesses, where is this abscess located? For a regular body abscess that is just a localized pocket of infection, I usually just flush with isotonic saline (make my own) twice a day until its healed up near the surface. For others who don't know the flush gets into the nooks and crannies, removing pus, bacteria, and also helping break down thicker cheesier matter so it finally is able to be flushed away. The saline dries and promotes healing.

for a facial abscess this could be a different ballgame though. I'll wait to hear where the abscess is located or wait for a pic. :)
 
I was thinking about sticking Q-tips (cotton swabs) into the abscess to soak up the pus and hopefully clean it out more. I have noticed pus draining, but the actual size hasn't gone down.
 
A lot of the abscess is often made up of infected and swollen tissues, not just pus. the pus exudes from the tissues and builds up, and then bursts.
Body abscesses are normally easier than facial ones.

I recommend that you try and get saline as deep into it as possible without causing your rat distress. digging into an abscess is also not always a good idea unless you know what you are doing, so sticking things into is a bad idea usually. syringing it with saline solution 2-3 times a day (I have had a rat with abscess and I used to do it every 6 hours) is fine. if you can get saline into it, and the saline runs out freely, then that is okay. you don't want to trap more fluids inside, or have the fluids go where they are not supposed to.

If you think that the abscess needs to be opened up more and some of it needs to be debrided, then seek advice from your vet. I know that when my rat had an abscess the vet debrided it and it healed well but left my rat with a hairless patch on her neck (she got bitten on the side of her neck and it got rather badly infected and formed an abscess). This was maybe 6 years back now, though.

It is important to give pain meds if you think your rat is in pain and it is probably a good idea to give antibiotics to help prevent the spread. remember that the antibiotics will not really work on the abscess very well, but it does help to stop secondary infection and spread.

I think that the ratguide does sum it up well, as mentioned above.

I really do not think that sticking Q-tips into the abscess is a good idea though - you don't really know what is going on inside. If there is an opening and pus drains freely, that is good, and you do not need to poke about inside. you can make it worse by doing so. If it is not draining properly, getting it checked out by your vet is a good idea.

Abscesses are very common in rats when they get bitten and stuff. They tend to handle it quite well with proper treatment and support.
 
This is such a good information and a great help! Thank you all so much! I have been giving her saline baths with extra salt to help heal the infection from the outside around 2-3 times a day. Hopefully it helps! :)
 
No an abscess forms from the introduction of a bacteria or a foreign object (eg. a retained stitch after a surgery). The body walls off the infection or object very well from the rest of the body, which is why antibiotics don't always penetrate these abscesses, and it builds up until it bursts and drains. with a little help (flushing twice a day is better than sitz baths) these often resolve and never come back. if you don't make sure that all the bacteria, material is gone from inside then it can recur over and over.
 
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