Question
Hookah Abscess
Hello,
I am hoping you can help me with a difficult issue i am having with one of my 4 rats. I have been a rat owner now for over 3 years and used to own 6 ratties but just recently lost my 2 oldest girls early this year. One due to old age (3 years) and another to a malignant tumor which eventually ruptured due to becoming necrotic. I had her put to sleep shortly after. It was very hard for me and was the first time dealing with a malignant tumor in a rat and with her being nearly 3 years old. But i gave her the best life i could while she was with us and both girls will and continue to be missed. (we actually framed a photo of them that is on display in our living room :))
With one of my remaining older girls Hookah, who is nearing her 3rd birthday, I have come across an interesting find. My husband and I recently moved from Silver Spring, MD to Clarksville, TN and have found a new vet here that i am honestly not 100% confident in although he is highly recommended.
2 days ago my husband noticed a pea sized wound under her chin as she was drinking water. (i have attached a photo) We thought maybe it was a scratch that had become infected. (it smells awful) The next day I took her to the vet who prescribed her with an antibiotic labeled "SMZ-TMP syrup" which i am giving .2 ml twice a day. Also, my husband has been cleaning around the wound and allowing warm compresses every night.
My concern is that she is nearly 3 years old with a condition that seems to be hindering her ability to eat solids (from what i have noticed) and she has lost a significant amount of weight in the past 2 weeks or so. This made me think that there is possibly an issue with her teeth. I went ahead and bought some vanilla flavored yogurt and some chicken and gravy baby food high in fat to help her get some lbs back. I'm not sure the amount of food she has been eating so i was hoping hand feeding her baby food would suffice. Should i know anything further on how much food to give her. She seemed to inhale the yogurt and baby food! This made me happy but at the same time worried me because i don't want her to have a tummy ache.
I have never dealt with this type of thing before and would love some advice and comfort.
I appreciate you taking the time to read this.
Thank you so much!
Christine.
AnswerI'm sorry to hear Hookah's not doing so well :( I'm very sorry for my late response; my husband was just given orders (military) and we've been preparing for his departure.
If it smells foul, it probably is an abscess, and it very well may be stemming from her teeth or jaw. Your husband is right to be cleaning it and hot-packing. I would feed her until she refuses food; don't worry about overfeeding her at any point -- she'll quit when she's full. She may end up with some loose stools because of the soft, high-sugar foods; but I'd rather her eat and be a little runny than be starving herself! You can also offer her thinned out peanut butter.
You might ask the vet about getting her on some baytril or doxycycline.. or preferably, a combo. Doubling up on the hard-hitting meds tend to knock down these persistent infections pretty quickly. Also have him check her teeth, if he can - or you can at home. Just look for anything growing where it shouldn't be (I'm sure you know what rat teeth are supposed to look like! :)) She may have a malocclusion issue.
Good luck with her!
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