Half swollen face and eye looks like it could pop out.

Question
QUESTION: My rat, Sage, has always been very sneezy all her life, and occasionally her left eye gets a goop around it and I just wipe her face off with a warm damp towell. About a week ago I noticed a growth on the left side of her neck, and a friend of mine told me that it probably isn't cancerous, but rather a hormonal issue, and I'm not quite sure what I could do about this. Most importantly, today I noticed that the left side of her face is very swollen and her eye looks like it could pop out! She can still eat, so I don't think that it's a dental issue, but should I be majorly concerned? What could this be and what can I do to stop the swelling?

ANSWER: Hi Jaimee

You asked what you can do to help her and you need to get her to the vet as soon as you can. She has an abscess or some nasty infection going on.  Most of the time when the face swells it involves the molars even if  she is eating.  She could even have a mass or infection in her face/cheek.  Is there a mass below her ear?

Also,if you need a vet please let me know and I can give you names of good vets that see exotics.

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frontal view   QUESTION: I guess that the mass on her neck is bellow her ear, but it appeared before she was showing any swelling in the face. She doesn't look any better today, but it didn't seem to be painful when I washed her face yesterday. Do you know of any vets near Kingwood, TX that are sympathetic to college students with limited funds? Vets around here cost an arm and a leg, and I've been unemployed for the past month an half, and was just able to seccure a job, but I don't have much money put away. I took some pictures yesterday.

Answer
I will try to find a good vet for you. Some are actually turning sympathatic because of the econmy and if we cant afford to bring our pets in, they lose business, so many of them are starting to work with their clients.  Too bad you dont live near Atlanta. I know of a vet that feels like we do and said that he knows that the people that own rats tend to be college students, single parents and children and so he keeps his costs almost insanely cheap. He would rather see the rats get treatment instead of not being treated and suffering due to finances.

However, if your rat has what I am praying she DOESNT have, even a vet cannot help other than relieve some pain and discomfort.

Please refer to my website and my page on zymbals gland tumors. Let me know if the mass is anywhere in the area your little girls mass is.   

Please check out the photos here:

http://www.sandyscrittercity.com/tumoronsideofface.htm


Let me know and meantime I will look for some vets.  I have an article to finish for a Rat magazine with a deadline for TOMORROW so I will be glued to the computer today and will answer you pretty fast. hang in there.