rat skin

Question
i am concerned about my little girl ratty. she is about a year old and has developed a scabby bump on her back. it is whitish with black around it and raised up. she also has red around her eyes and in the past has made a rattling sound as she breathes. i cannot afford surgery and was wondering what it is and what i can do to help her. thank you for your response.

Answer
Sounds like an abscess. This wont need to be removed by surgery but some money hungry vets may try to tell you they need to remove it, which of course is not usually necessary at all.

You can help her by holding a warm compress on it and once it feels soft, try to express the pus by pressing on the base of the lump.  Press in rather than down.  Once it pops, clean it with saline or just plain warm clear water and if there is a little hole, pack it with antibiotic ointment.

As for the porphyrin around her eyes and a rattle to her respirations, she may have a respiratory infection. You said in the past she has had this rattled breathing. If she still has it, this needs to be treated with oral antibiotics by a vet that knows how to treat rats.
It wont cost anywhere near what surgery would cost so dont worry about that.  She may have mycoplasmosis.  If your not sure what it is, check it out on my website here.

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/mycoplasmosispage.htm