My rats back legs seem to be paralysed

Question
Hi there,
2 weeks ago i noticed that my 1 year old rat Ruby wasn't using her back right foot to walk on she was moving her leg but dragging her foot along with it. I took her to the vet who said that the most likely cause was that she had trapped her leg in the cage and had caught a nerve. he gave her an anti-inflammatory injection and said that i should see a vast improvement in the next 2 weeks. I have not noticed any improvement what so ever and now im noticing that she is hardly using her back left leg either but just dragging both legs along whilst using her arms to walk. When i picked her up just now to look at her leg i could feel a small sharp lump which felt like bone sticking out from her leg bone. Any ideas on what this could be? I am really worried about her, she seems very depressed and just wants to hide all the time and she hates me going anywhere near her. I hope you can help i am also calling the vets again tomorrow. Thanks for any advice.

Answer

Hind leg paralysis is common in rats, but usually its seen in elderly rats and more common in males than females.

Was the injection a steroid?  Is there swelling and redness?

Also, is your vet an exotic vet or a general vet that sees rats etc....on the side but is a mostly dog and cat vet?