Rat tail degloved

Question
QUESTION: Today my pet rat lost about 3 inches of tail skin at the end of her tail. We put neosporin on it and a large bandage on it. My rat started chewing on the bandage and it became soaked with blood. We took off the bandage and did not put anything else on it. My mom doesn't want to go to the vet and spend $80.00 on a $5.00 rat. Is there anything else we can do for her at home? Will the skin grow back, or will she lose the end of her tail? Also she keeps licking it and I don't know if it will heal?

ANSWER:
Can you see the bone at all?  It may look like long threads sticking out, or thin sticks. This is bone. I am not sure if you know this but the rats tail is an extension of his vertabrae and it contains tons of blood vessels and nerve endings. Its main purpose is not just for balance but it also regulates body temperature.  

Degloving is considered one of the more painful injuries a rat can sustain which is why you do not ever attempt to pick them up by their tail, but it can happen other ways too of course.  

What may happen is the tail end will dry up and die, turning necrotic (black)  but while this occurs, she may lose too much blood, go into shock from the extreme pain and if infection sets in, it could become systemic and this may result in death.  

I am sad your mom feels the need to put a price tag on an animals life. If you had a dog or a cat and got it for free from somewhere and it was  seriously injured, would that mean it isnt worth taken it to the vet because it was free?   Just because the rat only cost $5 doesnt mean she doesnt deserve to have the proper medical care. She had no say so in the matter. Animals cant talk or care for themselves or I am sure they would chose getting treated rather than suffering. Degloving is very painful and warrants the use of strong pain medication as well.

I know vet bills can be pricey, but when we take on the responsibility to become a pet owner, this includes proper medical care. In some states, failure to  provide medical treatment for any animal is considered neglect, even abuse, no matter if the animal was $5 or $500.  An animal is a living breathing creature worthy of their right to be here on this earth too . After all, she didnt chose you to be her pet, you picked her to be yours.

All I can tell you to do if proper medical attention is going to be denied is to keep her warm, be sure the bleeding has eased up. Make sure she is  eating and if not, try offering her baby food.  If you know her weight, let me know and I can tell you how much childrens motrin she can have for pain. Keep it clean and dab on neosporin several times a day.
She may lick it alot because it hurts and she may whimper or squeal because of the pain. If she becomes very sleepy and cool to the touch this means she is going into shock, which is why you should keep her warm.     I wish you luck and hope she is ok. I feel bad for her and hope she is able to heal on her own without too much agony and pain.

For future rats, I would re-consider owning more rats in the future if you are not able to take them to the vets. Rats get sick just like other pets do and the only fair thing to do is treat them with medication when needed rather than allow them to suffer because they didnt cost much to purchase .  I know its not your fault but I would really wait till you are able to pay for their care when you have a job etc..

Your a good rat owner for trying to help you the best you can. Take good care of her!

Sandra Todd

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: You know I understand that this is your website and you have the right to get on your soapbox, but as far as having a pet and paying medical experiences, how much does the bill need to be before the owner deems it not worth it? I have know people who spend thousands of dollars trying to heal their pets. When is it OK to say I don't have $80 to spend on a vet bill, or should I forgo some other necessity in order to bring the rat to the vet. Just because you own a pet does that put a moral responsibility to go into debt for an animal that may not live longer than a couple of years to begin with. As for taking responsibility for a pet,I called the vet and asked them what they would do in this instance, they suggested what to do and we did everything they would have done, we did put neosporin on it, we did try to wrap it and we have given it children's motrin. What else could a vet do besides chop off the end of the tail that we did not do. You may be wondering why we asked your advice, a child is not always satisfied by what a parent does or can do, they do not have to bear any financial responsibility so they think it simple to just go to the vet. About your comparison of a dog vs a rat, a rats life may not be worth less then a dogs but you can't deny that it is a rodent whose very nature makes it killed because it is a pest. One reason to get a rat for a pet is to give children a companion that isn't expensive. The previous e-mail was obviously written by a child (which I monitored) and do you really think it was responsible to respond in a way that makes me sound like I was irresponsible, which would also make him even more upset that I didn't bring him to the vet. You know $80.00 may not be much for you but is is to many, when is the price to high before we can say that its not worth it? And if I didn't have $80, how many vets take care of every animal without promise of payment, are they charged with a crime for turning away a degloved rat because the owner could not afford it? How many people opt to put dogs to sleep vs spending thousands an a surgery. For the record it was not simply a matter that I was to cheap, plus I did care for her injuries!

Answer

No living animal is a disposable starter pet. They may not cost much to purchase but most animals at one point in their life will need medical attention from the vet. It is our duty as a pet owner to provide the proper care they need to sustain a happy and healthy life.  If you had done some research first on rats you would have found that they may not cost much but they do come with an array of health problems, from being born with an organism that can contribute to respiratory infections that may become chronic and females that remain intact usually start to grow mammary tumors as they age, which of course can be easily removed surgically  rather than be the cause of their premature death.

You also asked when is enough good enough? My opinion is that enough is enough in trying to save an animals life, promote quality of life and keep the animal comfortable, regardless of the species, once you have exhausted all options and the animal is no longer able to sustain quality of life and is suffering. This is when you know you have done all that you can as far as providing good pet care goes.  However, if you are talking about how to know when you have spent enough money on the animal, that is strictly a matter of opinon.  If you buy a pet and you are already aware that a vet expense is just something that you cannot fit in your budget, you should not buy the pet, no matter what.  

The value on ANY animals life goes far beyond the dollar.

I am a trained professional.  My job is to answer questions thoroughly and honestly, but I cannot modify my opinion to pacify someone just to save them from appearing a certain way. I did not mean nor did I suggest you were cheap but it is indeed a responsibility of all pet owners to provide proper medical care when needed in order to prevent suffering and to sustain quality of life. If your lack of responding to my suggestions imply you are not a responsible pet owner, I am sorry about that. Damage control is not part of my job. Assisting in the preservation of quality of life of exotic animals is. I am sorry that you were misconstrued in some way.
Bottom line is when  a rat suffers a degloving of more than 1.5 inches of his or her tail, they need prompt medical treatment by a medical professional.  This is the proper way to handle a situation like this and I cannot go against what I know to suggest otherwise. You asked what else the vet will do that you aside from amputation? He will help prevent infection by providing systemic antibiotics, which you did not, and he will give the rat strong pain medication to keep her comfortable. Pain and infection are two of the biggest threats when a rat has been degloved. Pain causes stress. Stress weakens the immune system. She is already a target for infection and the added stress from her misery from pain does not help matters.  These are just a few reasons what the vet can do for your childs pet that you cannot do at home.
Chances are your rat will eventually heal on her own. This doesnt mean she wont be in danger of infection, her tail will become necrotic and the damaged part that is no longer being fed due to lack of blood supply will turn black and dry up and eventually fall off. This also means she will be in a considerable amount of pain. She may not act it, but that is only because rats are predatory animals and by nature they hide their pain and illness to avoid being a target by a predator if she appears to be weak.
I do believe the problem is, you do not see rats as pets nor share my passion about rats, so you see the rat as an animal that is known to be a pest to others.  These are domesticated rats, not wild rats, and this rat was tamed and treated as a pet, so she is not the same kind of rat that are being chased down by exterminators. And yes, I can deny them as being more than just some pesky rat whos life has little value. I respect all animals and feel they all deserve a chance at life.

In closing, I apologize that you may feel a bit insulted that I marked you as being irresponsible. However, you want to teach your child about being a responsible pet owner, which is great, but you also need to teach your child that part of being a pet owner is that it may need to see a vet at one point in its life. This is part of our duty as a responsible pet owner.  Again, I must  repeat myself to remember that if you cannot afford a vet, please refrain from having a pet. I cant get any more simple than that.

Respectfully

Sandra