Rat has abscess, white mass inside.

Question
QUESTION: Hi there,

My rat, Rubi, developed a lump on her jaw, and within two days it was obviously an abscess.  I was able to remove the scab and clean out the wound.  It is SMELLY and the pus is slightly yellow in color.

I am concerned because I cannot clean the deepest part of the wound, where I see something white and hard.  Is it possible that the source of the infection is this hard white stuff that I cannot remove?  I can clean out the pus without problem, but this white stuff will not budge.

The wound is working hard to heal over and I fear that she will simply develop another pus filled swelling if I cannot figure out what this white stuff is, and possibly remove it.

thanks!
Laura

ANSWER: Hi Laura


All I can say is eww yuck! I have a love hate relationship with those dang things!
Leave the white stuff alone. There is no telling what it is but my hunches are teling me tht it could be bone, muscle or some other type of tissue inside that shoule be left alone.  What you need to do is clean it out like you have been doing, but do not use peroxide, just use either saline solution or hibicleanse diluted or novalsan, diluted. I usually make a nice warm mixture and take some cotton and saturate it with the mixture and wring the cotton, or squeeze it actually, over the abscess.  Pack it with neosporin ointment and try to keep him from licking it at least 5 minutes for it to absorb. Dont be alarmed if it does fill up again with pus. This is not abnormal and in fact wont shock me.  Check his teeth too to be sure nothing is related to his teeth.  Is there a bad odor?

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

QUESTION: Oh yes, it REALLY STINKS.  But it looks quite healthy when I clean it up with saline, and it's healing fast.

I was worried that this white stuff could be bone.  I will leave it well alone and just gently clean away the pus each day.  

I've tried to look at her teeth but I cannot get her mouth open to see, she just moves around too much if I try and her tongue gets in the way.

I will keep cleaning it carefully, twice a day, let the wound heal, and hopefully it won't come back.

Answer
Good deal.

My oldest boy out of the bunch, Templeton, had a mass on his chest. I was so distraught because he is 3.5 years old. I thought, "oh boy decision time"  plus not to mention the fact that if it wasnt mammary tissue it may be cancerous.

I let it go till I saw it was going to grow or how it was going to advance. 3 weeks passed and I was just about to bring him in to the vet to go over his health and weigh the pros and cons on surgery and lo and behold, there was a bit of necrotic tissue over the mass and it was a bit sunken in like it had burst on its own. I was so happy!   
Do you know how I had to clean that out ??  He wouldnt hold still for anything so here I was, sitting in front of this giant 2 pound old grumpy arthritic buck with my antiseptic solution in a dish, cotton balls, a a little dish with baby food in it, sweet potatoes to be exact, and q tips and a tube of neosporin already partially expressed so I didnt have to fight to squeeze any out when and if he was struggling.

Did I say....baby food?   LOL Yes  i did....and that baby food was the best idea I ever came up with because  i put a blob on my chin and he wouuld  lick it off and I was able to mess with this abscess. Perfect!