Hematoma?

Question
QUESTION: One of my rats recently got a black "bubble" on his foot. It appeared overnight and got pretty large in just a few days. I did some research and found out that its most likely an abscess.
So i took him to the vet right away. The vet decided it was not an abscess but a hematoma(she put a needle through it and it started bleeding) yet she did not suggest any treatment for it neither has she drained it .
Basically  $80 later im in a same position i was before. "Hematoma" keeps getting larger and i have no clue what to do with it. Im very upset since the baby is still sick and vet did nothing to help.
Is there anything i can do to help it heal? What do vets usually do to treat hematomas? I would like to know whats usually done so i can come back to that clinic and ask for an adequate treatment. =(

ANSWER: Hmm...strange.  

Let me ask...is there a way he got hurt somehow, say, pinched on his foot by a wire floor or anything like that?  

A hematoma is a collection of blood caused by bleeding (internally)They show from the outside as bruises. Usually the blood reabsorbs on its own but sometimes it creates a sac of blood that needs drained surgically, like the vet did with your rat. It may fill up again and need drained again but it often will

Let me ask...did you see how much blood the vet drained from it?
Where is it located on the foot..the heel?

Is there pus at all?

A hematoma usually doesnt require antibiotics since it is nothing but blood but if there is pus of course, that means infection which in turn  would need some form of antibiotic treatment, even if its local.

Is there a way to take a photo? If so you can send it to
Sandyscrittercity@yahoo.com

Please let me know the few things above so I can understand better as to what this is. Meantime, I would try to hold a warm compress or soak the foot in warm water and dab it dry, apply some antibiotic ointment to it. He will end up licking it off but if he   lets it alone even for five minutes it should absorb with gravity being the determinant of this process because it pulls and spreads the blood throughout the area, causing the hematoma to dissolve/reabsorb.

I am wondering if this isnt bumblefoot. Please refer to the photo below and let me know if this looks anything like what your rat is:

http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j71/sugarfoxx/Vet%20stuff/bumbleft.jpg

Is the vet you see an exotics vet?



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

QUESTION:  Yes, its possible.
I wasn't present when the vet drained it. She told me she poked it with a needle and blood started to come out, so she put a bandage over it.
Thats basically it. I was hoping she'd drain it, but she decided not to.
That's what it looks like as for right now
http://img107.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hematomafk2.jpg

I'm hoping to see another vet today...  

Answer
Oh yes that is for sure a hematoma from where I am sitting, although I am wondering how he got it.  He must have banged it against something. They are usually from an injury.  If its an abscess, it sure looks odd.

Let me know what the new vet has to say. I am real curious, and also the method of treatment they take as well.  

Poor bubbas!

hang in there!