# Abscess on my Rat



## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Hi everyone!! 

My rat Coral has an abscess on the side of her face. When I saw it initially I thought it was a tumour and was obviously terrified it would turn out to be a Zymal Gland Tumour. She is a year old but I have only had her four weeks, she came to me with her sister and another two girls from a lovely lass who offers a foster home to unwanted rats when their original owners moved house and couldn't take them. 
Anyway, I obviously rushed her to the vet when I first noticed a lump on her face. My vet took a sample from it and said there was no cancer and it was just blood. His conclusion was that it was a Haematoma and would go away by it's self. After a week it hadn't shrunk, it had gotten bigger. I took her back to my vet and we decided to have whatever it was removed as it couldn't be a Haematoma at this point. I got a call from my vet to say he had discovered it was an abscess, he had lanced it and flushed it. 
The wound looked good staight after the lancing and the day after it was healed closed. It's been two weeks and I've discovered it has opened. I again took her back to my vet and he said it was best left open as anything in it could drain. 
Thing is, it looks horrendous!! This is not my main concern if it is getting better but I'm worried about her sisters or her messing with it. 

Has anyone had a rat with an abscess that has been dealt with but then opened?
I'm unsure of what to do now. It is getting smaller but I'm worried it may heal open :/


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## Lavenderb (Jan 27, 2009)

It can take quite some time for some abscesses to heal fully as they can be very deep.
Several months back I had a rat with a facial abscess. It was drained under anaesthetic at the vets and flushed through , and given baytril but the wound still took quite a while to heal fully....I'm talking 2-3 month for it to completely close and new hair to grow in. As long as the wound is clean and dry it should be fine. Any signs of pus and I would get it looked at again. Keep the cage clean so there is less chance of muck getting into it.


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Thank you!!

I've been keeping them as clean as I can, they are the messiest females I've ever had! Ha. Think they're messier than my males  So I've been strubbing everything a lot. 
You've been very helpful. Think I'm going to take her for one more check tomorrow as I'm up at the vets anyway to get one of my pooches his booster. 

Thanks again!


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

it took Gideons at least 3 months to fully heal- and he still has a very noticeable scar. don't be panicking- they are good at keeping clean! i only had to bathe his for a week or so before it dried out enough to form a scab and start properly healing... his was So deep  the vet was terrified it was going to be a tumor from the size and density of it!


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Phew, that makes me feel better  a scar wouldn't bother me as long as she's ok. I've only kept rats for a year but I've experienced many of the things that come along with them including having to have one PTS. It was awful! This is my first with an abscess. I never want to experience a Zymbal Gland tumour EVER!! Was so worried that's what it was. I'd only had her four days and I was smitten already. They're buggers for making you fall in love so easily  

Thanks for everyone's help!! You've been fab.


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Hi again, 
I hope the people who commented on this thread before are still about...
Coral's face hasn't seemed to be healing much. I had her back to the vet when it opened up and was told it was fine. Just been back again tonight because I'm not happy with it to be told by a different vet that she probably has an inoperable tumour under the abscess and she would be better off PTS. This is the vet who I feel really didn't know what to do when my first rat had a Respiratory Infection and eventually had to be PTS because it had gone too far and she had no quality of life. Coral on the other hand is bright, happy, eating and drinking well and always eager to come out to play. She offered to do a biposy on it to see what it is. I said nooooooooo waaaaaaaay (or no thank you is what I really said) I'm going back to see my usual vet who I have more confidence in on Monday. The vet I saw today said she wouldn't be able to do an operation, well that's just fine by me!

I'm still terrified that it's going to turn out to be a ZGT but if it is and I can make the time she has left enjoyable then that's what I'm going to do. Just feel like I've been sent round the houses being told one thing after another after another. The vet I saw today has really worried me 

Any advice from people who have had a rat with a bad abscess or a ZGT or an abscess on top of a ZGT, which is what my vet thinks is the case with Coral, would be again greatly appreciated


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## kodakkuki (Aug 8, 2011)

i'll take a picture of Gideon tomorrow for you- he had his lanced in march (i think) it still doesn't look good, but its healed now... 
definitely stick with your plan- see the vet you trust and go from there!


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

I hope mickey on here sees this as she has had experience with ZGT's


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Thanks Kodakkuki  pics of others would help I think. Coral is sitting next to me now muching away. She's so sweet, I can't imagine having her PTS when she's so lively and happy (I do hope she's happy and not in pain) I don't care if she ends up with a huge scar or anything like that I just want to keep her... forever preferably... along with my other 13. This vet has really made me think the worst. Coral's lump has not gotten any bigger since she had it lanced, would it still be growing if it was a ZGT? She had a tiny bit of discharge from her ear one day but not since then. How big does a ZGT get? I've been trying to get a photo but my camera is terrible on my phone, it's not desinged for rat photography! Useless 

Is Mikey a friend of yours Blade? Someone who has had one would really help me decide whether I really think she has one. Is my vet's theory of there being a tumour underneath the abscess likely to be true? If it were I'd feel a bit let down by my vet who did the surgery, he's my fave vet. As he mustn't have explored far enough during the operation.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Mickey is a member on here and on fancy rats forum so she's like an Internet friend.
Here read this link its a good site for rat info but some of the pics aren't very nice but will give you an idea of what a ZGT looks like.
Health Guide: Zymbal's Gland Tumor


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## Micky93 (May 15, 2012)

Hello! Sorry had a few problems with Pinky this morning so got to dash up tot he vets later (feeling less sorry for him after the s0d put his teeth into my hand :wink: ) so not been looking at threads.

I don't want to scaremonger, nor do I want to be the bearer of bad news, but what you are describing sounds very much like Brain's ZGT that we experienced earlier this year. He was roughly 18 months old (adopted rats like your girls so never 100% sure) and the whole experience went on for about a month/4 weeks.

I will post some photos, but they can be quite gruesome so sorry if they are upsetting.

Before anything happened, my beautiful boy :001_tt1:


It started out as a lump under his fur on the left side of his face, which grew extremely quickly (about a week?). Took him to the vets and they assumed either abcess under the skin or ear infection. He was also producing a small amount of gunk/pus from his left ear.


We were treating him with Baytril and pain relief in the hopes it would go down. We thought it had for about a day. I went down one morning about 3 days after first vet visit and was greeted with Brain's face split open. It was like he was something out of the terminator. I didn't get any photos as just rushed him up to the vets. They still believed it was an abcess of some form at this point and continued the bay trill and flushed it clean for us (alot of blood and some pus). Advised cleaning at least twice a day and not allowing it to scab over. 


No amount of flushing it would fully clean it, and trust me I was doing everything with the hope of if I could fully clean it then it would heal and he would get better - I knew deep down at this point it was almost definitely ZGT. I'm sure Amy & others on here can remember the desperate threads about any slim possibilities of anything else, and the harsh realisation of what it really was. I was desperate and heartbroken. We took him back as it just wasn't keeping clean, and they took him and put him under and did a really deep clean out of all the pus. All throughout this he was still eating. We had to pop him in a hospital cage after his op as he was very dozed up and we were trying to stop Pinky from picking at it (which he had started doing).



In the end it just kept growing, and a second 'opening' formed just behind and under his left ear. 


We realised he was never going to get better, and put him back in his main cage with Pinky for his last 3 days before taking him up to be PTS. we knew if we didn't then then it would carry on growing and would push his jaw out of alignment and then he would no longer be able to eat. We wanted him to go while he was still the Brains we knew and loved. It was the hardest thing we ever had to do, and we both cried the whole way there and the whole way home. It took everything not to turn around and go home, and they had to take him away from me in the vets as I gave him a goodbye cuddle and couldn't physically hand him over knowing his fate.

I'm sorry if this thread has upset anyone, and it was very hard to write out. Emma if you have any questions or queries then please feel free to ask. Hope this has helped in some way xxx

wanted to end this thread on a nice picture, one of my favourites of the boys.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Yes Hun I do remember your threads very well. 
I'm welling up now reading and looking at your pics of poor brains. You did everything you possibly could for brains and he knew just how much you and your family loved him. It's so hard to put any animal to sleep especially when there still eating playing etc.but in the end you knew you had to do the best thing for brains and make that descision for him.

I pray none of my ratties ever get one of these these ZGT are awful things and the only outcome is to make the rat comfortable and to help them along to pass away peacefully. 

Xx


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## Micky93 (May 15, 2012)

blade100 said:


> Yes Hun I do remember your threads very well.
> I'm welling up now reading and looking at your pics of poor brains. You did everything you possibly could for brains and he knew just how much you and your family loved him. It's so hard to put any animal to sleep especially when there still eating playing etc.but in the end you knew you had to do the best thing for brains and make that descision for him.
> 
> I pray none of my ratties ever get one of these these ZGT are awful things and the only outcome is to make the rat comfortable and to help them along to pass away peacefully.
> ...


Thank you, that means a lot. Looking back through the photos to post made me well up too, still miss him everyday, he was so cheeky and vocal. I'll never forget him grabbing my hand with his paws when I was trying to clean out the wound and then squeaking at me in a most indignant manner, use to make me chuckle. Never known such a noisy rat. :lol: I miss him.

I wouldn't wish ZGT on anyone, and just pray that I don't have to go through it again.


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Hi Mikey

Thanks for putting a huge amount of effort into that reply. It must have been hard to re-live it. I really appreciate it. I'm so sorry you lost your boy. You have just put down in writing what I have been thinking... and kind of not wanting to face. And I need to face the truth. I have only been a rat owner for 10 months (although it feels like a lifetime-in a good way) but I have experienced five castrations, two Respiratory Infections (one being fatal), two Mammery Tumours and now a possible ZGT. Rats are officially heartbreakers. Coral has an appointment on Monday night so I'll update the thread after that. I'm going to have a nice weekend with her and try to not think of what I may have to do in the near future. 

I actually managed to never cry at the vets until I had rats 

Thanks for everyone's help. You've been brilliant again.


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

I've been up to the vet today for pain killer for Coral. She's not showing signs of pain but rats hide everything so well don't they? I don't want her to be in pain so I wanted to be on the safe side. She's usually quite reserved during free range time but she was life and soul last night  she was out and about playing with everyone else. I have my rats in three seperate living groups but they all play together out of their cages. Didn't want to overcrowd them in their cages. I wouldn't want to live with 14 other people whether I got on with them or not! Ha  I do hope I have some more time with her. 

Here's a little picture of lovely Coral giving me a finger groom. Hope you all have a lovely weekend.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Oh bless her she looks a lovely gentle girl, enjoy your week end with her.
Give her lots of kisses and cuddles.
I will be thinking of you Monday xx


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Thanks Blade  Just another quick question, I have Meloxidyl 0.5 to give her. She was prescribed 0.5ml twice daily. I think that's quite a lot, maybe too much? Her weight is 250 gramms. Any thoughts?


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Not sure on that one but just wanted to ask how old is she as 250g is very light.


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

She was a year old in October. I don't have anyone here at the moment to help me weigh her so I did it very roughly, I may have made a mistake. Her and her sister are small though, I've read that girls can range from 200-500 gramms. My biggest girl is 400 gramms. She's bigger than some of my boys but she doesn't look fat, she's just a big rat. Her dad was enormous. I was told by a friend she's bigger than most of her boys. I have three runty girls who I'd say were no more than 200 gramms. She looks in good body condition, she doesn't look too slim or too chubby


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

To be honest I was going to say that's small. I've always had males though and the heaviest was 1kg! 
Then I've had ones weigh from 520g to 980g.


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

WOW!! That's a huuuuge rat   1kg? I love huge boy rats. None of my boys are that big. I have a terrier who is only 5kg. Ha. As my girls are all rescues I'm unsure of some of their backgrounds but I know two of my tiny ones were bred by a feeder breeder and so aren't well bred. Coral and three girls I got her with, as far as I know, weren't bred for food but as they've landed in rescue they maybe weren't bred by a responsible breeder as they should have gone back to them. I know that doesn't always happen even if the breeder is responsible. Another ratty friend of mine said my big girl was massive for a girl so some of her boys must be under 400. Suppose rats vary widely in size


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Well I've struggled this weekend just thinking the worst the whole time but also trying to remember I still have Coral and to stop being an idiot and just enjoy her!! We never know how much time we have with any pet so as long as you don't take them for granted and make their lives great everyday there's nothing to feel bad about BUT there's always that niggling thought in the back of my mind that I could have done more for her. I'm still going to do whatever I can up until the point that there's nothing else I can do. I am desperate to at least have one Christmas with her and all 14 of my rats together but that's me being selfish because if it's bad then it's up to her to say when it's her time, not me. I would never keep any of my babies going past their time just because I'm not ready to be apart from them. I'm sooooooo not ready to let her go


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

As promised a photo of Coral's face. It's not great, my flash makes everything look an odd colour. This was taken a few days ago. I have been on the internet constantly looking at other people's stories and doing as much research as possible. Nothing is helping, I feel awful  totally sick with worry!! I'm up sitting next to her cage now to give her her pain killer but she's sleeping so I'm not guna disturb her.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

It does look like a ZGT  sorry hun I know your very upset. It's in the area for a ZGT. It doesn't look like any abcess I've delt with and by now it should be healed if it was a normal abcess.


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## Laura123 (Aug 6, 2012)

So sorry. Poor wee Coral.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

How is she today Emma?


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Hi, sorry I haven't been on for a bit. Been concentrating on my wee girly  My vet rang me after her second operation to say she was coming around well and he had debrided the abscess. She had a lump behind her ear which I was positive was a tumour but he said he found nothing of a tumour, it was all abcess. That's not to say there isn't a tumour somewhere but to look for it would do more damage than good. So she's been fully cleaned out and I'm flushing the wound three times a day, she's on pain killer and Baytril and I'm to put a small amount of antibiotic ear drops into her ear and into the wound after flushing to try and get the healing to start inside and work outwards. There was a lot of pressure on here ear canal which has now been relieved so I'm glad she's more comfortable. She's in my room with her sister Peach keeping nice and quiet and calm. She's looking good. All I can do is keep her as clean as possible and do everything I have to for her. Not out of the woods just yet. If it won't heal there's obviously more to it but all I can do is wait. She has a check up tomorrow and next tuesday so they can check I'm doing everything right as this is my first abscess. 

Thanks Blade100 and Laura for asking


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Glad all went well. 
The thing is though hun this isn't an ordinary abcess, normal abcess heal quite quickly though you have to flush them out 2-3 times a day and not let it heal over too quick so that it heals from the inside out. 
And then depending on how big it was its usually healed u within 2 weeks.
I've had them heal in a week before. Like my berty who had one on the side of his mouth. You wouldn't notice now that there was ever anything there.

Just do all you can for her, making sure she's not in any pain.
Did you mention to your vet abou ZGT's?

How is coral this morning?


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## Micky93 (May 15, 2012)

How is she doing today Emma? xx


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Coral is looking good today. The hole left after her surgery seems shallower but I never believe my own eyes so I'm trying not to get my hopes up but stay positive at the same time... If that makes sense??  Going to the vet tonight for them to have a look and to make sure I'm doing everything right. She's still eating, drinking and happy to take her meds regularly. She definitely seems more comfortable and the lump was getting awfully close to her eye it's now nowhere near it. It looks cleaner and erm... smells cleaner. 

I'm just going to take it one day at a time.


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## Laura123 (Aug 6, 2012)

Glad to here she's on the mend. Will have my fingers crossed for her.


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Thank you 

Everyone's so nice on here, ratty people are the best!! You've all been so helpful. I really hope she makes a full recovery. She's having a dig around her food bowl as I write 
I hope at the very least I've made her more comfortable.


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Little afternoon update. I've just flushed her again, everything seems to be looking good so far. She's having some dinner now  she was so swollen round her ear yesterday that I couldn't see her ear opening at all, now I can! Little bit of progress. 

That's what I like to see   Just got to keep an eye out for anything going backwards. Always a worry!

I hope everyone has a nice weekend with their rats.


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

I thought I best do my last update on this thread. If anything, I hope it can help someone figure out what's going on with their rat. 

Coral was put to sleep on Monday night. She was due for a check up on Wednesday but I wasn't happy with how the abscess was looking so I got her an appointment on Monday. Over the weekend I couldn't keep the wound clean, I was flushing it many times a day and applying her ear drops as I was told by my vet. She was still happy, running around and eating as normal but she was shaking her head more and doing a strange head movement which I believe meant it was causing her pain. She was on painkiller to keep her as comfortable as possible. 
The vet took her to clean her but then I was called thorough to see the extent of the infection. It was everywhere. The antibiotics were not working and as she had only been debrided last wednesday and had gotten to the same stage again more surgery wasn't going to work to keep it clean. 
I now know this wasn't a normal abscess, which I suspected a long time ago as it just wouldn't heal. It also wasn't a ZGT. She had Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Everything I have read about it I experienced with Coral. The prognosis is much the same as a ZGT and there is no chance of survival. I could have kept her alive but it would have only gotten worse and I don't think I could stand seeing her suffer. I believe she was covering up the full extent of the pain.
Nothing could have been done at any stage and she wouldn't have recovered. This didn't help when I had to make the decision to let her go. It is never an easy decision. I was there with her when she was pts and brought her body back to be put back in her cage to show her group what had happened. 
It's fair to say I had a mini break down when I came home on Monday night and the days following haven't been much better. Keep thinking I did the wrong thing by her, just felt lots of doubt and guilt and anger. Letting her go is one of the hardest things I've ever done but I just couldn't be selfish and keep her going just for me. 
Losing rats is so hard, losing any pet is hard. She was a very special rat. I miss seeing her face and having her on my shoulder. I took her little feet and hand prints to keep forever and I'm going to bury her near my first rat Wren who I lost to a respiratory infection 6 months ago. I loved her SOOOOOO much and I hope I made the last part of her life super fun. 
I really miss her. 

Thanks to everyone who's been so great during this horrible time. I know those who have lost rats feel my pain right now.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

I'm so sorry Emma, all I can say is your definitely did the right thing. You gave her a fab home and she knew you loved her so much. And you helped her when she needed you the most and that was to help her pass on.
In the 16 years of my rat keeping losing so many rats it's still never any easier and each time I lose one they take a piece of my heart with them especially the ones who I have had the most bond with.
A few months back I lost my sweet special blue boy humpfrey to a stroke, a few members on here knew just how much my humpfrey ment to me and it really broke me up inside.

Overtime you will heal And you will think back to all those good times you had with coral and it will make you smile. But Hun the pain slowly goes over time and you won't feel as numb. 
Xx


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Thanks Amy, that's all really nice (I've been calling you blade100 the whole time and just realised your name is underneath your lovely GSD's pic!) I do believe you when you say it's as hard losing the 10th as it is losing your first. I really thought she was going to be ok which is why I think it hit me so hard when I had to let her go. I don't think I've ever reacted to a pet's death the way I did to losing Coral. Thought I was going to be sick when I got home, I couldn't eat anything, I couldn't talk about her, I just totally shut down. I still have her, I need a few days before I bury her. I just kept thinking I'm going to have to do this 13 more times with my rats, twice with my bunnies and three times with my dogs. Losing a pet makes you think of losing all your others and it's overwhelming. 
I'm not adding anymore rats to my group for now and one day I will be left with just one... I can't imagine not having any rats in my life! Just everything about them is amazing. They have their own room in my house that's just theirs and I love being in that room. Couldn't imagine it rat-less. 
All my rats are so different, they all have their own little quirks and funny behaviours. There aren't two exactly the same. They give us so many things to miss!! 
I'm sorry about your Humphrey  I know you will have felt exactly as I'm feeling now.


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## Micky93 (May 15, 2012)

I'm so sorry Emma. I know no words will make you feel better, so I won't try to. If there is anything we can do on here do let us know. And please know you did do the right thing, no matter how awful you feel now xxx

RIP little girl xxxx


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## emma20 (Feb 7, 2012)

Rip coral x


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## Emma P (Sep 21, 2013)

Thank you Amy, Mikey and Emma for being so nice. 

I'm still struggling on with out my Coral  Missing her every minute! 

Xx


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