[Oriane]

I noticed a couple of weeks back magic had a lump in her groin. I got it removed 2 weeks later. I don't know if it was an abscess or tumour. The vet said it was full of bright green pus but I know tumours can have pus. The day after the operation it started to grow back. I brought her back in and he said it was just swelling and should go down. It's been nearly 2 weeks and still there so I thought it wasn't swelling. I booked her in to see the vet tomorrow but I've just noticed she has a slightly harder lump on her neck.


What on earth should I do?! I want to do what's best by her. Money is no issue. But I don't know what's best.


She also had a tumour removed a couple of months back. And a year ago she had 2 operations due to abscesses

 

[Finnebon]

Is it possible to put her on lifelong antibiotics to maybe help decrease the chance of abcsesses? For the tumors, getting her spayed will prevent many different types like mammary tumors, and I think pituitary tumors as well. I would maybe ask your vet about the lifelong ABs and a day, especially since you don't want her to go in for surgery after surgey after surgery every couple months. Turkey tail mushroom capsules mixed with baby food have been known to help reduce tumor growth. I'm trying the mushroom mix now for my girl with a groin lump while I wait for her lump removal/spay surgery next month. I hope it works!

 

[Finnebon]

*and a spay. Sorry, typo on mobile.

 

[Isamurat]

This sounds like shes got a systemic infection going on. The first sounds very much like an abcess, the bright green goo being typical puss when you get a nasty infection. I suspect it stank too. Glandular abcesses do sometime reoccur and this is a sign that whatever caused them hasnt been defeated by the rats immune system. There are glands around the groin and in the neck.

I would ask your vet to put her on a fortnight long course of amoxycillin or a similar penecillin based antibiotic. These are very effective against abcesses and work well to cleanse the system of whatevers causing them (they are broad spectrum so work well agasint most issues). If the abcess then comes back despite this (or in a new location) then as soon as you see it get the vet to take a sample. This can be sent off for analysis and the best antibitioic picked. If it does come back i would also have a purge of whatever bedding you use and start with a new batch. I've had this happen twice, and on the first acess outbreak myself and several other similarly affected people had got substrate from the same batch. I chucked it and got some new stuff and this helped finish it off. The more recent abcess outbreak is very recent, so the guys have jsut finished a course of antibiotics so we will see if that fixes it. If not i will check my bale of card as thats been the most recent change. In theory it could be contaminated food as well.

 

[Oriane]

Okay we're back from the vets. The lump in her neck was a tumour and the lump in the groin was a tumour also, but it did have pus as well.

He's prescribed me Synulox: 10mg/ml clavulanic acid and 40mg/ml amoxicillin reconstituted in 15mls water.
The dose is 3 drops twice daily.
Can anyone give me a proper dose in mls?
Magic weighs 550g

Where do I find Turkey tails from?
The spay may be an option next time. However as she already had to undergo 2 lump removals I thought I wouldn't push it

 

[Finnebon]

Turkey tail capsules you can find online or in healthfood stores. I hope the ABs help with her infection issues!

 

[About Pet Rats]

Whenever there's pus, it's a much greater likelihood that it's an abscess. I can't actually tell from what you wrote whether or not both lumps were surgically removed?

If not, have you tried warm compresses on the lump that has pus in it?

Here are a few good articles about abscesses in case you haven't already seen them:
http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/abscess.php
http://www.ratfanclub.org/abscess.html

I totally agree that spaying can help prevent tumors.

Hope she's doing better now!