Abscess in a rat (abscesses on the body and neck): symptoms and treatment

Decorative rat is prone to skin diseases. The owner can find a spherical abscess on the body of a rodent, most often it is an abscess in rats. The owners of domestic rodents are frightened by the appearance of large abscesses. With timely treatment of an abscess, the prognosis is favorable, but in advanced stages, sepsis and death of the animal are possible.

IMPORTANT!!! Abscesses must be treated on time!

How does an abscess form?

An abscess is a focal purulent inflammation of tissues. Internal abscesses are localized in various organs and tissues in case of serious infectious diseases: abscesses of the lungs and liver. External abscesses are formed on the body of the animal as a result of a violation of the integrity of the skin (scratches, wounds, bites), the penetration of ordinary microflora into various organs and tissues against the background of inflammatory diseases and a decrease in immunity.

IMPORTANT!!! The owner himself can infect a pet with staphylococci that constantly live on human skin.

Subcutaneous abscesses are characterized by:

• the formation of a painful swelling filled with pus;
• thinning of the skin in the center of the abscess, scabs at the site of tissue damage;
• deep damage or general infection of the body may be accompanied by refusal to feed, lethargy, inactivity.

In the damaged tissue, an inflammatory process develops, caused by the reproduction of staphylococci and streptococci. A kind of capsule is formed around the focus of inflammation from lymphocytes, preventing the penetration of pathogenic bacteria into healthy tissues. An abscess begins with reddening of the rodent’s skin, then the affected area thickens, at the end of the process an abscess forms with soft green or yellow pus inside. Pus is an accumulation of dead lymphocytes, pathogenic microbes and blood cells. The color, consistency and smell of pus can be completely different and depend on the type of pathogenic microflora.

The development of an abscess can go in different ways:

• purulent contents are destroyed by the body inside the pyogenic capsule, recovery occurs;
• a bulge is formed with pus, which comes out at the site of thinning of the skin, the wound heals and the abscess passes;
• a convex subcutaneous abscess breaks inward, pathogenic microflora penetrates into healthy organs and tissues with blood flow, causing inflammation and sepsis;
• the abscess grows deep into the tissues, which is also fraught with septic shock and death.

Where can external abscesses be?

In a rat, an abscess can be localized anywhere on the body:

• in the oral cavity near the roots of the teeth, the abscesses are very painful, greatly interfere with the animal;
• most often found on the neck, behind the ears, on the sides, withers, limbs, abdomen, in the inguinal region in males;
• the appearance of an abscess behind the eyes can signal a strong decrease in immunity or the formation of a tumor in the head of the animal.

Abscess in a rat’s neck

With the localization of the abscess on the neck of the animal, an attempt to open it at home is unacceptable. Abscesses are localized at the location of large lymph nodes, if the integrity of the pyogenic capsule is violated, pus can penetrate into the internal organs and tissues with the current of the bodice, which is fraught with the rapid development of sepsis and death of the pet.

A swelling in the throat of an animal may indicate the formation of a tumor of a benign or malignant nature. The specialist decides on the nature of the treatment after the puncture of the swelling, visual, cytological and histological examination of the punctate.

IMPORTANT!!! Cervical, facial, dental and large abscesses must be treated only in a veterinary clinic!

Treatment of an abscess in rats

Treatment of an abscess is a small surgical operation that consists in opening an abscess using local anesthesia, removing pus, followed by washing the wound with antiseptic solutions and postoperative treatment with anti-inflammatory ointments, antibiotics and analgesics. In the surgical treatment of deep and large abscesses, an incision is made in the tissues, followed by suturing.

Small abscesses of soft tissues, with the exception of the neck, eyes and teeth, can be treated at home. You can open only a ripe abscess, to prevent the breakthrough of pus into the tissues and infection of the pet’s body. You can accelerate the formation of pus by applying an iodine grid twice a day. A sign of a mature abscess is a bright reddening of the skin around the abscess, the center of the abscess turns white and softens.

Opening an abscess in a rat at home

Surgical treatment of an abscess at home consists of several stages:

1. Wash your hands with soap and water.
2. Remove animal hair around the abscess with nail clippers or a razor.
3. If there is a crust at the site of skin damage, soak it with warm water and remove with a cotton pad.
4. Then gently apply gentle pressure to the base of the abscess, directing the pus towards the outlet. It is impossible to press sharply and strongly in order to avoid a breakthrough of the abscess into the tissues.
   

   

5. As the discharge of pus with blood, remove it with a cotton pad. Repeat the procedure until the purulent masses are completely discharged.
6. Wash the abscess from the syringe with an antiseptic solution: Chlorhexidine 1%, Betadine at a dilution of 1: 5, saline solution 9%, the remnants of pus and damaged tissues are washed out of the wound along with the medicine.
7. Dry the wound with a sterile cloth.
8. Put Tetracycline ointment or Levomekol in the wound.
9. Repeat the treatment with antiseptic solutions and the application of ointments once a day until the wound is completely healed.
10. To exclude infection of healthy tissues, it is advisable to give a course of injections of Baytril, Levomycetin or Doxycycline within a week on the recommendation of a specialist.

Postoperative care of the rat

Opening an abscess is an operation after which careful care of the pet is required to speed up recovery:

• use 1% chlorhexidine solution no more than once a day;
• introduce probiotics into the diet to restore microflora while taking antibacterial drugs;
• a sick pet must be isolated from relatives;
• place a bottle of warm water in the cage, it will become a heating pad for the rodent;
• wash the cage daily and change the bedding; only pieces of cloth and napkins can be used as filler;
• provide the rodent with high-calorie nutrition and plenty of fluids.

To prevent the formation of abscesses, it is necessary to keep the pet’s home clean, exposing the cage, drinker and feeder to regular disinfection. The remains of roughage, sharp objects must be constantly removed from the rat’s house, it is recommended to cover the slatted floors with soft bedding to prevent injuries. At the slightest damage to the skin, it is advisable to treat the wound with antiseptic solutions.

Love your domestic rats, take good care of them and feed them with a variety of food, with large or frequent abscesses, contact a specialist, with timely treatment, an abscess in your pet can and should be cured.

In the video, you will see how a rat abscess is opened in a veterinary clinic and the incision is processed.