At my wits end, wish I knew what to do :(

[nightmarevamp]

I was actually going to get ensure today.

But yes sounds like the same thing. Blood and puss from the ear. Not fun

 

[lilspaz68]

I was actually going to get ensure today.

But yes sounds like the same thing. Blood and puss from the ear. Not fun

Do you want us to double check your medication dosages to make sure he's getting the accurate dosage for his weight?

How old is Basil again? 1 year? His age will help him fight off infection. Oliver is well over 2 years so his immune system is failing.

Btw pick up strawberry or vanilla Ensure...they are most likely to be happily drunk. Also if you have a No Frills, they carry a generic Vanilla "ensure" (a little cheaper) as well usually under the brand names in the baby food aisle.

If you don't have baby cereal, pick up some flavoured stuff for him, its soft, he can lick it up, and it won't hurt so much. Oliver cannot eat hard things right now as its too painful.

 

[nightmarevamp]

I believe the weight and doses are good since they weighed him and we talked about that how they should be getting their doses by the pound.

I'm happy I say him drink from the water bottle , food is next on the list. But good tips for the ensure.

Btw the medication that has helped his breathing by breaking down his muscus is Furosemide

 

[lilspaz68]

I believe the weight and doses are good since they weighed him and we talked about that how they should be getting their doses by the pound.

I'm happy I say him drink from the water bottle , food is next on the list. But good tips for the ensure.

Btw the medication that has helped his breathing by breaking down his muscus is Furosemide

Ahh Lasix. Ok that is a diuretic and will dry out (not break down) the fluids in the lungs, the only thing to watch for is to make sure that he drinks enough as they can dehydrate on lasix.

 

[Catibrie]

As far as getting him to eat, is he a licker? If so, you might try putting a little food on the tip of your finger and see if he will lick it off. If he does you will have to be real patient and do it as often as he will lick from your finger. One of my boys was like that, but he seemed to feel obligated to 'clean' mommy of her mess.

 

[nightmarevamp]

Sadly no interest in food. Won't even lick.

I'm going to have to force feed him Ensure.

 

[nightmarevamp]

-So he has a small open wound right where the lump is, the reasaon for the opening was first due to the needle that went in to check it, and as the fight progress to get him to take his meds it's opened up a little bit more. and at the same time puss is leaking out, which I whiteish but not runny.

So the vet is on tues, is there anything I can do besides cleanng it with antibacterial soap? Like maybe use some polysporion??

 

[xxchelle]

DON'T use polysporin on abscesses, it seals the infection in, you want to drain it out. I really hope it hasn't spread to his jaw/molars.

 

[nightmarevamp]

I don't want it open either , so would polysporion be good to close it?

I mean Dr.Munn might just reopen it to see what's happening anyways, just don't want it to get infected from outside sources.

Any suggestions? Vitamin E or something?? Something other then bare exposed?

 

[Moon]

Just keep trying to get ensure into him, even if it is only a bit at a time. Hopefully Tuesday comes super fast.

Don't use polysporin. It is only good on minor surface wounds, deep infections are actually better with a small opening so they can drain out.

 

[nightmarevamp]

He's taking the ensure, it's just a mini syrgine but he's had three so far, so I'm hopeful.

 

[Moon]

Absolutely. A little bit whenever he'll let you is better than nothing at all.

 

[mamarat]

Like Moon said, as much as he wants to drink. You're doing good.

 

[xxchelle]

The abscess HAS to drain - keeping infection inside the body can cause a lot of damage. If it's by his jaw, keeping it inside could eat into his teeth, causing MASSIVE issues and making him need surgery.

Plus, keeping an abscess closed means it could burst into the blood stream, causing sepsis then death. Please, please, please don't use polysporin on abscesses.

 

[lilspaz68]

Can you take a pic Jeff? It really will help us figure out how to advise you on your poor boy. The lump is an abscess...and its either collected after draining from his ear under his ear, or there's something else. Its definitely infection right? Smells horrific when you smell it, and the pus is yellowy? I have been through lots of abscesses before, but depending on how it looks, and where it is, I may or may not do anything.

Normally with an abscess we encourage it to open up with damp compresses, then flush it out with saline to clean it out and keep it clean until it heals but not knowing what exactly it looks like we cannot advise that at this point.

The polysporin shouldn't be used because the abscess is really just a pus/bacteria filled cavity that the rat has efficiently walled off from the rest of his body (normally) and polysporin will encourage it to heal, but that means the top will close over and bacteria will be trapped inside and the abscess will happen again and again.

Facial abscesses can be many things...infection bursting through the face from rotting molars, a bite wound that got infected is a normal cause for an abscess, ?ZG with its abscessed surface, infected Salivary glands (like my boy Twiggy), etc.

Dr Munn is likely going to open that cheek up to drain the pus, then try to discover where its coming from. IF something happens, you may get Dr. Hammond, but Julia is a very good vet and will explain everything to you.

Try to forget that its opening since its doing what happens naturally, opening up so the pus/bacteria can come out, but keep trying to feed your boy the ensure with a syringe...he needs food/liquids and Ensure can be both.

 

[nightmarevamp]

I can take a pic for sure, where do you want me to send it?

 

[lilspaz68]

I can take a pic for sure, where do you want me to send it?

if you don't know how to post pics, email them to me at [email protected], and I'll upload them to my photobucket account and post them for you.

 

[nightmarevamp]

Ok sounds good, I'll take a pic later on he's been poked and proded enough for now, letting him rest till 9:30 like the rest of the guys.

 

[nightmarevamp]

Basil is finally EATING something.

I introduced two shots spaced out of Doxycyline, which I recall was better for the lungs. So still fighting the infections, but his breathing is very good now and his lump is still small but present. But the Ensure did help and so did the Furosmide to break up his mucus.

He's grooming and looking attentive again.

Thank you all for helping me through this. Still will take him to Dr.Munn on Tues so we can get him a clean bill or health or if he teeth are really to blame.

But for now, I'm happy my boy is starting to come out of the woods

 

[mamarat]

That's very good news.