Beryl's Tail Wound -- Almost Back to Normal

[smilez_n_hugs]

Glad to hear it sounds like the advil is working.

 

[fenshae]

A'ight...I'm going to soak his wound, change out his bedding, and I think both of us need to get some sleep.

EDIT: he's such a sweetie. He was very patient with me once I got the water a comfortable temperature, just dangled and zoned out for awhile. Let it soak as long as he'd handle it. Now that I'm able to get a better look at his tail, I'm starting to think the white-bits are ligaments. Not an encouraging sign. *sigh* pray that either the vet or my payroll comes through for me tomorrow.

 

[lilspaz68]

A'ight...I'm going to soak his wound, change out his bedding, and I think both of us need to get some sleep.

EDIT: he's such a sweetie. He was very patient with me once I got the water a comfortable temperature, just dangled and zoned out for awhile. Let it soak as long as he'd handle it. Now that I'm able to get a better look at his tail, I'm starting to think the white-bits are ligaments. Not an encouraging sign. *sigh* pray that either the vet or my payroll comes through for me tomorrow.

I hope you are both resting more comfortably now. He sounds like a lovely boy and I shall pray for either of those things to work out today.

 

[fenshae]

*sigh* Talked to payroll, apparently my timecard was put into the system incorrectly by my incompetent manager (big surprise there) and she's pretty much impossible to get hold of, but I'll keep trying to pester her. Either way, I don't think I'm getting paid before Friday.

Also called my vet. They have a strong "absolutely no payment plans" policy (I ran into this with Totoro and his godforsaken dentalwork, too) but I tried to plead my case since I'm a local celebrity and all with the rescue effort. They're going to have somebody higher-up call me back.

Beryl's asleep. I don't want to pester him right now because he looks so sweet and quiet....when he wakes up I'll do another tail-soak and give him some pain meds. Probably not in that order.

 

[fenshae]

Tried to get some pictures of his tail today post-soak but they all came out insanely blurry and he wasn't feeling a second photo-shoot. The whitish-globby bits may actually *not* be tissue but just some kind of squishy semisolid pus -- there's more of it today than there was last night, in more areas. So far his tail isn't feeling any warmer/cooler than normal, but there is a red band of inflammation around to the other side of his tail from where the wound is.

Still waiting on a call-back from the vet's.

I have neospirin. Should I use it?

 

[lilspaz68]

Tried to get some pictures of his tail today post-soak but they all came out insanely blurry and he wasn't feeling a second photo-shoot. The whitish-globby bits may actually *not* be tissue but just some kind of squishy semisolid pus -- there's more of it today than there was last night, in more areas. So far his tail isn't feeling any warmer/cooler than normal, but there is a red band of inflammation around to the other side of his tail where

Still waiting on a call-back from the vet's.

I have neospirin. Should I use it?

Its big and open isn't it, not a cavity like an abscess? I would, but make sure he has his pain meds before you smear it on.

 

[fenshae]

Yep, it's open. It looks exactly like a bedsore, actually. And I'm now 99% certain that the white stuff is slough, based on what I've looked up online. He's just has his favorite new grape candy () so I'll test out the neosporin in a moment. He won't like me much when this is all said and done....

If the vet doesn't call me back shortly I'll call and see if they'll write a prescription for A/B without looking at him first and how much that would be. He may still end up needing it amputated or something (god I hope not) but at least that would buy us some time?

 

[fenshae]

Vet is being uncooperative. But I'm getting money in on Friday, hopefully enough. Also a friend is going to try and hook me up with some a/b's, she has some extra. Bleh, I'm usually a little better prepared than this, the surgery bills + uncooperative payroll just sort of blindsided me. I was *really* expecting to get paid on Friday and pay myself back what I had to delve into for my own medical stuff. The ironic thing is that I'd had money set aside for the boys when I rescued them because I was *expecting* them to have medical problems...and then I got to feeling complacent a few days in when they were all happy and healthy and I went ahead and spent the money on groceries because it was, ah, the only cash in the house. *wince* Lesson learned....

I think he's looking better (and I remembered the spoiler warning this time!):

[spoiler:6hxy35kt]

[/spoiler:6hxy35kt]

Twice-a-day saline soaks followed with neosporin, I think this is the 3rd day of those. The wound seems a bit less angry-looking anyway. The white-bits have all gravitated toward that single pus-spot in the middle, though, and I'm not sure how aggressive I should be with it.

Aside from the nasty tail, he's doing great. Still plenty bright-eyed and feisty and he's not losing any weight so that's definitely good..if anything I think he's gained a few g's since he moved into his own cage. He is alone right now, because I don't trust his brothers with him yet. I'm half-tempted to try putting one of my gentler submissive guys in with him (Wesley probably or Einstein) as a nurse but I don't know. Oddly, before Basil took over as alpha, *he* was the sweetheart I always used as nurse. Very odd.

But anyway. Dangling photo!

Oh, the indignity.

 

[lizmo1221]

Just read the whole thing, and I am glad he is feeling and looking so much better! I just think of the care (or lack thereof!) he would have gotten in his previous situation, and even if you cannot afford the absolute perfect care for him at the instant that he needs it, he still is WAY better off with you, since you care enough to do what you can and find out absolutely everything you can.

I guess what I am trying to say, is it seems like you are hard on yourself for not being able to do the entire vet thing right now. But, you are still an amazing rat mommy by being on here getting advice and following through with what you can... and its working! :joy:

Snuggles and healing vibes from here

 

[lilspaz68]

It looks much better today, I think abs and flushing might just do the trick, rather than an amputation :thumbup:

 

[Rachael]

Looks much better than in the first pictures.

 

[fenshae]

It looks much better today, I think abs and flushing might just do the trick, rather than an amputation :thumbup:

I sure hope so. Strictly speaking I don't know if the vet's ever done an amputation on a rat in her life....Las Cruces sucks sometimes, man.

I'm glad it was Beryl with the injury at least and not Locke, or else my hand would have been shredded by now. He's definitely the chillest of the three.

 

[fenshae]

The scab fell off today while we were soaking/rinsing. It was pretty disgusting, very thick (and hairy!) and the inside was filled with pus. the tissue underneath looks pretty good though.

Unnervingly, he has a spot on the opposite side of his tail that looks sort of like a blister -- a little pale bubble that I can't tell if it's pus-filled or what. It doesn't have a head on it (at least not yet). Poor guy. He was not overly happy with me when I got done, but I think he forgave me a bit when he got to chow down on a cracker. He *loves* crackers because David slips them to him all the time. *just shakes head*

Anyway. I'll get new pics with tonight's cleaning.

 

[Joanne]

Just read the thread through - the second picture looks much better than the first batch. Hopefully it will continue to heal. Guess we'll have to see what today's pic looks like.

 

[smilez_n_hugs]

Is there any chance your vet would just sell you the abs considering the situation? (just pulling at strings lol).

 

[fenshae]

Getting antibiotics tomorrow :dance: Sometimes it's good to have friends with vet connections that can pull strings for you. Still hoping this does the trick and there's no surgery needed.

Newest pics (which are a little blurry, Beryl was NOT wanting to model for me last night):

[spoiler:h2s52qo4]

(modeled by david's lovely hands, hah)[/spoiler:h2s52qo4]

the color is a little off in the photo, it looks better IRL -- more pinkish, less reddish. The pimple/blister on the opposite side of his tail was pus-filled but I did get that emptied out and rinsed. I was afraid that the wound had somehow bored through his tail and was coming out the other side, but the pus-pocket was surface-deep just beneath the skin (the major open area feeds off into a thinner, shallower cut that wraps around the side of the tail, I think this was pus that had migrated from that and collected between the skin layers. But it emptied out last night and this morning it looked fine, the swelling's gone way-way down (although it's kind of reddish black under the skin where some dried blood collected where the pus was...but it's surface-deep and not as scary as it looks). So far so good.

He's such a trooper. He's one of those rats that whenever he's really not liking whatever you're doing, instead of squirming and protesting, he gives kisses. Token was like that too and it's just the sweetest thing.

Incidentally, I just got done with him for the night (no pics from today for I am teh lazy, and my holder-helper was otherwise occupied), and the grey bits from yesterday's photo were loose and started to try to come off. I wasn't sure if I should peel them or not, but beneath his skin's a nice healthy pink color. I left 'em be, maybe they'll fall off tomorrow.

 

[fenshae]

Just wanted to update that Beryl's tail is looking amazing. I didn't get a chance for pics tonight as my intrepid rat-wrangler was otherwise occupied, but we'll try to post some tomorrow. The swelling has gone down tremendously back to almost-normal, the color is a nice healthy pink and very little pus -- just some grey slough, much less than there had been.

 

[lilspaz68]

Oh great news!!! And finding out he's such a sweetie is a bonus too. :joy:

 

[mamarat]

That's great! And I find some ratties bond with us while we do the treatments.

 

[fenshae]

I've found that too...you'd think all the unpleasantness would make them hate you, but I think without fail every rat I've had to give meds to/various treatments actually ended up being friendlier than the others.