Broken bone?

[Marwee]

My rat Marshmellow when he walks he holds his one back leg up. I just discovered it today. I felt his paw it feels and looks swollen. Also he has diarrhea.
I've read that if he is put into a single level cage to relax and heal he will be just fine(assuming it's a broken bone). How do I know if it's a broken bone? How long does it take for a broken bone to heal? And what can I do to make him comfortable? He's not a young rat..

 

[eagle]

An X-ray is the only true way to determine if it is broken. There is nothing a vet can do as far as splinting or the likes. Do you have any metecam or infant IBU at home?

 

[Marwee]

I have neither. :/

 

[hopefloats]

Go purchase infants ibuprofen, get his weight then post it and the information from your ibuprofen and they can help you dose out an amount for him. Chances are it is a sprain it is rather normal for rats to get them. If you have wire ramps keeping them covered with a sock or something will help stop it from happening.

 

[jorats]

I agree, it's probably a sprain. Keep him quiet and make sure he's comfortable, the swelling should go down in a week. If it's not better in a week, he will need to see a vet.

 

[SQ]

Keep an eye on the swelling as it can be very dangerous if it gets to be too much.
You will want to keep the swelling down

 

[Marwee]

I'm afraid of over dose.. will he be alright with out the pain medication? I really don't want to risk it. I don't have a scale. :S

How do I keep the swelling down?

 

[victoria]

I'm afraid of over dose.. will he be alright with out the pain medication? I really don't want to risk it. I don't have a scale. :S

How do I keep the swelling down?

He really needs an anti-inflammatory, if you're not comfortable giving it, you should go see a good rat vet.

 

[mamarat]

The swelling will go down on its own. Just keep an eye on it to make sure it does. Good luck with your sweetie.

 

[SQ]

an anti-inflamatory pain med will help pain and swelling.
As victoria said, you will need to get meds from the vet if you do not know his weight

 

[jorats]

I don't always give an anti-inflammatory with mine when they have a sprain. It depends on how much pain they seem to be.

 

[lilspaz68]

I give pain meds when there's a lot of swelling or pain. How swollen is it?
If you have ramps in your cage you might want to cover them. What type of cage is he in? Or could he have fallen off a shelf?

How is the diarrhea now?

 

[Marwee]

I've been doing research and I think it's Bumblefoot
not a broken bone.

His leg keeps swelling up and it's even changed colour from his usual pink to red! It feels squishy on top of his foot. It feels warm. I think it's infected

Yes his diarrhea is gone now. It only lasted two days.
I moved him to a single level cage. No ramps, no ladders,etc.

Problem is I don't have money to bring him to a vet right now. I can afford to get him baby Tylenol or something along that lines but that isn't going to help, is it. What should I do?? :gaah:

 

[hopefloats]

You should post a picture of his foot and him so we can see his body weight.

 

[Marwee]

http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh30 ... 1_1217.jpg

There is a photo of it.^

 

[Marwee]

And here is another photo so you can guess his weight.

http://s259.photobucket.com/albums/hh30 ... 1_1216.jpg

 

[victoria]

How long has it been like this? Of the two pics were taken at the same time, I don't think it's bumblefoot because there's no sore. Maybe if it's in the very early stages but then I don't think there would be as much swelling. I could be wrong, but it looks like the foot is actually infected and that's what's causing the swelling. You could try soaking it in warm saline, but I think it would still be best to bring him to a vet. It's hard to guess his weight from a picture, maybe if you provide a more specific location (i.e. city) someone nearby will be able to help you out with a scale. (BTW you want Infant Advil, not Tylenol because you need something for pain and inflammation, not just pain.)

Edit: This is a pic I have of the only girl I've had with bumblefoot. It'd just been cleaned so it looked a lot better than usual but you can clearly see the sore:

 

[lilspaz68]

That is not bumblefoot...that is an infection, or a possible break. He needs a vet and now.

 

[mamarat]

Oh poor baby, that looks sore. It could be cellulitis and he will need antibiotics for that.

 

[hopefloats]

I agree it is an infection not bumble foot. He need medication. It can kill him.