Ear Bled During Tooth Trimming

[myvelyn]

I also sent this to the Rat Fan Club, please excuse the cross post, but I am really upset...

My little girl Garnet is only about a year old, but she has had a hard life. She had two small litters while she was still a baby herself (the second, two boys, just after I adopted her). She has always had a bit of a head tilt, and chalk white teeth.

In July, I took her to have her teeth trimmed, since one had gotten long enough to puncture her cheek. Then, two and a half weeks ago, I noticed a horrible putrid smell, but couldn't figure out if it was her ears or mouth. The smell vanished, but I took her to the vet, got Baytril, been using it twice a day.

Tonight, she went back for another tooth trim, and while they were doing it, her ear started to bleed! The vet now thinks there has been a persistent infection (she now has a bit of porphyrin on her nose, which is new), and gave me a months' worth of Baytril and ChlorPalm.

Is this the best treatment? What should I be watching for?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am very distressed.

Thank you!

 

[victoria]

I also sent this to the Rat Fan Club, please excuse the cross post, but I am really upset...

My little girl Garnet is only about a year old, but she has had a hard life. She had two small litters while she was still a baby herself (the second, two boys, just after I adopted her). She has always had a bit of a head tilt, and chalk white teeth.

In July, I took her to have her teeth trimmed, since one had gotten long enough to puncture her cheek. Then, two and a half weeks ago, I noticed a horrible putrid smell, but couldn't figure out if it was her ears or mouth. The smell vanished, but I took her to the vet, got Baytril, been using it twice a day.

Tonight, she went back for another tooth trim, and while they were doing it, her ear started to bleed! The vet now thinks there has been a persistent infection (she now has a bit of porphyrin on her nose, which is new), and gave me a months' worth of Baytril and ChlorPalm.

Is this the best treatment? What should I be watching for?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am very distressed.

Thank you!

Chlorpalm is generally considered a good choice for abscesses and ear infections, and it's even more effective with Baytril. I personally don't like it because I find it usually makes sick rats lose weight (every rat I've given it to, it's caused significant GI issues) and I've had better luck with Metronidazole or Septra (also called Bactrim and a few other names) for anaerobic bacteria, but many people have had positive experiences.

That being said, I've never heard of what you're describing. Bad smells from the mouth (or ears) are a significant cause for concern. If it's a tooth/jaw abscess, the prognosis is really not good. Is she in pain? Do you know how they cut her teeth - did they restrain her or anesthetize her? Did they clip them or did they use an electric file/saw? Was the blood fresh?

Maybe an x-ray would be helpful to get a better idea of what's happening, I'm not sure what they'd be able to see though.

 

[jorats]

It sounds to me like it's a serious infection of the root of the tooth. Roots can break and cause a lot of bleeding which in many cases is fatal if the bleeding doesn't stop.
I'd ask your vet about possibly removing her incisors. I would also switch to Chlorpalm.

 

[mamarat]

That also happened to my girl after a trim and vet said that the root had broken, causing the bleed. Fingers crossed for your sweetie.

 

[myvelyn]

Thank you for your suggestions. She is not in any pain, is acting normally and is eating. The blood was fresh, and stopped quickly. I don't see anything this morning.
They used an electric trimmer (apparently used commonly on rabbits).
I'll start the Chlorpalm. I read last night that probiotics may help with GI issues, or perhaps Benebac. She is already very tiny (220 gm), perhaps because her nutrition was lacking before she was surrendered to the shelter, so weight loss is a concern.
:-(

 

[myvelyn]

Update: I took Garnet back to see the senior vet at the practice, who is also the one who recently performed a very successful surgery on my girl Boo. I do think he is very knowledgeable about rats, and he is willing to be aggressive with treatment.

He listened to the whole story, did an ear swab, and examined her teeth. She is acting perfectly normally with no symptoms of anything, and her appetite is voracious since she had the tooth trim. So, all things considered, he told me that he thinks the two things were not necessarily related, and to continue the antibiotics and be vigilant.

I guess that's about all I can do right now. If there are any developments, I will let you all know.

Thanks.

 

[myvelyn]

A quick update: Garnet is still doing fine, she is active and her appetite is good. She decided to embark on a "home improvement" project that involves a lot of yanking and shredding cardboard (she's making an exit hole in a long tube that she likes to slide down inside). I feel good about this, since watching her I realized that if her tooth were painful, she would not be able to do what she's doing.
She does not seem to be having any GI issues with the Chlorpalm.

 

[jorats]

That's great news! Home renovation projects are always a good thing for rats. lol

 

[mamarat]

So glad your sweetie is doing so well.