My rat Skylos is about 20 months old, male, and otherwise healthy except for the occasional myco flareup. He had a small bump on his tail that wasn't bothering him or a big deal, and it stayed as it was for months. Then it got a bit bigger and formed a scab, the scab was either chewed or came off, and so I put him on anti-biotics to prevent infection. It got infected anyway so I took him to the vet, and they said carry on with the antibiotics (baytril) and also dress the wound. It just got worse, and bigger.
I took him to the vet again and they took a swab which was sent to the lab and cultured so we could find out what the infection was and better target the antibiotics. Unfortunately, his next symptoms occured over the recent double bank holiday and the vet was closed for 5 consecutive days, as was the lab we were waiting for results from. This was a lump on one side of his groin area (possibly a swollen lymph node, possibly a tumour) and swollen feet. The foot swelling carried on until they were four times their normal size, and this totally interfered with his mobility - he couldn't walk like this.
When the vet opened I called but my vet was on personal leave, and the vet I spoke to was not very helpful. Also, the lab result showed no growth that would explain the tail. I asked for different antibiotics and also for pain meds and anti inflamatories - trimethoprim-sulfa, prednisone, and strong pain meds - which were prescribed. The swelling reduced in his feet allowing some mobility again, but also some sores appeared on them with a small amount of hard-ish greeny yellow pus, and the joint is still a bit swollen and stiff. The lump in his groin remained exactly the same and the tail continued to get worse.
I took him in again when I noticed that there was a line of infection spreading down his tail, with a green pusy looking line further down his tail too. The vet took samples from the lump (she found lymphatic tissue and white blood cells) from his feet, and from his tail (she saw what she expected but also some uniformly abnormal cells that she did not recognize). Maybe cancerous? Now the tail is turning black at the end (quite far from the now huge lump, but a couple of inches of it are turning black from the tip up. The vet isn't happy to amputate the tail because the prognosis isn't good enough with the other problems he has, but we don't know what is causing that or whether it is even related.
What on earth should I do now? Is there something someone has heard of that could explain all these symptoms? I've given all medication as instructed and it isn't helping, and I don't know why. Now I am meant to be going away for 10 days (in two days time) and I can't leave him knowing that he could deteriorate while I'm gone. The tail is disgusting and smells and is just getting bigger and worse, but the vet is right to be concerned about his ability to go through surgery, recover, and adapt, with other problems that may or may not be connected. They have advised euthanasia. Advice? Words of wisdom?
Thank you.
I took him to the vet again and they took a swab which was sent to the lab and cultured so we could find out what the infection was and better target the antibiotics. Unfortunately, his next symptoms occured over the recent double bank holiday and the vet was closed for 5 consecutive days, as was the lab we were waiting for results from. This was a lump on one side of his groin area (possibly a swollen lymph node, possibly a tumour) and swollen feet. The foot swelling carried on until they were four times their normal size, and this totally interfered with his mobility - he couldn't walk like this.
When the vet opened I called but my vet was on personal leave, and the vet I spoke to was not very helpful. Also, the lab result showed no growth that would explain the tail. I asked for different antibiotics and also for pain meds and anti inflamatories - trimethoprim-sulfa, prednisone, and strong pain meds - which were prescribed. The swelling reduced in his feet allowing some mobility again, but also some sores appeared on them with a small amount of hard-ish greeny yellow pus, and the joint is still a bit swollen and stiff. The lump in his groin remained exactly the same and the tail continued to get worse.
I took him in again when I noticed that there was a line of infection spreading down his tail, with a green pusy looking line further down his tail too. The vet took samples from the lump (she found lymphatic tissue and white blood cells) from his feet, and from his tail (she saw what she expected but also some uniformly abnormal cells that she did not recognize). Maybe cancerous? Now the tail is turning black at the end (quite far from the now huge lump, but a couple of inches of it are turning black from the tip up. The vet isn't happy to amputate the tail because the prognosis isn't good enough with the other problems he has, but we don't know what is causing that or whether it is even related.
What on earth should I do now? Is there something someone has heard of that could explain all these symptoms? I've given all medication as instructed and it isn't helping, and I don't know why. Now I am meant to be going away for 10 days (in two days time) and I can't leave him knowing that he could deteriorate while I'm gone. The tail is disgusting and smells and is just getting bigger and worse, but the vet is right to be concerned about his ability to go through surgery, recover, and adapt, with other problems that may or may not be connected. They have advised euthanasia. Advice? Words of wisdom?
Thank you.
