Gusto's eye injury

[ratsby]

I took Gusto into the Animal ER on Friday for an eye injury. The vet said there was no laceration and gave me Baytril and Meloxicam. He seemed fine until tonight. I went to feed him and his eye is swelling out of the socket, and it seems a little dried out. I called the vet and they suggested a warm compress...sounds easy except Gusto bites. I have SweetPea Scheduled for surgery tomorrow at 11am. Can Gusto wait until tomorrow or do I need to go back to the ER again tonight (we have been there 4 days in a row for my boys (one of whom had to be PTS) and vet bills are mounting quickly! I can't believe all this happened at once! I don't want to lose all of my boys in the same week.

 

[ratsby]

UPDATE: Gusto is in the hospital tonight and he will have his eye removed tomorrow. I spoke to the vet about surgery and they only use isoflorine (sp?). They said that they give pain meds before and after surgery and they will put him in a collar so that he does not scratch.

I know my posts have been "downers" over the last few days, but all these events have been a bit overwhelming. Thank you to everyone for their advice. I look forward to having a happy update tomorrow after both of my boys' surgery!

 

[Fidget]

OMG! How could you even worry about your posts being 'downers'. I just am really feeling for you and I've only read one of them. I sure hope your Gusto has a relatively easy time & quick recovery. I do know that he's gonna come home to love & care - one of the lucky ones he is no matter what life throws at him.
I'm so sorry for your loss of your boy who had to be PTS. Truly sorry for you - Hugs. I hope the others that have been at the vet do well quick & easy - for them and for you.

 

[Dahlas]

That is what the Rat Shack is here for to help out our fellow rat lovers. I hope Gusto is okay. let us know how he does. :hugs:

 

[jorats]

I wish I caught your post last night... The eye was probably way more infected than we originally thought.
Poor you going through all of this at once.
Sounds like your vet is a good one and we've had a few people here have their rat's eye removed and they've come out of it great.
Good luck for Gusto and Sweetpea.

And don't worry about your posts... we are here to support you no matter what type of situation. :hugs:

 

[mamarat]

Good thoughts for your sweeties today. :hugs:

 

[henry's_mum]

Good luck today to you all....
:cuddle:

 

[DarkBlade]

Wow first time I hear about a rat eye removed. Sounds pretty awful to me. X__X I hope he's gonna be ok and SweetPea!

 

[arresai]

My best to you and your babes, hope all goes well.

 

[ratsby]

Thanks everyone! He is undergoing surgery early afternoon, possibly right now. Apparently he was able to get out of the e-collar they had him in, and was trying to dig out of the aquarium they had him in. So I am sure the vet and techs are having fun with him. I am glad to hear he is up to his usual antics, it makes me more optimistic.

Thanks again everyone, I should have an update by 3pm so I will post again later.

 

[ratsby]

Finally some GOOD news...
Gusto made it through the surgery! YAY! So the first big hurdle is out of the way. I saw him briefly this evening when we went to pick up his brother (SweetPea) from a tumor removal. He looks good, definitely still has his spunk. Just before we saw him he had had an injection for pain so he was a little wobbly, and kept wandering toward the edge of the table. Of course, just losing half of his vision probably didn't help his sense of balance. The vet wants to keep him in hospital another day for pain management and as I mentioned earlier, he is feisty and got out of an e-collar so the extra supervision will do him some good I think, and I can focus my attention at home on SweetPea's recovery.

I am optimistic, he looked a little like a character from the movie Coraline. :joy: But the eye looked clean and well-closed.

Thanks again everyone for your support!

 

[mamarat]

Great news. :joy:

 

[jorats]

That's great news!

 

[Rissa]

That's great. I'm glad everything went okay. :happydance:

 

[Joanne]

So glad your two boys are on their way to healing up. You've had a rough week! I hope you start to relax a bit, and everyone is getting healthy now.

 

[trillium]

What a horrid week, but at least some good news as the week moves on. I'm glad you were able to get them in and it sounds like they've had some great vet care. I'll be thinking of your boys and wishing them speedy recoveries!!

 

[ratsby]

Thank you everyone! Gusto is home tonight and seems to be in good spirits. I still have him in the carrier until I can completely disinfect my other recovery cage for him. He just curled up and went to sleep. They eye looks much better than it did yesterday, and his balance is more solid. I am thinking I need to give him a pirate nickname, especially with Halloween coming. We are just continuing his Baytril and Meloxicam at a slightly higher dose for the next few days. He scratches his jaw a bit, but I haven't seen him try and get to the stitches yet. The techs said he had gone all day without an e-collar, but I have one on standby. Assuming everything goes well, he will be able to recover at home for 10 days before having the stitches removed.

Is it better to just put him back into his normal cage that he is familiar with right away, or is a recovery cage still a good idea even if the incision is small. He lives alone normally, but I am afraid with the wheel and tubes and such he might unintentionally injure himself since he is not yet fully adjusted to 1 eye. I think at least 1 night in the recovery cage for him is a good idea.


Thanks again everyone. I hope to continue to report good news in the coming days. :joy:

 

[jorats]

I'm glad he's home now. I would put him in his cage. Rats really don't use their eyesight. He'll know his cage much better than a hospital one and will probably feel better being "home".

 

[Joanne]

I agree with Jo. He had surgery on his face, so he will be able to get around well, and he will know the layout of the cage. He will also feel better with the normal scents, etc. (Think of yourself having surgery and staying at someone else's house when really you just want to go home and sleep in your own bed.)

 

[ratsby]

I took Jorats's advice and I thoroughly washed everything in the cage then put Gusto back home. He was wobbly at first, and tripping on the ramps in the cage. Today he seems more adjusted and is able to navigate a little better. He was even on the wheel for a little bit. He is still sleeping alot but I imagine that 2 days in hospital didn't allow for much relaxation. We had him on the couch for a little while and let him run around in his ferret tubes and he was very perky. He tried to climb off the rat couch and into the bucket with all the tubing pieces...his usual antics.

The eye is good, I haven't seen him try to get at it at all. Since it is a face surgery, I am having trouble telling when he is just doing normal grooming and when he may be trying to get at the wound. Again, no noticeable redness, swelling or discharge in the incision area.

I think Gusto knows he looks different though, ever since he came home he has a habit of turning his back towards the cage door when he sleeps. he also will lay down with his good eye facing away from the cage door, so we have to be extra careful not to startle him. Overall I am happy with his progress, and rewarded him with a fresh blueberry after his Meloxicam this evening.

Go Gusto!