TorachiKatashi
Well-Known Member
I wasn't going to make a thread about this, but I decided to do so because it's something I'd never seen anyone mention, to see if anyone else had dealt with this and/or to help spread some information about it if they haven't.
Last night, while checking Whiskers' for penis plugs, I discovered that he had a rather large (about the size of my pinky finger nail) opening between his penis and his right hind leg. It hadn't been there when I checked him the same way the night before. I assumed it was an abscess, though I didn't really know for sure, and took him in to see Dr. D as soon as he was taking appointments today.
What I found out was that it was not an abscess, but rather a hole that he had chewed into his skin himself. In fact, the first thing Dr. D asked me was if he could have been bitten by another rat, because it was clearly a bite mark. Whiskers is caged alone for medical reasons, so I know definitely that he had to have done it himself.
Whiskers has full-blown HED, so the only thing the doctor and I could imagine is that because he cannot feel his hind end, he's been cleaning and chewing himself excessively without realizing he was breaking the skin. His skin is a little dry, but he cannot feel that end anyways, so we think that it is more likely to be a neurological issue that is making him pick at that area excessively. We also discovered a second, smaller spot above his penis that hadn't been there when my mother and I examined him 2 this afternoon, so he had done it sometime between 2 and 5, when the vet saw him.
The area is infected, but he was given a 0.04 ML shot of Convenia at the office, and the area was cleaned with something similar to iodine for people (he told me what it was called but I've forgotten already, it starts with a B,) and he gave me a generous amount in a bottle to clean the area with twice a day.
Our plan for now is simply to continue cleaning out the area twice a day and examine him head-to-toe to watch for any new spots. My mother and I have agreed however that it would be unfair and unrealistic to keep bringing him to the vet for more shots if he continues to chew to the point that he's causing himself serious injury, so if that turns out to be the case, I'll make an appointment with Dr. D to have him PTS. I asked him if he thought it would be more humane to have had him PTS today, but he advised that we wait and see if it continues, as it's entirely possible that this is a one time thing, or may even be an once-in-a-while thing that can be managed with cleaning the spots regularly.
I wanted to make this post to find out if anyone else has ever had a problem with their old HED boy chewing through his skin, and if not, to advise people who own HED rats to watch out for such a thing.
Last night, while checking Whiskers' for penis plugs, I discovered that he had a rather large (about the size of my pinky finger nail) opening between his penis and his right hind leg. It hadn't been there when I checked him the same way the night before. I assumed it was an abscess, though I didn't really know for sure, and took him in to see Dr. D as soon as he was taking appointments today.
What I found out was that it was not an abscess, but rather a hole that he had chewed into his skin himself. In fact, the first thing Dr. D asked me was if he could have been bitten by another rat, because it was clearly a bite mark. Whiskers is caged alone for medical reasons, so I know definitely that he had to have done it himself.
Whiskers has full-blown HED, so the only thing the doctor and I could imagine is that because he cannot feel his hind end, he's been cleaning and chewing himself excessively without realizing he was breaking the skin. His skin is a little dry, but he cannot feel that end anyways, so we think that it is more likely to be a neurological issue that is making him pick at that area excessively. We also discovered a second, smaller spot above his penis that hadn't been there when my mother and I examined him 2 this afternoon, so he had done it sometime between 2 and 5, when the vet saw him.
The area is infected, but he was given a 0.04 ML shot of Convenia at the office, and the area was cleaned with something similar to iodine for people (he told me what it was called but I've forgotten already, it starts with a B,) and he gave me a generous amount in a bottle to clean the area with twice a day.
Our plan for now is simply to continue cleaning out the area twice a day and examine him head-to-toe to watch for any new spots. My mother and I have agreed however that it would be unfair and unrealistic to keep bringing him to the vet for more shots if he continues to chew to the point that he's causing himself serious injury, so if that turns out to be the case, I'll make an appointment with Dr. D to have him PTS. I asked him if he thought it would be more humane to have had him PTS today, but he advised that we wait and see if it continues, as it's entirely possible that this is a one time thing, or may even be an once-in-a-while thing that can be managed with cleaning the spots regularly.
I wanted to make this post to find out if anyone else has ever had a problem with their old HED boy chewing through his skin, and if not, to advise people who own HED rats to watch out for such a thing.
