Infected incision - Good thoughts for Adelina please

[Debbie]

Adelina had a routine tumor removal on Monday. She's 2 years old, but breezed through the surgery no problem. The tumor came out easily and she has internal sutures. We've had dozens of surgeries and our vet is one of the best.

Sadly, as some of you may know...even with the most prestinely clean linens, and a paranoid doteing momma...infections can still occur with an incision. I'm sorry to say, it's happened with Addie's. :sad3:

I noticed on Thursday that her incision didn't look as dry as I expected it would. I have a super sense of smell, so I gave it a sniff. Sure enough, I could detect the slightest hint of infection brewing. I called my vet. Adelina was already on Baytril for a recent respiratory flare up. We agreed to add Cefa (the miracle infection drug!).

I wake up this morning, and the incision is looking gooey. It has more of an odor too. :rant: Although she's only been on the Cefa for 2 days, it's not kicking in as I hoped it would. I rushed Addie to our vet who took a good look at it. We talked about her opening the incision back up, cleaning it well, putting external sutures in....and of course, putting Addie in a collar. I seriously will do just about anything to avoid a collar. :wallbang:

It appears that the incision is knitted quite well, but the outter edges are starting to open. My vet didn't want to open her back up, just yet. So we took Addie back home.

We've increased her Baytril dose, keeping her on the Cefa (of course) and I'm now using a qtip to dab on a Chlorohexidine dilute, then a bit of neosporin. I'm just hoping it looks a little better by tomorrow. She does appear to be licking at it a bit....so she might just end up in the collar for a few days anyway. At least that's better than 7-10 days if they stitch her back up.

We leave for our vacation in 5 days.....thankfully Addie and her pals will be staying at our vet's home...but this is not what we need so close to leaving. I'm going to worry about all my babies as it is.

Does anyone else have any other suggestions on what has worked for them, in a case like this? It's happend here before, and usually the Cefa does kick in quickly. I'm just getting impatient! :gaah:

Here's a pic of Miss Adelina:

 

[jorats]

What a sweetie... poor thing.
Whenever an infection sets into an incision, my vet usually wants it kept slightly open so that it can drain. We keep it clean and the rat is kept on Baytril which usually does the trick.
Good luck Adelina!!

 

[LA]

I have no words of wisdom, but she is a beauty I am keeping her in my thoughts. :heart: :hugs:

 

[Debbie]

Thanks guys. :heart:

I'm just hoping that by tomorrow I'll already see improvement.

Rats make you crazy with worry sometimes!

 

[Godmother]

Poor sweetie! I hope that the meds and the topical treatment will do the trick. You can't help but worry when you are about to go away, although she couldn't be in a safer place than your vet's house!

Kisses and healing vibes to dear Adelina. :heart:

 

[rodentmama]

If you have access to homeopathics you can try Pyrogen 30ch. They come as little pellets and are quite cheap. I dissolve mine in water and then just put a few drops in the rat's mouth. The green goo sounds like Pyro, but Silicea and Hepar sulf will help to drain an abscess. The homeopathic doesn't have to be swallowed, just touch mucous membrane. It helps to boost the body's own immune function to fight the infection.

Prayers for Adelina

 

[mamarat]

Adelina is such a beautiful girl. Sending healing vibes. :hugs:

 

[Moon]

I hope she heals up soon

 

[Dahlas]

Sending lots of warm wishes her way......hope she gets better very soon

 

[Debbie]

Thank you everyone. This morning, I don't notice the smell like I did yesterday. I hope this means the abs are finally kicking in and starting to do their magic. Her incision still looks kind of icky, and I see that she has a couple of internal sutures sticking out. I managed to trim one, but I'll try to get the other later, with "daddy's" help.

 

[Dahlas]

That is good news...I hope everything is okay.

 

[lindsayfawn]

hope she heals up fast and is feeling better :heart: