Inflamed incision area 5 days post-neuter (posted for SQ)

[SQ]

I have wondered if that might be a problem........you seem to have an abnormal amount of trouble with abscess'........I am lucky and can take my cage out on the patio to wash it....so twice a week I bleach it...let it sit for a while and then rinse it very thoroughly....

I hope the boys are better soon....what a terrible ordeal for them...and for you.

Well, just every neuter done by that particular vet except for Buddy which would be all the neuters I have had done since I moved to Halifax ... so of the 15 neuters I had done by that vet, 13 neuters with reoccurring abscesses, 1 neuter with one abscess and one neuter ok (so far).
Spays, other surgeries and earlier neuters with other vets were ok

Could also be bacteria in the carrier they were in which was second hand & not washed with bleach or the fact that when I picked them up from the vet after their neuters, their blanket hadn't been changed and they were lying in filth. Could be a lot of things, I guess.

Anyway, hope that between the 3 things being changed, the problem will be solved.

 

[jorats]

Have you had it cultured?
My vet did tell me once that with big colonies, it's important to use bleach for a good deep cleaning.

 

[SQ]

Have you had it cultured?
My vet did tell me once that with big colonies, it's important to use bleach for a good deep cleaning.

No, forgot to ask until I was driving home.

 

[Fidget]

Big hopes that the little guys are doing well.

 

[SQ]

Thanks ... things remain about the same.
Wishing I had waited until returning to NB before getting the 6 boys neutered

Doubt it is the cage, more likely it was the filth they were lying in at the vets in their carrier after their surgery. I did provide a clean blanket, etc but no one changed it.

I will take the cage apart, bleach it and reassemble it. Should take a couple of days once I can create space among the boxes for a temporary place for their group of 13 to live for a couple of days. Would take them to my mothers but we are experiencing a heat wave so don't want them away from me, by themselves, in another part of the city.

Sorry ... just so overwhelmed and discouraged ...
so many older ill ratties right now that it takes 4 to 6 hours a day just to give everyone their meds ... and I can't find anything because I have not yet been able to unpack.

 

[Fidget]

I know all kinds of exotic reasons for their universal difficulties are possible. I'd wonder about the vet's abilities but I understand your vet has experience and has done well in past surgeries. Of course you have to consider everything that your environment might have introduced, and be sure it's not still there to affect in future, but I'd be suspicious that a previous patient had brought in some type of infection that hadn't been cleaned well enough or was resistant to cleaning. Were they all done at the same time? If so did any other critters operated on that day have healing troubles? Or was another rattie or rodent operated on that might not affect cats & dogs, just rodents?

Anyway - what matters most is the boys healing soon as possible. Just gonna keep hoping & praying for the little men.

 

[SQ]

No, they were not all operated on the same day.
thanks

 

[ryelle]

SQ how are the boys doing lately? Each time i pick Patricks meds up or get a saline flush ready i think of your guys

 

[SQ]

Four of them have growing lumps :sad3:
Hope they come to a head soon.

 

[lilspaz68]

Neuters are pretty much closed surgeries so I wouldn't even think of bacteria in your cages...the neuter surgery is all sterile then they are sealed off with glue.

I had the same issues, but it turned out to be the stitches...a lot of rats react badly to internal sutures...rats are one of the worst for abscesses. Dr. Munn had to change his suture material to one with a antibacterial on it, and we still had neuter abscesses but not as badly as before. Even Bronny had a teeny abscess after her spay from a retained stitch.

 

[SQ]

Thanks Shelagh :hugs:
I will be discussing this with my vet here in NB.

Unfortunately the vet who neutered the boys did not use glue.
I really do think the boys are reacting to the suture material.

I assume the best thing for the 4 boys at this point would be for my vet to open up the abcesses, drain them and then, hopefully they will heal.
They do not seem to want to pop on their own

 

[lilspaz68]

Thanks Shelagh :hugs:
I will be discussing this with my vet here in NB.

Unfortunately the vet who neutered the boys did not use glue.
I really do think the boys are reacting to the suture material.

I assume the best thing for the 4 boys at this point would be for my vet to open up the abcesses, drain them and then, hopefully they will heal.
They do not seem to want to pop on their own

It probably is a very good idea to have them lanced and drained. Both Bear, Tucker and Beni all got neuter abscesses months later...took forever for them to surface and "pop".

 

[ryelle]

if it was re-occuring and has been the past 5(?) weeks since the surgery, then there must be something in there that is irritating them and stopping them from healing. Surgery doesn't sound like too bad an idea at this point. I know its something you always want to avoid. what are the chances of another lump forming once you have got rid of these ones? or even if your vet does surgery and cleans it all up?

poor boys

 

[SQ]

if it was re-occuring and has been the past 5(?) weeks since the surgery, then there must be something in there that is irritating them and stopping them from healing. Surgery doesn't sound like too bad an idea at this point. I know its something you always want to avoid. what are the chances of another lump forming once you have got rid of these ones? or even if your vet does surgery and cleans it all up?

poor boys

It would be a different vet(& vet clinic) doing the surgery so hopefully the outcome would be better ...
Surgeries scheduled for Monday, along with the surgery on John's large lump (growing above his right hip).

 

[Fidget]

Alfred had a helluva time after his neuter. Wouldn't eat anything but ensure for 2 months and back to the vet about 6 times. A week after the neuter the vet opened him up and found a huge internal abscess and said he was surprised he was alive. Then it was just hell & flushings and taking forever to heal. I think now that it was the sutures. He only started to heal after having sutures come to the surface and the vet finally used some glue. And I insisted he was on baytril the whole time thru this cause the vet felt it should only be short-time.
It was hell for us both. But he did heal. I have horrible photos..

 

[SQ]

Thank you for the info.

Casper's abscess popped tonight .. lots of thick green pus ... but it looks like it is still very swollen inside.
John has two that look like they will soon pop.
Luke and Rhubarb still have tiny ones.
Hoping the vet apt for surgery on Monday will help put all 4 on the road to recovery.

Gus and Buddy remain neuter abscess free for the moment and Gus' inner ear infection seems better :joy:

 

[ryelle]

good luck in surgery i hope they all get cleaned and fixed up properly this time!
Let us know if your vet discovers what the problem was all along

 

[mamarat]

Good luck tomorrow, hope everything goes well.

 

[SQ]

Casper's neuter was operated on. The infection was cleaned out and a large amount of scar tissue was removed. It looks so very much better!!!! Hoping for a speedy recovery.

Rhubarb and Luke were not operated on becauses their abscess are small. Waiting to hear back from the culture that was taken today before further surgery.

Johnny had the lump near his hip removed but the vet decided not to operate on his neuter as he felt it might be too much for him today. His two neuter abscesses look like they are going to pop soon ... poor little guy!

 

[Joanne]

Those poor boys have had such a hard road! Is there any reason why they don't use cyanoacrylate instead of suture material?