New to rats...and bumblefoot!

[JayWilder]

Hi there! i've just adopted my first rat from a friend who had to move and could not take him with her. I currently have a hedgehog, 2 cats, 2 dogs, 2 koi, and a betta so animals in general i can handle. However this poor little rat guy, Templeton, has what i believe to be a pretty bad case of bumblefoot based on the pictures i've seen and what ive read on here. i just got him today and i'm still nervous about handling him as i've always been semi afraid of rats but i did give him a warm bath and cleaned him up a bit and i was able to do a epsom salt compress. i will be ordering blu kote as well but i have to get it online. do you have any tips on a more comfortable way for me to handle him and get him to sit still and also is there anything i can do to ease his obvious pain until the blu kote comes in?

 

[JayWilder]

here's some pictures. like i said, tips on getting him to stay still would be appreciated! :mrgreen:

 

[hopefloats]

Might wanna try to get some clear pictures.

Is his body scabbed up? he kinda looks like his fur is in rough shape usually that indicates mites or lice on him.

You should invest in a lab block such as harlen teklad, native earth or oxbow that seed mix is the worst type of food for rats. You can also give him fresh veggies we have a list of forbidden foods if you do a search for it. Corn, peas, carrots, cucumbers, fresh spinach, kale, collard greens, and fruits in moderation will do him good.

If you have metacam you can give him some of that if not infant ibuprofen will work to, get a weight on him and they can help dose him for you. Keep his cage super clean in the mean time and
if you are nervous try not to be, the bite only stings for a little while

Most boys are really nice natured. You can call him over with treats and get him to trust you more. My boys love to have their ears rubbed on my lap. He may just be a hyper boy for now, the best time to get a boy to cuddle is after a full belly, they always wanna nap

 

[JayWilder]

Is his body scabbed up? he kinda looks like his fur is in rough shape usually that indicates mites or lice on him.

he doesn't have any scabs, but his fur is thin and kind of greasy and he keeps scrathing. he also feels kind of thin even though he is huge.

You should invest in a lab block such as harlen teklad, native earth or oxbow that seed mix is the worst type of food for rats. You can also give him fresh veggies we have a list of forbidden foods if you do a search for it. Corn, peas, carrots, cucumbers, fresh spinach, kale, collard greens, and fruits in moderation will do him good.

the seed mix was what she gave me with him i feed my hedgie cat food, fresh fruits and the occasional insects. i'll do some more research for Temp and get him on a good diet.

Thank you for the advice!!

 

[jorats]

A clearer picture of the bumblefoot would hep a lot.
You can pad down the cage so it doesn't cause anymore pain with the pressure sores. You might also need to bring him to a vet if they continue to get worse, he'll need antibiotics.

I agree with getting him on a healthier diet of blocks made for rats. Oxbow Regal rat is a good brand.

 

[JayWilder]

A clearer picture of the bumblefoot would hep a lot.
You can pad down the cage so it doesn't cause anymore pain with the pressure sores.

i've already taken all of the aspen bedding out and laid down an old fleece blanket and will be switching it out every few days. here's some more pictures. last night i gave him a bath and he really hated it. he was squeaking A LOT and the bumbles started to bleed a little. I know the water was not too hot or too cold, could he just really not be a water liking rat? And he pooed in the water :sick2:

 

[JayWilder]

oh and i know his nails need to be clipped but i'm waiting until both he and i are a bit more comfortable with each other.

 

[SQ]

Rats are not normally bathed.
Intact male rats have a hormonal skin secreation called "buck grease" which may be what you are seeing.
80% of the diet is a good quality lab block (Oxbow Regal Rat, Harlan Tech 2014, or Living World/Hagen hamster extrusian blocks)
20% of the diet is daily vegs, and occassional healthy treats such as a piece of fruit, a cheerio, cooked oarmeal, etc

With bumble foot, you will need to keep the cage very clean ... changing the cloth twice a day is suggested.
If they get infected, he will need antibiotics from the vet, such as clavamox

Rats are social and need to live with at least one same sex friend (unless neutered or spayed).
There are gradual established intro steps

Hope he is soon feeling better

 

[jorats]

That bumblefoot is quite advanced. I'd get him on Baytril asap. The infection can eventually reach the bone.

 

[*Rebel_Angel*]

Welcome to rat's *lol*!
And I hope ur lil' man get's better soon!!

 

[JayWilder]

That bumblefoot is quite advanced. I'd get him on Baytril asap. The infection can eventually reach the bone.

:cry: where do i get that???

 

[hopefloats]

From a vet. He needs it. That is the worse case I have ever seen pictures of.

 

[JayWilder]

Okay calling my vet in the morning. I feel so horrible. I've only had him since Tuesday night...I mean when i picked him up I knew it was bad but I didn't know how bad. Poor baby...definitely over the fear of rats though. He is so sweet!

Honest answers please...do you think he can come back from this? I don't think I could afford the surgery it would take to amputate and my heart would break completely to have to put him down. I've been soaking his feet every night, changing his fleece twice a day and i got him on Oxbow Regal Rat now...the blu kote has not come in yet but i'm trying so hard to make him comfortable. I can't believe my friend (his original owner) would let it get this bad....

 

[victoria]

He can certainly improve but it will take a lot for him to recover completely. Bumblefoot is much easier to prevent than to treat. Obesity, poor husbandry and poor habitat are all contributing factors. Amputation is an extreme treatment option and would only be necessary if the infection reached the bone, maybe.

There's a post in the reference section about a case of bumblefoot that was successfully treated with soaking and bandaging, Blu Kote doesn't work for everyone. I agree he needs antibiotics for sure, either Baytril or Metronidazole or Bactrim or Clavamox... something that's effective with anaerobic bacteria. It may take some trial and error to find what works.

Edit: He needs some Metacam as well, for the pain and inflammation.

 

[jorats]

We had severe cases here and they do recover to a point. Even if you can get it down to a red lump, that will be much better. You might even see his behaviour improve as his sores start to heal.

 

[JayWilder]

Temp has a vet appointment on Tuesday. The suggested until then to keep doing the foot soaks and once his feet are dry to apply some neosporin. They also said I could give him small amount of ibuprofen...? I wasn't sure about that so I haven't done that yet.

 

[JayWilder]

his foot is looking *slightly* better than the pictures from a couple days ago.

 

[hopefloats]

I wouldnt put neosporin on it for two reason 1. it will allow things to stick to it and can make it infected....2 he will lick it off...


Hopefully they will give you a good med for the foot to help heal it faster.

 

[victoria]

My vet prescribed something similar to Polysporin for my rat when she developed Bumblefoot. Soother Plus doesn't have an antibiotic but it does encourage healing and provides pain relief. I had used Polysporin before I went to the vet with her and she hated it but after I put the Soother Plus on it once, she must have realize it felt better would stay still when I was reapplying it.

A lot of people give infant Ibuprofen when they don't have Metacam. It's not as long lasting and has more potential for side effects but it is relatively safe and effective. If you can get her weight and the concentration of your Ibuprofen suspension, someone can help you figure out a dose. (Make sure you ask for a 1cc oral syringe when you go to the pharmacy, you'll need it to measure the dose.)

 

[JayWilder]

So Temp's vet visit went well. They prescribed Baytril and since I've been giving him small doses of baby ibrufeon they said to stay on that. His foot has gone down quite a bit and the wounds are starting to close up. Thank you all for all of the advice!