Older rat with injury

[MelissaTayes]

Hi all, I'm quite new to these forums. I have two female rats, whom are about a year and a half over. I moved from Saint John to Fredericton with them, and when we arrived I noticed that my black berk (Jenny) had a bump on the right side of her nose. I assumed it was a tumor, since I heard that rats get tumors easily. However, a few weeks later, the bump had opened up and something white and hard was coming out. I thought that maybe her tooth had grown up through her face (I check both their teeth at least weekly, if not more, so I wasn't sure about this). I rushed her to the vet, who started clipping the "tooth" as I held her. It was the first time poor Jenny had ever peed anywhere other than the cage. The vet then told me that it was a fractured bone that had grown outward and came out of the skin and healed. I was devastated. I felt horrible, though he vet said that it probably wasn't avoidable, that small animals usually get hurt during a car ride. He gave me the option of putting her down, or waiting it out. I decided the latter, obviously.
This was about a month and a half ago. I've been watching her, and she still eats and drinks fine, but the bone is still growing out. I was just wondering if you guys had a guess as to how much longer she's going to live. Her sister, the tan hooded (Evie) is still perfectly healthy, and I feel as though she'll live longer than Jenny. Once Jenny passes away, will Evie be really lonely without her? I want to get another rat or two for when this happens, but I have no idea how the two older rats would react to one or two younger ones.
Sorry for the wall of text, but I really want what's best for my two girls. What are my options?
This is a picture of the two of them when I first got them over a year ago.

This is a picture of Jenny's injury, when the bone first broke out. couldn't get a good picture because she was quite squirmy that day.

 

[SQ]

Hi!
Welcome to the forum!

Please make an appointment to see Dr Scott Stewart at Islandview asap.
He is a wonderful rat vet. They have 2 clinics - Islandview and NewMaryland.

There are many rats in need of good homes (see rescue section) and there are established gradual intro steps you can follow to intro new rats.

btw, have have no idea what your travel set up was but the statement that "small animals usually get hurt during a car ride" is nonsense.

 

[victoria]

I'm really sorry about Jenny. I have no idea what to tell you about her injury.

Introducing a pair of younger rats to an older rat (or rats) is usually pretty straight forward, especially if the older rat has lived with another rat most of their lives. Sometimes if you introduce only one rat the younger one pesters the older one trying to play all the time, but introducing a pair of younger rats avoids that issue. There's a thread in the behaviour section of the forum that goes though how to introduce rats very thoroughly.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[jorats]

I agree with SQ, I'd get a second opinion.

 

[MomRat]

"Small animals usually get hurt during a car ride?!!" Hogwash! We drive a 1200 mile round trip with our rats 2-4 times a year, and have been for the last three years, and no one ever gets hurt. Time for a second opinion, and possibly an xray? Was an xray done? It could be a tooth growing super funny, and you couldn't tell that just from looking at it. How did they conclude fractured bone?

Friends are important for ratties - singletons have noone to talk to in their own language(and frequency!) and they get very very depressed, lowered immune systems, etc. I would advise going ahead and finding a younger pair, maybe not babies unless you just really want to, and at least start intros while you are working out this medical issue, maybe not full on cage intros until she is healing, but yeah. Friends are good.

 

[MelissaTayes]

Thanks for all the advice, guys. Last night I heard little rattie squeaks coming from the cage. I looked in and saw Evie freaking out, and she had the bone in her mouth. She apparently chewed the bone off Jenny's face. I completely can't believe it. Do rats sometimes help each other like this?

"Time for a second opinion, and possibly an xray? Was an xray done? It could be a tooth growing super funny, and you couldn't tell that just from looking at it. How did they conclude fractured bone?

He said it was an bone because he looked in her mouth and all teeth were accounted for. I guess that, while he was trimming it, he saw marrow and the texture of it made him conclude it was a bone. Honestly, though, I've been talking to people who go to this vet since this visit, and he's not that great apparently. It was just my first time going to a vet in Fredericton and he was the closest. He was going to Xray here, but said he might have to do it twice (twice the cost) because rats are hard to xray, I guess.
I'll probably take her to a different vet, just to make sure that a missing bone is not going to hurt her. I'm going to look in her mouth again, just to make sure. It's hard to find a vet that does rats, and does them well.

 

[fenshae]

Yeah, sounds like it's definitely time for a new vet.

That's a weird place for there to be a bone jutting out, I think. It's hard to tell from the photo, but it looks too far to the side to be part of the nasal cavity.

 

[lilspaz68]

It looks more like a tooth bud could've split and its growing out. I would definitely take her to a much better vet, who won't just trim. I mean if it was a fractured bone, WHO would just trim it???

Did they send you home with abs and serious pain meds at least?

 

[SQ]

Please make an appointment to see Dr Scott Stewart at Islandview asap.
He is a wonderful rat vet. They have 2 clinics - Islandview and NewMaryland.

He has never had a problem xraying my rats or godmother's rats.
He is the best rat vet I have gone to in either NB or NS.

If you want an xray, make sure you get an appointment at the Islandview clinic as that is where their xray machine is.

 

[SQ]

How is she doing?
Did you take her to see a good rat vet?

 

[Joanne]

Ditto on
1. Taking her to see another vet - SQ is VERY picky about who treats her kids, so I would go with her recommendation, and
2. Travelling rats do NOT get hurt on a regular basis. I have been trucking mine back and forth to the cottage for a year (on crappy roads) with no injuries.
Did you keep the 'bone/tooth' piece so that you can show it to the second vet? They may be able to identify it...
I hope your girl is feeling better soon!