Ripped Claw

[Sphider]

Hey guys, Tried to find some info in the forums but couldn't. Hopefully someone here can help.

Today one of my ratties started screaming bloody murder. It terrified me. I didn't know they could make that noise. I thought she was dying, but after closer inspection I noticed some bleeding on her foot. Looks like one of the claws on her back leg got pulled. It's twisted in a weird position.
I seperated her from the cage and tended to her until the bleeding stopped and she cleaned herself up. Fed her a bit, and then put her back in the cage. This was probably 5-6 hours ago.

I just checked up on her again and she's not putting any weight on that foot at all, it's just dragging behind her. She's not walking around too much. Hiding in her hut until she wants water.

I'm going to keep an eye on it for infection ect. We have a really bad snowstorm here right now, so I doubt any vets are in their offices.

Do you think her foot will be ok? It looks normal other than the claw part, except for the fact that she's just dragging it behind her.
Suggestions?

 

Sorry I cannot be much help. But I would clean it with saline solution or make your own with warm water and salt.

 

[mamarat]

Do you have any metacam for pain? Is the foot swelling?

 

[Sphider]

There is no swelling. I'm not sure what metacam is .

 

matacam is a pain killer. Children IBP can be used as well, but I'm not sure on the dosing.

 

[victoria]

It sounds like she may have sprained the leg trying to get it loose. If you have some Metacam for the pain that would be helpful. If she starts bleeding again you can use corn starch or flour to stop it. Make sure she is in a cage where she has access to food and water (soft, yummy foods would be good) and where there are not any falling hazards. If you can put a buddy in there for her that would be good too.

 

[Sphider]

Thanks for the advise guys!!
There are upstairs to the cage, but she doesn't seem to be trying to adventure too far right now. She's back in her regular cage with her buddy.
I don't have any pain killers for her unfortunately. I have been thinking of soaking the food, but she keeps dozing off and probably needs the sleep, so I figure it might be better to let her rest and then soak it tomorrow.

 

[victoria]

I forgot to mention if you can get Ensure or something similar to supplement iron, vitamin K, and protein over the next day or so that would also be really helpful to her recovery.

 

[Sphider]

I'll do that tomorrow when the roads are clear! Haha. Thanks!!

 

[jorats]

Nail ripping or even spraining is common in rats. If the bleeding has stopped then she is on the mend.
I'd keep her quiet, warm and hydrated. She should be fine in a few days. Watch for swelling and discoloration.

 

[Godmother]

It sure is terrifying! The time my Melissa got her foot bitten when walking on top of the "enemy" cage, it oozed blood all night. I was scared and stayed up all night with her. Keeping her warm and hydrated was the most important thing. Her sisters kept her warm.

In her case, the toe healed crooked. She had to be careful using it for the rest of her life, and the vet would have removed the toe if I had wanted him to. I chose not to have it amputated, because I thought that might cause her lifelong pain.

Hope your little one heals well.

 

[Sphider]

Update!
I'm still very concerned about my little babe.
Her claw has fallen out and there is a small bruise where it used to be, that's not the problem though. Seems since the accident she can't use either of her back feet. Her legs ares moving fine, but she's not moving her feet or toes at all. Usually when i pick here up she spreads her toes wide, but now she doesnt move them at all. What bothers me the most is that it's both feet. She can't climb much at all anymore because she can't use her back legs to pull herself up. I'm not sure what happened. I'm going to try to find a doc in halifax that will talk to me about her. Any suggestions?

 

[Joanne]

Maybe she injured her back the same time she injured her claw. Is this lack of use sudden? IE She was walking fine before this traumatic incident *OR* Gee, well I thought she was slowing down a bit, but never noticed it to this degree. If she was normal before the injury, then trauma is probably the reason and she needs anti-inflammatory medication/steroids to reduce any (spinal)swelling she may have from the injury. I don't know of any really great vets that specialize rats around here. There are several around that see rats, but I am not sure of their knowledge. Good luck!

*Edit - I was going to add, when there is a cat or dog with questionable feeling and mobility in their legs, the vet will do a pinch test to see if the animal withdraws their foot. You pinch the skin between their toes. If they pull their foot away, then they can feel the pain. I have never tried this on a rat, don't know if it's possible, but it would give you an indication of if her sensory nerves are still transmitting signals to the brain.