Scratch, scratch, scratch.

[Ame]

Hi again. I posted 2 weeks ago about the ratty boy I found outside by the dumpsters. He scratched nonstop so I took him to the vet. He was treated with Revolution. Cipro, Metacam & Animax Ointment for open sores on his feet. (Bumblefoot?) I gave him an oatmeal bath which calmed his skin down but he's still scratching like mad. He licks his feet then scratches or maybe he's licking his feet after a scratch. His skin is very pink and he's losing hair, thinning in patches. What could be causing this? It's so sad. His feet are better but still raw. They're not bleeding like before. Doing another oatmeal bath now. I may add a tad bit of olive oil for his skin. Thank you for any help and advise. Posting some pics.
1st pic shows his hair last week. He's already lost some but his coat was fuller.
2nd pic- his feet. Are those white things normal? They're not the same on both feet. He has a bigger sore further up his leg and the joint area looks swollen.
3rd Pic. Cashew giving face...coz he's so darn cute and I love him
4th- Belly rubs show the hair loss. His arms too.. and all over his body is thinning, patchy. it's so sad.
Thank you for looking.

 

[Luna&Ralph]

Aww Cashew is adorable! How lovely of you to save him! The feet look like bumblefoot but unfortunately that’s about all I can tell because I have no experience with it personally, but the little white spot looks like it could be filled with pus, like pimples on the feet. How strange! If you’re using some sort of antibacterial for the bumblefoot it should also clear those up if they do have pus in them.

His skin looks very healthy where the fur is lost so mites are probably not still the cause. He’s probably grooming himself so much because he still feels itchy from having them for a while and this is pulling out the fur. Another possibility for hair loss and other sores caused by licking and chewing would be some sort of allergy. Are you using any scented cleaning products or any fragrances in the house? You might also want to try giving him a different type of food for a while to see if this helps. Poor guy. Hopefully he stops itching soon!

 

[Ame]

Aww Cashew is adorable! How lovely of you to save him! The feet look like bumblefoot but unfortunately that’s about all I can tell because I have no experience with it personally, but the little white spot looks like it could be filled with pus, like pimples on the feet. How strange! If you’re using some sort of antibacterial for the bumblefoot it should also clear those up if they do have pus in them.

His skin looks very healthy where the fur is lost so mites are probably not still the cause. He’s probably grooming himself so much because he still feels itchy from having them for a while and this is pulling out the fur. Another possibility for hair loss and other sores caused by licking and chewing would be some sort of allergy. Are you using any scented cleaning products or any fragrances in the house? You might also want to try giving him a different type of food for a while to see if this helps. Poor guy. Hopefully he stops itching soon!

Thanks for your reply. I was wondering if it could be allergies too. No scented cleaning products. I have a cat so I'm careful about smell things. I washed all the bedding twice. 2nd time, no soap. The white things on his feet are hard. I looked up rat's feet. They all have those weird bump things but I didn't see any other white ones and these aren't symmetrical. I'll keep putting Animax on them. I had no idea there could be so many problems. I can't afford another vet visit. The last one was $120.00 and that was with a free dose of Revolution. yikes. I'm not too thrilled with the vet anyway & he's the only exotic vet in town. Maybe this is why somebody dumped him. I feel so bad for him. thank you again.

 

[lilspaz68]

I'm on a bus with people peering at what I'm doing on my phone. So once I get to work I'll take a better look at your pics. When was he revo'd? Have the bare patches spread? Does the skin seem clear of acabs but pink. Is he losing fur on his face?
As for the grooming, scratching then picking at toe nails is normal. Stopping dead and frantic scratching is bad

 

[SQ]

while you are waiting to hear back from lilspaz68, here is some info on bumble foot http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/ulcerative_pododermatitis.php maintaining a clean, soft environment is very important

 

[jorats]

The hair loss on the belly could be from self barbering which he may be doing because he's stressed with the scratching. But hopefully the Revolution will have him all healed in no time.

 

[SQ]

Self barbering can be caused by stress or boredom.
http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/barbering.php

 

[Fidget]

His feet look fine to me, apart from the bumblefoot. Poor little fella, he probably didn't have a very good life before he escaped or was dumped, he was lucky to get away and truly blessed you found each other. I'm sorry you have so much to deal with, I know it's gotta be hard on your heart (not to mention the budget) to see him going thru this.. I wouldn't worry about his hair loss right now, his skin looks fine, so it'll probably ease up when he feels better..

 

[Ame]

I'm on a bus with people peering at what I'm doing on my phone. So once I get to work I'll take a better look at your pics. When was he revo'd? Have the bare patches spread? Does the skin seem clear of acabs but pink. Is he losing fur on his face?
As for the grooming, scratching then picking at toe nails is normal. Stopping dead and frantic scratching is bad

I'm on a bus with people peering at what I'm doing on my phone. So once I get to work I'll take a better look at your pics. When was he revo'd? Have the bare patches spread? Does the skin seem clear of acabs but pink. Is he losing fur on his face?
As for the grooming, scratching then picking at toe nails is normal. Stopping dead and frantic scratching is bad

Thank you for taking time on a bus! and at work! You're so nice. He was treated 5-18. 10 days ago. No scabs. Hi belly is bare. The rest of his body is thinning, in some places more than others. I can see his pink skin through the hair almost everywhere. Last week, there were only a few places I could see his skin. I don't think he's losing hair on his face but he scratches it a lot. It's very frustrating and sad. His bumblefoot (both feet) really concern me too. One of them looks like it filled with blood. I'm out of Metacam but put Animax on it 3 times a day. I love this little guy and hate that he's suffering. Thank you again for your help and kindness.

 

[Ame]

while you are waiting to hear back from lilspaz68, here is some info on bumble foot http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/ulcerative_pododermatitis.php maintaining a clean, soft environment is very important

Thank you very much. There is so much to learn. I appreciate all the help on this forum. You're all kind hearted ratty people, you are.

 

[Ame]

His feet look fine to me, apart from the bumblefoot. Poor little fella, he probably didn't have a very good life before he escaped or was dumped, he was lucky to get away and truly blessed you found each other. I'm sorry you have so much to deal with, I know it's gotta be hard on your heart (not to mention the budget) to see him going thru this.. I wouldn't worry about his hair loss right now, his skin looks fine, so it'll probably ease up when he feels better..

Thank you Fidget. The bumblefoot is killing me. I don't want him to be in pain and suffer. He's such a sweet lovey thing. It is pretty crazy how I ended up with him. One of the neighbors was calling animal control. Can you believe THAT? I'm sure she would've put poison out. He was so scared in a corner behind the garbage cans. I'm sure somebody dumped him. I'm so glad I got him. I just wish I could heal him right now. so frustrating. The bumblefoot is looking awful today on one foot. It filled with blood. It can't feel good. Hoping animax will help him.

 

[Ame]

The hair loss on the belly could be from self barbering which he may be doing because he's stressed with the scratching. But hopefully the Revolution will have him all healed in no time.

MAN!!!! I keep contacting the shelter to find a friend for him. I read to not buy rats from pet stores. I play with him and rub him a lot. He has to be on me to nap. (My cat now hates me) If I move him, he climbs right back up. I really really love him. He was treated with Revo 10 days ago so I think it's not mites etc. Will the hair grow back in?

 

[Ame]

Aww Cashew is adorable! How lovely of you to save him! The feet look like bumblefoot but unfortunately that’s about all I can tell because I have no experience with it personally, but the little white spot looks like it could be filled with pus, like pimples on the feet. How strange! If you’re using some sort of antibacterial for the bumblefoot it should also clear those up if they do have pus in them.

His skin looks very healthy where the fur is lost so mites are probably not still the cause. He’s probably grooming himself so much because he still feels itchy from having them for a while and this is pulling out the fur. Another possibility for hair loss and other sores caused by licking and chewing would be some sort of allergy. Are you using any scented cleaning products or any fragrances in the house? You might also want to try giving him a different type of food for a while to see if this helps. Poor guy. Hopefully he stops itching soon!

I added a pic of his bumblefoot today.

 

[lilspaz68]

Ok so I had a proper read of your post and look at the pics. I am wondering if your lad has the very rare skin parasite called Demodex. VERY common in dogs very uncommon in rats. I had a girl develop it. She had to have injectable ivermectin, given orally for weeks once a week. Injecting it didn't seem to work as well. Inca was an old and compromised girly, and sadly passed before full recovery.

Here's her ratguide case history

http://ratguide.com/health/figures/ectoparasites_figure_5.php

 

[Ame]

Ok so I had a proper read of your post and look at the pics. I am wondering if your lad has the very rare skin parasite called Demodex. VERY common in dogs very uncommon in rats. I had a girl develop it. She had to have injectable ivermectin, given orally for weeks once a week. Injecting it didn't seem to work as well. Inca was an old and compromised girly, and sadly passed before full recovery.

Here's her ratguide case history

http://ratguide.com/health/figures/ectoparasites_figure_5.php

oh nooooo. so sad for your girl. Is there a way to test for this? Revolution doesn't treat it? dang it. I'm so frustrated.. and I read a couple of people say it could be stress or not having a friend. If I got him a friend, would they too develop this? The shelters have NO rats. The local pet store is getting some today. Not sure what to do. Could I treat him with ivermectin on my own? crud crud crud. I just want him to have a happy, itch free life. he's such a good lovey guy.

 

[Ame]

Ok so I had a proper read of your post and look at the pics. I am wondering if your lad has the very rare skin parasite called Demodex. VERY common in dogs very uncommon in rats. I had a girl develop it. She had to have injectable ivermectin, given orally for weeks once a week. Injecting it didn't seem to work as well. Inca was an old and compromised girly, and sadly passed before full recovery.

Here's her ratguide case history

http://ratguide.com/health/figures/ectoparasites_figure_5.php

I just read Inca's history. so so sad. Cashew doesn't have that around the face, but he's scratching it a LOT.. his body looks just like Inca's though. this is just awful.

 

[lilspaz68]

You would need to get a skin scraping and they would look for the demodex mites in the sample under a microscope. It's fixable once you give the right treatment.

As for the bumblefoot has any mentioned using Blu-kote yet? It's an antiseptic drying agent and can help dry out and shrink bumblefoot.

 

[Ame]

Ok so I had a proper read of your post and look at the pics. I am wondering if your lad has the very rare skin parasite called Demodex. VERY common in dogs very uncommon in rats. I had a girl develop it. She had to have injectable ivermectin, given orally for weeks once a week. Injecting it didn't seem to work as well. Inca was an old and compromised girly, and sadly passed before full recovery.

Here's her ratguide case history

http://ratguide.com/health/figures/ectoparasites_figure_5.php

Sorry to keep posting. I'm going to try Ivermectin. Is it safe to use after being treated with Revolution on 5/8/18? The only decent exotic vet is 35 miles away & extremely expensive. I'm going to ask my regular vet if she can do a skin scrape test for Demodex to be sure. I really appreciate your help with this. ARGH!!!!!

 

[Ame]

You would need to get a skin scraping and they would look for the demodex mites in the sample under a microscope. It's fixable once you give the right treatment.

As for the bumblefoot has any mentioned using Blu-kote yet? It's an antiseptic drying agent and can help dry out and shrink bumblefoot.

Just saw your reply after I sent my other questions. Yes, I'm going to ask my vet to do the test. Trying to find out if it's ok to do Ivermectin after Revo treatment. I've read about Blu-Kote so I'll order that too. I've been using Animax on the bumbles. I've amped it up to 3 times a day and they're a lot better. I was shocked to find 3 new ones 2 days ago. The one huge one didn't break like it did the last time. I read that they will keep re-filling. awww. It's amazing how much blood comes out of them. My poor little guy. They look like cigarette burns.. and it's so sad. Sometimes I wish I had a harder heart- but then where would all the needy critters go? (To my son, Tom of course...and they DO! lol)

 

[lilspaz68]

You need to wait for 30 days after the Revo as its in his blood stream until then.