Swelling in jaw

[Crimson]

My poor Stormie's jaw is swollen on the side an bottom
Grew rapidly within about 2 days. It's hard to the touch.
He seems to have problems eating and has become lethargic.

We have an apt. with a vet in a few days (the soonest we could get) but until then we're not sure what's wrong and what to do to make him more comfortable.

Any advice?

Thanks

 

[mamarat]

Make sure you give him liquids even mushy foods. Try to syringe Ensure into the side of his mouth so he doesn't choke. Good luck with your sweetie.

 

[jorats]

Keep him hydrated and warm. Poor little guy. I hope you are seeing Dr. Munn, he's the best in Toronto for rats.

 

[Crimson]

Does anyone know what this could be? The whole side of his body is now swollen.
Would children's anti-inflammatory help?
Is there any hope for him?

 

[handmeafish]

Possible abscess or cellulitus? It kinda reminds me of what happened to my face after I had my wisdom teeth out... I got a really nasty infection and cellulitus.
If its one of those an anti-inflammatory would help...

 

[jorats]

Did he eat anything that he shouldn't have or is he on new meds? It does sound like some type of reaction. There is always hope with rats. They amaze us all the time and some come back from the brink of death.

 

[handmeafish]

how's he feeling?

 

[Crimson]

Got the little guy to the vet on Tuesday.
Turns out it's a glandular infection in his jaw area. Still no clue how or why it happened.
The vet lanced the infected area and drained a lot of pus.
Got him on antibiotics now and draining the remainder/build up of pus every day. It smells REALLY bad!

I won't include a picture cause it's gory to the extreme.

He's a strong little guy, so I'm hoping he gets through this. He's in pretty rough shape at the moment.

Thanks for the replies and advice all!

 

[xxchelle]

You can include a picture in a "spoiler" if you wish. Sometimes it's very helpful and informative for others going through the same thing.

If you don't wish to that's totally understandable.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your baby! :cuddle:

 

[jorats]

Was he put on meds? It's better news than a tooth abscess I would think.

 

[Crimson]

K, here's a picture.
I was able to clean out the abscess pretty well last night but the hole is really deep. It's hard getting him to take his antibiotics too. He's good at holding them in his mouth for a minute or two then spitting them out. I think they're called Novo Trimel (or maybe that's just the company that makes them ?). It's "pink stuff".

He's doing well all things considered. Thanks for the support, all!

 

[lilspaz68]

I have seen too many rats with abscesses in that exact location. Are you sure its not teeth issues? Was it Dr. Munn you saw?

 

[Crimson]

No, Dr Mun wasn't available at the time so I saw Dr McGreggor at Annex animal hospital. If it's a tooth problem what should I do?

 

[lilspaz68]

No, Dr Mun wasn't available at the time so I saw Dr McGreggor at Annex animal hospital. If it's a tooth problem what should I do?

it will continue to recur as it could be an abscessed tooth....see if it heals up, and if not take him back or to Dr Munn and ask if it could be teeth-related.