Tail Amputation

[Sharlees rattakisses]

I am the :queen: of all things involving stitches. :giggle:
For me they take a week or two.
For a smooshie little rattakiss?
A week?
Hopefully her tail won't become her new chewtoy.
As for her subdued girlfriends?
She smells funny. :lol:
Once the meds get out of her system they should go back to normal.

 

[Dazzle87]

Ah okay, thank you.

She hasn't messed with it at all, hopefully it'll stay that way! It's like she barely notices

 

[ATez]

Oh man! Poor girl! Glad to know she's doing better now.

 

[Joanne]

I think that they are more likely to mess with their sutures if they are painful or uncomfortable. The Metacam helps with that....

 

[Dazzle87]

Thanks

Yeah, makes sense. She's still leaving it alone and showing no signs if pain so I'm happy

 

[rhapsody]

Owchiness!!! Hope that tail mends quickly, the poor dear. And holy moly, Metacam certainly reeks! I can still smell it on my hands several hours after dosing my Alice.

And just curious, how much of a tail does a rattie have to lose before there is a negative impact? I vaguely remember hearing about an animal cruelty case involving "cosmetic" rat tail ... removal.

 

[Dazzle87]

Owchiness!!! Hope that tail mends quickly, the poor dear. And holy moly, Metacam certainly reeks! I can still smell it on my hands several hours after dosing my Alice.

And just curious, how much of a tail does a rattie have to lose before there is a negative impact? I vaguely remember hearing about an animal cruelty case involving "cosmetic" rat tail ... removal.

Thanks. Yeah Missy is usually quite picky about taking meds, I was surprised she didn't mind eating it lol.

I'd be interested to know too. It's sick, but I've heard of a few cases where rats tails were "docked" so they could be sold as a Manx :sad3:. With no tail they definitely have balance and temperature regulation problems.

 

[Dazzle87]

Another question, since the tail is prone to getting dirty, should I be gently disinfecting this? I don't think it said anything about it in the discharge instructions, and ratguide makes no mention of cleaning it either?

 

[lizmo1221]

Virgo had a degloving incident a while back, and had to get four vertebrae removed. She healed fine with the dissolving stitches (I think they fell out within 10 days or so?), even tho her tail is normally disgustingly dirty, with no disinfection needed. I think to disinfect would only cause her stress, discomfort, and even slight pain. I would watch it. If you see redness or swelling, maybe call and ask what to do? If not, leave it.

Btw, my vet told me last time I was there that metacam is actually honey flavoured by the manufacturer (ie, no need to mix in flavouring), and animals love it! Its a little sweet, apparantly. I can't smell the honey, but that would explain why rats don't mind taking it.

 

[Dazzle87]

Ah okay thanks. Yeah it still looks good I just wanted to make sure.

I don't smell honey either, but good to know, thanks.

 

[Joanne]

I would NOT wash her tail. Anytime you have an incision you need at least a week before immersion for the skin to knit. Otherwise you could be introducing the water + soap, etc INTO the body under the skin. She will keep it clean just fine - she can reach it so let her take care of it.
Just monitor for swelling/pain/redness or exudate.

 

[lizmo1221]

Ah okay thanks. Yeah it still looks good I just wanted to make sure.

I don't smell honey either, but good to know, thanks.

No problem

 

[Dazzle87]

I won't, thanks .

 

[Dazzle87]

Does this look like it is healing well? It has been five days I think, it happened on the 7th. I think so, but I've only experience with spays, neuters, and tumor removals so I am not 100 percent on what it should look like.

Oh and the darkness is the bluish purple stitches.

I'm not sure why the stitches look so long in the first pic..haha. IRL they look like the second and third pic.

She's also put on some weight from these meds I think LOL! My mom pointed it out and I was like oh crap yea she has :emb:

 

[lizmo1221]

Her tail looks great! As long as its not red, swollen, pussy, or overly painful, I would not be concerned. Virgo's tail looked much the same as this stage.

 

[Dazzle87]

Her tail looks great! As long as its not red, swollen, pussy, or overly painful, I would not be concerned. Virgo's tail looked much the same as this stage.

Thanks so much, that makes me very happy! I wanted someone who experienced it and so knew what it was supposed to look like to verify for me lol. She's doing so much better than I ever expected.

 

[Moon]

Looks awesome to me!

 

[lilspaz68]

It looks like its healing well. Tail amps heal easily.

And Liz your rats LIKE metacam? It may smell nice but there's some nasty aftertaste to it and rats often will give me "metacam face" and rub their chin and their paws on things so they don't have to lick it off themselves. When I meet a rat who likes metacam I thank my lucky stars!!!

 

[Moon]

The metacam thing has always been weird to me. My rats have always hated it, and I gotta say, I've gotten a lot of rat meds in my mouth and metacam has always been far from the worst. Actually, when I was first given it to use I was shocked at how pleasing it smelled and how much all my rats refused to take it, they wouldn't even have a lick and decide whether or not it was gross.

My dogs, on the other hand, LOVE metacam.

 

[Dazzle87]

Thanks. I figured I was being paranoid but better safe than sorry right . It's weird, up until now all my rats who have had surgery, including Missy, hated the metacam, but this time she has eaten it right up with a tiny bit of whipped cream and begs for more lol.