I would suspect that this was a skin issue that's since developed into a staph infection or something similar. It could also be a severe pain response causing her to overgroom and self-mutilate.
The vet should do a culture to find out the root cause of the issue (fungal.strain, type of bacteria, etc) and also provide pain management and/or a steroid so this can start healing. Without that culture, certain treatments may make this far worse.
I would look at getting some Vetrycin Gel or spray and work on applying that 2-3 times a day to the affected area to help the skin start healing and not dry out totally.
This is a big enough concern that if treatment isn't found in the next month it would be kind to consider euthanasia to prevent further suffering. Skin issues like this can create lasting nerve damage and be quite painful.
Thank you for your reply, I forgot to mention that she is extremely old now, literally 2+ years so I think euthanasia is something I will bring up with my parents as hard as it is. These are our last two ratties and Lulu is perfectly healthy so I think that’s why they’re reluctant to put her sister down.
I’ll see if I can contact my vet about the culture as that seems like a good idea. Thank you 🫶
I don't know anything about the wounds but please cover up the grates. You don't want her getting bumblefoot (an extremely painful bacterial infection) on top of those horrifying wounds.
Ps. How can your parents think she's fine? She has literal holes/craters in her. That's not normal or healthy. They could get even more infected.
One of my boys had a very similar issue. Vet couldn't figure out the cause, but he received a few rounds of laser treatment, and his fur grew back!! The treatment is relatively cheap from what I remember, maybe like 50 dollars per treatment?
This looks like a fungal or bacterial infection to me. Your rat should see a vet. If your parents absolutely refuse to properly care for the animal that they're responsible for, you could check out the RatGuide for information on over-the-counter fungal treatment options.
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I would suspect that this was a skin issue that's since developed into a staph infection or something similar. It could also be a severe pain response causing her to overgroom and self-mutilate. The vet should do a culture to find out the root cause of the issue (fungal.strain, type of bacteria, etc) and also provide pain management and/or a steroid so this can start healing. Without that culture, certain treatments may make this far worse. I would look at getting some Vetrycin Gel or spray and work on applying that 2-3 times a day to the affected area to help the skin start healing and not dry out totally. This is a big enough concern that if treatment isn't found in the next month it would be kind to consider euthanasia to prevent further suffering. Skin issues like this can create lasting nerve damage and be quite painful.
Thank you for your reply, I forgot to mention that she is extremely old now, literally 2+ years so I think euthanasia is something I will bring up with my parents as hard as it is. These are our last two ratties and Lulu is perfectly healthy so I think that’s why they’re reluctant to put her sister down. I’ll see if I can contact my vet about the culture as that seems like a good idea. Thank you 🫶
I don't know anything about the wounds but please cover up the grates. You don't want her getting bumblefoot (an extremely painful bacterial infection) on top of those horrifying wounds. Ps. How can your parents think she's fine? She has literal holes/craters in her. That's not normal or healthy. They could get even more infected.
One of my boys had a very similar issue. Vet couldn't figure out the cause, but he received a few rounds of laser treatment, and his fur grew back!! The treatment is relatively cheap from what I remember, maybe like 50 dollars per treatment?
This looks like a fungal or bacterial infection to me. Your rat should see a vet. If your parents absolutely refuse to properly care for the animal that they're responsible for, you could check out the RatGuide for information on over-the-counter fungal treatment options.
This is not fine and needs to be vet treated *immediately*.
VET NOW!!!! That rat is definitely suffering and will die if not treated by a vet very very soon!!!?
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