# Pimple just above eyelid



## Daniel (Jun 24, 2013)

This is something that happened a couple weeks ago.

Kairos started to get a pimple just above his left eyelid - a delicate spot. But when I brought him to my vet, he didn't want to just pop it - he said he was in a sensitive area and to just let it pop on it's own. (he is not a rat expert)

It has not popped, although it has not gotten any worse, I just don't want to leave it. I tried to very carefully stretched his skin up so I could try and pop it without risking nicking his eye but he just cried. 

Should I follow this vet advice, or perhaps try compressing? I've seen tips for abscesses but not pimples; perhaps the process would be the same?


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## Biku (Mar 12, 2014)

I had a rat with a similar issue. His got to the point where the skin split, but the pimple just formed a scab and kept growing. He was pretty old when it started and it actually didn't break until he was on his death bed. I would poke at it from time to time, but never really tried to break it for fear of damaging his eye. After it broke I recognized it as an abscess and was honestly surprised it hadn't made him blind in that eye. See if you can heat a needle and break a small hole in it. He probably won't want to hold still so you may need someone to hold him and comfort him while you do it. Heating the needle will help it break the skin without hurting him too much. Once you've broken it drain as much as you can and get a cotton ball with some peroxide on it. Be VERY careful with the peroxide because it is near his eye and just dab at the opening. If you can, try to break the skin as far from the eye as you can while still getting the pimple. Hope this helps!


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## Biku (Mar 12, 2014)

I rescind my previous comment! Haha, I was reading some of the other posts about abscesses and the sticky seems like a much better way to work with this. My previous comment is how I handled the abscess my friend's rat got, but that sticky sure showed me. Follow the treatment for abscesses. He still may not like it so having a helping hamd or some treats to put him at ease will help. If he won't let you poke and prod at it then you can gently touch it with the heated needle. I emphasize the gently there, like just a tap to the skin, barely touching it. That should do it for ya.


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## Daniel (Jun 24, 2013)

Good news - I was able to roll his skin up high enough above his eye and lance it twice (yesterday slightly so it drained some), and today I got the rest of it after he let out a yelp. It was bleeding some but now it is completely drained. White puss came out.

Kairos has some weird genetics (he is a high white dumbo rex) and I've noticed in the months I have had him that he tends to get eye infections all the time. At first I brought him to the vet for them, but after 2 times in just over a month I realized it was just an ongoing thing for him, so I have to clean his eyes out about every 3-4 days. It will probably be every day until the remains of that pimple are gone.


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## Biku (Mar 12, 2014)

Good stuff! Hope he starts to feel better! My late rat, Blade got eye infections a lot when he was younger. After I switched the type of bedding I was using it got better. See if you can find some low dust litter, it may help.


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## Daniel (Jun 24, 2013)

I've tried most (safe) beddings. I know some people say carefresh is dusty, but I prefer it and I never saw any difference with his eye between that and aspen. Right now though, I am about to try aspen again since I was unable to get my usual carefresh today. I suppose corn cob is an option as well, but it is a little harder for me to get. (fleece is right out as I admit I don't have the patience to keep changing it, not to mention I don't have my own washer so keeping it up would be too much)

Past experience with aspen was it was more 'noisy' than carefresh (ie I can hear them walking around in the middle of the night, something that doesn't happen with carefresh) and tended to stick to everything - socks, shirts, etc and it ended up all over my apartment, including in my roommate's room. 

As to how Kairos's eye is now, puss (clear) is still gushing out, believe it or not. I keep seeing him wipe it out of his eye...it was a really bad one!


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

Aw  sorry to hear he has chronic eye infx. Hope Apollo is doing well. 

His sister, Artemis, gets minor eye infections occasionally. I give her raw honey and warm compresses to treat. They're all on aspen here - it sticks to everything like mad, but they don't seem to mind it. I was using yesterday's news a cat litter but it wasn't comfy, it disintegrates to dust when wet and it was costly for the amount I was using. 


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## Daniel (Jun 24, 2013)

Hi N7. Glad to hear his sisters are doing OK. Apollo has had some wheezing recently, but it seems to have cleared up (he has never been as healthy since that escape incident months ago) I will have to do new pics.

I think the issue is that Kairos has a bald area around his right eye, which is not as pronounced on his left (partly blind) eye. I keep up weekly cleanings of the cage but it doesn't seem to help. I'd like to move them into a single critter nation at some point. It's just something I have to keep up with, rat maintenance.


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## nanashi7 (Jun 5, 2013)

I'm at my dang image limit. Do you mean around the affected eye he has no hair? The black girls here look similar but I had wondered if it was just because it is more pronounced on dark furred rats. 

For Apollo's wheeze, he probably inhaled some nasty stuff that scarred him. If you've a humidifier it might help clear him out. 

Are they doing okay behaviorally? I've noticed Milo is attempting to dominate his father and everyone else now even post neuter and as puberty winds down. 


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