# Swollen Foot/Ankle - Please Help! (Now with picture)



## dragonegg (Oct 2, 2007)

My disabled rat Linus has trouble again. Today I noticed that on his left hind leg his ankle and foot are red and swollen. The elbow on that side is also swollen and covered in small abscesses. 

I think the problem stems from the ramps I made for him to get to the higher levels of his cage. I covered them in grip tape, to help him not slide off, but perhaps this is too rough on his elbow and foot (when he walks--which is more of a waddle as his hipbones are fused at the pelvis) his elbows rub on the ground. But maybe he also fell off one of the ramps and twisted his foot.

I can take care of the abscesses, but I don't know what to do with the foot. Can a vet help with that? Is there a hometreatment I can try? It doesn't look broken to me, just maybe strained or something.

I'm adding pictures: (Linus is so sweet, he even bruxed when I held him for the photos!)


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

*Re: Swollen Foot/Ankle - Please Help!*

It sounds like Linus should be in a 1-level cage now 

I am not sure what the grip tape is but he's obviously too unstable for ramps now.

Abscesses on his elbow? Are they wee ones? Does he have a cagemate? Or are they pressure sores maybe?

How swollen is the foot? Is he able to use it at all?


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## dragonegg (Oct 2, 2007)

*Re: Swollen Foot/Ankle - Please Help!*

He doesn't use the sore foot at the moment, but he does walk around. The abscesses are small. I don't know what pressure sores are--what do they look like? 

I'll post pics tonight--my hubby has the camera with him today. 

He has a healthy cage mate, his brother Bear. Bear is super nice to him and always looks out for him (although he's the more fearful one of the two, Linus has no fear of anything. It's kind of funny). That's why I wanted him to be able to use all the levels, so he can go where Bear goes (Linus can't climb on the cage bars at all). 

The grip tape on the ramps is the kind of stuff you'd put on ladders or steps, so people don't slip. It feels a bit like sandpaper, so it's probably too rough on Linus' feet. Maybe I could cover it with fleece instead. Or something else. What else would be soft but still grippy? In any case, I'll wait until the foot's better.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

*Re: Swollen Foot/Ankle - Please Help!*

Yeah the grip tape would be way too rough for little rat feet. I have covered ramps with kitchen grip stuff from the dollar store. Its kinda rubbery.

If these are real abscesses (little pockets of pus) then he may need baytril and his immune system is not working as well as it should. If they are just red sores then he's probably rubbing on your grip tape.


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## dragonegg (Oct 2, 2007)

What I thought was a cluster of small abscesses was actually one big one. When I put the warm compress on, it burst immediately.


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## xampx (Dec 31, 2006)

Aww poor Linus, hes having a hard time lately.

It sounds like he definitly needs some abs. His immune system must be shot if he is getting all these abscesses 

Is he walking on his foot now? It might have just been because of the abscess that he wasnt walking on it. And he might still be sore there yet.

I think a 1 level cage is a good idea too. With lots of squishy things. Poor thing.


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## Chivahn (Mar 30, 2007)

The SAME thing happened to Jack a few months ago. I took him to my vet and it said that it seemed like he maybe got caught on the edge of one of the ledges in my FN and hung from it for a while, crushing some blood vessels. 

The vet wrapped his foot in a special wrap and gave me two meds to give him every day, Metacam and Chloramphenicol. After a week by himself in a one level cage, he chewed off the bandage and was good as new  It was relatively inexpensive (as far as my rat issues go, heh) @ $175.


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## lovinmyworm (Feb 18, 2008)

I suspect the stuff you used to help him get up those ramps caused small abrasions on his little legs causing all of this. Poor baby his leg looks horrible! Have you thought of instead of using that stuff to use some bath stickies? You know those little decals you use for the tub, cut them into really small pieces and put them all over the ramps. It will probably give him enough grip and the small pieces of them stuck all over will make sure that he can always have something to grip ahold of. Either that or put him in a nice long 1 story cage.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

He needs an anti-inflammatory and pain relief right now. There is pain and stress bruxing as well so that might be what he was doing. 

If you cannot get him to a vet you need to pick up infant liquid Motrin or Advil (Ibuprofen).

That doesn't look great.


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## dragonegg (Oct 2, 2007)

Thanks for all the advice. I feel horrible that my ramps might have caused all this. I will definitely rethink what to coat them with once his leg is better. (Right now, he's confined to one level.)

I took Linus to the vet today, and she thinks it's an infection of the joint. She gave me an antibiotic to try and if that doesn't work, she wants to x-ray his leg. 

My poor baby...but at least he's still in good spirits.


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

I am glad he's feeling bright


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## dragonegg (Oct 2, 2007)

lilzpaz, thanx for all your help here. Your the rat wiz I look to most!!!


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## Meliss (Sep 1, 2007)

Hope Linus feels better soon


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

dragonegg said:


> lilzpaz, thanx for all your help here. Your the rat wiz I look to most!!!


Your welcome. I am not a wiz, I am learning just like everyone else here  You should see when I run into something new...:lol:

If this makes you feel any better....

this was my Sebastian...he had a bacterial infection in his foot (it looks like a break). He was put on baytril and it cleared up nicely and he ended up living until 38 months


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## dragonegg (Oct 2, 2007)

Oh, that does look a lot like Linus' foot. So hopefully the antibiotics will work.


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## kenRakuu (Mar 29, 2008)

it looks alot like bumble foot to me...


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

This is bumblefoot...the whole foot doesn't usually swell up just the "bumble" itself.


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## kenRakuu (Mar 29, 2008)

in some more sever cases, or with a rat like Linus, who drags his feet more it could cover more area, It looks like some icky bumble foot to me, I've seen cases where the whole foot looks like a big yellow and red pimple.


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## blueratlove (Aug 10, 2008)

dragonegg said:


> My disabled rat Linus has trouble again. Today I noticed that on his left hind leg his ankle and foot are red and swollen. The elbow on that side is also swollen and covered in small abscesses.
> 
> I think the problem stems from the ramps I made for him to get to the higher levels of his cage. I covered them in grip tape, to help him not slide off, but perhaps this is too rough on his elbow and foot (when he walks--which is more of a waddle as his hipbones are fused at the pelvis) his elbows rub on the ground. But maybe he also fell off one of the ramps and twisted his foot.
> 
> ...


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## ration1802 (Sep 25, 2007)

blueratlove, this thread is now 4 months old.


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