Critter City

 

Rat genital problems

Adorable Burt! Owned by one of my readers

 

Dear Miss Sandy, my rat, Daisy, is having her period again. This time it is lasting longer than the other two.

What can be wrong?

I get asked this all the time.

"What can I do?" you ask, frantically.

Get to the vet, pronto. Female rats do not have periods. They do not and should  not bleed from their vagina for any reason at all.  We all tend to compare our rats to our cats and dogs, but you cant and you shouldnt.  Rats go into heat every 4 to 5 days and the cycle lasts about 12 hours. It usually seems to occur more at night than during the day. Why, I have no idea. Thats beyond my so called expertise.  Due to the short time span between estrus, the uterus doesnt have time to build up an endometrium lining and thus in turn, there is nothing to slough off during the cycle. No bleeding occurs.

What does it mean if my rat does bleed from her vagina?

 

Vaginal bleeding in this young females genital area.

Several things, none of them good, but all of them can be treated as long as you do it right away and have a qualified vet to treat your rat.

Infection is one reason for vaginal bleeding. A tumor is another. Sometimes it is hormonal, it could be polycystic ovaries, or it could be infection.

 

Nasty infection of the uterus: Pyometra

 A nasty infection of the uterus, pyometra, is a very serious infection that can quickly cause death from sepsis if not treated prompty.  The infection can leak into the rats abdominal cavity and this will be a deadly disaster if that happens.  Spaying is usually one way to get rid of it and also one way to prevent if, of course.

One sign of pyometra is a distended abdomen. Many people write telling me that their female rat all of a sudden appears bloated but there is no way she is pregnant, unless she mated with the males through the bars (which, folks, is NOT impossible so dont giggle! When there is a will, there is a way! Trust me!)

The distended belly is usually due to a pus filled uterus. This is due to a closed cervix, which is when it is referred to as "closed pyometra" 

If the cervix to the uterus is open, this may lead to a nasty discharge that has a foul odor. It may be green, yellow, bloody or all of the above.

She may not eat well and she may urinate alot, often making the rat owner assume she has a bladder infection, but its the pressure on the bladder from the distended abdomen that is making her urinate more.

 

Treatment

Treatment is critical and the vet really must know what he is dealing with and be as aggressive as all heck when dealing with pyometra. This is when experience is a must. If not, thats when YOU come in. I cant stress enough how important it is for rat owners to really be on the ball.  Its sad that we should educate ourselves on things that Vets should already know, but its not worth arguing about here and now, because our rats lives depend on us for back up. We can advise our vet as to what we know of this disease and usually the pieces of the puzzle start to fall in place and the Vet, no matter how little experience he may have with rats, will start to recognize it is indeed pyometra simply from dealing with dogs and cats.  I still advise you all to make sure your vet is as qualified to treat rats as possible, but there are many many Vets that still do see rats and guess their way through.  Well not this time. Your here now reading up on this so if your girl ever gets it, your ready for it.

An X-ray of the abdomen will show the uterus and its contents. A sonogram is also a great idea, but its not always available and not always affordable, unfortunately. For the lucky ones that have pet insurance, go for it.

Running a CBC  (complete blood count) will show elevated white blood cells which are indicative of infection.

Treating with aggressive antibiotics for a full 30 days is vital. Baytril or trimeth-sulfa or chloramphenicol can be used to combat this nasty infection.

If it is closed pyometra the vet may chose to spay the rat, which almost always is the case from my  experience since there is too much of a risk that the toxins will leak into the abdominal cavity and cause death. This can happen during surgery which again is why I stress that the vet have experience. This should not be the vets first or fourth spay. It should be his 100th or more.

For pain, DO NOT allow your rat to take metcam. Torbugesic is a good narcotic pain medicatin that is MUCH safer than metacam and will make your rat comfortable, as this can be a very painful condition. Spaying is invasive and pain is seen with recovery, which is why I also suggest using a real pain killer and not just something like metacam, which can be deadly if the rat has a reaction to it.

Miss Nomi and Miss Skye, proud owners of Miss Bree of Illinois

Male rats with exposed penis

This is a painful condition  called Paraphimosis that is found when a male rats foreskin is stuck exposing the glans.  This is a very painful condition and if it is not corrected, it can lead to death.  Sadly, someone wrote to me not long ago asking why her rat had an erection for the last five days. I felt sick to my stomach when I read that, focusing in on two words; FIVE DAYS.  I knew this rat needed immediate medical attention and it was only a matter of time before he would die.  Why would a rat die from having his glans exposed?  Because it is very painful and the rat stops urinating. The lack of circulation leads to urinary retention, and necrosis if there is no blood flow.  Renal failure may be the final outcome. It CAN be easily treated though, and it is absolutely senseless for any rat to die from this, so please keep an eye out for this to occur. Your rat will be in a significant amount of pain and will frantically be licking the penis area. This is usually how we notice something is not right with our boys.

The little rat that someone wrote to me about unfortunately died from this, which is so sad.  His owner felt so horrible because she had no idea that this was anything bad and did not seek veterinary treatment for it. In fact, she wrote to me only because she was told to use SALT on  the rats so called erection to make it go down and wanted to know if this was the right thing to do.  Sadly, she wrote to me too late. Her rat died during our email session and never made it to see a vet  for treatment.  A sad way to learn about paraphimosis....and this is why I am making this problem a topic on my site, so people can learn about it and know it is a very serious matter that can lead to death if left untreated.

How can you treat this at home should it happen?

  You can apply an ointment to lubricate it such as  olive oil) or antibiotic ointment to the penis to help the foreskin slide over the glans easier.

Also, believe it or not, you can sprinkle sugar on the penis. This will help reduce swelling and it is known as gradient osmosis.

Both of these treatments were approved by a licensed Veterinarian who has a practice in Georgia and is very qualified to treat rats. I just wanted to mention that, esp since I mentioned   using sugar, just in case someone thought I was a little off the wall.

Seek Veterinary treatment if this doesnt resolve the problem. 

 

 

 

 

Hematuria / blood tinged urine

 

Hematuria  is a sign that something is wrong. It is often noticed when the rat urinates and is a good indicator that the rat may have a urinary tract infection.  It can also be caused by kidney stones or crystals and not so common but still worth mentioning, tumors in the urogenital system, which makes up both the reproductive organs and urinary system as well.  

 The best way to  find out what is going on of course is to see a Vet right away. The vet may want to collect a sterile urine sample and may also want to take an X-ray of the rats abdomen to rule out stones or a mass of some type.

Treatment depends on the clinical findings, of course, and may consist of antibiotic therapy or possibly surgery if there is a mass or stones.

 

Male genital problems:

Testicular tumors/ scrotal abscess

The title pretty much explain itself.  If you notice any mass or swelling on   or around the testicles means this could very well be either a tumor or an abscess.  They both require the attention of a qualified Veterinarian.  Treatment may mean surgery, usually netutering the rat is done to resolve the problem.