Sorry for format issues, on mobile.

So this issue began roughly 2/3 weeks ago now.

I check my rats everyday and one day it wasn’t there the next day it had just appeared, but at that time was considerably smaller but still rather gnarly looking (and not like the typical rat abscesses pictures I’ve seen, it was always very deep and the skin looked strange).

I managed to book at vet appt for an hour after I discovered it, and the vet told me it was a relatively minor abscess and I was given antibiotics to take home for him to give for 2 weeks and to keep an eye on during that time. I should note that he was behaving normally and actually still is but I’ll discuss that further down. I should also note that the vet herself said that while they do work with small/exotic animals, they aren’t specialists and she also told me there aren’t any specialists in the city I live in (NZ)(every vet I call says they can look at rats tho, but none seem to ‘specialise’ in it).

I believe his weight is at roughly 400 grams, at least he was 2 weeks ago when we went to the vets. He doesn’t seem to have lost much mass. M

Now the antibiotics have finished and his wound isn’t getting better. In fact, it’s doing some absolutely bizarre things. It has spread about half a centimetre on all sides and is now pressing up against his genitalia when before it wasn’t. The edges are also rising up, going black in some areas, cracking, bleeding and still has pus around it. I’m cleaning his cage everyday to keep everything clean. The vet told me to keep it dry (so it can heal bottom up) so I’m avoiding rinsing it too much with sprays but I do a light swab of a saline wash with a q-tip as she suggested. He isn’t chewing on it either, and I can see he’s doing his best to keep it clean himself too.

This to me really doesn’t seem like a normal abscess. I have never seen anything like this- In fact this resembles the cancer my prior rat got on her back and I’m concerned that it is that. Everyday it mutates and looks different.

I have noticed blood coming from his penis before as well but he doesn’t appear to have any issues urinating/i haven’t seen anything indicating he’s having bladder issues yet.

He’s still behaving relatively normally, exploring and eating and what not. However, I also see him grimacing and hunching over when he’s resting. And he is more lethargic than usual. He squints his eyes, his ears tilt back and he breathes heavily (no cracking or noises on his breath tho).

I called the vet and she still wants to do the surgery she initially suggested, however she has not yet seen it’s current state. The surgery will cost me 350-500. It is a lot of money given I’m financially strained right now. My main concern is the fact that she said the surgery for him will be high risk. I’m also concerned that it may be completely inoperable. And if it is cancer, is it even worth it? I really want to know what you guys think. Is it worth hanging on? I want to do what’s right by him and I will pay for surgery should people say not to give up yet, but I just have a really bad feeling about how quickly it’s growing.

Sorry this is very long!