Hastings (ii)

Sunday 17th February - We notice Hastings has a bleedy ear. We think it's due to her scratching.

Monday 18th February - I get Hastings out of her cage, and the side of her head is swollen, beneath her ear. I take her to the vet, who says it's an abcess, and that we should give her antibiotics orally.

Over the course of the week, we do so, but they have no effect, and the swelling gets larger.

Friday 22nd February - We take Hastings back to the vet. He says that the only other option is surgery. She's booked in for the Monday.

Monday 25th February - Hastings is taken in for surgery in the morning by Matt. I receive a phone call at around 11am to tell us that she has come through, and that she's doing well. At 4pm, another phone call tells me that she's had problems with her legs. She's sniffing around and eating and so on, but she doesn't appear to be able to use her front legs properly.

Tuesday 26th February - The vet calls me to say that she had a critical period in the night, but that she has rallied well, and that she is now able to use her legs again. He says that he thinks the problem stemmed from the pressure of the abcess and the intrusion of the surgery on her inner ear. We pick her (and the antibiotics she's to take) up that night, and she seems happier than she did before the operation, despite her half-shaved head and her wound.
Here's a video of her having an indignant wash.

Friday 29th February - We take her back to the vet's for a check-up. He expresses disappointment that there is still pus being produced in the wound, and tells us that if it keeps on like this, it could be dangerous. It seems her immune system isn't kicking in as he would have hoped. Hastings is lively and alert, however, and eating like a horse. The vet flushes out her wound, and tells us to keep it scab free, and to dab off any pus with a cotton bud. Mouse sends me a link to a page that gives a recipe for immune-system-boosting rat food mix (which we make the next day), and we clean out Hastings's cage, as we think there's a possibility she's allergic to her new bedding, which may be compromising her immune system.

We're doing all we can.