Animal surgery aftercare advice

[Troberg]

I've had quite a lot of drama the past two weeks. A little more than a week ago (Sept 25), I moved to a new house, with all the hassle that means. A week before that (Sept 20), I found a lump on one of my rat girls (Tuss). Two days later (sept 22), a lump had developed on Mahogni as well. They were scheduled for surgery just after my move (Sept 30).

The surgery went well, and both mammary tumors where removed cleanly. Mahogni has healed well and is mostly just frustrated with the boring recovery cage (a smallish hamster cage with very little to do but eat and sleep, which, of course, is just the point of it).

Later that evening, just when I was going to bed, the stitches on Tuss were broken/gone, and she had a big hole through which I could see various things I prefer not to see, such as the "sack" which holds the inner organs ("bukhinna" Swedish, literal translation "belly membrane") and muscles. I could not reach the animal hospital (the phone company had effed up, blocking a number of phone lines, including the emergency numbers for people), so I called the second closest night open animal hospital in Uppsala. They told me to come, so I hopped into the car and drove there (roughly 360 km both ways).

They didn't dare to sedate her again, as it was too close to the previous operation, so it had to be done under local anastesia. She was very brave, and when held her so that they could inject the anastesia and clean and stitch her up again, she didn't move or even flinch, she just looked at me for comfort. Even before we stitched her, she managed to get her foot stuck in the scar, under the skin, which must have hurt a lot with her sharp claws, and she sat perfectly still when we helped her get it out. I'm so proud of her!

Well, anyway, they tried a bunch of different methods to protect the scar. A muff made of flexible bandages. Took her three seconds to get out of. A girdle of weak glued tape. ten seconds, then she had managed to get both feet stuck in it in her attempts to get out. A cut down "lampshade" for kittens, modified so that it tied with the strings crossing between her front paws and tied over her back. Lasted five seconds. Various band-aid like products. No luck. Eventually, we just gave up and decided that it was too much drama putting these arrangements on.

We got home, at about 2 o'clock in the night. It was good that I was so pumped on adrenalin, or I would not have been able to keep awake during the drive, despite driving at an average at 50% over the posted speed limit (almost no traffic in the night, just open road and moose fences).

Well, yesterday (Oct 4) morning, the scar had opened again. The stitches still held, but it looked like a small shirt on a fat person. Now, I managed to reach the local animal hospital that did the first surgery, only 25 km away, so I drove there. They had to wait until afternoon, as they needed to call in a nurse specialized in small animal sedation, sedated her, and opened up the scar, cut away some tissue (fresh tissue is needed for the healing process) and stitched her up again (now with both internal stitches and external stitches (cross stitches, which are supposedly more robust), and I was able to take her home late that evening. I gave the staff a big box of Anton Berg chocolate, I think they deserved it.

Well, this morning, she's managed to pull out three out of four external stitches. There is an open gape, but now it looks like a "flesh wound", not a hole to her insides, so I assume that the inner stitches still hold. However, if she gets a chance, she will lick at it. I've called the animal hospital, and they confirmed my guessed diagnose, and said that we'll wait and just keep it clean with saline solution.

As you can see, I'm very nervous about it. I love my little rat girl, and it's her first birthday tomorrow. I want her to be well, and I don't want the first thing I need to do in my new house to be having to bury her. I can watch her so she doesn't touch the scar, but only to some extent. I can bring her to work, but I do need to sleep sometimes.

Now, anyone with suggestions about what to do? How do I get her to stop messing with the scar?

If I have to go there again, I'm considering asking them to, in addition to stitches, use surgical glue. I've heard from a military medic that they occasionally use that when they need to transport wounded and are afraid that just stitches will not hold (such as when dragging wounded over forest terrain under fire). The glue itself is not enough, but it will hold the wound closed and make it less interesting, and it will probably take some strain from the stitches. Any comments/ideas/suggestions about this?

And, if there is someone reading this who owns a medical corporation, invent and market a lotion that's completely inert (possibly with the exception of a mild softening/moisturing/antibacterial effect) which tastes horrible. It would completely revolutionize veterinary aftercare, as well as give a decent protection against cannibals. I can't imagine that such a product would be difficult to produce. Standard lotion bases must already exist, just add in a suitable mix of artificial taste substances.

Please help, I'm desperate! We can't just keep re-stitching her!