Figure 3: Ulcerative pododermatitis (bumblefoot) in male rat (Stu!).
Case history and photos of Blu-Kote application
Stu!, a male rat, was 14.5-months-old at the time the bumbles to his feet were first noticed on 11/15/02. The month prior to this his heels seemed slightly reddened, but at the time we decided we were imagining it having never actually seen bumblefoot up close(I thought it would look more like the big blisters on the RMCA article).
Stu!’s cage has a solid bottom (lined with CareFRESH litter), a solid ramp, and shelf, although he likes to lounge on top of his wire cage. Until the bumbles were noticeable, he always had a washcloth or piece of fleece to lie on in his igloo “penthouse,” however since the presence of the bumbles, a solid layer of cardboard, a tea towel, and a piece of fleece for him has been placed on the top 2/3 of the cage, leaving only a few rungs exposed for him to climb up and down on. Unfortunately, the bumble on his left foot became increasingly worse, even thought we had been checking his feet daily. It was at this point that we sent for and received the Blu-Kote through the RMCA (when we couldn’t find it locally), and applied it to both feet.
The first three of four photos are taken of Stu!’s third application of Blu-Kote. The fouth photo taken in 2/03 shows no increase in the bumble to the left heel, as well as signs of improvement to the right foot.
It is worth mentioning that none of our other rats, which are all related to him, have ever had any signs of bumbles. His Mother, Aunt, and Sisters live in a similar type cage, and they all love to climb. It is thought that one of the reasons for Stu! having developed bumble foot is his much larger size and tendency to overweight than his family members.
Photos
 Photo 1: Shows developing pododermatitis to both hind feet (also known as bumblefoot) |
 Photo 2: Shows application of Blu-Kote, which is a drying agent. It is advisable to lay a towel down, and to wear an old shirt prior to application as this agent does stain when first applied. |
 Photo 3: Shows feet after Blu-Kote has dried. |
 Photo 4: taken 2/03 |
The photo above shows application of Blu-Kote continues, along with the topical antibiotic Neosporin. The application of both these agents have been reduced to once a day, and as can be seen here, the bumble to the right foot is noticeably improved.
*Update 5/23/03:*
Bumbles not completely resolved, started on amoxicillin, a systemic broad spectrum antibiotic.
Stu! stayed on the antibiotics until his passing from an unrelated condition several months later. Though the bumbles never healed completely, they had shrunk noticeably while he was on the oral medication and looked like in time, they would have vanished entirely.
Case history and photo courtesy of Kristin J. Johnson, The Wererat’s Lair
