Veterinary services in East Anglia, with a love of all things exotic
Meet the very brave Luna who was referred to us after seeing her original vets with blood from her back end.
Diagnosis and treatment
An ultrasound scan revealed her reproductive tract was thickened and contained abnormal fluid, and so the decision was made to spay her.
As you can see, one side of her reproductive tract was very thickened and enlarged, and was full of fluid!
Luckily Luna has been recovering very well at home since her spay and getting back to normal rat life.
Information for owners
Blood from the vulva could be a sign of issues with the urinary or reproductive tracts (or both). A recent study found that 15% of rats presented to the vets with reproductive issues. Identification of either in rodents can be diagnostically challenging, but a thorough physical exam, urinalysis, and diagnostic imaging can often give us an idea of what is going on.
It is important to note that seeing blood from the vulva suggests that there is something wrong. We would not expect a rat in heat to show visible bleeding, and instead show behavioural changes like running in short fast bursts, arching her back when stroked, or wiggling her ears. If you do notice bleeding from your rat (or other rodent), please get in touch with your vets.
