My rat has a tumor. :(

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KristieTX

KristieTX

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I just discovered tonight that my rat Tweety has a tumor. I'm going to talk to one of the vets tomorrow that has worked with exotic animals before and see if he can look at her. I'm so sad. I love my rats. What sucks is she did come from a home where the man that had her chain smoked and she got it blown right in her face. She's only about 2 years old too. Poor baby.
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I hope that your vet can save Tweety. My furbabies are like children to me as well.

 
Aww I'm so so so sorry! I just got a rat about a month ago, my Abner, and I would be devestated if that happened to him! I send you my best wishes and prayers!!

 
I am so sorry, I'll be praying for her! We have hamsters and really love them as well so I can imagine how you must feel.
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They are sweet little animals.

 
Thanks everyone. I have been researching and it seems to be a benign tumor she has, but the problem is that the tumors grow very rapidly and end up restricting organs and depleting nutrients in the body. If I have it removed though, which I have read is very easy to do, not only would she have to be kept very quiet and recovery be hard at over 2 years of age, but she would only be given at the most 4 more months. The surgery is not incredibly expensive however, so I may consider it.

One thing that is positive newagetomatoz, is that if you have a male rat, tumors are very, very rare. I have 3 girls so the tumors are much more common for my babies.

I don't know. I'm sad, but I think I will probably end up letting her live with it until her quality of life is affected and then have her euthanized so she doesn't suffer.

 
I'm so sorry Kristie.
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I hope the vet will be able to cure Tweety. Please keep us updated. Hugs.

 
I have had 6 rats, I had to put 3 down b/c of tumors (no choice, they were growing all over their bodies), 4 got tumors however. I have had 2 male rats, and yes you are correct in that it is rare for them to get them (they need female hormones). One male did in fact get a tumor, but I had it removed, it was only $100.00. It was benign, he had to be put down for other health problems not related to the tumor a few months later (kidney failure, he was unhealthy when I got him, he wasnt cared for by his previous owner). His brother is going strong, he's awesome. I'm so sorry about your rat,
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honestly, I dont think I will ever have another b/c everyone had a tumor except one male (one female didnt live long enough to get one). My vet is great though, he loves them when I bring them in, pets them, and talks in a baby voice, lmao. Rats are the best small pets in my opinion.

 
I hope she gets better soon, poor lil fella, it's so sad when animals get sick. I love my rabbit like a baby so I know how you feel.

 
Yes dixiewolf, rats are the BEST tiny pets IMO too. I absolutely love them. It sucks so bad that they are so sweet and get so attached to you but they only live 2-3 years usually. It's not fair.
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Thanks everyone for your well wishes. I'm just going to take the best care of her I can until she is uncomfortable and then euthanize her. I can't see putting her through the surgery to only buy her a few months. It's not the money, it's what is best and most humane for her.

 
Originally Posted by KristieTX /img/forum/go_quote.gif Thanks everyone for your well wishes. I'm just going to take the best care of her I can until she is uncomfortable and then euthanize her. I can't see putting her through the surgery to only buy her a few months. It's not the money, it's what is best and most humane for her.

What I did with my last female was take her to the vet and he said to bring her back in 6 weeks (the tumor was small then). He doesnt charge me just to look. So basically he told me how long she had before she was in pain, she was never in pain and was spunky and happy for those weeks. It broke my heart when she would try to scratch and had that lump though. When I had her euthanized after the 6 weeks I wasnt that sad b/c I had already grieved in a way, I was almost relieved it was over. The male I had surgery on, he was young and would have lived like 3 years if he hadnt had kidney problems which is why I made that decision.
 
Thank you SO much for your advice, dixiewolf. It is a small tumor and hasn't increased in size any in the past few days, so that makes me feel a bit better. What was worrying me is that I was reading that the tumors greatly increase in size within a week's time. I will just keep an eye on her for the time being.

 
Your poor baby.
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When we see rats at my office we like to do a fine needle aspirate of the area and see how dense the cells within the mass are clustered. It's a good way to try to predict the growth patterns of the tumor and decide what action needs to be taken before it's a painful or fatal problem. Some animals do well even with a lump on them as long as it's not affecting their movement or insides. I hope everything goes well for her.

 
They all get tumors eventually.... I've had a dozen or more rats and all of them have... On the head, near the ear and usualy end up bleeding from the ear... and all around 2 years old... never had one make it to three... I put them to sleep my self... PM me and I will tell you how if you want to know...

Karren

 
EEK! Kinda scared to know, Karren. LOL

I am going to ask one of the vets at work if he can look at her. He is a good doctor and has worked with exotics before, so I'm gonna try to get him to remove the tumor next week. She has started scratching at it a bit and I saw a little blood on her fur tonight. It breaks my heart. And if she passes under anesthesia or whatever happens, at least I know I tried. That comforts me a bit.

 

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