Thank you

Question
QUESTION: Sandra,
So glad to see you are still answering questions regarding our furry rat friends!  You helped me (and quite possibly saved her life) with my little rat sniffy. A sweet little "feeder" that we rescued unknowingly a couple years ago.
Recently, I found a lump on her right behind her front leg on the side where her side meets her belly.  I initially thought it was an abscess because it appeared so suddenly and it was LARGE(about the size of a robin's egg) She comes out of her cage everynight and I inspect both my rats almost daily and it went unnoticed so I can't imagine a tumor that big popping up that quickly.  I discovered the mass this past Friday and already it has grown considerably so I'm not sure what to think of it.
I am bringing her to the vet on Monday the 23rd and hoping its growth will slow.  Thanks to you and your expertise I found a local vet you referred to someone else here in AZ.  Hoping for a good outcome as she seems a bit young but according to your posts you seem to think a "floating" mass of this type is not cancerous so if it can be removed we will do that.  
While it's hard to justify a 300.00 surgery fee for a 4.00 rat I just can't see putting her down if it isn't cancerous. I don't want to, however, extend her life for a mere 60 days only for her to suffer the entire rest of her life.  
I just wanted to drop you a quick line and thank you for doing what you do with AllExperts.  I think you are about the best rat expert out there and probably teach the vets a thing or two with your expertise.  I'm going to call Dr. Tracy Ritzman and Dr. Daniel Skirvin tomorrow as I live in Goodyear Az near Buckeye Az like the woman with Ziggy. However if you have any other referrals please let me know.  Also, if there is any way to tell if it is an abscess vs a tumor I'd love to know.  I do know that 2 days before this lump appeared she was romping on the bed with our Maltipoo dog and he accidentally stepped on her. She gave a little squeak but seemed fine and there was no love lost between her and her canine friend but I wonder if that may have caused the lump.  What are your thoughts?
Thanks again for keeping us informed!
Kristin for Sniffy

ANSWER: Thank you so much for your kind words. I find it sometimes pretty discouraging doing what I do on here especially when rats die despite my advice, and sometimes I get really upset when reading about so many incompetent vets, like the vet that removed the rats kidneys rather than her ovaries when a young female rat went in for a spay. Thats just downright scary stuff.

Have you gone to my personal site, sandyscrittercity.com?  There is alot of info on tumors and also explains the difference between tumors and abscesses.  An abscess is a pocket of pus. If it were an abscess it would eventually open up within a few days of forming and will contain pus, often foul smelling pus.  A tumor can sometimes become abscessed ,but this often happens after the tumor has been there for a while and sometimes can be a result of a loss of blood supply to the tumor itself which is what keeps it growing so large in the first place.

Most tumors can be easily removed and most tumors are NOT cancerous, but that doesnt mean they wont eventually cause harm to the rat.  I just lost one of my most beloved rats, Jackson, from a lung tumor.  He had a huge tumor on his outer flank that the vet felt uneasy about removing due to how vascular it had become in such a short amount of time.  She feared he would lose too much blood and since he was doing so well she feared she would shorten his life for no reason should he not make it through the surgery.  I went with her advice despite my better judgement, but Jackson had to be put to sleep just a few months later because he was having such a hard time breathing and he was starting to suffer.  turns out he also had tumors internally.  Had I went ahead with the tumor removal, he would have only lived another two months or so before the tumor in his chest cavity started to cause problems for him. That tumor was inoperable.

I have had tumors removed on many rats and had them live on another six months or even a year or more depending on the rats age.  With an intact female, chances are that tumors may continue to develop after menopause, which is normally around 18 months of age.  There is more info on the critter city site if you want to read more about it.

As for vets, you can also try going to the AEMV site (Association of exotic mammal vets) and searching for vets in your area that see rats.  Keep in mind that not all vets that see exotics are exotic certified, though and have what is called a "special interest" in exotics.  The best thing to do is go over my info on proper surgical procedures so you know what to ask your vet and make sure that they follow proper protocol as per my site suggests.

Hope this helps!



REVISED

I went back and checked the AEMV and did find a place in Mesa that I would probably use myself if I lived near there.  ALthough it does say its a 42 minute drive from your town to Mesa, its worth the drive for good care. I used to drive almost an hour through heavy traffic in Charlotte NC to get to our rat vet. With gas prices absolutely disgusting, I know it may be an expense depending on how bad your car sucks gas (I have a newer Chevy Impala and its fairly decent on gas but not the best, either)  and so far we managed to stay under the $4 per gal. mark, but it wont be long and we will be over $4 before you know it!!!!!!!

ANyhow, here is the name of the place that I myself would try....


Dr. Jay Johnson
Arizona Exotic Animal Hospital   
744 N. Center St.
Mesa AZ 85201
Phone:   480-275-7017
Website www.arizonaexoticanimalhospital.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Sandra
Well I went to the vet you told me about and after considering the circumstances with Sniffy, her age and her tumor I have decided to allow her to continue to live out the remainder of her life comfortably for as long as she has left.  She is now over 3 years old and I don't feel it would be fair to put her through a traumatic surgery and recovery that she will most likely, according to the vet, not come through anyways.
So now I have the daunting task of ensuring that when the time comes that her final moments be peaceful and painless.
I went to your website and read about the euthanasia part-you mentioned a link but there wasn't one there.
I've taken Sniffy to two different vets-the second for a second opinion.  I've also made calls to many vets and animal hospitals and they all say they euthanize the same way. They put the rat under using gas and then give her a shot in her abdomen. My question is, is this the most humane way to have a rat put down?  I even tried to see if a vet will to come to the house so she wouldn't be stressed with the drive but there aren't any that do it that way.  I think she may have a few more weeks, I'm watching closely for signs of pain and suffering but want to have things arranged in advance so she doesn't endure any needless suffering. But your article on saying goodbye on your website has me concerend. Is the way that the vets here euthanizing the MOST painless and humane way to go about it?  Can I give her a little bit of pain medicine before I go to allow her to relax during the ride to the vet's office? I take pain medicine for my legs from damage from chemotherapy and would like to give her just a sliver before we leave for her final vet visit.  She has been such a wonderful little companion and I love her dearly. I want her passing to be peaceful. Can you please give me further info on what I should do to ensure this?  Until that day, she spends much time out of her cage and I'm no longer worried about her "healthy" diet. She gets all the yummy treats she wants.  Please let me know your thoughts on this.  I tried to write you on all experts and it says you aren't accepting any more questions so I hope you get this. I hope that isn't true either because you are truly a blessing to those of us who look to you for your expertise where rats are concerned.  Hope this finds you well and able to answer.
Sincerely,
Kristin and Sniffy

Answer
I still answer questions, I just went down to taking a few per day, and so it may say I am MAXED OUT once the limit is reached.

However, check out my site, sandyscrittercity.com and you can find my personal email there but I will give it to you here too so you can reach me through email rather than coming to this site.

Sandyscrittercity@yahoo.com


As for putting it in the abdomen, thats ok too as long as the rat remains under anesthesia because if they hit an organ it can cause terrible pain as well.  Also I prefer that the rat is sedated first so they dont get scared going under the anesthesia.  They usually have a little clear box with isoflurane piped in and the rat falls asleep fast in the little box but sometimes they freak out from the smell and thats not good either, so having them sedated in your arms, falling asleep in your arms first is a comforting thing for them.  After that, they can be put under anesthesia.  NEVER allow any vet to put your rat down via injection into the heart or abdomen unless he is totally under anesthesia.  That is what is inhumane.   


Please write to me on my yahoo account to follow up.

I do agree that 3 years old is a bit old to put her through surgery and agree that recovery may be hard at this age.  I would do exactly what your doing...keeping her comfortable for the remainder of her life, giving her all your love until you know its time.