Female Rat, pale yellow discharge

Question
I have a female rat between 2 and 2.5 years old. A couple nights ago, I noticed some bleeding under her tail, and decided to take her in to my vet the next afternoon. The vet did a urinalysis, and found nothing to indicate an infection. Vet then did an x-ray, and showed me her bladder is extremely enlarged and contains a tumor. The vet told me the best thing to do would be to take her home and enjoy what time I have left with her, and then bring her back in to be put down once worse symptoms begin to emerge. This whole time she has been acting totally normally, with three exceptions: excessive cleaning of the genital area (I assume due to blood/puss down there), a bit sleepier than normal, and slight difficulty in walking due to swollen stomach. Just today I noticed some slightly smelly, pale yellow discharge from her vaginal area. Is this my sign that it is getting to the point where i need to make that appointment to euthanize her? I don't want her to suffer.

Answer
Aww....I am sorry to hear this.  It sounds as if things are starting to go down hill a bit...I am a bit surprised the vet did not give her something to make her more comfortable such as pain medication like torbutrol. NOT metacam, esp for this.  It would be really nice if she had this to make her more comfortable. I would not put her down unless you see her lose quality of life, such as not wanting to eat, withdrawing from wanting to be out around you etc.... signs that your rat is simply not herself only YOU can tell. Nobody else can tell you this, which makes it hard, I know...almost like the decision is between you and your little girl rat.

Also, be sure the vet knows the proper procedure when putting the rat to sleep. Your rat should be put under anesthesia not just sedated, but under anesthesia like isoflurane as if she were going to be operated on.  Anything else is inhumane and even considered illegal to put a rat under without using anesthesia in some states. Some vets thing heavy sedation is enough, but its NOT.  I wish I could help more. If you need any more help please do not hesitate to ask.