Tumor?

Question
Hello, I have a 3 and a half year old female rat who has a tumor. I havnt taken her to the vet because they told me over the phone that there is either two options, she dies of old age or they try to preform surgery and the anesthesia could kill her because she is so old. Im pretty sure its a mammary tumor, and im pretty sure its not malignant. it moves around easy and it always goes down some and then comes back. When it does go down she always is leaking red or clear fluid from her vaginal area. This tumor is very close to her vaginal area. Why is she leaking fluids and is it normal? She is eating fine and drinking fine, she is still active but she is just to old to go into surgery. Also, she has two cage mates that have been with her since they were very young. they imprinted on each other more so than her but do you think they will be effected by her death when she does die?

Answer
Honestly?  I would not consider the surgery.  She is too old, truthfully. I would not chance it.

Now, I did have surgery on an old rat before. My Holly. She was under for 90 minutes and recovered fine under sevoflurane (not many vets use sevoflurane due to the high cost)but she did have a slower than average recovery, taking longer to heal and she did end up with a nasty infection.  I would not put another older rat through that again, I dont think, as she spent the last few months of her life with a huge incision that would not heal. Had I just allowed nature to take its course, she would have probably died from complications due to the tumor but would probably be more comfortable that way than she was recovering slowly from the surgery.  She lived to be 2 months shy of her 4th birthday and had the surgery at a bit over 3 and a half months.  

If the rat is younger and healthy, even at a new 3 years old, and the tumor is really taking the rats life fast and its an aggressive tumor, its more or less the choice of "what do you have to lose" attitude.  With a very skilled Vet who is extremely educated in operating on small mammals and has all the appropriate implements needed to perform the surgery on the rat, I would go for it. But at 3 and a half years old and the fact it may have already involved her uterus or other female parts, spaying may be required and I would never suggest spaying an old girl, ever, unless you were willing to take the chance which would probably be less than 10% chance of survival from the surgery, period, and also the chance her recovery would be horribly uncomfortable since spaying is very invasive.  

I would rather let her live her life out this way,the way she is now. The fluids may be from infection and it is absolutely worth treating, so please allow the vet to put her on antibiotics right away. She may survive many more months and continue to be comfortable and have a nice quality of life. How big is the tumor?
You said you "think" it is a mammary tumor, but I can tell you without even seeing it that it is indeed mammary in nature if it is in that area because mammary tissue is found all over the lower portion of the rats body, both male rats and female rats too. From under the neck down under the arms, the abdomen, the lower portion of the rats body, under the thighs and all around the genital area is where mammary tissue is found.  Also, 80% of the time these tumors are benign and usually encapsulated, which means if they are malignant, they should not spread since they were contained.

Anyhow, as for the rats being depressed when the other rat passes, chances are they will mourn, but they do have each other, which is good, and this will stop them from suffering a terrible depression that can literally affect their health because it lowers the immune system.  Make sure you allow the rats to see the other rats remains so they have closure. Rats that dont see the remains of the deceased rat usually pine away for them, not knowing what happened to them and waiting for their return.  People may scoff at the assumption that rats know the difference between a deceased rat or one that is living but they truly know the difference. They may sniff the remains and walk away or they may lay across the deceased rat, or even groom him, waiting for a response. When they dont get one, may times rats will drag the  remains of a cagemate away and bury it in the litter. Others have reported that the rats will try to consume the remains and if the rat is small enough and there is more than 1 rat, they  usually do consume the entire body.  Sounds gross, but the truth is, this is actually an act of honor. In the wild, rats do not want leave the remains for a predator to get so they hide their remains.

In closing, I think by not having the surgery done your doing the right thing.  Get that discharge checked as it could be infection and you do not want to lose her to infection when it can be easily treated.  It could also be simply from pressure from the tumor, but its best to have it checked. If you do NOT have the mane of a vet, I will happily look for some in your area, just let me know your location.  No obligation of course.