Possible EMERGENCY?

Question
QUESTION: I didnt know if it was an emergency or not sorry if its not.
I have a roughly 3 year old female rat. she has a quater sized lump on her lower abdomen. do you think it could a tumor if it is what do I do? is she is pain? she eats like a pig and drinks and poops. but she has this lump.

ANSWER: Sounds like a mammary tumor.  They can  be removed safely, but her age does concern me. The older the rat, the older their liver is and the less likely it is to handle anesthesia. It is a bigger risk at her age if she is indeed 3.  However, the tumor will eventually cause problems for her health and mobility and she wont be able to survive with it.  
You need to weigh the options.  She has more of a risk of complications with anesthesia at three years old, and chances are, she may just pass from old age long before the tumor starts to cause health issues for her. Usually  about 6 to 9 months after the tumor is first spotted does it start to cause problems so that means she will be closer to 4 years old and she will have lived her life to a nice age.   I fear that if she has it removed and has complications her life could be ended before she was ready to go on her own.  I would find a good exotic vet and discuss the exact same issues with he or she.  Is she in pain, no, she is not in pain.  The tumor has no nerve endings.   Should it get very large and abscess, that is when it is painful, but this is not always the case.  These tumors can get huge and the rat is still going along happy  as can be and we are fretting about it.  They bother us more than they bother the rat.  If she were even 2.5 yrs old I would say  do it, but at three years old, I would really weigh the options with the vet first.  If the vet uses sevoflurane which is actually safer than isoflurane, will keep the rat overnight under observation and the vet is very skilled with all the updated microsurgical equipment needed to operate on a tiny mammal, this makes her chances of a full recovery stronger.  Please read Sandycsrittercity.com and refer to the page on tumors for more information.  I can also help find a vet for you that is an exotic specialist and not just a general vet that treats rats like they would a dog or cat and claiming to know alot about rats when they have had no formal training at all concerning small exotic animals.

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QUESTION: Okay thanks, I cant find a vet anywhere that will take her.

ANSWER: Let me know your location, I can help locate one for you.

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QUESTION: I am near Atl Ga

Answer
I have the right vet for you.  He is a good friend of mine who has helped me alot and is very very very good with rats.  I trust him, even with an older rat. Ask to see ONLY Dr.Contarino and tell him Sandra Todd sent you!  He will know right who your talking about!

Please call

Town and Country Veterinary clinic
Dr. Keith Contarino DVM
1343 Gresham Road
Marietta, GA 30062
Phone:   (770) 971-1556