apidly growing lump on the top of Indies head

Question

Indie   QUESTION: Hi Sandra,

Could you have a look at the photo of our friend Indie, which is attached please, and let me know what you think the lump is. This first appeared between morning and evening last Wednesday the 9th of September. It was pretty much this size, right from the start. Initially, I thought it was a bang as I haven't seen a tumor appear almost instantly before. However it looks quite similar to the photo's on your site of Bigboy and Pinky. Indie is happy in herself, eating and grinding as normal. She is on long term meds to keep Respitory disease at bay, to which we have already lost 3 lovely girls. She has an appointment at a specialist vet 200km away on Monday, who has removed several tumors successfully from 2 of our girls.

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.
Dawn

ANSWER:  

Its hard to really see in this photo but it may indeed be spindle cell sarcoma (which is cancer of the connective tissue) but not a brain tumor, although it does appear to be one at first. I am  hoping it could be an abscess, to be honest, since it did appear very fast. Is there a scab on it or any pit or crater in the center of it?

Although you have a vet your going to see I thought I would give you the name of the only exotic Vet I know of in France.   

Dr. Jean-Francois Quinton
Clinique Advetia     
5 Rue Dubrunfaut
PARIS Ile de France 75012
Phone:    01 44 73 80 73
Website: contact@advetia.fr

Before  your visit to the vet, please print out the info and even the photos of Bigboy and Pinky to share with the vet.  This is not a real common condition  seen  in rats and the reason I put these photos up was to help rat owners and Vets identify what the condition may be even before the surgery is done.

Let me know how it goes. When do you go to the vet?



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

QUESTION: Hi Sandra,

Thankyou for getting back so fast. Indie is going to the vets on Monday. One of our other four rats, Snowy, is going in to have a small tumor under her arm, that appeared this week, removed at the same time. Do you think we should get Indie seen sooner if possible? There does seem to be a small pit, no scab or skin breakage of any type. It also does not feel attached but will move. I think it is softer now than when it first appeared. Thankyou for the advise, I will print off the info and take it to show the vet.

Thanks
Dawn

ANSWER: Hi Dawn

Do you know of the Vet I suggested above? I was just curious. Also, if you want to let me know who you see, I can save their name and if someone needs a vet in your area I can suggest them? I only have one name for An exotic vet in France as I stated earlier.

Also, the sooner the vet sees Indie the better, but Monday isnt that far off. Maybe it will come to a head and simply be an abscess and this will give it time to form. I hope....as I have only seen this type of mass twice, with Pinky and Bigboy.  Many Vets that have seen these photos are stunned as well.  Even Pinkys vet was unfamiliar with the mass and thought it may be a brain tumor till xrays were taken and it showed to be encased within the scalp and skull, not the brain.

Is she acting ok otherwise?

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

QUESTION: Hi Sandra,
No, I do not know the vet you recommended. We are a long way from Paris and I feel it would be to far for the rats. The vet we see is in Rennes in Brittany, which is just over 2 hours drive and about the limit of stress they can take in a car. His name is Dr Tizon Gilles, Clinique de P'Arsenal, 25 Boulevard Voltaire, 35000 Rennes. He has removed a very difficult tumor from my lovely Star. This was on the neck and intwined in the juggular. He himself was worried about this one and its return rate as he could not cut out as deep as he would have liked to. This has showed no signs of returning since February. He also removed another 4 in one go from Star, she has been an unlucky girl with tumors, but not with love. I know he deals with lots of small exotic animals and is a very compassionate man. Indie doesn't seem any different and she is handled a lot so a change would be seen. She is happy and active, eating wee and grinding on my knee as we speak. She is just over 2 1/2 years old.

Thanks
Dawn

Answer
Oh wow I did not know France was so big!  LOL! Someone once told me that it was no bigger than our state of NC!  No matter what, your current vet sounds perfectly capable of taking care of your babies, I would not change a thing. Impressive surgery too, because the neck area, as you said, is a very vascular area and makes removing tumors a bit risky, even if they are mammary in nature and are non invasive, these can become vascular and tap into the blood supply. This can in turn cause problems with bleeding during surgery.  

Your girl is an eldery girl too. With a history of respiratory disease, this does make anesthesia a bit more risky, so its good you have a vet that knows the ropes.  He may or may not chose to even do the surgery.  I would look up his credentials but I cannot read it since its not in english!  LOL          
Please keep me posted on what your plans are etc...I am really hoping this turns out to  be an abscess.