Blackie - update

Question
Blackies facial wound looks to have healed, which is a huge relief but she now has another abcess behind her other ear (which I have burst and cleaned up - YUCK!) Assumming that the original lump was also an abcess - this is 2 abcesses in the 7 weeks that I have had her - is this normal? Is there anything I can to prevent these abcesses? Diet change? Environmental? Other??

She currently eats a pet shop bought pre-prepared rat diet - supplemented with lots of salad, fruit & veg, and small quantities of bland carb leftovers (cooked pasta, toast, pizza base), along with occassional treats - mainly yoghurt drops and the odd lick of melted ice cream (she is especially partial to chocolate!)

To help stop the previous wound becoming infected I removed the litter from the cage and replaced with a towel across the bottom of the cage (replaced most days), and a small amount of the bedding material which she likes to use in her toilet corner. I'm also washing and disinfecting the cage base most days.

On a side issue - Blackie also has a tumour (about the size of a small brussell sprout) on the side of her belly. It doesn't appear to be causing her any problems at the moment - she's like a pint sized Houdini!! But it does appear to be slightly larger than when I first got her. I am considering having the lump removed but am a little concerned that her immune system is too run down at the moment. Could the lump make her more prone to problems? Should I let the abscesses heal thoughly before considering surgery? She is only c. 20 months old - and also has asthma... I don't want to put too much stress on her system!!! Thoughts?

Many thanks in advance

Helen (Newbie rat owner)

Answer
Sandra shakes head! Tsk tsk tsk!  LOL

"She currently eats a pet shop bought pre-prepared rat diet - supplemented with lots of salad, fruit & veg, and small quantities of bland carb leftovers (cooked pasta, toast, pizza base), along with occasional treats - mainly yogurt drops and the odd lick of melted ice cream (she is especially partial to chocolate!)"


Lets see.....she needs a HUGE change in her diet. You need to stop using the pet store rat garbage that has absolutely no real nutritional value unless you want to overload her on fats and proteins which lead to being over weight and also the high protein can cause kidney
disease.

She also doesnt need the carbs your giving her such as the pizza or ice cream, unless your using ice cream to bribe her to take her meds.

Try looking over my webpage on my website for info on good rat nutrition.  You will get alot of ideas from it on making your own rat kibble.

http://www.freewebs.com/crittercity/ratsandahealthydiet.htm


As for the tumor surgery, having asthma can make surgery a bit risky when mixed with anesthesia. I would really be careful when it comes to this decision and if you do go ahead with it, be sure the vet is totally capable to handle emergencies and has the ability to keep her overnight in an oxygenated isolette etc... I do feel this would be a greater risk than keeping the  tumor on her. In fact you can opt for a non surgical solution and use either tamoxifen or lupron. Both drugs are used to stop estrogen production which is what fuels the growth of these hormones.  Tamoxifen is for malignant tumors and lupron is for benign tumors. Both have been successful in stopping the growth of mammary tumors.