rat tumour inflamed

Question
Hi
My beautiful rat sam who is 2 years and 3 months old has a benign tumour underneath him that is being rubbed raw when he walks along I only let him play on my bed now and have covered it in satin so the rubbing is reduced, I have also been bathing it 3 times a day with salt water which the vet advised. He is still such a happy little thing so I dont want to get him put to sleep is there anything I can do for him? I fear this will turn into an ulcer  and it will then be too late for him. Please help.
Thanks
Rachel

Answer
Hi Rachel

Well, this may help you, I am hoping.  My boy, Santana, who is 33 months old, also has a benign mammary tumor on his abdomen, like your boy has. His is about the size of a grape and I have chosen NOT to remove it because of the location mainly and also the fact he has had a few lung infections that make me a bit leary due to anesthesia related complications etc..  I am always the first one to jump and say "REMOVE THE TUMOR, DONT LET AGE BE A FACTOR"  but there are other factors to consider as well, such as the over all health of the rat no matter the age, and the location of the tumor.  Location is critical because of the way it heals etc...  a tumor located on the abdomen of a young spry buck that is still climbing cages 100 mph and running and jumping and carrying his tail high and proud would be a good candidate to have abdominal mass removed because he wont be dragging his belly along the ground.  However, older rats, or even rats that are a bit on the overly chubby side are poor candidates for this surgery because the new incision will be subjected to lots of dirt and debris and friction from being dragged etc....   I see nothing but serious complications post op for my rat if he has the surgery and my vet agrees, which is why he still has it after several months.  That said, your question is perfect timing.  "What do we do for them when the mass becomes large enough that it is dragging along on the ground and may possibly cause serious irritation and even ulceration?"

The answer is pretty simple, and you are already doing it for the most part.  Is the mass already opened and infected?

He should be put on oral antibiotics for sure, and the reason is to reduce the chance that he gets a systemic infection. Has the vet ever mentioned using steroids to help with inflammation?  Sometimes it can even aide in shrinking the mass to an extent.

Also, try using some antibiotic ointment on it as well. It may smear on your satin sheets though.

Next, pad his cage. Use several layers of fleece. You can buy fleece in bulk right from a discount store for a few bucks a yard and all you will need is a few yards, say, around 2 or so.  This way his body will touch the soft fleece rather than a hard cage surface. Depending on the way your cage is set up etc....   you can lift off each shelf and wrap the fleece around it that way.  Also remove all litter from the bottom of the cage if he isnt litter trained. Now is the time to do it.  Simply remove all litter and put in small shallow tray or even use a shoe box with the sides cut out so he can scoot in and out easily   Keep the litter clean of course.

Please let me know if his mass is ulcerated.

There is never any need to put a rat to sleep unless he is absolutely miserable and has no quality of life.