Mammory tumors & Lupron

Question
I have a pet rat, (female) that has 2 mammory tumors. One is about the size of a grape, and dosen't change its size. The other tumor is about twice the size and growing. I read about the lupron suggestion. Every vet I talk to seems to know nothing about using lupron on rats. Do you know how or where I could get this medication? Is it prescription only? Thankyou very much.

Answer
Hi Mark

Are you see actual exotic vets that are board certified?  If your seeing general DVMs, they probably wont have a clue about using lupron.  It is widely used in Ferrets to treat problems with their adrenal glands too, so these exotic vets are well aware of its use. Let me know your location and I will give you some names of vets that can help.  It is prescription only.  Also, it will only work if the tumors are benign so they need to be tested to see if they are benign or cancerous first.

If they are cancerous, tamoxifen can be used. This drug is used in humans to treat breast cancer and is successful in treating rats with mammary tumors that are malignant.