mammory tumor

Question
My rat, Molly, has a tumor that appears to be a mammary tumor on her chest.  It is growing very rapidly - maybe the size of a ping pong ball.  She is eating and acting fine.  She does not seem to be in pain.  I have consulted a vet and his advice was to just let it run its course since treatment would be over $300 and possibly not successful given her age.  Molly is 2 years old and rather plump.  She still gets around fine but if this tumor continues to grow, I fear she will not be able to walk. How do I know if she is in any pain?  How long can she live with this type of tumor? Do you recommend that I get this tumor removed?

Thanks,

Cheryl Clark

Answer
Hi Cheryl


I absolutely suggest removing this tumor. It will claim her life eventually and its something that can be easily taken care of by a qualified Veterinary surgeon, there is no reason to put her through having a mammary tumor claim her life when it can be removed. She is not too old. We even remove them on rats that are almost 3 years old. A simple blood test to check her out to be sure her heart and liver and kidneys are all working properly is all that is needed prior to surgery. Once you get the thumbs up on the blood work, there should be no problems as long as the vet is qualified to do this and has the proper tools for surgery on small mammals and will not use substitutes that are meant for dogs and cats.

Check out my website for info on what unfolds if you allow the tumor to remain so you can understand how the tumor will eventually take its toll on her. It will not only interfere with walking but it will become vascular, tapping into her blood supply and will start to rob her body of nutrients needed to sustain healthy organ function.


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



Is your vet an exotic vet, (board certified) or simply a vet that sees exotics but is not a full fledged exotic vet. There is a big difference  between the two and often fool many rat owners by not telling them they are NOT real exotic vets but just know a little bit extra about small mammals they refer to as "pocket pets"

If you need another vet please allow me to give you some names of vets in your area that are exotic vets. No obligation of course.  

I would need to know your location.  Also if you would like me to check the credentials on the vet your seeing now, make the follow up private and let me know who it is your seeing.  Again, there is no reason why she  cannot have this removed.  As I said earlier, check out my webpage on mammary tumors and see photos of other rats that had surgery that was successful, including my 3 year old rat Holly, who had a huge tumor removed when she was 3 years old!