facial swelling

Question
My female rat is about 1 1/2yrs old and has a lump on the left side of her cheek back by her jaw. From what I can tell, its not on her jaw, but she will let me touch it and it has a somewhat squishy feel to it. The only things I've found on the internet are that its an abcess. I don't think we have a rat specialist nearby, but I'm unsure. Could you help me figure out what's wrong with my rat? How does this happen? She seems to have had respiratory problems since we got her and her sister/cagemate hasn't had any problems at all. Could you maybe explain how or why this happened and help me find a local rat specialist? I'm located in Lakeside, CA, please help me take care of my rat, I feel bad not knowing what to do.

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

How long has she had it?

Check out my site, the very bottom of the page and tell me what you think of the last two photos of the rat with the abscess on the side of her face.  Meanwhile I will look for a vet for you.