Mammory Tummors.

Question
QUESTION: Hi Sandra,
I have posted this on another experts profile but i would like to see what you suggest as i think you are more experienced with this kind of thing also when i was on here earlier it did say you was on vacation. I am a vet nurse (unqualified) so i have some medical experience. I've had rats for about 7 years now. my current rat is 2 now and i recently discovered a lump close behind her front leg and my sister said she saw her having what she described as a fit, which i suspected was a stroke as she lost her balance when i later got her out of the cage. I took her to the vet i work with and he gave me oral marbocyl (anti-biotics) to see if the loss of balance was a middle ear infection. she hasn't lost her balance since but she hasn't had what my sister described as a fit. so I'm convinced it was stroke! i then checked the lump today to see if it had grow in size and have found another lump on the opposite side in the same place along with one next to her anus and one on her chest in the middle of her two front legs. They are all around the same size, a bit bigger than a marble. I was wondering if you could suggest the best possible route to take, i was planning on having the lump removed but now I'm worried if having all four done will be worth risking her life and if the risks of her having problems during surgery are greatly increased. She is otherwise well in herself except she is over weight as other family members feed her treats constantly and telling them not to feed her doesn't work, they don't seem to care or understand the risks that come with her being overweight.

Many Thanks Amber.

ANSWER: Hi Amber


First of all, there are two Sandra's on here. One is Sandra Todd, which is me, and the other is Sandra Beasley, who is on vacation and only takes 1 question per day when she is here, although her advice is very valuable. She will be gone for a while according to her profile.
You may have been trying to reach her instead of me so I just wanted to clear that up. I have not been on vacation and I answer as many as 10 questions per day or more. I dont have a limit of what I will answer or not answer.  I am not sure who you may have written to unless it was Janell?
Well either way, I just thought I would clear that up so there was no confusion as to who you wrote to for advice. :)
On to the topic at hand:

MAMMARY TUMORS :(

I just despise mammary tumors!
Since you have some medical background this should be real easy for you to understand and perhaps convey it back to your vet.

As you know, mammary tumors can rob the female rat of her life pretty fast, especially with having several at once. Once these tumors become vascular, they will start to rob the rat of her nutrients despite how much she eats and sooner or later (more sooner than later) her vital organs will no longer be able to sustain healthy levels due to lack of proper nutrition. She will start to lose weight in astonishing numbers and grow weak.  I would advise having the larger ones removed first and if the vet is a skilled surgeon with exotics and uses sevoflurane or isoflurane and has the proper implements needed to suit a small animal including the correct size needles (30 gage) for IV fluids in emergencies and her vital signs are carefully and constantly monitored and the table used both during and after surgery are properly heated to help retain body heat, she should do fine.  Being overweight is not a huge deal unless it has caused problems with her heart so I would opt for some labs to be done on her blood first to check out her over all health status first before going on with surgery. I have had rats near 3 pounds under for 90 minutes and do great with recovery.
Of course you know there are risks no matter what, and medicine is a practice, never a guarantee.
Another option is to have the larger tumors removed first and start her on monthly injections of lupron.  This hormone is used to halt production of estrogen which is what fuels the mammary tumors in the first place.
As soon as the rats estrus cycle halts, estrogen levels rise and this promotes growth of mammary tumors as well as pituitary tumors.
Stopping estrogen production has greatly reduced the growth or these pesky tumors in many cases.
Of course the best way to prevent all of this is to have any female rat spayed at the age of 3 to 4 months and this will cut back the chances of ever dealing with mammary tumors by 80 percent.

I would not allow any vet that is not super experienced do surgery on my rat though unless he or she has extensive knowledge in rats.

I am going to take a guess and say your in the UK because the use of
marbocyl threw me off a bit.  
To treat inner ear infection, the best route to take would be baytril along with something for inflammation (not sure what names you would have there, we use metacam here in the US and sometimes steroids if the symptoms are severe) but if it was a stroke, has she recovered from it and were there any permanent changes in her motor skills?

I would hate to see her have to have her life shortened from having these tumors and after having her checked out by a professional with small mammals and having some blood work done, my opinion is I would go on with the surgery, removing the larger, more vascular tumors and starting her on lupron injections once a month.

Hope this helps



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: i forgot to add in that her recovery from what we think is a stroke very well. she hasn't lost her balance since and shes not tilting her head or having problems co-coordinating. I have noticed shes been a bit restless but i think its because she cant get comfortable because of the tumors she has. Having three by her front legs means she cant snuggle up in a ball like usual.

thanks Amber

ANSWER: Stroke should not be ruled out although its amazing that she has had no other symptoms since.  OFten one stroke proceeds another.
Maybe the tumors made her lose her balance?  Not sure if that could happen since I dont know how she looks. I have had fat boys roll around like roly polys trying to get up on their feet as if they lost their balance but their belly was the obstacle in the way.  LOL

Here is a list of every vet in the UK that I know of that is a member of the Association of Exotic mammal Vets.  Maybe there is someone near you?

The metacam we use is Available in a 10ml bottle and the dose is as follows:

It usually starts as a higher dose for the first dose and drops down lower for the second dose and after that, its every 24 hours.
Dosage:  0.4mg to 0.2mg/kg once as initial dose and then maintenance dose 0.2mg to 0.1mg/kg  every 24hrs
If there is a dropper in the bottle you can use it as well and follow these directions:

0.1 mL = 2 drops= 0.2mg



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: hiya, i tried the website on the Association of Exotic mammal Vets and sadly there isnt a vet near me. im finding it very hard to find a specialist that i know has the experience and the equipment to perform the surgery! nits amazing just how much more you know than what my boss does about rats! i just hope i can find a veterinary surgery soon before it gets worse! on a positive note she has got a lot more effectionate but a little too clingy towards me! its a shame i cant take her everywhere with me! lol. thanks so much for your help! really apprieciate it!

Amber

Answer
This is going to drive me NUTS!  I wont give up....where are you located?

I will find a vet for you, I promise to try my best....even if they are not exotic vets, just one that has a special interest in exotics which means they do have some extra studying done on them but are not certified.


I will try to help best I can....I wish I knew my geography better! LOL!