Mammary tumor surgery

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chiahua

Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2007
Messages
21
Location
Columbus, OH
My girl Meara is going to have her surgery on Feb 12. I couldn't schedule for next week cos surgeon's schedule was full, but two weeks is a REALLY LONG WAIT especially now that I'm all worried. She will be on Baytril until the surgery day just to clear out any bad bug she might have. I noticed the lump on her inner thigh about 4 weeks ago; it was maybe the size of a cherry pit back then and has grown to the size a nickle. I wonder if there is anything I could do to slow down the growth of this mass so that the surgery may be less complicated. Or perhaps something I could do in the meantime to make the whole process go easier?
I guess I don't really know how to deal with the emotions since this is the first time. :(
 
I'm sorry you're going through this. :( Mammary tumors are so common, one of mine has a similar dilemma. There's nothing you can do to slow the growth but you can just give her some extra love. :) The surgery may go just fine and you could very well have much more time with her.
 
I so hate mammary tumours. And yes, 2 weeks is a long wait but nothing much you can do about that. Lots of worry for you in the meantime.

Since I've started getting all my females spayed, they no longer have mammary tumours. So something to keep in mind.
 
How old is your girl? As Jo mentioned, spays have shown to reduce the instances of mammary tumors recurring. Unfortunately, just a removal of the tumor doesn't mean it won't come back, and often times they do eventually pop back up. It might be an idea to ask your vet if they could just do the spay while your girl is under for the removal. Many vets do this all the time, and it's much, much easier on the rat since they only have to be anesthetized once.

It is awful having to wait for a procedure, since all your worries eat at you the entire time. Sadly, there's not a whole lot you can do within 2 weeks to help slow that tumor down. Good luck to both you and your girl!
 
Meara is about 19 months old now. My vet doesn't recommand spaying her at this point and I probably would not put her through the surgery again if the tummor comes back (oh no, please don't come back!!) just because it's too much suffering once she reaches 2 yrs.

She's been on baytril for a few days and the funny thing is that the lump seems to shrink a little! I read somewhere on this board that a tumor-looking lump turned out to be an abscess after the rattie was treated with baytril? Hmm I am paying close attention to Meara's lump. Hope she might be as lucky!
 
OK, I took Meara to the vet this morning and am going to pick her up as soon as they call me... I am hoping with my heart everything is going well. I just can't wait to see her again! I plan to stay at home with her tomorrow so I can keep an eye on her. I also hope that she will not chew on the stiches etc.

Is there anything I should (or should not) feed her after surgery so that she can recovery better?
 
Lots of good luck and healing vibes for your sweetie!!

I give mine Ensure after surgery and soy milk. Anything to get them eating, which will help them gather their energy.
 
I hope your little girl did well in surgery and that she heals up quickly. I'm glad you will be able to stay with her and monitor her for your peace of mind - and I'm sure she'll be a happy spoiled little patient :)
Good thoughts to you Meara.
 
Thanks for all your good wishes.

How long does it usually take for a mammary tumor removal and then for them to wake up from anesthesia?

I thought the surgery was scheduled to be done in the morning. So I called my vet at 3pm and they told me Meara has not been in the surgery room yet and they will call me when she is coming out of anethesia. :x

It's almost 5pm now and I really am starting to worry. Because earlier they told me they would keep Meara in the hospital overnight if she doesn't wake up well... That's the main reason I wanted to schedule for the morning because I didn't want to leave her there overnight! First I doubt someone would stay in the clinic 24hrs and I don't trust leaving her alone for such a long time. Second, that will probably jack up a couple hundred dollars in my bill. The estimate cost is from $245 if everything goes well to 600+ if she has to stay the night. Gee... the vet will be closed at 7pm and I really really really hope everything will work out in time.
 
God, this is sucking terribly.

Lots of clinics DO have someone that stays overnight. But I don't blame you for being peeved.
 
I'd definitely tell them that on the phone when they call...you scheduled the appointment for the morning so you wouldn't have to cover an unnecessary overnight stay.
 
I have to bring mine in at 9 in the morning and they are home around 1. Can you call them? My clinic also has someone stay overnite if some animals need them. Good luck for your sweetie.
 
Hope Meara is doing well and she was able to come home with you. When raina had her tumor removed they let me take her home around 2ish and I dropped her off at 8. She was still kinda out of it a little but did very well the vet said. We'll send you and your rattie some good thoughts!
 
I finally got to pick up Meara last night. The vet put an e-collar on her although, as someone else in the forum already mentioned, that thing didn't do much in terms of keeping her from reaching the incision. The only good thing was that Meara was very upset with the collar so she spent more time trying to get rid of it than trying to rip her stiches :lol: . So the collar was off and destroyed 3 hours after we got home. She did pull the stiches last night so I kept petting her and scratching her neck (she stopped when I did that) until she fell asleep. I was with her until 2 in the morning and finally she stopped pulling her stiches as much and I was too tired to stay up.

As soon as I opened the cage door this morning, she came out like she was so ready to run around in the house as usual. The incision is clean of discharge and the stiches seem to stay on. Her doctor told me he used laser to seal small blood vessels so I guess that did help reduce bleeding. She still licks the incision frequently; I let her do that but I watch and make sure she doesn't try to rip it open.

She hasn't touched her rat food at all. My boyfriend looked up Rimadyl online and found that loss of appetite is one of the side effects. I'm so glade I bought some Ensure and soy milk last night (thank you Jorat!) because she really likes them. I have been feeding her every few hours. She also takes baby food and breakfast cereals. She doesn't seem to be bothered by the incision as much now so hopefully everything will be fine from now!! :)
 
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