Luke has a lump ...

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2Rats

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Joined
Mar 2, 2013
Messages
702
Location
Texas
I just realized he had this a few days ago. It is fairly soft & I can move it around. It's right in his hip area.
I had a thread titled 'Sarah has a lump' ( that's Luke's sister ) a couple weeks ago & everyone said her's was probably a mammary tumor. What could his be?
Man, at 18 months plus it seems like all hell starts breaking loose on our ratties!
 
Males can get mammary rumours as well its just not as common, but I don't think there is any mammary tissue there, so you're likely looking at a different type of tumour
 
Yeah, I agree it's not likely to be a mammary tumour. Most likely is another type of tumour or abscess. The easiest way to confirm is by fine needle aspiration (FNA). Once you know what it is, you can treat accordingly.
 
Being a nakie, that could be a large keratin cyst but there's no way to know for sure unless the vet checks it.
I always cringe when I realize one of my rats have reached 18 months because that's usually when things happen. Aging is not fun for them.
 
Oh man, sorry about Luke... that is the one thing I hate about the nakies - you see everything no fur to hide the lumps and bumps... which just means more worrying!!! I hope its nothing. That is about the size of the abscess Wally just had on his belly - which has now healed, but it was nasty! We'll keep your ratties in our thoughts..... :grouphug2:
 
Thanks everyone. These are the first "lumps" I have dealt with.
Yeah you can see everything that is visibly wrong with the nakies.

I sure hope I find employment SOON - or it finds me because not only are we broke but we need to get caught up so that I can get an idea how much the ratties are gonna cost for lump removal. Pray they grow very slowly. Dumb question: would Prednisone help slow down the growth for a while or does that just work for PTs? But then it is not good for them to take.
 
Thanks everyone. These are the first "lumps" I have dealt with.
Yeah you can see everything that is visibly wrong with the nakies.

I sure hope I find employment SOON - or it finds me because not only are we broke but we need to get caught up so that I can get an idea how much the ratties are gonna cost for lump removal. Pray they grow very slowly. Dumb question: would Prednisone help slow down the growth for a while or does that just work for PTs? But then it is not good for them to take.

That's actually a good thing about the nakies - we can find problems a lot sooner and take care of them before they get too out of hand.

The pred question would be a good one to ask your vet. Can you afford to just take him in for an exam and FNA to see what type of treatment he needs? You could find out it's a cyst or an abscess you may be able to simply take care of with hot compresses.

I recently had a rat on prednisolone to help shrink---or at least help prevent growth on---a thoracic mass she had. Pred decreases inflammation.
 
This lump has grown a lot since my post.

You agree ? It's freaking me out - I have never seen anything like this before. I've learned lots about Pts , now I am about to get educated on growths. I have a late appointment tomorrow after noon 5pm central time.
I am going to do a " two fer " & take Sarah along too. I suspect a mammary tumor ( but really don't know ) so he might have a quick look at her also. Her growth has grown also but not as massively as her brother Luke's has.
This sucks but I have to know something!

First pic is Luke w/ updated pic. The other is Sarah, not updated pic but this growth is now bigger too.
 
I hope your vet is able to help Luke and Sarah. Luke's tumor (or abscess?!) has grown tremendously. I hope it's not too difficult to treat it now that it's gotten so large.

Let us know what your vet says. Sending positive wishes to you, Luke and Sarah. :)
 
WELL --- I cancelled the appointment until early next week.
I did not want to hear anything bad ( cuz you never know ) until after Thanksgiving, as I have planned to carve them a "late" pumpkin ( missed out on doin it for Halloween ) to have fun nibbling on & exploring & I'll be damned if Lukie & Sarah miss out! As of now I do not believe either is in pain. I do have pain meds but I feel they are ok at this point. Oh ya'll this sucks -- the not knowing.:sad3:

I will post next week after the visit. My husband has dental surgery on Monday & I plan on taking the rats on Tuesday.
 
Aw, poor nakies ... his "lump" is so round almost a perfect circle. I hope its nothing bad ... still hoping for very big cyst. Hope they enjoy their pumpkin.
 
On the other hand, the sooner Luke is seen, the sooner you'll know if you can help him. The longer you wait, the more difficult it is to treat. Is there any way you can get him in to see the vet on Friday or Saturday? That way, whatever treatment he may need can be done early next week. Thinking of you all and sending positive wishes!
 
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