How Likely is Survival in Surgery to remove a tumur from the throat?

I have just noticed/discovered a tumor on the throat of my last remaining boy. It is about the size of a marble. And while it is not quite directly under the chin and is on the side of the throat, it is still on the throat.

I am not sure what to do. I have just recently spent nearly $500 (australian, which is a very large amount) to try and save his two brothers which failed. I want to save him, but I am sick of paying huge amounts for snake oil which is what VETS seem to sell. But on top of that, the throat will be a tricky place for even a competant vet to operate on (and nothing I have encountered suggests vets are competent).

Sorry, I am very frustrated at he moment. Sigh. I just do not know what to do. (I will probably also post this on Reddit.)

Can you post a few pictures of the lump and your boy?
If people can see it, they ,ight be able to give you a better answer.

Another place to ask is on the facebook group, Real Rat Lovers Want To Know ..... make sure your title is in all capital letters

I am vert sorry that this is happening to you and your rattie boy

Hello,
I have been keeping raats from about 2006-2007 but have not had to deal with tumors for about 5 years now.

Here is a video, it is hard to see, but photos will make it even harder to see. Basically it is the white fur area i am stroking. You can barely feel it on the side, but you can definitely feel it under his chin.

https://youtu.be/T2ZViv3dZNM

I know I am going to have to take him to the vet (if just to make sure it is not something else), but it will cost me $100 just for the consult, so will not be able to do so until next week.

My mom had a rat with a lump near on the throat but it was still mammary tissue there as it goes far up. It was easily removed. But if it's a tumour attacked to the inside, then it's probably impossible to remove.

still have not been to the vet yet, (I rely on others for transport), and it is much more noticeable (from the side) now. It seems to have grown in a week.
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Also recently he is very focused on his penis. He spends a lot of time doing something with it, licking/grooming?, not sure what. Does this mean something? I have no girls, in fact have not had female rats for years, and he has not interacted with a female since he was a baby. Or does it suggest a blockage of somekind? he still eats and drinks, though he has lost weight.

I have had an issue recently with two female possums (who do not like or trust each other), climbing in through my windows at night to raid my pantry (they loved my bag of breadcrumbs), though if they meet they fight. But their scent should not trigger anything in my rat.

As a rat owner that sounds frightening ... I hope there is no way they can get anywhere near him

He could just be grooming .... you could give him an exam if you are concerned

Sounds like his tumour is growing very fast. I hope you can get him vet care asap because the smaller it is, the easier it will be to help him

Yes the possums are a pain. I am not sure how to stop them, other than closing all my windows at night, which I do not want to do. I already shut my boy in his cage at night which he does not like. And last night one of the possums jumped onto my bed, just as I was about to fall asleep. They are the size of a cat/small dog so pretty big size difference between my boy and them. (And though nominally herbivores, they are not opposed to killing/eating small animals). They are frustrating. I have taken a video, and have sent it to the landlord, hopefully they can do something to stop them.

How old is your boy?

Next can you take a video of you grasping the lump? It will help us determine if its really attached or more a lump under the skin? Can you get your fingers around it or does it seem to go deep inside the neck?

Amaginon said:

Yes the possums are a pain. I am not sure how to stop them, other than closing all my windows at night, which I do not want to do. I already shut my boy in his cage at night which he does not like. And last night one of the possums jumped onto my bed, just as I was about to fall asleep. They are the size of a cat/small dog so pretty big size difference between my boy and them. (And though nominally herbivores, they are not opposed to killing/eating small animals). They are frustrating. I have taken a video, and have sent it to the landlord, hopefully they can do something to stop them.

Click to expand...

Hopefully they will not be harmed. is it possible to close off the room that they get into?

Hello,
sorry for the late reply. It burst last week. Finally got to see a vet this morning. They cleaned it and gave me some more medication, Hopefully there is nothing more sinister beneath the wound. I finally found a vet that specialises in "exotics"/rats nearby so that is who I went to. Very expensive though.

It was/is very difficult to film him as my "camera" is in a rather large tablet. So it was awkward to hold him in position with one hand whilst filming with the other.


RE: the Possums. No, it is not really possible to restrict their movements as they climb in every window, even one that requires some rather extreme acrobatics. It is a pain. because I do not like closing all my windows at night, especially with summer coming up. I just do not know how to get rid of them.

Did it exude foul smelling gunk? That sounds like an abscess, thankfully
You can/should flush it out with isotonic saline (same salinity as our body) twice a day. No ointments as it encourages healing over, and the body needs to heal from the bottom up to the skin surface so nothing is trapped under a scab, otherwise it could recur again.

Amaginon said:

RE: the Possums. No, it is not really possible to restrict their movements as they climb in every window, even one that requires some rather extreme acrobatics. It is a pain. because I do not like closing all my windows at night, especially with summer coming up. I just do not know how to get rid of them.

Click to expand...

Do people use screens or some type of grid on their windows to keep out animals and/or insects?

Yes, but I live in an old sub-divided queenslander (a type of large house built in over a century ago). So it uses louvres for a lot of the windows. They are great for leaving open during evenings to get a breeze, but also makes it difficult for the use of screens (and tend to break in a heavy hail storm).

I did not really smell anything, but I tend to have a poor sense of smell anyway. I have two medications for him, but I will try to clean it (if he lets me).