Face tumor?

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Mandon

Mandon

Senior Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2014
Messages
344
Location
British Columbia, Canada
Repost of a reply I did on my last thread since nobody was responding to it. + I have concerns.

Not so happy update..

I brought Momo to the vet again because the baytril didn't make the lump shrink and her teeth were overgrown again, and after poking at it again... it would seem that the lump wasn't an abscess at all, but a tumour, because it was hard and didn't bring out any pus when she used the needle. Fiona gave me a new pill to crush and try on Momo but we're both pretty sure it won't work... She also gave me metacam to keep Momo comfortable while we try it.

I'm trying this pill for a week, but to me... this is a goodbye week, because if it doesn't work - which it almost certainly won't.... I'm going to seriously consider having her put to sleep, because I can't imagine a scenario where she's comfortable with that lump, and I can't afford to keep getting her teeth trimmed every week, which is the rate they grow without her able to chew hard foods.

It feels like I've been punched in the heart... because I was so optimistic since the last few appointments.. I thought it would be as simple as getting the abscess treated, and everything would be okay again... but some battles can't be won I suppose, and that fact devastates me...

I'm just going to enjoy this week with her and try to hope for the best.. but I don't feel too hopeful right now.

Now... we return back to the original conflict I had when we talked about euthanasia. Despite having a misaligned jaw and a possible tumour in her cheek, Momo doesn't seem particularly uncomfortable. She's still eating and drinking... but I'm still not sure if she's in pain or not. I know I'd be in her shoes. But it's still tough.. to hold the power of life and death in your hands and make that call.
 
I know what you mean. My old girl Tachee, it was almost the same thing. She was 41 months old and it seemed just when I thought I found a solution to one thing, she pops something else. Just like a punch in the stomach. I'm so sorry this is happening to you and your sweetheart. I agree, this should be our goodbye week. That is probably a facial tumour or a deep seeded tooth abscess both are not curable. I remember with Tachee, the morning I found one side of her face swollen and with pus coming out of her eye, I cried so much. I knew she had a good life but... still. We always hope don't we. I then realized, maybe they just aren't suppose to live that long anyway. I'm really sorry Mandon.
 
I had a boy once that had two facial abscesses, one they could drain and one was solid and nothing came out of it. The vet figured he had bone cancer, but test results came back negative. Did they get anything out to look at under a microscope? Anyway, he got metacam and tramadol for pain - once pain was controlled he would eat again and flagyl got rid of the hard abcess, whenever he came off the flagyl the abscess/lump would come back. Is the lump moveable or atttached? His was moveable.
 
dspch911 said:
s the lump moveable or atttached? His was moveable.
Click to expand...

It feels very attached. Entirely unmovable. And Momo does nothing but sleep and eat the mush I made for her. It's hard to spend time with her now because she isn't as curious as she was and it feels like she just wants to be put back in her cage every time I take her out.
 
Mandon said:
It feels very attached. Entirely unmovable. And Momo does nothing but sleep and eat the mush I made for her. It's hard to spend time with her now because she isn't as curious as she was and it feels like she just wants to be put back in her cage every time I take her out.
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sleeping and eating is what most older pets do, it's not a bad life so long as they are not in pain.
You've had the past 3 weeks plus to spend time with her and you mentioned having some good times, hanging out, and now, she wants to rest, and that's ok.

I am sorry that she can't be cured, but glad you both have has this extra time to be together and for you to adjust to the idea that it's coming up to the time to say goodbye.
it is never easy...but sometimes it helps to have that extra time so you have no regrets over the amount of time you spent with her or how much attention she got; clearly she's been fussed over quite a lot the past month or so.
you can feel good knowing that you've done everything you could.

the vet gave you metacam so that suggests that the vet believes there's pain. I think it would be a really good idea to discuss the next step with your vet and see what their thinking is about saying goodbye.
 
Petunia said:
sleeping and eating is what most older pets do, it's not a bad life so long as they are not in pain.
You've had the past 3 weeks plus to spend time with her and you mentioned having some good times, hanging out, and now, she wants to rest, and that's ok.

I am sorry that she can't be cured, but glad you both have has this extra time to be together and for you to adjust to the idea that it's coming up to the time to say goodbye.
it is never easy...but sometimes it helps to have that extra time so you have no regrets over the amount of time you spent with her or how much attention she got; clearly she's been fussed over quite a lot the past month or so.
you can feel good knowing that you've done everything you could.

the vet gave you metacam so that suggests that the vet believes there's pain. I think it would be a really good idea to discuss the next step with your vet and see what their thinking is about saying goodbye.
Click to expand...

I haven't been spending as much time as I would have liked these last few weeks, actually.. but I don't particularly regret that because Momo didn't actively want to be handled. I think a part of me will always regret all the healthy days I could have spent with her, but over the course of 2 years, which is roughly how long I've owned her - I think I've done alright by her.

This makes me feel kind of bad but it's not just Momo's comfort levels that are making me consider euthanasia. Because her jaw is misaligned, her teeth become overgrown within a week and I simply can't afford to get them trimmed at the vet so often. I have four other rats besides Momo that could develop conditions of their own at any point, so it feels irresponsible to spend so much money prolonging a life for Momo that's hindered by discomfort (and possibly pain). I'll ask Fiona if there's a way I can trim Momo's teeth at home but then there's also the quality of life to consider. And I don't believe Momo's life is very good right now, if she is in pain - so I am certainly considering having her put down before she gets worse.. which I know she will. :(
 
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dspch911 said:
This is Throttle's thread maybe it will help
http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30638&highlight=throttle&page=3
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Well the symptoms seem pretty similar, except that Momo doesn't squeak when I touch her lump... and I believe she can open up her jaw.

The vet gave me clavaseptin, but they're like 1/8th pieces of 50mg tablets. However, half the week is almost up and the growth hasn't changed in any way. Baytril didn't do anything either.. so I'm at my wit's end. Even if it is an infection, I can't afford all the antibiotics you used on Throttle.. I'm really conflicted here.

Andrew found pus in it the week before I took Momo back, but when Fiona stuck a needle in it she couldn't draw out anything except blood. We think the pus Andrew found was from the potential tumour being abscessed.

I'm just so conflicted right now because I don't want to say goodbye to Momo at all, because whenever I take her out of her cage, she doesn't want to stay with me for long. I feel like I can't get the goodbye cuddles I wanted.
 
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jorats said:
When rats get old, they lose the ability to clean their ears so they can get waxy.
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Okay well that.. would be a relief under any other circumstance. x.x I checked Momo's lump again and it feels as hard as a rock, and possibly attached to the jaw.

I'm not very optimistic right now... Even considering the facial lump, Momo still has that giant mammary tumour that's growing ever larger. It's only a matter of time before it's too big for her to move around comfortably, and she's too old for surgery.
 
She's clearly in pain right now... the metacam must not be working. She keeps jerking her head up like before and pawing the air.

It's with a heavy heart that I say this, but I don't see any other option here. >.<
 
I called our clinic and I'm having her put to sleep tomorrow at 4:00. I've been thinking about this a lot this past week and there doesn't seem to be any other option, especially since I've noticed her eye starting to bulge out.

I guess what I want to know now is whether or not I should pester her in the time we have left together. She doesn't seem to want it and the only peace she seems to get is when she can rest on her own. It seems selfish to handle her if she doesn't want it..
 
I'm so sorry. Just do what you think is best for her. You know her better than anyone. Dose her up good on metacam and spoil her by mashing up her fave foods. All you can do is make her comfortable and dont be afraid to grieve. It's ok. But also, please don't forget to celebrate her and her life too. She really is lovely and has been very well taken care of. You are lucky to have each other. Give her a kiss from me. Thinking of you.
 
Mandon said:
I called our clinic and I'm having her put to sleep tomorrow at 4:00.
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I am so sorry.

Mandon said:
I guess what I want to know now is whether or not I should pester her in the time we have left together. She doesn't seem to want it and the only peace she seems to get is when she can rest on her own. It seems selfish to handle her if she doesn't want it..
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you've answered your own question, hon. She wants to rest, let her rest. Remember you've had her for a long time, she's had a life time of being loved on, what happens in the last day or hours is just a tiny fraction of that. I'm sure you've got tons of great memories of the times you've spent together.
May those memories bring you comfort in the days ahead.
 
Petunia said:
I am so sorry.



you've answered your own question, hon. She wants to rest, let her rest. Remember you've had her for a long time, she's had a life time of being loved on, what happens in the last day or hours is just a tiny fraction of that. I'm sure you've got tons of great memories of the times you've spent together.
May those memories bring you comfort in the days ahead.
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I'm still having a tough time coping with this decision. Because there are moments where Momo's eating and looking like herself, and I feel guilty that I'm going to bring her in tomorrow to be killed when she's still eating and cuddling with her sisters. >< But those moments where she's clearly in pain, jerking her head up and pawing the air are far more frequent.

Deep down I think I'm making the right choice.. I mean I'm certain this thing can't be treated, and it's only going to get worse.. but even still - the tiny shred of doubt I do have, however irrational it might be makes me feel conflicted. I've never had to make this choice before. With Pepper and Daisy, nature did. But this is totally different.. it's really hard not to feel like I'm killing my precious girl.
 
this may help you- it's written with cats/dogs in mind but applies to all pets
http://www.petmd.com/blogs/thedaily...n_to_euthanize_a_pet_a_vets_perspective-11246


from all my experience in having to make this decision, something I have done more than a dozen times, this is absolutely true:
"My clients frequently tell me how worried they are that they might step in too early. To this I reply, "Better a week too early than an hour too late." I have seen what the "hour too late" looks like and would do anything to spare pets and their owners this level of suffering. In my 12 years of veterinary practice, I have never had a single owner tell me that they wished they had waited longer to euthanize, but countless people have said that they wished they would have stepped in sooner."
 
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That does help. Thank you

Momo's quality of life has gone downhill since this condition came around. She no longer comes up to greet me like she used to.. she no longer tries to jump on my lap and get to the carpet, and all she does is eat ravenously [because of the tumour] and sleep.

And it's as the person who wrote the article said.. things can get worse. I've seen it happen first hand.

Thank you for sharing that with me. I'll always regret not being able to spend extensive time with Momo to say goodbye, but at least I know I'm making the right decision.
 
I gave Momo a plentiful meal of leftover chocolate cake half an hour ago and she just finished it. It's hard for her to eat due to her jaw, but she absolutely loved it. It felt nice to give her people food that I wouldn't normally allow her to eat. She can brag about it to Pepper and Daisy when she goes over to the bridge tomorrow.
 
Lol I love that she got some serious cake! Honestly, it's time to let go when quality of life has diminished and shows no signs of returning. Humans aren't given the luxury of being able to be put peacefully to sleep, but luckily rats have their guardians that love them, step in and help them to a peaceful passing when they need it the most. You are not killing her hun, you mustn't think like that - you're only torturing yourself and Momo wouldn't want that for you, would she? You've done right by her and given her an amazing life that she's thoroughly enjoyed. It's a act of incredible mercy, and one that animals are fortunate enough to have. You are doing right by her. Thinking of you and I promise that the pain will get easier with time.
 

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