Hunter's Gone :(

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Last night I came home around 12 o'clock to find Hunter lying on his side in the middle of his cage with his sides sucking in. I immeditaly picked him up but he acted like he never new who I was and he was all confused. I laid him on the couch with eveyone but he just fell to the right side. I then put him on the floor to see if he would try to walk, he did but kept falling to the right side and draging that side of his body, at this point he was still confused. I gave him a cheerio, he tried to eat with both hand but had to keep outting his right foot down for balance. I then laid him in my laps and called the e-vet on call. I was on the phone for about 15 minutes, after the phone call Hunter got up and started walking around normally. As soon as I got off the phone we rushed to the vet. Going down there I thought we would come back with the diagnosis of a stroke or PT. The vet on call is not our normal vet, as he is on hoidays but luckly this vet works with my normal vet and is quiet experienced with rat's. He checked for everything, finally he was feeling him all over and felt a mass about the Size of a mable on his right side right where he spleen is. The vet said that it feels to him like a tumor in the spleen (as he has delt with these before), and that these symptoms were from the tumor ruptering. He informed me that tumors in the spleen are usally pretty agressive and grow quickly. He gave me 3 examples:

Humans could live 1-2 years.
Cat's & Dosg - 1-2 months
Rat's - 1-2 weeks

He suggested that we do exploratory surgery to confirm that it is actually a tumor on the spleen. He said if he opens him up and it is a tumor on the lseepn that he would check to see if it has spread and if it has not then he will go ahead and remove it.

He sent me home with Pred twice a day to keep the inflammation down and to hopefully slow the growth, if in fact it is actually a tumor.

If it has spread, he wont be removing it as it will only grow back and be hard on the lil guy.

My regual vet dose not get back in town until next tuesday wjhich is too long of a wait ..the tumor if it is that could spread more and more. I really wish he were in town.
The vet who will be doing it is very experienced and actually did one last week and was sucessful.
Hunter is in very good health at 14 months old. He has not had any problems up to this date. He was neutered about 6-8 months ago.

I have seprated the girls from Hunter & Toby for teh time being. The girls live on the top party of the FN and Hunter & Toby live in the bottom half. The vet said to keep Hunter from any rough activities and to make sure he rests until surgery on Tuesday as he dose not want this thing to rupter anymore.

I am very very nervous having Hunter go in for surgery after just loosing his brother bruno from havign a heart attack waking up from his neuter.

please send lots of healing vibes, good new vibes and prayers Hunters way as he will need lots of them :heart:

Right now Hunter is eating and rinking well. he was alittle tired last night but today seems back to himself. Is there anythign special I should be feeding him?


Let's hope that the tumor is benign or not a tumor at all


Hunter & His sissy (Sophie)
IMG_7240.jpg
 
Just back from the e-vet, thank god we got an experienced one with rats, not our normal vet though.
He told us Hunter has a tumor in his spleen, you can feel it too. He said the symptoms Hunter was having was a rupture. By the time we got to the vet he was acting normal again. He is now acting very quiet. We have pred for him, and surgery to go in and see what it is.
Has anyone experienced this? what should I do?
 
My Jersy had a lump on his spleen as well but we decided to just go with Baytril to start. It turned out to be some type of infection and he completely recovered and the lump went away after two weeks.
Gosh it's scary when things happen that fast. I hope your little guy gets better.
 
I'm so sorry. I'm glad you were able to get him to the vet quickly. I hope whatever it is clears up and Hunter starts feeling better soon. :hugs:
 
The vet said if it is a tumor on the spleen, it could be a matter of 2 weeks. So should I go ahead and get him opened to see what it is?
 
Also I have separated the double FN so the girls are on top & Hunter & Toby on bottom, as the vet said any rough activity could cause it to rupture again which is bad.
 
Hunter seems to be in no pain this morining and is eating fine.
Has anyone experiecnced a spleen tumor before?
 
I would get x-rays done to see if its adhered to the spleen or wrapped around it. Most times it is, and the surgery wouldn't work. :( I am sorry. I normally don't even try surgery for internal masses.
 
The vet I will be going to is not my normal vet, it's the same vet office I go to but myy normal vet is on holidays. This vet has done this surgery befor with sucess.
He told me x-rays would only show that something is there, which there clearly is because you can feel it. He said I cat scan would show everything but we dont have that machine here.
He told me the surgery would cost 200 to go in and see if it is actually a tumor in the spleen and if it has spread to other areas. If it has not spread to other areas he will remove the spleen and it would cost 400.
he gave me examples of the lifespan with splen tumors, humans 1 - 2 years, cats 1-2 months, rats 1-3 weeks.
He said the symptoms Hunter showed last night was the tumor rupturing which caused him pain to the right side because thats the side the mass is located.

So all we know right now is that there is a mass in the area of his spleen on the right side that staring giving him pain last night and the only way too find out what before its to late is surgery.

I really ddont know what to do and I really wish my regualr vet were back from holidays :(
 
If you have the money, go for it. Most vets would charge the full $400 even if they only opened them up, found it to be impossible to do anything and close them up. The fact that yours will open and looksee for $200 is good.
 
jorats said:
My Jersy had a lump on his spleen as well but we decided to just go with Baytril to start. It turned out to be some type of infection and he completely recovered and the lump went away after two weeks.
Gosh it's scary when things happen that fast. I hope your little guy gets better.
Click to expand...

Was the lump clearly visable? or could you only notice when you touched in that area?
 

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