I didn't expect this so soon! (Another lump)

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Lise

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Messages
428
Location
Winnipeg, MB
I just had a lump (mammary tumor) that I found on Tevy removed a month or so ago. A vet at the clinic I work at did the surgery for me, and did a great job.

Well, it has only been a month and tonight I notice another big lump. They seriously seem to pop up overnight.

I feel so miserable. I knew there was a possibility of another lump returning, but I didn't expect it to be this soon!! Not to mention this one is in an even worse spot... about as high cranially on the mammary tissue as you can get... in between the armpit and her jaw!! If (or when) it grows it will most likely cause issues walking, and eating.

It seems temporary happiness is only followed by more sadness... :(
 
Let us hope that it grows very slowly. Mammary tumours are just awful. :(
I have a lumpy rat here, and I am so sad thinking of Portia's future. Its not bothering her at this point, just bothering me, but I have the sad ability to see into the future. :(

I am sorry Lise. :cry:
 
Oh Lise, I'm so so sorry. Those tumors are a curse, and I can understand how heartbreaking this is for you when you've already had one removed and another occurs... My heart goes out to you, and my hopes that this grows very very slowly and doesn't affect your Tevy badly.
 
Lise said:
I just had a lump (mammary tumor) that I found on Tevy removed a month or so ago. A vet at the clinic I work at did the surgery for me, and did a great job.

Well, it has only been a month and tonight I notice another big lump. They seriously seem to pop up overnight.

I feel so miserable. I knew there was a possibility of another lump returning, but I didn't expect it to be this soon!! Not to mention this one is in an even worse spot... about as high cranially on the mammary tissue as you can get... in between the armpit and her jaw!! If (or when) it grows it will most likely cause issues walking, and eating.

It seems temporary happiness is only followed by more sadness... :(
Click to expand...

Oh Lise, I'm so sorry. :(

Is there any chance of having it removed?
 
No, I won't be having it removed. Like most students I don't have a lot of spare money and another surgery just isn't a viable option -- especially due to the rapid rate of growth I'm guessing it is probably malignant.

She is 25 months old and already the oldest rat I've had though. The only one not afflicted with any respiratory problems at all. Now if only these dang tumors weren't so common. :heart:
 
Oh no, that's so sad.

I have a girl with a bump on her throat. Luckily it doesn't seem to be getting bigger.
 
jorats said:
How old is Tevy?
It's really a horrible feeling to have tumours pop up. :(
Click to expand...

Lise mentioned 25 months, and her oldest girl so far. Lise was it you had had all those badly bred feeder rats that got old at 1 year and died at 16-18 months as the norm?
 
Yep. :( Tevy is my only pet store purchased rat who hasn't been afflicted with respiratory problems for its entire life. Shelagh has listened to my feeder rant a few times now I'm sure. (When you have 3,000 cages of rodents at a time obviously there is no thought to health or care involved.)

I talked to the vet this morning and she reminded me that 1 month to a rat very well may be like 1 year to a human.... and her feeling is that this tumor would have come whether or not I had the other removed. She also said it could still very well be benign and grow slowly -- which is what I am hoping for.
 
My guess it's benign as are most mammary tumours.
I've seen some girls live a good 6 months with their tumours before succumbing to some other illness.
 
I am having a really hard time watching this tumor, it is growing very rapidly.

My boyfriend saw it up close for the first time when she was drinking at the water bottle last night and just said 'oh my god it is huge'. :cry:

It actually isn't "huge" by any means compared to pictures I have seen, but the rate of growth is pretty astonishing.

SO because I love my rat so very much, I will be bringing her back in this weekend for the vet to look at and see if she feels comfortable removing it. Who needs money anyway right.... :(

(The vet on the phone told me "Lise, you know another one is going to come back though right". Pretty disheartening but something inside me is compelling me to do this!)
 
Not only is it heartbreaking but also financially crushing.
But I'd be doing the same as you... if she's healthy, I'd get it removed too. :(
 
24 hours later now I am thinking how silly it is of me to want to do that. She is already geriatric and odds aren't won't live that much longer even if she wasn't tumor plagued. Thinking logically the drawbacks far outweigh the good. Risk of anesthesia, that is alot of money, she is already elderly...

I think if I had an easier time dealing with death in general, then I wouldn't be so scared to sit by and watch and wait. She is still happy, but I just dread that day when the 'turn for the worse' will have occurred. And then making the dreaded decision, which literally tears me apart for days. I have all the respect in the world for people who are able to nurse and care for their sick animals right up until the end and wish I was better equipped to cope with it!

A previous veterinarian in the past joked that if I want a healthy animal, I had better find a new species. But often I think how true that is!
 
I have noticed that many times, when an older rat develops a tumour, they may very well end up passing from something other than the tumour. There has been rats living with a tumour for over 6 months before the need to be pts.
Hopefully, this will be slow growing, they can start fast but end slowly and this will give you many more months with her.
 

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