dspch911
Senior Member
Original thread w/picture
http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29819
He saw the vet today and it is a tumor, but we don't know if it is cancer or not and we won't know. There will be no biopsy since I don't see the need to pay for it when the treatment plan isn't going to change. While it would be a simple removal in a healthy rat sadly our boy is not a surgical candidate. His lungs are in bad shape and full of either lung abscesses or possibly tumors. He has quite a hard barrel chest. He will survive surgery, but she doesn't think he will last long after. She has seen too many cases where they make it to the follow up appointment and then go down hill and pass away. The lump did start to bleed today and has a very tiny hole in it so we are watching it to make sure it doesn't rupture. If it does rupture we have been given instructions on what to do to stop the bleeding. He has been put on metacam for 5-7 days.
We have also decided that he will continue on the baytril, doxy, and theophylline for life. I wish I had asked earlier, but they will do a necropsy at no charge for clients so I will consider this when the time comes. While I don't like the idea of having one done to my pets, I do wish I had asked about them sooner and had them done on Oliver and Popper so I could of know exactly what we were up against. Besides, perhaps they could help other rats in the future.
I'm kind of relieved we don't have to make a decision on this and he has made it for us. He has lost weight, but not that much and he is still at a healthy weight - our boys in that cage are chunkers.
http://www.ratshackforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=29819
He saw the vet today and it is a tumor, but we don't know if it is cancer or not and we won't know. There will be no biopsy since I don't see the need to pay for it when the treatment plan isn't going to change. While it would be a simple removal in a healthy rat sadly our boy is not a surgical candidate. His lungs are in bad shape and full of either lung abscesses or possibly tumors. He has quite a hard barrel chest. He will survive surgery, but she doesn't think he will last long after. She has seen too many cases where they make it to the follow up appointment and then go down hill and pass away. The lump did start to bleed today and has a very tiny hole in it so we are watching it to make sure it doesn't rupture. If it does rupture we have been given instructions on what to do to stop the bleeding. He has been put on metacam for 5-7 days.
We have also decided that he will continue on the baytril, doxy, and theophylline for life. I wish I had asked earlier, but they will do a necropsy at no charge for clients so I will consider this when the time comes. While I don't like the idea of having one done to my pets, I do wish I had asked about them sooner and had them done on Oliver and Popper so I could of know exactly what we were up against. Besides, perhaps they could help other rats in the future.
I'm kind of relieved we don't have to make a decision on this and he has made it for us. He has lost weight, but not that much and he is still at a healthy weight - our boys in that cage are chunkers.