Large lump on my rat's throat? Abscess or tumor?

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W

Wiley

Guest
Hello, recently my rat Bandit has grown a rather large, round lump on her throat. I am not exactly sure of her age but she is under 3 months old.

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The lump is hard to the touch and the skin seems to move over it. I shaved the area so I could get a better photo, the bald spot is not from hair loss. It seemed to appear overnight, or at least I did not notice it right away.

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I need to know what it is before I can begin treatment. We do not have any nearby vets in my hometown that will look at her because I'm from a small town and the vets here all only care for dogs and cats.

If it is an abscess and it starts looking worse I may need to deal with it myself here at home, as the chance for me to be able to find a vet for her would be extremely slim. Any tips on how I might treat it would be very appreciated.
 
Here is some info on dealing with abscesses http://ratguide.com/health/integumentary_skin/abscess.php

You can apply a warn (not hot) cloth for short periods of time to help an abscess come to a head.
Regardless of whether you do this or not, eventually a dark spot will form and it will rupture allowing pus to escape. You will flush it out a few ties a day (see the link above). An abscess must heal from the inside out so you will not want it to close.
Some abscesses require antibiotics and some require surgery
Sometimes an abscess is associated with a tumor
 
How long have you had Wiley?
Have you brought any new rats home in the last couple of weeks?
Are any of your rats sick/sneezing?
(Trying to rule out SDA virus)
 
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