Hello all! I was just seeking advice on next steps for our rat.
Our 2-2.5 year old girl had a tumor removed back in july. She had an extremely rough recovery, lost a lot of weight due to food refusal despite our efforts to keep her fed, and was just generally miserable for an entire week. Flash forward 2 months later, yet another tumor had shown up. We decided that we didn't want to put her through another surgery due to her age and previous difficulties. The tumor is getting pretty big- almost golf ball sized now. It does not impact her ability to move and climb in cage, but has affected her ability to jump up and down on couch which we assist with. She appears to be slowing down energy wise however, eating a tad less and not wanting to play when she has her roaming free time- all she wants to do is lay on couch with us and sleep.
Im having a difficult time determining if it's rearing towards her time or if she is depressed due to losing her sister in November. We decided we would hold off on getting more rats for a while due to my allergies being pretty severe with them so unfortunately she's alone. But we take her out of cage for several hours of the day in increments.
What are some warning signs that she may be getting closer to dying? I dont want to wait until her quality of life is completely impacted or too late, but I also don't want to put her to sleep too soon. I want her to be able to have the best quality of life without suffering. Any suggestions would be helpful!
Our 2-2.5 year old girl had a tumor removed back in july. She had an extremely rough recovery, lost a lot of weight due to food refusal despite our efforts to keep her fed, and was just generally miserable for an entire week. Flash forward 2 months later, yet another tumor had shown up. We decided that we didn't want to put her through another surgery due to her age and previous difficulties. The tumor is getting pretty big- almost golf ball sized now. It does not impact her ability to move and climb in cage, but has affected her ability to jump up and down on couch which we assist with. She appears to be slowing down energy wise however, eating a tad less and not wanting to play when she has her roaming free time- all she wants to do is lay on couch with us and sleep.
Im having a difficult time determining if it's rearing towards her time or if she is depressed due to losing her sister in November. We decided we would hold off on getting more rats for a while due to my allergies being pretty severe with them so unfortunately she's alone. But we take her out of cage for several hours of the day in increments.
What are some warning signs that she may be getting closer to dying? I dont want to wait until her quality of life is completely impacted or too late, but I also don't want to put her to sleep too soon. I want her to be able to have the best quality of life without suffering. Any suggestions would be helpful!
