Can a tumor pop up in a female overnight? Once a tumor has been found, how much time could the rattie have? At what point do you take the rattie in to be put to sleep or do you let things run their course? I will not let an animal suffer, that isn't fair.
Tumor
- Thread starter hyklyst
- Start date
Help Support The Rat Shack Forum:
eagle
Well-Known Member
There are dozens of posts on her about tumors. It really depends on the the tumor and where it is located. Example females are very prone to mammory tumors. Even when you get the tumor removed you stand a chance of it coming back. I just went through my first tumor removal on my girl Josie. My decision was based on the other rats were bothering her (she is alpha) and she was having trouble getting around. Josie is around 22 months and can live for another year.
jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
Unfortunately, mammary tumours are so common in girls which is why I have all my females spayed. It reduces the risk from 90% to 5%.
It can literally pop up overnight but they are not all mammary. It can be an abscess or a fatty mass.
Some rats can live with their tumours over 3 to 6 months while others it's very evident that after 2 months they are having the life sucked out of them.
When a tumour develops, I have them removed when they become golf ball size.
It can literally pop up overnight but they are not all mammary. It can be an abscess or a fatty mass.
Some rats can live with their tumours over 3 to 6 months while others it's very evident that after 2 months they are having the life sucked out of them.
When a tumour develops, I have them removed when they become golf ball size.
jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
:sad3:
It is very expensive...
It is very expensive...
I am really struggling with my emotions about Spice today. The mass has gone from 1/4 of an inch to 1/2 inch in 2 days, it is growing. The tumor seems to be beneath her lowest teet near her hip. If I contact the rescue where we got her from 5 weeks back, they will want us to have her fixed and the tumor removed, which I am against after reading much of what is posted on this site. Most of what I read from all of you says that you removed the tumor and most of the time the rattie has passed in a few months time and/or the tumor has come back. I watched my mother die from metastatic breast cancer and saw how she suffered, I just cannot put a small animal through surgery when the animal cannot convey it's feelings. I adore my ratties....just trying to figure out when to let her go.
jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression...but I've always had the tumours removed and a spay... the tumours never grew back and my females lived a good long life afterward.
I'm so sorry you are going through this... it really is upsetting.
I'm so sorry you are going through this... it really is upsetting.
Moon
Well-Known Member
Often tumors will spring up and grow rapidly, but plateau for LONG periods of time.
I have a girl who's got two fair-sized tumors, that don't inhibit her quality of life or her health in any way. Although lumps are upsetting to find they are not always a death sentence! She has had one for about 10 months, and the other for about 3. She is my oldest girl currently and outside of the lumpies, is the healthiest of my "old" rats.
If you can afford a spay and removal, that's great. But if you can't, you may not need to worry for some time yet.
I have a girl who's got two fair-sized tumors, that don't inhibit her quality of life or her health in any way. Although lumps are upsetting to find they are not always a death sentence! She has had one for about 10 months, and the other for about 3. She is my oldest girl currently and outside of the lumpies, is the healthiest of my "old" rats.
If you can afford a spay and removal, that's great. But if you can't, you may not need to worry for some time yet.
Joanne
Well-Known Member
Two of my girls have had tumors. I had them removed as soon as I noticed them and while the tumors were still small.
The surgery was simple and straight-forward and they both recovered without incident. The bigger the tumor, the more complicated the surgery becomes. For my first girl, I was worried that if I waited to have surgery later, she would not survive the anaesthesia as she had progressively worsening lung problems. For my second girl, she is young ( < 1 year old) so I might have lost her to a tumor potentially much sooner than from other problems. All my girls are spayed now too, just to improve their odds against more tumors.
The surgery was simple and straight-forward and they both recovered without incident. The bigger the tumor, the more complicated the surgery becomes. For my first girl, I was worried that if I waited to have surgery later, she would not survive the anaesthesia as she had progressively worsening lung problems. For my second girl, she is young ( < 1 year old) so I might have lost her to a tumor potentially much sooner than from other problems. All my girls are spayed now too, just to improve their odds against more tumors.
Joanne
Well-Known Member
If you are thinking of euthanizing this girl with the tumor because it is so fast-growing, just make sure it's a tumor before you put her down. Abscesses can pop up overnight. Or a cyst? Fine needle aspiration should be able to give you an idea. And if the tumor is still contained (encapsulated) surgery may be successful even though it is fast growing. I know you are basing your decision on personal experience, but not all cancers are invasive, and some can be beaten. Good luck with whatever you decide.......
