What to do about this tumor

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lindsayfawn

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2008
Messages
5,276
Location
Moncton, NB
Raina's tumor is getting larger and drags on the floor. I've noticed that she doesn't seem to mind it being there and goes on her happy way but there are some areas where it looks a little purple and chaffed. I'm really debating on getting it removed...but this is my pros and cons list.

Pros
-She won't have the tumor
-She could live longer and happier

Cons
-This is the second time it has come back so it's more then likely that it will come back again
-She's 2 and a few months old already and could have troubles healing again
-She'll pull her stitches out like last time


I know I had posted on this before but I really don't know what to do. I just feel like why put her through another surgery when it's going to come back and that's money wasted.
What would you do?

In the mean time would polysporin be ok to put on the areas where it looks chaffed? She doesn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort but I don't want it to get worse.

Thanks
Linds
 
I would have it removed. I tend to look at the rats quality of life. I know it doesnt seem to be bothering her, but it would bother me. I dont know, its alot to think about. My Vroo (rest well baby) had a large tumor under his front leg and I wasnt able to have it removed because he had CHF and it bothered me constantly. Its hard for me to see them with tumors and given a choice, the right odds and the funds...I would remove it EVERYTIME.

Good Luck!
 
I would agree to have it removed if she's otherwise in good health. Rats are very skilled at hiding discomfort - it's their instinct to carry on as normal if they can to discourage predators from thinking they're weak, so I would be concerned that she's uncomfortable but hiding it.

If it's rubbing against things and turning a bit purple and chaffed, I would be very concerned about the possibility of ulceration happening, which can be very painful. I'm not sure how you could avoid that without removing the tumour causing it...

Is this something you could discuss with your vet? They might be able to give you a better idea of what kind of health she's in otherwise and how risky/beneficial the surgery would be.

How quickly does it seem to be growing?
 
The tumor seemed to be growing very fast, about a month ago it was the size of a grape and now it's the size of probably 4 or 5 grapes put together. We had the vet look at her and she said that she could remove it but it will probably come back because this is the second time. She's already spayed which was supposed to help it not come back and it did...I dunno maybe if they had it taken off again they'd be able to get it all this time...It's such a hard decision even when I know it shouldn't be. I should just do it...have it taken off...but then my conscience is like well if it comes back then you put her through an unnecessary surgery. *sighs* I wish there was a pill they could just take to make it go away.
 
For sure it's a hard decision - it seems that it's always a matter of timing, and unfortunately we're all lacking a crystal ball. If she was slowing down or ill, and you could be fairly sure she'd only last another month anyway, then I wouldn't remove it. Or if it was very slow growing and she would pass of other causes before it really started to bother her, I would also not have it removed.

If she's otherwise healthy and if it's growing rapidly, it would make more sense to me to remove it. You could possibly be buying her a few more months in relative comfort (they do seem to recover quite well and quickly from tumour removals). If you leave it, she'll for sure become uncomfortable and you may have to choose euthanasia sooner rather than later. If/when the lump grows back, at least you'll have more time with her before it gets to this size again.

But again, there's that old crystal ball factor. I had an appointment scheduled to have a lump removed from one of my foster boys - he seemed really healthy otherwise and it was growing quickly, so I thought I'd catch it before it got too big. Shortly before the surgery he collapsed and I had to take him in to the vet where he was put to sleep - it ended up being a pancreatic tumour. So random!

It IS so difficult, there are no guarantees. You just have to do what you think is best for your little dudette based on all the information you have at hand.
 
This is an absolutely hard decision. I struggled through it with my Vincent. Finally at 37 months old, I decided I had enough and I was getting the damn thing removed. He did splendid and lived almost 2 months without that monster on him. I wish I had done it sooner but his lungs weren't the best. To me, 2 months sans tumour was an incredible 2 months for him. He was able to go where he wanted, go into igloos and reach his favourite toys. It was well worth it for me.
If it's a matter of money, that's a tough one. At the time, I could well afford it so that made the decision easier. I truly don't know what I would do if I was on a limited budget. :(
 
Well we went to the vet today and dropped off the thank you card and then made an appointment for Raina. The appointment isn't until Oct 8th though which kinda sucks. But Dr.Dunnett is a busy lady and she is the one I want to do the removal. I think Raina will be fine till then.
Is there anything I should be doing for Raina until then while she has to wait? Like something to make it not so chaffed looking?
Yeah the budget really sucks...but with both Ang and I chipping in it's not too bad...it was more of putting her through surgery once again. Hopefully she won't rip her stitches out as badly as last time.
Thanks for helping us decide...needed that extra kick in the butt.
 
I have found a gel called Fuciderm to be very helpful with things like bumblefoot, I wonder if that's something you could try for the chaffing?

http://www.camroseanimalclinic.ca/fuciderm.html

Something like coconut oil might help as well? I would use the extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil, usually found in health food stores.

This stuff, HealX, is apparently a miracle worker:

http://www.exoticdvm.com/index.cfm?fuse ... showIcons&

Forgot to add, Good luck in her surgery and recovery! I hope she leaves the stitches alone.
 
Thanks! I'll have to try and get some of that coconut oil stuff probably would help her a lot. I want her to be comfortable while she waits. I finally got a picture of her tumor. It's much larger then last time.

She wasn't very happy in the picture lol the only way to get the picture was to put her on her back in my lap 'cause she's a squirmy girl lol
Rainastumorsept102008.jpg
 
It's big, but actually not as big as I thought from what you were posting, so that's good! :) The smaller they are the less invasive the surgery (depending on location of course), so hopefully it won't be too bad for her.
 
She's looking so sweet and innocent on her back waiting for the picture. Hopefully it won't grow too fast while waiting.
Did the vet think it was a good choice?
 
It's still doable, I was picturing much bigger too. Good luck to your sweetie. I had Jevy done at 30 months and he died at 33 of a tooth abcess. To rats (and me) 3 months is a long time.
 
Yeah the vet thinks we're doing the right thing, especially where she has a lot of life left in her. She has her kinda down days but I think once the tumor is gone she'll be fully back to Raina :)
 

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