When to put her to sleep?

[AnnaOwl]

Several months ago, I took my rat Cady to the vets because she has a tumour. They decided because of her age (2 1/2) and because she has another tumour on her uterus that it'd be best not to operate. They told me to just watch her and put her down when she gets too ill.

I just don't know what to do, both the mammary tumour and uterine tumour have become massive but she still eats drinks, goes to the bathroom, she still plays and has fun.
I can't bring myself to put her to sleep when she seems to enjoy life. She has lost weight unintentionally and you could say that means she's suffering but I'm just not sure. I put her in the vet carrier cage and she aggressively attacked it and bit the plastic bits in desperation to get out. She's doing that because she associates it with going to the vets which she hates. If she's that passionate about not going to the vets, it makes me feel like she wants to live.

My question is, do I take her to be put to sleep regardless of her wanting to live? The tumours are just gonna get bigger and I don't know how far this can go on. I'm concerned they'll get ulcers or something awful which will cause pain.

 

[Alan]

Sorry to hear that! I guess only you can be the judge for her though. She probably is experiencing pain though. Without knowing her history and lineage it would be hard to guess how long her lifespan would be naturally too. Rats live anywhere from 2 to 7 years sometimes depending, so who knows. The longer living rats though come from some lines and very good health though. The 7 year mark was reported in a book I read from one breeder that monitored lifespan in her line and was feeding on a special diet and only distilled water so I doubt that’s the norm. If it was me I’d have to seriously consider putting her down humanely to avoid pain. Can you post pics?

 

[AnnaOwl]

Well she came from a breeder but they didn't give me any information on her lineage, I only saw her mum. Her sister Regina who I bought with her died suddenly of what I think was a heart attack so I don't think they have very good genetics.

Even if she could live longer, the vet refused to operate so I am just stuck waiting for the right time to put her to sleep. Maybe you're right, I should do it before it gets worse maybe? She could be in pain and not show it.

 

[ReepacheepTheRat]

I can agree with the vets opinion not to operate, but not with the decision to put her down. For me its more about mood, palliative care and what you're willing to do. If she seems genuinely happy and you are willing to put in a little work for a medicine regiment you could try talking to the vet about long-term painkillers and pain management. Even switching to a vet more open to end-of-life support for animals could help you come up with good pain management protocols.

I've had rats in pain before that I've given liquid infant (I think its advil), and it has made the world of difference. I've also had rats taking prescription painkillers that are very unhappy with tumors (I think this was more related to crazy hormones).

 

[AnnaOwl]

Thank you for your advice. I have booked an appointment at a different vets that has a small animal unit (that's what it says on the website) I'll talk to them about medication and palliative care. I will also try to remember to ask for advil. I still fear that they'll say she has to be put to sleep because of the size of the tumour. One of them is a mammary tumour and the other is a uterine tumour and it's like a big pink ball that hangs near the base of her tail. It's only a matter of time before she won't be able to go to the bathroom. I've been checking everyday to make sure she still can.

 

[AnnaOwl]

I took Cady to her vets appointment today and she offered me a choice of putting her to sleep or giving her steroids which she said should reduce the growth of the tumours. I went with the steroids because she agreed that Cady didn't seem to be in pain and was quite happy regardless of these massive tumours. She said to take her back in a couple of weeks to see how she's doing.

 

[Kimber313]

This is a really hard decision. I myself went through this exact thing twice. Once, I decided not to operate and allow my gal to enjoy life until her quality of life was affected. She had a tumor internally near her bladder and a mammary tumor. Once her mammary tumor got so big, she had trouble getting around and doing daily activities. I watched close and she had trouble urinating so I then decided to put her to sleep. One of my other gals, I decided to operate and she passed shortly after surgery. It’s really hard. There is such a risk with anesthesia at any age, especially when they get older. I would say trust your gut and listen to your vets advice. You could try for surgery and worse case scenario she passes, and it’s really hard not being there with her. Or enjoy the last few months with her. I found feeding a reduced calorie diet and apples helped slow the growth of the tumor as much as could be done. My vet recommended the apples, anti-radical/inflammation properties. I’m so sad for you. I hope your baby does ok. If you decide to get more, or have more, spay as early as you can. It helped a lot with my other females not getting mammary tumors later in life, or at all. But it’s a major surgery for our furry friends. Good luck, kiss your baby for me!

 

[AnnaOwl]

Thanks for your reply and I'm sorry to hear that your rat died after surgery. It is always a risk and I get why the vet declined to operate on my rat but it is awful watching her struggling with huge tumours. She seems happy though in general. She's still eating and drinking and still cuddling up with her rat buddies. I do worry about them hurting her but they don't play fight with her, almost like they know it'd be a bad idea.

I'll try introducing her to apple, I've never given them that before because I wasn't sure if it would be poisonous to rats. If it is anti inflammatory though, that sounds like a good idea.

I have two young rats at the moment and I don't want them to go through what Cady is going through but I'm too afraid to spay them because of the risks involved. It's always difficult decisions with rats, especially females.

Thanks again for your advice