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Chai has had a lump by her genital area for a while. It never seemed to bother her. Some days it was there, some days it wasn't. Some days it was soft, other days it was hard.
The vet didn't have much to say about it other than take her in for testing if it got any bigger.
Chai has been just fine over the last few months. Saturday she was perfectly fine. She had a grand adventure in the bedroom, did tons of exploring... ate a blueberry... hoarded her dinner... everything Chai loves to do. Her lump wasn't even there.
Then Sunday morning rolled around. I fed the girls and immediately knew something was wrong when Chai didn't leave the plastic house. Feeding time is what she lives for. She is the hoarding queen.
I lifted up the plastic igloo house and she was just laying there breathing hard. I carefully picked her up and saw she was sucked up in the abdomen and the lump was MASSIVE and red. I sat her back in the cage while I called my boyfriend. I noticed at this point she was dragging her hind legs as she struggled to get back into the igloo.
I brought the water bottle to her, she drank. She refused Oxbow but took sunflower seeds and blueberry treats. She accepted a real blueberry but didn't eat it.
I figured it was the end so, in tears, I threw all the sunflower seeds and blueberry treats she could want in the igloo with her. I figured if she was going to pass away, I'd let her do it doing what she loves... eating sunflower seeds and blueberry treats.
She wasn't responding to her name... which is very unlike her. I knew it was the end. I had my boyfriend call to try to find a vet who was open on Sundays for something like this.
I watched the other rats stampede in, step on her, and steal all her "treasures" so I decided to seperate her since she seemed like she was getting upset.
Chai is more people oriented than rat oriented. She loves her rat sisters but seems to prefer human affection. I took a laundry basket, lined it with clean towels, sprinkled some paper bedding on it, put the igloo in there with a hand towel inside it, and attached a water bottle close to the opening of the igloo.
Upon putting her in there, she layed down in the igloo. I gave her some sunflower seeds and a couple treats, which she ate. I also left her with a fresh blueberry which she ended up eating later. I offered her water every few minutes in case she was too weak to make it to the bottle.
When I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, I fell asleep. I woke up to her drinking so I checked on her. She was acting like herself. She wasn't in obvious pain anymore. She was highly responsive to her name, HOARDED and ate Oxbow and a blueberry... and a couple sunflower seeds.
The lump is still there as big as it was, but her abdomen isn't sucked in anymore. It is 2am. She fell back asleep in the igloo. I told her if she still feels better in the morning, she can have a play date with her favorite rat friend on the bed. I don't know if I should put her back in the cage... one of the rats is a bit of a bully and Chai seems more content on her own at the moment.
I don't know if I can afford this. If it in an abscess, how do you know? I don't think it is a tumor because it changes size and hardness. I don't know if it is an abscess because there is no "head" on it.
PS. Thanks for listening.
The vet didn't have much to say about it other than take her in for testing if it got any bigger.
Chai has been just fine over the last few months. Saturday she was perfectly fine. She had a grand adventure in the bedroom, did tons of exploring... ate a blueberry... hoarded her dinner... everything Chai loves to do. Her lump wasn't even there.
Then Sunday morning rolled around. I fed the girls and immediately knew something was wrong when Chai didn't leave the plastic house. Feeding time is what she lives for. She is the hoarding queen.
I lifted up the plastic igloo house and she was just laying there breathing hard. I carefully picked her up and saw she was sucked up in the abdomen and the lump was MASSIVE and red. I sat her back in the cage while I called my boyfriend. I noticed at this point she was dragging her hind legs as she struggled to get back into the igloo.
I brought the water bottle to her, she drank. She refused Oxbow but took sunflower seeds and blueberry treats. She accepted a real blueberry but didn't eat it.
I figured it was the end so, in tears, I threw all the sunflower seeds and blueberry treats she could want in the igloo with her. I figured if she was going to pass away, I'd let her do it doing what she loves... eating sunflower seeds and blueberry treats.
She wasn't responding to her name... which is very unlike her. I knew it was the end. I had my boyfriend call to try to find a vet who was open on Sundays for something like this.
I watched the other rats stampede in, step on her, and steal all her "treasures" so I decided to seperate her since she seemed like she was getting upset.
Chai is more people oriented than rat oriented. She loves her rat sisters but seems to prefer human affection. I took a laundry basket, lined it with clean towels, sprinkled some paper bedding on it, put the igloo in there with a hand towel inside it, and attached a water bottle close to the opening of the igloo.
Upon putting her in there, she layed down in the igloo. I gave her some sunflower seeds and a couple treats, which she ate. I also left her with a fresh blueberry which she ended up eating later. I offered her water every few minutes in case she was too weak to make it to the bottle.
When I just couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, I fell asleep. I woke up to her drinking so I checked on her. She was acting like herself. She wasn't in obvious pain anymore. She was highly responsive to her name, HOARDED and ate Oxbow and a blueberry... and a couple sunflower seeds.
The lump is still there as big as it was, but her abdomen isn't sucked in anymore. It is 2am. She fell back asleep in the igloo. I told her if she still feels better in the morning, she can have a play date with her favorite rat friend on the bed. I don't know if I should put her back in the cage... one of the rats is a bit of a bully and Chai seems more content on her own at the moment.
I don't know if I can afford this. If it in an abscess, how do you know? I don't think it is a tumor because it changes size and hardness. I don't know if it is an abscess because there is no "head" on it.
PS. Thanks for listening.
