[echoskybound]

Hello all, I'm trying to make a tough decision.

My girl Zia just turned two years old, and this week I had to bring her to the pet ER for what appeared to be a scab on her neck that ruptured and turned into a protruding growth. I've had her on painkiller and antibiotics for a few days, and had another appointment with a vet today. They're not sure what it is, but it's a fairly big, painful looking growth that keeps opening and bleeding. The vet today recommended trying a less invasive option for now - a topical treatment to reduce inflammation. She said that if the growth continues to grow and bleed, that they could try a surgery to remove the whole thing, but it's likely it will just return. She did say Zia is in fantastic shape for a 2-year-old rat, but was concerned about how well she would recover from an invasive surgery.

I feel kind of terrible just giving my poor rattie drugs and topical treatments with this big bloody growth on her neck, but she's acting like her normal self; climbing, eating, and begging for treats of course. Do I put her through a potentially painful surgery and recovery to buy her more time, or just leave it alone and see how it turns out?

Thanks for your thoughts!

 

[Isamurat]

i would probably try surgery if she's in good shape. At 2 if she's doing well she could have another year in her and it's often better to take action sooner when the op might be less risky than if it had grown or she was starting to suffer. There is risk though so i wouldn't blame you for giving out a bit more time