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8 Posts
Hi everyone. These past two weeks have been rough for me and my little guys! It all started with my boy, Basil, and his respiratory infection. The vet prescribed him a heavy dose of meds to be administered for two weeks. We are now one week through, and he seems happy and healthy as ever. But unfortunately, I cannot say the same for his buddy, Chubs.
Knowing how easily the infection could spread, I have been keeping a close eye on Chubs. He seemed to be doing just fine and wasn't showing any of the signs of a respiratory infection. I did, however, notice something unusual. He kept checking his belly. I couldn't tell if he was grooming himself or what. I started to get worried and considered the possibility of the whole penis-can't-retract issue that can happen to male rats. I checked his belly and applied a little bit of olive oil around the penis area just to be safe. When I did this, I did not notice anything unusual. But when I checked him again the next day, I felt a hard, hazelnut-sized lump on the lower right side of his belly. My immediate thought was tumor. I am aware (and frankly hoping) that it is just a firm abscess... but the fact that it is so hard suggests otherwise. I have scheduled an appointment with the vet for Monday afternoon. This is the first time I've encountered a tumor in a rat, and I am just not sure of what to expect.
Naturally, I have been doing tons of research, trying to figure out what this might be... whether it is a tumor or an abscess, whether it is benign or malignant... anything I can get my hands on before meeting with the vet. My biggest concern right now is if this tumor is cancerous. While I want more than ever to simply remove it surgically, I honestly don't see the point in doing so if more tumors are going to come up. If it is benign, I will most likely go with surgery. I am, however, a broke college student, and I am pretty concerned about costs. For those of you that have done this before, how much did your vets charge? I realize it varies from vet to vet, but I'd like to get an idea of what I'm in for before making any big decisions. Also, when your rat(s) had its tumor(s), what symptoms did (s)he display? My little guy was acting totally normal yesterday, but seems pretty lethargic today. The tumor does not seem to have grown since when I checked it yesterday. I am really worried about him and am eager to hear any information you have to offer.
PS- sorry for such a long post! I just have a lot to get off my chest :-\
Knowing how easily the infection could spread, I have been keeping a close eye on Chubs. He seemed to be doing just fine and wasn't showing any of the signs of a respiratory infection. I did, however, notice something unusual. He kept checking his belly. I couldn't tell if he was grooming himself or what. I started to get worried and considered the possibility of the whole penis-can't-retract issue that can happen to male rats. I checked his belly and applied a little bit of olive oil around the penis area just to be safe. When I did this, I did not notice anything unusual. But when I checked him again the next day, I felt a hard, hazelnut-sized lump on the lower right side of his belly. My immediate thought was tumor. I am aware (and frankly hoping) that it is just a firm abscess... but the fact that it is so hard suggests otherwise. I have scheduled an appointment with the vet for Monday afternoon. This is the first time I've encountered a tumor in a rat, and I am just not sure of what to expect.
Naturally, I have been doing tons of research, trying to figure out what this might be... whether it is a tumor or an abscess, whether it is benign or malignant... anything I can get my hands on before meeting with the vet. My biggest concern right now is if this tumor is cancerous. While I want more than ever to simply remove it surgically, I honestly don't see the point in doing so if more tumors are going to come up. If it is benign, I will most likely go with surgery. I am, however, a broke college student, and I am pretty concerned about costs. For those of you that have done this before, how much did your vets charge? I realize it varies from vet to vet, but I'd like to get an idea of what I'm in for before making any big decisions. Also, when your rat(s) had its tumor(s), what symptoms did (s)he display? My little guy was acting totally normal yesterday, but seems pretty lethargic today. The tumor does not seem to have grown since when I checked it yesterday. I am really worried about him and am eager to hear any information you have to offer.
PS- sorry for such a long post! I just have a lot to get off my chest :-\