another one with a PT?!?! please tell me this isn't so...

[Petunia]

I was watching Hope eat and noticed that she's sitting far back on her haunches and resting her arms on the cage shelf to eat
I offered her food, a puffed wheat, but she didn't even try to grab it with her paws, instead reaching up with her mouth (I often have the girls stand on their hind legs for a treat, so this isn't unusual, but I couldn't figure out a way to get her to take it with her paws)

here's a photo of her, see how she's sitting? is that from her age (around 2yrs old) or is that a sure sign of a PT?

Hope has a huge inoperable tumor on her back, beside her spine, and a new very small tumor under her front leg, probably a mammary gland tumor

could she actually end up with three different types of tumors?

This girl came from a CL ad, the previous owner said she got them from a "breeder" but could not provide a birthdate for the girls (I got her with Cookie) nor could she tell me the name of the breeder (she later said she got her from a friend, who got her from a breeder..... :roll: )

in any case, she's about 2 yrs old, give or take as much as a couple of months either way.


Hope by catnapt, on Flickr

this photo is blurry but you can see how she stands up to get a treat, if she can do that, does that mean she probably *doesn't* have a PT?
I admit, I have not read up on these tumors, it just makes me too sad, since losing Cookie recently.


Hope stands for a puffed wheat by catnapt, on Flickr

another even blurrier photo- the small tumor is under the "arm" on the right, the one with the curled paw


Hope by catnapt, on Flickr

what do you think?

does it look like PT?

 

[fenshae]

The way she's sitting is a "tripod" pose I always associate with old age/early HED. All of my oldies will end up eating that way at one point or another, it seems like, once they start to slow down.

PT will be signified mostly by a lack of coordination and confusion. They'll seem to forget what they're doing, or lose basic motor function like holding items. In the picture she's still holding her food with her paws, so I'd say that's a successful cheerio test

If anything I wonder if the tumor near her spine might be putting a little pressure on the spine and making her want to relieve back pain by tripod-ing. But she seems to be standing on her hindpaws OK, so maybe that's not an issue.

 

[Petunia]

oh HUGE sigh of relief!!

No, Hope is not at all confused!! whew!! she is very focused and still very much in charge!

I dont' know if I can bear to lose another the way Cookie went- it was like she was "gone" before she was gone, you know?



yes that tumor is really big. She is looking thin, but I don't know if it's just in comparison to how large that thing has gotten.
I should try to get a weight on her
last one I got, she was around 430-440 g, I think.

 

[lilspaz68]

I agree with fenshae. Once you lose a rat suddenly to PT you are sure you see the symptoms everywhere, I also went through this

((hugs))

 

[fenshae]

It's true. I also had a lot of cases that I thought were PT, but then when I had a *definite* PT case I realized I was wrong.

Glad to hear this little lady's tumors aren't getting her down She's such a cutie. Ginji & Ban could be her brothers!

 

[Petunia]

thanks. Yeh she's a sweetheart. She used to like to be held as much as Cookie did, until she got that tumor, now it's very hard for her to get comfy if I hold her. She will perch on my shoulder but that's about it

I'll take what I can get =)

 

[hopefloats]

I do that now with other symptoms for other things. I think it is normal I would think those tumors could make the girl sit funny. She is a love though! and a tough little bugger as well.

 

[Petunia]

I do that now with other symptoms for other things.

I know what you mean...you start to see things that you saw in your other rats, or if you didn't see any symptoms, you scrutinize them, wondering if anything is developing and if they need to see the vet.
Same thing happened with my cats, and I was at the vet nearly every month til I finally calmed down and realized I couldn't prevent them from getting sick by worrying and watching all the time

it's hard though, it's very hard...

I think it is normal I would think those tumors could make the girl sit funny. She is a love though! and a tough little bugger as well.

she sure is a tough one! :heart: rough with the girls but very polite with me, she always takes food so gently and carefully and politely

 

[Dazzle87]

Aww she's a cutie. What a relief to know it isn't another case of PT.

 

[Unepuce]

Reading your post, I too was to reply it looked more like HED / arthritis to me. Lili is about the same age and at my vet's advice I am treating her with Glucosamine and Chondroitin for arthritis. She does just great on it - she started climbing the cage again to get to the guinea pigs cage! If you still feel muscles in her rear legs, I'd say give it a try! If the muscle mass is just deteriorating completely, that's probably neurological, thus HED.