Badger has an inoperable facial tumor

cbrown92390 · Sep 12, 2012

I found out that my 2 1/2 year old boy Badger has an inoperable facial tumor. The vet has given him 1-2 months to live. By my vets recommendation he is on a diet of yogurt and peanut butter because the tumor has invaded his mouth and he can no longer eat hard foods. Are there any other rat parents who have gone through or are going through the same thing and have any recommendations as to how to make these last few weeks with him the happiest and most comfortable as possible? Additional info, he also has HLD, a secondary ear infection, and has no cage mates. His bother passed away in April from an ear infection that turned into multiple agressive abscesses and his younger cage mates were attacking him so I separated them. He now lives alone in a spacious single level cage. He sleeps throughout the majority of the day and night and his veracious appetite has rescinded. I know that his passing is going to be soon and I wish with all my heart that it will happen peacefully in his sleep, however I fear that I will have to make the decision for him, like I had to with his brother in April. All I want is to do right by my kid. Please help. Any suggestions are welcome.

lilspaz68 · Sep 12, 2012

Did the vet give you pain meds (specifically metacam) to give him to reduce his discomfort and give him more of a quality of life? If not, then he sounds like he needs to be helped over now.

Do not wait with ZGT (Zymbal's Gland Tumour), they are nasty and invasive but if you keep the rat comfortable they should be okay until its time to go in and have them humanely euthanized.

If its a different tumour say on his jaw, it still needs pain meds, especially if its invading his jaw/jaw.

He should be on a nice liquid diet, You could soak his lab blocks or use the dust from the bottom of the bag, add Ensure, try baby cereal...yogurt and peanut butter a rat cannot live off of and the vet recommended this? I think you should ask your vet his method of euthanzing as he doesn't seem very knowledgeable at all.

He sounds like he's already pretty much in discomfort though, and not very happy anymore. Are his bright eyes duller? If so, make that decision and let the poor lad go. I am very sorry you are going through this, its terrible, but try hard to think of your boy and not yourself (hard hard to do at times with a beloved rattie).

:cuddle: