More and more problems...stroke, pituitary tumor...?

[Salem The Rat]

Hello again. I have already posted about fund-raising for my rat Salem, who has two big tumors. As I was expecting the surgery to be done by the end of the month, I just realized that she also has other symptoms, that might indicate something more serious. Initially, I thought her difficulty in moving was due to the size of her tumors (both on one side). But now, when she's out of her cage, she frequently walks in circles, confused. And when I call my rats for food, she doesn't respond to the sound or has trouble figuring where to go. And also, last night I had her in my bed for probably 5 minutes, and I found poop later. Two nights ago, she had also pooped on my room's floor, and both are things she has never done before in the 1 year and 11 months I have her. And I looked up on the Internet, and I started reading about strokes, brain tumors, fatalities...

What to do now with the surgery? Is it worth it to have her tumors removed? Does she require extra treatment? Should I put her to sleep? I might as well add that my vet is a small animal/rodent specialist, but has no experience with rats.

I'm just tired of owning animals right now :cuss:

Also: what are the symptoms of pituitary tumors, or brain tumor (I'm confused about these). My rat seems prone to tumors in general, she has these 2 big ones, and a tiny lump developing as well. She has no paralysis of any kind, and she still has appetite and wants to wander off her cage. I'm sad because just when I was about to actually save one of my rats, here comes another problem..which means she, the healthiest, and oldest rat I have, which I thought could live for more than 2 years, will be gone before her time too.

 

[Dahlas]

I am sorry.....Has she been to your vet...it does sound like a PT to me....but I will let others advise you that are better with medical stuff....

 

[Dazzle87]

Try giving her a cheerio, see if she can hold it in her front paws normally.

If she does have a PT, then surgery is a big NO. Prednisone can be given to ease the symptoms until it is time to PTS.

 

[jorats]

I'd give prednisone a try. Poor thing.

 

[Salem The Rat]

Try giving her a cheerio, see if she can hold it in her front paws normally.

If she does have a PT, then surgery is a big NO. Prednisone can be given to ease the symptoms until it is time to PTS.

I'll ask my vet this week and see what we can do. Yes, she can hold food normally and eat it. Also, I forgot to mention that she's more easily irritated now, she squeaks all the time and gets angry with the other rats.

 

[lilspaz68]

Sounds like pain and you need to manage that.

 

[Salem The Rat]

Maybe it could be because she's the alpha rat? She has always been a bit..aggressive. :?

What will prednisone do supposing she has PT?
Also, here, PT pain is questioned.: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=25083

But who really knows..

 

[lilspaz68]

It doesn't sound like PT if she is able to grasp easily and equally with her forepaws...its the classic sign.

Can you take a video of her?

 

[Salem The Rat]

At the moment I don't have my camera, but I will do so later in the day, when she'll be out of her cage. :nod:

 

[lilspaz68]

At the moment I don't have my camera, but I will do so later in the day, when she'll be out of her cage. :nod:

perfect! That will help us a lot since she's not showing classic symptoms at all.

 

[Salem The Rat]

Tomorrow's the surgery...I've never had a similar experience, and I'm afraid that she'll die..it's sad when I'm thinking that this is probably her last day...do you think she has possibilities to survive? She's 2 years old, no apparent respiratory problems (her breathing is normal), and she doesn't look ready to die (even though the tumors are big and make it difficult for her to move around, she still wants to get out of her cage, climbs on the cage bars, power-grooms the other rats-being the alpha rat-and is always interested in food). This is how big her tumors are:

 

[lilspaz68]

I have seen bigger, and her body condition looks pretty good for a tumour like that.

Did you end up ruling out PT?

 

[Salem The Rat]

Yes, and the vet also agrees. She doesn't have any problems when using her paws, grasping the food, etc. All the squeaks she makes, I've noticed that are mostly when she goes to another rat either to steal their food, or does the ''crab-walk'' thing, and kicks them. I've excluded that she's in pain when touched by other rats, because otherwise she sleeps with them all the time. I was about to upload some videos of her, however they all were bad in quality and didn't show anything important.

Are there any preparations I should make for the surgery? Should I, for example, bring a fleece blanket to keep her warm, or give her water and food? Also, what if she has eaten a few hours or less before being operated on?

 

[ratkin412]

She is a beautiful rat!

I would be grouchy too if I had to deal with something hanging off of me. She doesn't know that she is going to be tumor free pretty soon.

Hopefully after surgery she will feel a whole lot better.

Sending good thoughts to you and yours!!

 

[lilspaz68]

A warm comfy carrier is a must, feed and let her drink before the surgery (keep some food in her carrier as well) since rats are unable to vomit there's no need to fast them before hand. Make sure they send you home with oral pain meds for at least 2-3 days after the surgery. Metacam or meloxicam is the most common and effective pain medication after surgery. Ask them if they give a pain medication injection after the surgery and how long it will last. Does she have a gentle friend to be her companion rat today?

 

[Salem The Rat]

I remember the vet had said he'll give her an injection for the pain. I had thought to let my hairless rattie come along, since she's sweet and likes cuddling up-and of course, she's very warm- but there's also the risk of her chewing at the stitches. On the other hand, Salem is really afraid of going to the vet's-she just pees everywhere-and having company would relax her. The vet said she must be kept separately-how long does it usually take for the stitches to heal?

 

[lilspaz68]

Does your vet use actual stitches? or glue for the outside layer?

I put my patients back in with their friends right away, but you could keep her and her nakie friend out for a day just until she's more comfortable. See how she is when you get her home. Cagemates RARELY bug the stitches or incision site on another rat, they may give it a very intense sniffing and maybe a lick or 2, but the real problems can be the patient herself, especially if it hurts, they will lick and pull at it.

 

[mamarat]

Fingers crossed for your sweetie.

 

[Joanne]

Good luck with your surgery - I hope she makes it through OK.
I too agree that the cagemates don't usually bother the stitches. The only concern is if they were picking on her or rough housing. But a quiet companion will go a long way to keeping her happy. And pain meds - they're much more likely to chew at things if they're uncomfortable.

 

[Salem The Rat]

I came back from the vet's 2 hours ago. Salem is recovering, currently she tries to move around (but often falls on her back and crawls upside-down). She even started trying to clean her face up. Half her body is shaven and has some loose skin. At the moment, I was supposed to give her water when she'd come around, I tried however she doesn't swallow it. Is this normal? Will she be able to drink it after a few hours?