My male intact rat "Lucky" has a lump inside hind leg

[jujubeespmud]

Last night I found a lump on the inside of Lucky's hind leg. I also noticed that he does not have normal mobility-flexibility of that leg either. His foot appears quite normal, no swelling or signs of abnormal blood flow. I felt the hind leg muscle on the outside and it is rather lumpy...not normal..It feels stiff. I also noticed a small patch of fur missing on the inside of the groin area, showing his skin at the site. Perhaps he has been biting at it because it's bothersome to him? I do not think it's from any injury and he is by himself in a large Martin's cage...awaiting an intro with my other boy. There is no blood or apparent opening, so I don't think this is an abscess. When Lucky walks he tends to pull the leg around some. Whatever it causing this is worrying me..couldn't sleep last night. Lucky is my precious boy that I saved from a shelter. I do not know exactly how old he is, but with his playful spirit and spunky personality, my guess is maybe 1 yr +?? I did some reading, trying to figure out what it may be. Tumor? If it is, it's not in a good place from what I can see to be removed I will be calling the vet today for an appointment. In the meantime, wondered if I should give some type of anti-inflammatory? Last night I used warm compresses on it and Lucky seemed to find that comforting. Not really sure if it hurts him, but he is obviously not his normal self. Any ideas?

Julie

 

[jorats]

A lump in that location can very much be an abscess, especially if warm compresses seem to soothe him. Your vet might aspirate it and he'll be able to tell if it's an abscess or what kind of cells make up the lump. Hopefully it's nothing serious. I would *not* give the rat anything until you see the vet, he needs to see how the rat walks and acts with the lump. If the rat has some Ibuprofen in him, he might walk better and not appear to be in pain if he is.

 

[xxchelle]

I would give the rat anything until you see the vet

I think Jo means "would NOT"

I agree, it could be an abscess and a warm compress might bring it to a head. I really hope that's all it is, and nothing more serious!

 

[jorats]

Oh god, yes, WOULD NOT. lol

 

[jujubeespmud]

Thanks for your opinion on Lucky. Yeah, after thinking about it, you are correct that I shouldn't give any meds to him as it would "mask" the situation. I was able to speak to the vet and said the same thing. I've made an appointment for Friday for Lucky to be seen. I talked with the vet on the phone yesterday. Obviously she cannot can't say exactly what it is until he is seen, but based on our discussion, it's possible it could be a mammary tumor. I know that males can also have mammary tumors, since they have glands and nipples too, like female rats. I read somewhere though, if it is located in the groin area of a male rat, it could be malignant, unlike the majority of mammary tumors. I asked the vet about that and pretty much it really doesn't matter, since they'd probably remove it or debulk it if it turns out to be just that. I've had rats with mammary tumors before; some where able to be operated on, and others were not. So, I do know about them and know they grow rapidly. This thing popped up over night. I've just never seen it wrap itself around a muscle...or that is what it appears it is doing. It could be inside wrapping around something else which could be a dangerous situation for the rat. So far, I'm keeping him comfortable with warm compresses and lots of love before the visit. He's a special boy. I'll let you know the outcome.

 

[jorats]

Good luck!!

 

[mamarat]

Good luck for your sweetie.

 

[jujubeespmud]

Well, I have very bad news about Lucky's visit today. As soon as the vet started to examine the lump, she said, "Oh, my I don't like the way this feels...it's very hard, it's not a normal adenoma.." She went on to advise me that to remove the lump, she would end up needing to remove his leg. I'm so sad...I can't believe this is happening, although I had a gut feeling it wasn't going to be an easy fix. The vet said she has seen this in rabbits, guinea pigs and hampsters. The tumor is wrapped all around the hind leg muscle. It's probably throughout the muscle as well. The bare spot on the inner side of the leg is most likely were Lucky has been biting at it. She said she could amputate the leg, but she'd need a chest xray first. The surgery would be a big to-do. It could be more going on inside once they got inside of the leg...And he is a big rat to not have a hind leg too. That would present a whole bunch of different issues. And, the pain he would endure. I don't know how old Lucky is either. Another option would be to give some kind of chemo drug, but again, that is only a band aide approach...it will only put off the inevitable. So instead of putting my boy through this, I've opted to take him home and give him the baytril and pred she prescribed . Also keeping the wound clean and use neosporin on it and hope it heals, so maybe he can live another month or two. I know that I'll need to have him pts once the tumor gets too large. The vet said that if his foot starts to become numb (like neuropathy) he may start chewing on his foot. So, Lucky was lucky to have had his home with me these 5 months and I'll be spoiling him from now on out. Thank you for all your thoughts.

 

[jorats]

I'm so very sorry.
Rats adapt very well with the loss of a limb but when you don't know the age or what you are dealing with, makes it a very hard decision.

 

[September555]

Julie...what was the pred for? Just curious? Like Jo says hard to know what and when with age. That's the problem with Bailey, she will be three next month and has respiratory problems really bad...she would never be able to handle surgery with having to put her under. I honestly didnt think she would make it this long with her respiratory stuff, but she is a trooper! Hope Lucky hangs in there.....time for the fountains of love.

 

[jujubeespmud]

Thanks for all your concern for Lucky. The pred was prescribed, I'm sure to slow down the progression of the tumor. I believe the vet gave it to him for this reason, and to allow me to have a little while longer with him. This tumor is aggressive and I believed it from the beginning when I felt it myself. I knew, in spite of hoping it was just a normal mammary tumor, that it wasn't. It's hard sometimes to know when the time is right to put down a pet. Especially if he is eating, drinking and running about in the cage. I do believe I'll know when it's time but I don't want to take any chance of waiting too long either, so I'll need to watch him closely. I'll be doing that anyway since I plan to spend as much time with him as possible.

 

[mamarat]

:hugs:

 

[jujubeespmud]

thanks!