question about Tamoxofin

[wonderrodent]

My vet described Tamoxofin for Chailyn today. At this point I just try everthing I can.
I was wondering if anyone else has used it, if there was success or if it didn't help at all. If it did help I would like to know what kind of tumors your rats had and how it helped.

Thank you!

 

[jorats]

I haven't any experience with it but my vet told me that she would definitely prescribe for me if we ever needed it.

I so hope it works for Chailyn!!!

 

[Vanessa]

I have experience with it. It will only be successful with hormone based tumours, mammary and pituitary. It is a drug that has proven to be very successful for women with breast cancer.
I tried it as a last resort on a female that I had with a cervical tumour. I knew that the surgery would almost certainly result in her death (which it did), and I had put it off as long as possible. Unfortunately, the tamoxifen did nothing to reverse the tumour or prevent it from becoming life threatening.
In non hormonal tumours I have read that you can actually make it worse by giving tamoxifen, so you have to be careful.

 

[Lise]

Astrid I'm curious, was this drug ridiculously expensive?

 

[wonderrodent]

My vet actually told me that it might not help at all. Her tumors (mammary) are hormone based and although she got spayed (so no more estrogen production) it's very likely that her tumors were "programmed" long time before she got spayed.
He said that the ideal is to have females spayed before 4 months of age. Like in female dogs, after the second heat cycle, it doesn't really matter anymore (in terms of tumor growth) if you spay them or not.

Lise, I forgot - is your girl spayed?
Yes, it is expensive. It's $65.00 per month. If you are interested, go to http://www.planetdrugsdirect.com to see if it's cheaper there. You need a prescription though and it takes a while to get to you.
As a supplement, you can give her organic Flaxseed oil with lignan. As an immune booster ( respiratory problems) he also gave me Red Palm Oil. It has tons of vitamine A and E in it. It's like a paste but if you heat it up, it beomes liquid like oil.
Next time, I will start those supplements a lot earlier.

 

[jorats]

A female rat goes into heat very young. I've seen my Nessie at 8 weeks go into heat.
Although spaying is not full proof, it sure has helped all our rats here, we've had them spayed at all ages.

 

[wonderrodent]

That's true Jo. I know you and Shelagh had great success with it at any age. I guess he meant that the success rate is greater the younger they are. In Chailyn's case, she already had a tumor and you could see the beginning of other ones before she got spayed.
Don't get me wrong. I am totally for spaying even if they are a little older. I am just quoting what my vet said.

 

[jorats]

How old was Chailyn when she started having tumours?
I know what you mean... tumours start to develop way way before we can see them and if this process has started then all the spay can do is delay it.

 

[wonderrodent]

She was 15 months old when she had the tumor removed and two weeks later she got spayed.

 

[ratswentberserk]

We used Tamoxifen for one our first girls who had a mammary tumour.
Unfortunately it didn't help at all
According to the Rat Health Care guide it should be used for malignant mammary tumors...