I Just took my 3 ratties to the vet the 2 younger boys are getting fixed and will be back later today. but my older boy remmy will be 3 around september and i noticed a bump in his stomach area over this past weekend so i wanted to ask the vet about it. The vet i have is super nice and really awesome with rats! but anyway he looked him over and said that he thinks he as cancer around his spleen area! Remmy is doing ok now though he is eatting and is still active which he said is really good but he wanted me to know i will probably lose him and to watch and make sure if he gets worse to bring him in. I am really worried about it but i am trying not to worry to much sense it seems like he still as a lot of time still and he is not gone just yet! this is also the second rat i had with cancer the first one was zoey and she ended up having to be put down. but as anyone ever dealt with a similar problem? Also if anyone one as some advice or some tips for helping the rats go threw this or early signs to look for i would really appreciate it!
Rat Cancer?
- Thread starter Rucina
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MissGuardian
Well-Known Member
I lost one of my boys, Edward to cancer a few weeks ago.
I think it was around the spleen..
I noticed it on a Monday, and night to Thursday he passed.
He had been to get an ultrasound on wedensday, and never fully woke up again.
I am assuming he would have lived a bit longer if it wasn´t for the anesthetic, but not much..
I do not know how long he had it, but he was thoroughly checked by a vet a month earlier, and he didn´t find anything then..
He was just over a year old.
I don´t have much of an advice.. I would have him(Edward) pts the day after if he hadn´t passed on his own..
I´m sorry I´m not any help, but I wanted you to know you´re not alone..
I think it was around the spleen..
I noticed it on a Monday, and night to Thursday he passed.
He had been to get an ultrasound on wedensday, and never fully woke up again.
I am assuming he would have lived a bit longer if it wasn´t for the anesthetic, but not much..
I do not know how long he had it, but he was thoroughly checked by a vet a month earlier, and he didn´t find anything then..
He was just over a year old.
I don´t have much of an advice.. I would have him(Edward) pts the day after if he hadn´t passed on his own..
I´m sorry I´m not any help, but I wanted you to know you´re not alone..
MissGuardian
Well-Known Member
Might be, but if he´s three years(?), It wouldn´t surprise me if it just happened anyway..Rucina said:
Edward was definitely bad breeding tho.. He was from a pet store(it´s illegal to feed live here(or even keep snakes), but the quality is the same..
Joanne
Well-Known Member
I think that the majority of rats die of cancer of one variety or another. You want to make sure he has a good quality of life. That means watching for signs of pain. Make sure he appears happy, is eating and defecating normally, and can get around. Rats in pain will have a poofy coat, sometimes they will brux, they will avoid contact, their eyes may be dull, and overall they appear sad. They may become nippy if it hurts when you pick them up. There are more signs - there is a thread about signs of pain somewhere here.....
jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
Could the vet remove the spleen? I had a rat with an enlarged spleen once and we *thought* it was cancer. (malignancy can't be determined without a biopsy in any mass) It turned out to be an infection and a couple of weeks of Baytril took care of it.
MissGuardian said:
he may not have gotten it from being a feeder rat. but zoey was only around a year and she came from a horrible pet store! the first time i saw here she was was so sweet and affectionate! but i couldn't get her right away so i came back for her three days later and she was a mess and sooo timid and skittish it was a complete 180! also i never knew their was any where where it is illegal feed live or keep snakes!
Joanne said:
Thanks for letting me to know what to keep a eye out for! he is doing really well still he is really lazy but he is active still and is still eatting really well so i am hoping he will be ok for a bit longer!
MissGuardian
Well-Known Member
I dont think any reptiles are legal here.. If you have certain severe allergies, you can apply for a permit to keep some kind of turtle..(don't remember the name, but one that only eat veggies).. Not many care tho..Rucina said:
jorats
Loving rats since 2002.
Absolutely, anything that goes off in a rat can put him off is food. I'd definitely treat it with antibiotics, no one should ever assume cancer and terminal. There is always hope, these rats are constantly amazing us with their strong will power to live.Rucina said:
jorats said:
well thats the thing he eats a lot! He doesn't refuse his food but he does gain any weight either. i think that is why the vet thought that it was cancer but i could call and see if their was any antibiotics he should be on.
MissGuardian
Well-Known Member
Probably.. But we don't have animal police or ANYTHING like that here :gaah: and the goverment pays like Over 50 million $ every year to keep farmers making fox furs and stuff :rant: when 98% of the people in this country want it to be stopped and/or banned completely..Rucina said:
Animal welfare in this country sucks.. If I were to adopt from a shelter type thing, I had to travel for 8-15 hours.. The shelter around here ONLY take in cats....
[/quote][/quote][/quote]MissGuardian said:
wow that really sucks! I don't know what the fur trade is like here i know a lot of people are against it but a bunch our still for it which is disgusting. thats really surprising that the shelters only take in cats. most here are cat and dog shelters they also aren't to far away either. we also have a lot of rescue groups too. their are also shelters that do wild life rescues and also deal with farm animals their is one around a 1 or 2 away that even does rats! I didn't know it was so different their. sorry that you have a crappy animal welfare. ares isn't perfect either.
MissGuardian
Well-Known Member
[/quote][/quote]Rucina said:
wow that really sucks! I don't know what the fur trade is like here i know a lot of people are against it but a bunch our still for it which is disgusting. thats really surprising that the shelters only take in cats. most here are cat and dog shelters they also aren't to far away either. we also have a lot of rescue groups too. their are also shelters that do wild life rescues and also deal with farm animals their is one around a 1 or 2 away that even does rats! I didn't know it was so different their. sorry that you have a crappy animal welfare. ares isn't perfect either.[/quote]
It isn't perfect anywhere, but this is supposed to be one of the best countries in the world.. Yeah right..... The same animal rescue thing(its all over the country), takes in all kinds of animals.. But not here.. Because she who runs it, only likes cats.... They are trying to start up NSPCA here, but the goverment isn't exactly helpful.. It pisses me off bigtime...
[/quote]MissGuardian said:
wow that really sucks! I don't know what the fur trade is like here i know a lot of people are against it but a bunch our still for it which is disgusting. thats really surprising that the shelters only take in cats. most here are cat and dog shelters they also aren't to far away either. we also have a lot of rescue groups too. their are also shelters that do wild life rescues and also deal with farm animals their is one around a 1 or 2 away that even does rats! I didn't know it was so different their. sorry that you have a crappy animal welfare. ares isn't perfect either.[/quote]
It isn't perfect anywhere, but this is supposed to be one of the best countries in the world.. Yeah right..... The same animal rescue thing(its all over the country), takes in all kinds of animals.. But not here.. Because she who runs it, only likes cats.... They are trying to start up NSPCA here, but the goverment isn't exactly helpful.. It pisses me off bigtime...[/quote]
that really sucks it sounds extremely frustrating! I hope that you get a NSPCA started their. why not trying to start your own rescue?
MissGuardian
Well-Known Member
Because I don´t have the funds, my own place to live, or the healthRucina said:
(I have CFS for one thing, so I live of disability thing at the moment :wallbang: )And yeah, it´s very frustrating.. We are one of the richest countries in the world, but scores very low in school, caring for animals, elderly, roads etc.... :gaah:
