Re: large lump on Hope's back- updated 8/3

[Petunia]

Last night I took Cookie and Hope into bed with me for a little cuddle time, since the other girls are bouncy little brats who won't let any one be :giggle: and Cookie and Hope are my oldest, although certainly not *old* at about 20 mos old.

This made them both very happy and I was happy too, til I noticed that Hope has a lump on her back, right next to her spine.
Not a small one either.


I've only had experience with mammary gland tumors, so this was a shock. I realized that I have noticed something odd about her back for a short while now, but always thought it was the way she was sitting, with her back turned to one side. I wish I had investigated better/sooner.

I am guessing that this must be some sort of tumor- it's a fixed lump and there's no sign of any bites or the like. Hope is kinda my bully girl and it would be very unusual for anyone to get a chunk of her- it's usually the other way around.

Ack! this might explain why she is a bit of a bully....? cuz she's not feeling well?

anyone have any insight into what this might be, other than the two most obvious things, an abscess (very doubtful) or a tumor?

and being right next to her spine- is there any thing that can be done?

 

[victoria]

Abscesses can occur even without an injury, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to have it aspirated before anything else. I'm not sure how operable a tumour in that area would be (it would depend on the vet and the lump) but you may be able to buy some time with Metacam and then Prednisone when the Metacam isn't enough. I'm sorry :hugs: I hope it's an abscess.

 

[Petunia]

Abscesses can occur even without an injury, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to have it aspirated before anything else. I'm not sure how operable a tumour in that area would be (it would depend on the vet and the lump) but you may be able to buy some time with Metacam and then Prednisone when the Metacam isn't enough. I'm sorry :hugs: I hope it's an abscess.

oh thank you! I didn't know that they could get an abscess without an injury. I pray that's what it is.


do you think it would be ok to put warm compresses on it to see if that brings anything up?
it's very solid, it feels as solid as bone to me, but I am afraid to poke and prod it too much because I don't want to her hurt her.

 

[victoria]

A compress won't do any harm but it may be a deep abscess so you may not see results.

 

[Petunia]

ok

 

[jorats]

Do warm compresses several times a day... it can take a couple of weeks if it's a deep one.

 

[lilspaz68]

I had a lump on Alfie burst last night. I thought it was just one of those strange lumps older males get then it developed a scab on top. It can fool you. Try the compresses on Hope...does it seem to hurt her?

 

[Petunia]

I got some photos

It doesn't seem to bother her at all, in fact she seems bothered more by her right ear, I see her scratching at it and cleaning it a lot. I gently wiped it with a damp cloth but it doesn't seem to be dirty, why would she be cleaning one ear a lot like that? Can they get ear "buggies" like cats can?


if you look straight down at her, you can't even tell it's there

cant even tell its there in this view by catnapt, on Flickr


and when she's just hanging out, you can't tell its' there (she looks very pudgy in this shot but she's really not fat):

my Hope by catnapt, on Flickr

you can see it clearly in these two shots- the left side of her back is up higher, that's where the lump is. Or, the left side of her back is higher than the right, like she's got scoliosis or something....!! that's not possible is it?
in this shot, it looks like she's turned to the side, right? but she's not. I have a feeling this has been there for some time, and I always just thought she was twisted to one side and that's why she looked crooked like that.....

as big as it is, it's not even that easy to find it; it's only when she sits with her back curved that it is really noticable.

see how much bigger the left is by catnapt, on Flickr


Hope is on the left (that's Cookie next to her) see the higher area next to her black spot? that's the lump or hump or whatever it is!!

from the back its' on the left side by catnapt, on Flickr



she did fall once off the side of the cage one time but she landed on a pile of fleece and got right back up like nothing happened. I checked out her out then and she had no pain anywhere, and she doesn't seem to have any pain now. Thank goodness!

 

[Petunia]

these should make it easier to see what I'm talking about, also use the cage bars as a guide- she is sitting eating, she's flat on the cage floor, but if you look at the bars, you'll see how much bigger/higher that left side is

I drew a line down her spine too so you can see where the mid line is:


easier to see if you know where her spine is by catnapt, on Flickr

more drawings on the poor girl's back :giggle: but I think this shows best how big this thing is


shows mid line by catnapt, on Flickr

 

[SQ]

If one ear is bothering her, there could be a problem with the ear such as a polyp, infection, etc

I hope that Hope is soon feeling better

 

[jorats]

Is the lump very hard? Gosh, I hope it's not like what my Rylee had.

 

[Petunia]

Is the lump very hard? Gosh, I hope it's not like what my Rylee had.

um what did Rylee have?

yes it's very hard. is that bad or good?

she seems fine, though, and she's stopped cleaning her right ear obsessively so that's good. I spent a couple of hours with them over the course of the last two days and didn't notice any excessive itchiness any more so I'm relieved about that

Don't know what to think about the bump/lump/hump

she's one of the girls who spent most of her first year of life in a large hamster ball and a very small cage

 

[jorats]

When you press down on it, does it hurt her, is there any squishiness at all or does it feel hard like bone?
Rylee had bone cancer.

 

[Petunia]

When you press down on it, does it hurt her, is there any squishiness at all or does it feel hard like bone?
Rylee had bone cancer.

oh I am so sorry.

I haven't pressed down on it, just tried to feel the edges of it, to get an idea of size etc
mostly have just squeezed it, but really gently. It seems really hard, like bone.
& it's gotten bigger overnight.


what happens with bone cancer?
ETA:
nevermind I did a search on your Rylee, oh dear. I don't know what to do, my vet is not totally up to speed on treating rats.

 

[jorats]

If I were to do it over again, I would not have put Rylee through that surgery in the first place. I'd make him as comfortable as possible and wait for him to tell me when it's time.

 

[Petunia]

update and possibly, probably? good news!

her lump has gotten much bigger and now is easily seen, but I pressed down on the top of it, and it's got some give to it! it's kinda like rubbery

oh thank heavens, I think that means it's an abscess or a cyst, right?
I had my daughter check it too, she was down visiting and she said the same thing, it feels kinda rubbery

I'm going to keep doing warm compresses and see if it comes to a head-
I called the vet and since she's going on vacation for two weeks, she put in an order for an antibiotic for her that I can just go pick up without having to bring her in.
The vet said that it could also be a cyst and that those usually break open on their own, anyone have any experience with that? would she need an antibiotic for a cyst?




never thought I'd be so happy about a possible abscess! sure beats the heck out of a tumor, eh?

having rats continues to put a lot of things in perspective for me.

 

[jorats]

That's better news than it being bone cancer. But, not necessarily out of the woods... some sarcomas can feel like a cyst as well.

 

[Unepuce]

Mac had a cyst. It started as a very small and hard lump and grew very, very slowly. Eventually, it broke open on its own... I never gave him anything especially to treat that - then again, he had multiple abcesses, so he was on abs most of the time.

 

[Petunia]

That's better news than it being bone cancer. But, not necessarily out of the woods... some sarcomas can feel like a cyst as well.

crap- should have realized that.... I have only had rats with mammary gland tumors, and while I know they can get pituitary tumors also, I have/had a mental block about all the other kinds of cancers that rats can get.

Just don't want to believe it.........stupid I know. The six girls I have now have been the healthiest of all my rats so far, and I kinda had it set in my mind that they would stay that way.

Of course, four of the six aren't even a year old yet. Hope and Cookie are both about 20 mos, my two oldest girls, but they are so active and look so good, I haven't seen any of the signs of aging that I saw with my first rats.


well, she appears to be doing fine, eating well, bossing all the other girls around as usual, and keeping her eye on everything.

I'll re read the page on signs of pain in rats, and keep a close eye on her.

 

[Godmother]

Good luck! Hope that Hope has nothing serious.