Tongue tumor. Healing amazing! Pics 10/18/10.

[DadRat]

Our boy Greg is having some odd behavior over the past week or two. He's on Baytril and Doxy for a URI and has been just...odd with his mouth lately. He's acting sometimes like a dog with peanut butter in its' mouth, licking his chops. We have also noticed he is keeping his tongue on one side of his mouth most of the time. Noticed a little bit of stinky breath today, kind of smells fishy?

He is eating and drinking, although he has lost a little weight. Not sure what could be causing a decreased appetite, many variables: URI, on meds, something wrong with mouth? Someone suggested the antibiotics might be drying him out but he is drinking. He REALLY hates having someone mess with his face in general, so trying to look at/on his mouth is an ordeal.

Any clue? We're not able to get to our regular vet for about a month, but could take him to the local "exotic vet" who may or may not have rat experience.

 

[Godmother]

I wonder if he has an infected tooth. Might be worth a trip to the exotic vet, if you can find one who knows about rats. The bad smell has to be an important sign.

 

[DadRat]

That is a thought. We have yet to be able to get a look at his teeth, he puts up quite a fuss when you try and mess with his face.

But the tongue to the side thing is really weirding me out.

 

[lilspaz68]

I have seen tongue lolling with PT and with mouth issues. I would get him to that exotics vet and not wait until your regular vet comes back. With the smell he may have an infected tooth, an abscess in his mouth, all sorts of things that could go really wrong before a month is up.

 

[DadRat]

Appointment at 3pm today, found someone who has at least seen rats at some point before.

*sigh* Time to break out the old credit card...

Updates to follow tonight.

 

[lilspaz68]

Good luck to both of you!!!

 

[mamarat]

Good luck to your sweetie.

 

[jorats]

Sound like some type of infection. Good luck!

 

[DadRat]

Just got back from the only local vet who has dealt with rats.

Greg has a growth the size of a pea on his tongue. The vet's words, "I have never seen anything like this in a rat."

So, we're trying to get him scheduled for surgery. The vet here can do it on 8/13, trying to get a hold of our vet who is currently 3-4 hours drive away and see if she can get him in Monday. May be an all-day road trip in our future.

Right now we're soaking lab blocks in soy milk to soften them so he can eat easier.


P.S.- Buy lots of MomRat fleece in the fall ....this summer has killed our vet fund between 3 URI's and now this.

Our poor boys.

 

[Godmother]

So good to know what you are dealing with, but that sounds like a tough problem. I have not heard of tumours on the tongue either, but rats get all sorts of tumours.

Thinking of you and the ratties. Definitely need some MomRat liners.

 

[jorats]

Wow... just when you think you've seen it all. That's just something else.
Scary stuff.

 

[DadRat]

Surgery scheduled for 8/9. Will be getting up at Oh Dark Thirty and driving about 150 miles to our vet. She says the surgery is moderate to risky, but something must be done. No vets we have talked to have EVER seen a tongue mass on a rat.

Will keep y'all updated. Also, Greg says crushed lab block in vanilla soy milk may be the best thing ever.

 

[mamarat]

Fingers crossed for your sweetie.

 

[Godmother]

Wishing little Greg a safe journey & successful surgery. I am glad that he is enjoying his soft food! Kisses and banana mash to him.

 

[MomRat]

So, we started our saga at 430 this morning, loaded up gregory and started our 4 hour drive to our vet for surgery. After cussing out chicago traffic we arrived safe and sound and dropped our poor little boy off. Doc doesn't come in until an hour after drop-off time, so we retire to a local coffee shop for breakfast and ...the wait.

As we are checking our email/facebook/etc and enjoying tasty coffee-based overpriced beverages and muffins, the phone rings. It's our vet. Remember, at this point, that she hadn't seen/diagnosed him, she just said she would do the surgery if we chose her over our local summer vet who discovered the issue, and we chose to go with her because she could see him a week earlier. Her phone call is very grim. She is amazed at the size of the growth and very concerned about the dangers of the surgery - cutting, cauterization, etc, all being very real dangers to the function of his tongue, and a rat without a tongue is a rat who cannot live. According to her, no animal can. She again suggests another local vet who has the ability to freeze it off instead of cutting, which we were unable to do because of job/days off/living 150 miles away. We determine to go with the surgery, as the only other option at this point is euthanasia. She hangs up leaving us very concerned and upset, wondering if this is the end.

Jump an hour ahead, we're sitting in the parking lot of the vet just waiting, due to a desire to be close, and lack of other options. Phone rings, unidentified number, wait, they leave a message, its our doc and Gregory is awake and did well! Less cauterization than expected, and he should be ready to go shortly. We happily run in, Greg is bright eyed and barely even staggery, she gives us metacam, recommends that we keep him on doxy for 10 days, and then shows us the tumor, which apparently just 'popped off' his tongue as soon as she sliced the skin open.

Gross pics under spoilers. Yes, I brought it home, took pics, and cut it open(and took pics):

[spoiler:3j0x5w63]

[/spoiler:3j0x5w63]

We couldn't afford a biopsy, so no clue what it is, what caused it, or if(God forbid) it could come back. It seemed self contained, and was like nothing so much as the knuckle of a chicken leg - hard like cartilage and contained in skin, no blood connections, seemed to have no root. But in 6 days it doubled or tripled in size - when we saw it tuesday, in his mouth, it looked like a PEA. She couldn't conceive something so calcified growing so fast, but there you have it. The first recorded rat tongue tumor on the Shack.

Oh, and as soon as we made the 4 hour drive home, Gregory ate a piece of strawberry as big(or bigger) than his tumor. Yay! :dance: :dance: :dance:

 

[smexrat]

that poor boy i'm glad he's doing better! i'm dreading the day i encounter my first rat tumor i've gotten lucky with all my ratties all of witch are petstore rats no pregnate girls or tumors or respitory issues ^ ^

ps. healing thoughts ^ ^

 

[Godmother]

I am so glad :joy: that he made it through OK! That is one gross-looking tumour. Thanks for showing it to us, though. A day doesn't go by that I don't learn something new on the Forum.

Loads of kisses and good wishes to him for a continued good recovery. :heart:

 

[mamarat]

:joy: So glad it could be removed. Sending healing vibes to your sweetie.

 

[jorats]

This is quite a relief!!

 

[Cigar]

Whoa man. How did that eve FIT in your rat's mouth? That's humongous! Thank goodness it was removed. :joy: :joy: