Uh-Oh Norman has a lump

[Pixie]

Hi everyone,

I adopted Norman on January 22nd so just over 2 weeks ago, from henry's_mum. He is a neutered male and his age is unknown but he was with Lyndsy for a year and he was abandoned as an adult. I noticed that he seemed to be losing weight, because even though he is rather large he started feeling boney beneath all that extra skin. Well today I had him out and my friend was over and she was the one to actually notice the lump. We both initially thought it looked like a protruding shoulder blade but upon further investigation we both agree that it is a very hard lump on his right shoulder. I made Norman up some baby cereal and scrambled eggs and he gladly ate those. So other then the weight lose and the lump he seems ok. I give them a mix of regal rat blocks and the extrusion blocks, and then treat them to veggies, fruit and a mix of cereal, sunflower seeds, peanuts and dried cranberries every other day. I have an appointment at the vets tomorrow after work, so hopefully he can shed more light on what this lump is. I not very optimistic, but I am going to keep my fingers crossed that it isn't life threatening.

I weighed Norman on Jan 28th and he was 730 grams
Today Feb 8th he was 711 grams

I tried to take a picture of the lump

 

[lilspaz68]

Does it feel firmly attached to the shoulder or loosely attached under the skin?

 

[Pixie]

I thought it felt attached but upon further inspection it does move up and down, but not front to back, hope that makes sense. It doesn't feel like there is any fluid in it, and there is no head to it, so I don't think it is an abscess.

 

[henry's_mum]

OH NO!!!!!
:0(
Norman lil' dude, you waited SO long for a HOME....
Did you get to the vet hun?

 

[jorats]

I've had rats with smallish hard lumps and can be a bluish tint on the skin. The small hard masses don't seem to be much of a bother, doesn't really grow or change in any way. I'd keep an eye on it. If it grows then bring him to a vet.
The weight loss could be due to the change of homes.

 

[Pixie]

We have an appointment tonight with the vet, so hopefully he can shed some light on what this lump is. i will keep you posted.

 

[Pixie]

Do you think I should take Fiona with me to keep Norman company? Not sure if she will relax him or stress him out, as he is the calm one and she is a little spaz. What does everyone think?

 

[jorats]

You'd be the best one to answer that question. I never bring a companion for my rats... I'd rather have one stressed rat than two.

 

[Pixie]

So I took Norman to the vet without Fiona. I decided it wouldn't be worth stressing Fiona out too. The vet basically said what I expected, that surgery could be done but he didn't advise it due to Normans age. He said to keep and eye on it and see if it grows and keep watching his weight and make sure he is eating and drinking. I wasn't super impressed with his attitude, so I think I will start looking for a better rat vet for the future. The one good thing is that clinic isn't too pricy.

What do others think? Is surgery worth it? or should I just try to give him as much TLC as possible until he no longer has a good quality of life?


Poor Normy, hopefully this thing is slow growing and he still has more time with us. He is such a sweet and squishy boy, Fiona and I will be heartbroken when he does go. :cry3:

 

[henry's_mum]

:hugs: :hugs: :hugs:
Oh boy.....
Which vet did you use hun?
Cavan Hills is the one I go to.
With his age, i'd be leary... Is there anything I can do????

 

[Pixie]

Do be honest I didn't even get the vets name. I took him to Strathy Rd Animal Clinic in Cobourg.

What is your vets name Lyndsy? Maybe I will take him there if they are more thorough.

 

[henry's_mum]

I see many of the vets there, they are all awesome, and thorough.
Dr.Maser is the clinic owner. Whomever you see there, they will be helpful...
:hugs: :hugs: :hugs:
They know Norman, they neutered him, and they all LOVED him!
i'm SO sorry hun...
:heart:

 

[Pixie]

Thanks Lyndsy! How old do you think Norman is? I said minimum 18 months up to 24 months old. Does that sound about right?

 

[henry's_mum]

yeah def. 18+ mnths hun...
awww, the poor wee lover....
Thank GAWWWWD for you hun, anything I can do? Do you want me to call and let them know about you adopting Norman, then they can add it to his file from me, and give it to you?
Does that even make any sense????

 

[Pixie]

Lyndsy: I don't think there is anything you can do, but thanks for asking and don't feel bad. It's not your fault he got a tumor, and I knew adopting an older rat that there is no guarantee on how long he will be with me. I'm just glad he got to spend a good year with you too, so at least the last half of his life has been good. We will just have to take it day by day and hopefully he lasts a little longer.

I will call Cavan Hill tomorrow and book an appointment. If you don't mind me asking what is there examination fee?

The thing I notice the most about him is how bony his spine feels, so I'm hoping that there isn't more going on then just the tumor. But he still seems alert, and is eating and drinking. I gave them some baby cereal and Norman kept pushing Fiona's head out of the bowl and tipping it towards him lol. I will have to weigh him every few days to see if he is maintaining his weight or dropping in weight. And make sure he isn't showing signs of pain.

 

[jorats]

I would keep an eye on it and if it grows, I'd get a second opinion.

 

[Moon]

Weighing is a great way monitor health.

Some lumps plateau and don't grow much for long periods of time, so you may not have to consider surgery if it doesn't bother him. But it can really only be decided on a case by case basis. If he's nearing two and the lump is growing slowly and there's no other issues I probably wouldn't remove it. But if it's growing rapidly it's a different story. Other people like to jump on lumps and get them removed ASAP as they're more easily removed when they're small.