Hi all,

I did post a thread in 'small animal chat' but didnt get much response so hoping someone can reassure me a bit more!!

I discovered a lump about the size of a walnut on Lou Lou (22 month old female ratty) behind her right leg on monday evening. I was away most of the weekend but didnt notice anything the week before so it has appeared very quickly. I took her to the vets last night and the vet confirmed it as a mammary tumour and suggested it be removed, as she is in good health and still a happy littly girl he is confident she would do fine.

She is going in first thing tomorrow morning and im just really nervous for her Is there any foods i can give her prior to the op to boost her energy? Im just so worried she wont make it through the operation. Im also aware that she could get another tumour afterwards but i want to try my best to give her a little extra life! I got Lou Lou and her sister Thelma from an owner of a pet shop who said she bred rats, but didnt get any other information. The other 2 girls I have (Pixie and Baby) were brought from Pets at Home and they are just a few months younger.

I know I will probably have to face more of these horrible tumours with the other girls, so Im just after any advice from people who have already dealt with stuff like this. Success rate? Operation aftercare? etc etc.

Thanks

Just try and keep things as normal as possible before surgery. You probably already know she won't need starving before as she can't throw up.
If she's pretty healthy and robust as it is, she'll probably sail through the surgery. Aftercare is relatively easy too. Your vet may give her an injection of Metacam, which is a general pet-painkiller and lasts about 24 hours or so. She probably won't need anything after that.

Give her some yummy soft food like cooked plain pasta or baby food when she gets home, in a clean hospital cage with no bedding that can get caught in the wound, fleece is best. Keep her on her own overnight just so she's got a chance to rest and recoup, then back in with her sisters and cagemates the next day if she's perky.

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http://kaedianmori.tumblr.com/ <--- NSFW





RIP - Marsh, Hugo, Mako, Rufus, Seamus, Lavender, BigBoy, Tetley and Fitch <3

I was told that seperating them after an op would be very stressfull and that rats aint stupid and would know to behave themselfs.

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I have got a separate cage that i was going to put lou lou in just for the night, but was thinking about putting her sister in with her aswell, just so she had a bit of company but without all 3 of them fussing over her

Sounds like a good idea. My girl Puffin recently had a very large mammary tumor removed and was bouncing around like her normal self by the next day so please try not to worry yourself too much.

Let us know how she gets on x

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After my Rufus' neuter, we picked him up at 5pm, put him in on his own NEXT to his brothers (within sight and smell), and gave him some quiet time overnight. The next morning he was straight back in with his brothers, it was just to give him a chance to recoup overnight and I certainly wouldn't have separated him any longer than that - I know how ill rats can go downhill when separated for a long period because vets think it's 'contagious', which is rubbish. I didn't want his brothers to start hounding him and having a go at his stitches without him having a chance to get his head out of the clouds (he still looked high as a kite when I got him home)

Also, my rats aren't stupid, they're very inquisitive, pushy even, and will investigate anything new with great gusto, which is why I felt it was neccessary to give Rufus a chance to regain composure overnight.

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http://kaedianmori.tumblr.com/ <--- NSFW





RIP - Marsh, Hugo, Mako, Rufus, Seamus, Lavender, BigBoy, Tetley and Fitch <3

I hope you didnt think I was calling your rats stupid. It wasnt meant like that. Its just that when I asked the same question on the rat shack thats what I was told.

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I practically live on the rat shack, and they always seem to keep a hospital cage for overnight after an op then back into the main cage.
In the case of a sick rat, i.e sneezing etc, separating would indeed cause excess stress as they can't contaminate each other.

__________________
http://kaedianmori.tumblr.com/ <--- NSFW





RIP - Marsh, Hugo, Mako, Rufus, Seamus, Lavender, BigBoy, Tetley and Fitch <3

When my Puffin had her tumor removed I went onto chat and asked what I needed in my hospital cage and I was told it would be too stressful for her.

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I don't tend to go into chat for my advice, I usually wait til jorats herself has had a say, and it does no harm at all to have a hospital cage for just one night. I was covering Rufus' neuter with them every step of the way in a thread and no one said I was wrong for keeping him just next to his bros overnight.

__________________
http://kaedianmori.tumblr.com/ <--- NSFW





RIP - Marsh, Hugo, Mako, Rufus, Seamus, Lavender, BigBoy, Tetley and Fitch <3