My Ratty has a Lump ;

My Ratty has a Lump ;_;

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Jaleo - 29 Aug 2006 16:02 GMT

Hello,
I'm very worried about my 1 and a half year old male, Rex. A couple of
days ago, overnight a large lump appeared on the underside of his neck.
from what I've been able to see, it's in between the size of a small
grape and the size of a large pea and is somewhat soft. I'd like tog
get a better look but everytime I try to turn him over he squirms and
tries to get away (which is unusual). It doesn't appear to be bothering
him except that he's been much hungrier and cuddlier than usual. I
think he may feel some pain.

Background Info: My ratty lives alone in a single layer cage about 1.5'
wide by 1' deep and 1' high, and I let him out every few days in my
bathroom on the floor and everyday during the day in an area just
outside his cage door for extended periods. He also occasionally rides
on my shoulder. I feed him a variety of foods including: Lab Blocks,
Corn Chips, Fresh Veggies and Fruits, and Seeds. Occasionally feeding
him bits of my supper. I clean the cage every couple of weeks when I
have time and use a bedding of flushable ink-free recycled compressed
paper from PetsMart.

Until a couple weeks ago I had another beige rat named Lee who Rex
shared a cage with. Lee died of unknown illness with symptoms being:
bleeding nose, refusal to eat, crusty eyes, and respiratory problems. I
don't think that this illness is realted to Rex's lump though. Rex may
feel stressed because he is now alone for the first time during the
day.

I read on a rat health site that hsi bump may be a cyst or a tumour but
I'm not able to tell the difference and I couldn't determine what I was
suppose to do even if I knew. I love my ratty and I'd like to be able
to help him but we do not have any Veterinarians who see rodents in our
area. If anybody could provide advice I would be most appreciative.
-Leo*

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Joanne - 29 Aug 2006 21:06 GMT

> Hello,
> I'm very worried about my 1 and a half year old male, Rex. A couple of
[quoted text clipped - 29 lines]
> area. If anybody could provide advice I would be most appreciative.
> -Leo*

Your little guy really needs a vet. He needs to be put on
Septra/Bactrim/Novotrimel. If it's a cyst or abscess this drug should
clear him up.

Where do you live, maybe we can help you locate a vet near you.

Signature

Joanne
Owned by 21 rats.
Webshots: http://community.webshots.com/user/joanneb70

-------------------------------------------------------
~Ignorance is not innocence but sin. *Robert Browning*

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Jaleo - 30 Aug 2006 14:16 GMT

In the GTA, I use transit and work every weekday till suppertime so it
would have to be very close and open on weekends. Strangely his bump is
about half the size it was. Is that good? Or does it mean that it's
just going to come back bigger? :/

> > Hello,
> > I'm very worried about my 1 and a half year old male, Rex. A couple of
[quoted text clipped - 43 lines]
> -------------------------------------------------------
> ~Ignorance is not innocence but sin. *Robert Browning*

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Joanne - 30 Aug 2006 17:34 GMT

Toronto?
There are lots of vets in Toronto, the best one being in Scarborough.
The lump may have gone down if it's an abscess and it's draining but
without proper meds or care it won't just go away. Your rat should see a
vet.
Also, the cage is much too small. 18"x 12" x 12" is good for mice and
hamsters but not rats.

> In the GTA, I use transit and work every weekday till suppertime so it
> would have to be very close and open on weekends. Strangely his bump is
[quoted text clipped - 48 lines]
>>-------------------------------------------------------
>>~Ignorance is not innocence but sin. *Robert Browning*

Signature

Joanne
Owned by 21 rats.
Webshots: http://community.webshots.com/user/joanneb70

-------------------------------------------------------
~Ignorance is not innocence but sin. *Robert Browning*

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Jaleo - 30 Aug 2006 18:26 GMT

No, not Toronto, I live in the suburbs. I don't really want to say
exactly where on the net (I'll e-mail you the exact location) but
scarborough is much much too far. And 18"x 12" x 12" is just the size
of his cage, he has a tiled surface twice that size that I built for
him to roam around in all day (as mentioned in my background info).
He's just in his cage at night.

I read on another site that holding a hot compress on an abcess might
help it to drain. Do you think it would hurt?

> Toronto?
> There are lots of vets in Toronto, the best one being in Scarborough.
[quoted text clipped - 64 lines]
> -------------------------------------------------------
> ~Ignorance is not innocence but sin. *Robert Browning*

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Joanne - 30 Aug 2006 22:06 GMT

> No, not Toronto, I live in the suburbs. I don't really want to say
> exactly where on the net (I'll e-mail you the exact location) but
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> I read on another site that holding a hot compress on an abcess might
> help it to drain. Do you think it would hurt?

It wouldn't hurt and if it's an abscess it will help big time.
You can try calling around to local vets, many don't treat rodents but
are willing to give it a try. You can print out this site, it gives you
all the med list and many vets have found it very useful.
http://www.rmca.org/Articles/dchart.htm

Signature

Joanne
Owned by 21 rats.
Webshots: http://community.webshots.com/user/joanneb70

-------------------------------------------------------
~Ignorance is not innocence but sin. *Robert Browning*

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Jaleo - 30 Aug 2006 23:07 GMT

Thanks for the link Joanne.

Update: When I got home from work today, I found that Rex's abcess had
subsided and drained. He now has no bump on his neck, but a small wound
which I guess it drained from. While inspecting him, I found that he
now has another bump on his shouldblade that feels much harder than the
one on his neck. I put some polysporin on his wound and held a hot
compress on his new bump for about 15 minutes.

On Saterday I'll be calling around to try to find a vet that will treat
him close by, or at least someone to drive me to another one I know of
further away. I've tried calling around before but I never found anyone
that didn't charge hideous prices or didn't sound like a basement
operation.

> > No, not Toronto, I live in the suburbs. I don't really want to say
> > exactly where on the net (I'll e-mail you the exact location) but
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> -------------------------------------------------------
> ~Ignorance is not innocence but sin. *Robert Browning*

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Joanne - 30 Aug 2006 23:20 GMT

> Thanks for the link Joanne.
>
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> that didn't charge hideous prices or didn't sound like a basement
> operation.

This is good news about the first mass. But continue to flush the wound
at the first sight because abscesses can come back. Clean it out using a
saline mix, you could buy those saline mix for contact lenses. I would
clean him out twice a day. And keep doing the compress on the other
mass, hopefully it is just an abscess as well.
But if Rex is popping out abscesses in several places, that would mean
he has an underlying infection going on. And it would be best to get Rex
on Septra.
Some masses are a type of cyst that doesn't cause any harm. They grow so
slowly, that just keeping an eye on it is all it needs.

Signature

Joanne
Owned by 21 rats.
Webshots: http://community.webshots.com/user/joanneb70

-------------------------------------------------------
~Ignorance is not innocence but sin. *Robert Browning*

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Pet Forum / Mammals / Rats / August 2006

My Ratty has a Lump ;_;