Mrs. Snuggles Goes to the Vet

[rabernet]

I've only talked to a few folks about Mrs. Snuggles, my very first breeder rat. She recently weaned her last litter of 12. When she had her babies, I noticed a slight swelling above her left front leg and was heartbroken.

I knew I really couldn't do too much while she was nursing a litter, and I didn't have another mom to foster off her babies to.

So, this swelling has grown, and after talking to Tim and Monica when we were in Birmingham, they told us that it sounded like a blocked mammary gland and that in their experience, it grows until it eventually bursts and leaves a gaping wound.

Well, I fed off Mrs. Snuggles' litter this past weekend, so I knew it was time to get her into the vet and most likely humanely euthanize her. Dr. C is an awesome vet, he had told me before that whenever my breeder rats needed to be euthanized, he'd do it for no charge.

So, he felt it and didn't feel it was a blocked mammary gland, he felt it was more likely a tumor. He took a needle and tried to see if he could get anything out of it (Mrs. Snuggles was a champ all that time, but she did pee on him). Nothing.

He goes, "take her home, put some warm compresses on it, and see if that helps, but I can just as easily do surgery on her and just pop that on out".

I said "how much money for the surgery, Dr. C. She's an aging rat, and while she's otherwise healthy, I don't want to do un-necessary expensive surgery to prolong her life, and I'd rather humanely euthanize her". He goes "Oh, I'll do it for $20 or $25, just bring her in Friday morning and we'll take care of it. If it was a dog, it would be a $400 surgery".

Um...YEAH!!!!! Of course we're going to do it! I'm so thrilled! She's my little squishy rat, the only rat allowed to run around in the apartment. I get to bring her home that afternoon.

He loves rats, he took extraordinary measures to try to save Noel my Christmas rat last year (she didn't make it for those who weren't here at the time).

He didn't even charge me for today's visit. You guys know he became a hero with Noel last year, today I love him even more!

Here's Mrs. Snuggles when I first brought her home.





So, Becky - question for you - aftercare - I have a separate enclosure for her - can she be on aspen, or what do I need to keep her on?

I'm so happy I get to keep this old rat - she's a fantastic female who is very doting on any other female she's with, and loves babies - so I'll use her to referee unruly weaned females in their grow out tub.

[Fearless]

I am no expert, but i would keep her on paper towels for a week or two and just keep it changed quite frequently.

[SatanicIntention]

Aww! Poor pootus. I know ALL about those darned mammary tumors. Had a hairless girl, aptly named Harry, who had a good 4 surgeries to remove tumors. She kept on trucking until she was a bit over 4 years old.

As for aftercare, yes, aspen is fine. Tell the vet to imbed(subcutaneous) the sutures if he can, and use some tissue glue. They tend to really pick at them if they are exposed. She'll need to be on antibiotics for about a week so she doesn't have a reaction to the suture(it's common). If you need some Baytril, I have about 50mL on hand, and I can easily send you a cc But if the vet has injectable Baytril, you can get some of that and give it orally. It's absorbed better. Also, if the vet can use some injectable meloxicam(metacam) or buprenorphine(buprenex), it will help her recovery immensely.

As far as pain management, find some CHILDREN'S ibuprofen or acetominophen(I prefer the advil myself). Get the Children's, not the Infant's drops. She'll need about 0.2-0.3 every 4-6 hours. They like the fruit flavored, and the grape really isn't a favorite if I remember correctly.

For the first few hours, make sure she's eating and drinking, as well as staying warm. It may take a full night for her to be back to her normal, active self. If you can put a heating pad on very low, under one side of the tank, it will help alot.

For an FYI, rats, males and females, have mammary tissue ALL over their bodies. It's on their back, on their butt, on their neck, everywhere. They are extremely prone to mammary tumors, but the good news is that the majority of the tumors are benign and are easily removed as they are encapsulated(closed off from surrounding tissues).

Hope that helps! If you need anything else, let me know I can even ask my vet to talk to your vet if he has any questions. She's done plenty of my rats' surgeries, haha!

[rabernet]

Thanks Becky! He seems pretty confident in what he's doing, I know he sees other rats besides mine, because he was telling me about another rat he was treating for a hernia.

He did say exactly what you said, the tumor feels encapsulated. I did call back and asked if I should withhold food and water the night before and they said just food, that she could have water.

I'm sure I'll have more questions, and if I need the Baytril, I'll definitely let you know.

[mlededee]

she is such a cutie--i'm glad this turned out to be something that the vet can easily take care of. and i don't blame her for peeing on the vet one bit. if my doctor stuck a needle in my boob i might pee on him too.

[ADEE]

awe, im glad to hear she has a chance!!!

Good luck, please keep us updated how things go ((hugs)) i love rats!

[Entropy]

You have found an amazing gem of a vet Robin. I wish Mrs. Snuggles all the best.

[recycling goddess]

sending rattie hugs to you and her... from me, my daughter and our ratties

[frankykeno]

How in the world did I miss this thread! Anyways, Robin I'm so glad he's going to take such good care of Mrs. Snuggles. I know she's your favorite and I know also it was a hard decision to euthanize her if she was suffering. She's still got loads of life left in her and once she recovers, I'm sure she'll continue to be a happy rat, run herd on the young females and get spoiled rotten by you LOL. Big hugs and let me know how the surgery goes. I'm pulling for her.

[rabernet]

Thanks everyone for the well-wishes! I will definitely post updates on her on Friday after her surgery.