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If Your Rat Looks Like This, You Have a Problem

A hairless rat, weird enough by itself, with a gigantic mammary tumor

Side view to further show how absolutely not normal this is

Putting "Buddy" under anesthesia to remove the tumor

The tumor in a bowl following removal.
These owners brought this rat in 6 months ago for this tumor, which at the time was MUCH smaller.  They chose not to operate at the time, so Aaron figured they probably just weren't going to.  WRONG.  This is what he looked like when they brought him in on Friday to have it removed. 

Aaron did a great job at removing the tumor from the poor rat.  It ended up being 25% of his body weight.  Good news:  he looked a TON better following the surgery.  Bad news:  he decided to go to Rat Heaven during his post-op period.  :(

Comments

  1. RELHApril 23, 2011 at 6:14 PM

    oh my goodness! Poor thing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. ElizabethApril 23, 2011 at 6:27 PM

    Totally gross, yet cool at the same time!

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnnaApril 23, 2011 at 8:18 PM

    He died? That's horrible. Poor guy.

    ReplyDelete
  4. FaithApril 23, 2011 at 9:04 PM

    Awww, poor baby. I would have a hard time being a vet and losing patients, so sad Hope that little guy is in a much better place!

    ReplyDelete
  5. birthmothertalksApril 23, 2011 at 10:08 PM

    That is so gross! Poor rat. I think one of the really sad things about having small rodents as pets is that I can afford a small pet but most likely I can't afford costly care for them at the vet. I have spent more money at a vet for guinea pigs and rabbits than the animals themselves had costed. I don't mean to say that they are throw away pets but in my experience in about half the times the treatment doesn't work and the animal still dies. So, I can maybe see why the person maybe was hesitant to do the surgery when it was first discovered.

    ReplyDelete
  6. FranApril 24, 2011 at 5:06 PM

    The poor rat!! Stopping by from ICLW and was not expecting such a post! LOL! I read also your ICLW post though and I'm truly happy for your little girl last year and the vet practice! Leaving you a virtual hug, Fran

    ICLW #131

    ReplyDelete
  7. JulieApril 25, 2011 at 11:49 AM

    That poor thing! I'm so sorry he died...after having to deal with that huge tumor for his last days. Sad. :(

    ReplyDelete
  8. AnonymousMay 5, 2011 at 4:39 AM

    Poor thing, it should have been operated on much earlier. Lots of our rats have had mammary tumours removed, all have survived.

    ReplyDelete

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