Found a tumor on my rat </3

DarkRatLord3000

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Hello Imgur. I’m Emily I have a lot wrong with me ( A kind of vasculitis called EGPA, 4 messed up neck vertebrae that cause pain and nerve damage, and complex PTSD- to name a few things lol) and my pet rats are my life.. they quite literally keep me going, as the depression has been eating me alive for the last year

My rat Deeble has been sick and already on meds for the last two ish weeks- but in the last, I dunno, two days?? He’s developed some kind of mass below his neck. (There is a video at the bottom of this post) Not sure if it’s a mammary tumor, a cyst, an abscess… ughhhhhhdbfnfnfnd

The fact that it’s become so apparent and visible in this amount of time is highly concerning, and is borderline a veterinary emergency. This is what the 24 hour pet hospital told me. I need to get him in with the QUICKNESS.

So I come to you, humbly to once again ask for help. This community is what allowed him to be seen l and put on his current meds in the first place. It’s incredible to feel like there are people out there who genuinely care about my ratties and I, enough to contribute to our care. (Because- as you know if you’re from the states and disabled- it is like going to war trying to get any kind of assistance. Shout out my social worker)

I’m going to stop rambling now and just share my ko fi link : https://ko-fi.com/darkratlord/goal?g=77 (hope you like my art!?)

thank you so much to anyone and everyone who bothered to read this and/or help us bc I would quite literally die without his sweet and perfect soul in my life.

Have a great day.

Oh I also have Venmo, it’s @emily-Lam-17
Cashapp is $LitigiousGoose

♥️♥️♥️???

He take his medicine so good

Our usual hangout vibes

Eepy

Meds

Took this pic because the sun peeking out resonated with me and made me feel a sliver of hope.

Here’s my depression room because I’m being bf n vulnerable and showing what it’s really like ? trust me I KNOW it’s bad.

Doodle

Doggy Art WIP- was thinking of opening a few commission slots? Probably only 5 for now if anyone is interested??

Mood.

My gallery!!!

Lastly the vid showing his mass as best I can ?

iamtheonewhogers

You’re asking money for a rat?

7 months ago |

He’s a beloved pet just like any other

lozeldatkm

Of the four rats I had, it's surprising I only lost one to tumors. They're so common in ratties, it's not fair.

It’s so not fair…

wblueskylives

Love rats, hate that they only live for a couple years. They deserve many many years being tiny cuties

wylkyn

Same. I can't take that constant heartbreak.

Lutki

It has to do with how fast their metabolisms are. Like heart rate is a pretty solid indicator of lifespan.

I have heard too that domestic rats are just so insanely susceptible to cancers too. Heartbreaking

5meoDMT

Rats make awesome pets. They're like little puppies - you can train them to do tricks - a friend had her rat trained to go through an obstacle course! It's quite amazing

I have always said they are pocket puppies!!! Soooo trainable

Nightcaste

It might be a thyroid tumor. If it can be removed and he's already taking meds for other things, there might not be much difference in his life afterward. Maybe some missing fur.

I thought maybe that or perhaps mammary tumor

I would think that would be behind the front legs but I don't really know rats being the thyroid thing

ScootyPuffThe3rd

I have had a few pet rats. Some of the sweetest and cleanest creatures out there! Just get a bad rep. The first one I had died in my hands while I was petting him. Couldn’t have asked for a better way. I hope yours gets through this though! I know the hurt.

YpsilantiRomani

I'm dubious about them being clean You've seen how they track rats basically the male's drag their testicles through their own pee and they can track that and their feet have pee on them as well and the females is just their feet and tail that gets drag through it

BioFlayerMedia

Love rats, i just cant deal with their Short lifespan

ZeldaShotFirst

I accidentally kept mice when my ball python went on hunger strike and they sold me a pregnant one. Their names included Bianca, Bernard, and Baby B (he had a very prominent "B" in his coloring). Bianca died in my hands, likely from a respiratory infection. Mice and rats are so cool and sweet and smart. All three of the above named would just be so chill, walking around all over me and nesting into my pockets while I was watching TV. I had the same situation with rats, but they all got adopted

angryregistrar

I can't tolerate having pet rats. They live two years if all is going well for them, and I can't deal with that. The 10-15 i get out of cats and dogs is hard enough.

It’s definitely painful… I will say, my rats usually have livelier than two years. Usually closer to 3 and my rat Smokey I used to have lived to about 3 and a half. Anyways… it definitely is painful for me but I know for them, they don’t know their life is short. They just know peace and love their whole life with me. And that’s enough. If they get sick I’ll go into the trenches for them

malfunctionm1ke

Live your best Life, Emily!

Loving my worst life currently but hoping for better days ahead

DrPrune

I used to work with rats in grad school. I would order a dozen very young rats for a project and would always get an extra in the shipment. This was SOP from the company to account for possible deaths or injuries during transport. I kept a few as pets Unfortunately, they wouldn't live much longer than a year before developing tumors. These rats are all highly inbred, which is useful for research so that they all have the same genetic background. Not great for long term health though.

I’ve had 11 different rats in my time keeping them and have only had 3 of them deal with tumors. Also, this could be a cyst or abscess

azarza

here is to luck and a speedy recovery!

Thank you ♥️

TheCrazyMick

Sry, but rats generally dont reach old age in the wild, and when they do, they go hard. Tumors are usually what kills them. I feel bad for ur situation, but spending money on a rat's tumor surgery is just going to result in more tumors. Hope your experience is different.

This is not really true and is an over generalization. As I said, I don’t even know for certain it’s a rumor. Is in an area that could very well be a cyst or abscess. Also there is a variety of tumors rats can get so it’s not really that simple.

jamiedBreaker

You're getting downvoted, but you're right. This girl asks for money quartlery on imgur and has had several accounts doing so. I wouldn't donate.

My experience with rat tumors is hit or miss. I have found a good vet who gives me surgery for ~$300 per removal. Sometimes they don't come back, sometimes they do.... regardless, they usually get at least 6 more months. Neck tumors are death sentences, tho. Too risky bc of their tiny tiny arteries.

Anyone seeing this FYI this person once again making false accusations about me. I’ve had one other Imgur account, first of all. And i have always been transparent in what the money is for when I ask for it. I’ve been unemployed and clinically disabled for over two years. I’ve made posts with proofs of this as well.

MaggotX66

My rat had exactly that. My heart goes out to you <3

What was it??

SirReginaldTheThirteenth

Have your rats ever gotten scared of the bird tattoo on your arm?

It is a dragon actually and no, they fear nothing hahah

drGrafenberg

Take care of the rat and I hope they are not in pain.

BoobJiggle

I just went and did the whole suicide thing, swallowed multiple full bottles of my hypertension medications.

Despite a DNR, they still fucking resuscitated, spent over a week in the ICU trying to get my BP up from basically comatose, and once they finally did, I was informed that I had two choices. I could either go for involuntary hold, or jail. Because apparently suicide is illegal.

Just sharing, don't go my route, it gets infinitely worse.

Been there boobjiggle. I’ve tried twice. The agony of facing the living world after fucking sucked but the rats take the edge off the pain of existing.

We must stay strong, soldier ♥️

Stream only about 100 yards from where I live, found a whole bunch of water hemlock down there.. leaving nothing to chance if/when I get tired of starving

I actually got out of the mental facility earlier than I was supposed to because I looked the shrink dead in the eye and coldly and flatly explained a dozen different ways that I could easily kill myself in their facility, and if they didn't want the lawsuit, they'd best let me go of my own accord. I was out the next morning.

And they can't legally straight jacket you unless you're a danger to others as well, or so one of the orderlies explained.

Fractured three vertebrae, herniated six discs, broke both knees, fractured pelvis, all while enlisted. VA doesn't do jack shit for the pain, because there's an opioid epidemic, so even people that genuinely need it can't get it.

So I sympathize with the level of pain that few people can comprehend, just don't go my way.

yousersubzero13

I am sympathetic and empathetic. I know this pain. 3 rats, Fink Ployd, Ezra, Wuzzles. Ez and Wuz. Ez was my mom's favorite. We had 4 tumors removed from her, and they kept coming back. Finally we had to let her rest. When you cry, you have my tears as well.

It’s beautiful to tried so hard. And that you loved your rats with no limits because that’s how love mine too. Deeb is still full of life, he’s happy and active and eating and drinking. Only as of yesterday would I say his pain became noticeable. That’s why I know there’s no time to waste

I agree. This summer I dropped 12k on brain surgery for my cat. I got lucky. I thought my cat was becoming more sleepy due to old age. Removing a tumor made him act like a 13 yr old kitten. I can only offer moral support, but you've got that, DR3k.

meowingintensifies

Condolences. Might want to focus on the pet's *quality* of life instead of quantity, since tumors come back and they're on other meds. :-/

Well, just to reiterate, this could be an abscess or a cyst- I won’t know until it’s x rated

Rayed**

Which costs money that you don't have and you're begging imgur to pick up the tab. I'm sympathetic to your plight, though I would recommend that you evaluate your financial limits (since you have circumstances that makes working difficult, if not impossible) and make changes to things that you can control. Check out https://www.211.org">-211">https://www.211.org/about-us/your-local-211 and https://www.findhelp.org/

I’m not begging. Im putting it out into the world, and if people are able and want to, they can. I also am trying to see if said people are interested in my artwork, prints, commissions. I’m painfully aware of my financial limits. I have a social worker and lawyer working on a disability application for me. A lot of the time I can’t afford to eat or even get my own medications if they aren’t covered by my insurance… trust me, the guilt eats me alive that I committed to these two pets before it

All went downhill. That’s the thing though, I am committed to them and even if it means I have to have him euthanized, I will shamelessly do whatever I gotta do to ensure he isn’t suffering. People don’t have to agree but they don’t have to tell me not to try either. I’ve… tried to sell worse for them. I’d do it again lol

khaoselement

Ugh, man. My rats were some of my favorite pets ever. They're so much cleaner and smarter than people give them credit. Mine were fully litter trained, they'd do their business in their cage and just roam around freely. I can't do it anymore though, such strong and vibrant personalities and then you only have a few years with them. The hurt was too strong and too frequent. I hope something can be done for yours to get a little more time.

These are words straight from my own brain. Words I also have hurled at people any time they have anything bad to say about rats!! They are cognitively similar to humans… I always say, why do you think they are experimented on so much!? They are proven to show EMPATHY. Their love is as boundless as a dog’s.

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