Unfortunately that sounds about right.
My mom had the bad habit of giving our ratties a big piece of banana every morning, and ended up causing tumors in 5 rats! All of them lived to be about 3 years old, and we didn't operate on any of them (couldn't afford it, and not my choice)
They had realtively happy lives, but had to be put to sleep in the end when the tumors started to open up.
I know that all sounds gross and heartless, but if you don't have the $, you just don't. Your rattie will live a while longer with the tumor, expect to pay $20 to have her put to sleep when she starts to have other problems.
As an added note, I realize that other people don't agree with me that bananas cause tumors in rats, but in my experince they do. Then again, they were getting a piece the size of their heads every morning, and I can't imagine that much potassium (which is radioactive in large ammounts) not causing some sort of cyst on a rat. I play it safe and don't feed banana at all, in fact I try to only feed them a lab block with low sodium content. So far nothing but healthy ratties here.
Good luck, and I'm so sorry you have to experience this. It was very hard for me as a kid...
Anna
Just wanted to give a different perspective on the banana issue. You had given a similar response to the one above to my recommendation of using bananas to give medicine last August on the old board.
The following was posted in response to your concerns about bananas by AG:
"Both of you are right- potassium is safe... and potassium is dangerous. The key factor is how you get the potassium. This is true of many minerals. For example- Chlorine as a gas is poisonous. But- when combined with Sodium, you get harmless table salt.
Potassium is so important to life that its found nearly everywhere, peaches, bananas, tomatoes, broccoli, milk, cheese, orange, carrots, chicken, beef, wheat bran... of course certain foods have more then others. the list goes on. Why is it practically everything? Potassium is the body's primary intracellular electorlite- it maintains fluid and acid-base levels in cells. It is important for nerve tranmissions thus is essential to proper functionign of the brain, heart, locomotive muscles and pretty much every other organ in the body. Potassium also plays a catalytic roles in carbo and protien metabolism.
Potassium overdose is rare- if you down a whole bottle of prescription strength (much much higher dose then what you buy over the counter) you will urinate it out and occassionally it will trigger a vomit reflex. If an overdose is injected right into the vein preventing the body to opt to vomit it out, it can stop the heart. Remember though, the overdose is so high you wont see this occure from eating potassium rich foods, not even in a rat. We use very high doses of potassium (among other supplements) for my cat who had kidney failure. it restored his muscular functioning and appetite and improoved kidney function so that he was able to walk and eat and care for himself all the way up to his death. Sadly most vets think of euthanasia first before treatment for quality of life in terminal cases, so most people's cats with this disease end up unable to walk, suffer muscle spasms, can't take care of themselves or eat and must be euthanised to end this suffering
ALL of my rats get dried banana in their food mixes and fresh banana often as well. Tumours are not that common in my rats, and when it occures its when they are over 2. i had a rat who lived over 3 and finally got a tumour at 3. Tumours are not 100% preventable- if you live long enough and are "immune" to all other disease- eventually you WILL die of cancer (eventually a cell WILL make a replication error- its a matter of time-enviromental influences only encourage it to happen sooner- or to ward it off so it happens later) Now, thats how potassium, found in foods liek banana, is GOOD for us (and rats). What other potassiums are there?
potassium-iodine compound is ironically to this discussion a treatment/prevention for thyroid cancers, especially those induced by radiation exposure. Its given in emergancies of nuclear exposures.
Potassium Bromate is another one- this one though IS TOXIC. IT IS NOT IN BANANAS. It is used to strengthen bread dough. Bromate (not potassium!) causes tumors of the kidney, thyroid, and other organs in rats and mice . Instead of banning bromate, since 1991 the FDA ? with only partial success ? has urged bakers to voluntarily stop using it.
Bromates have been banned in numerous countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada. Many bakers, including Best Foods, Inc. (maker of Arnold, Entenmann?s, and Orowheat brand breads and rolls), Pepperidge Farm, and Pillsbury, have switched to bromate-free processes. Also, some supermarket chains, including Giant, Jewel, Ralph?s, and Von?s, do not use bromate.
Interstate Brands Corp. (Wonder, Home Pride), Schmidt Baking Co. (Schmidt, Sunbeam), Tasty Baking Co. (TastyKake), and Martin?s still use potassium bromate in some of their products. Burger King, Arby?s, and Wendy?s use bromate in buns, and Boston Market uses it in its french sandwich bread.
Finally and most dangerous.... Potassium Dichromate is also a Poison and Cancer Its used for printing on and dyeing of dark wool (blue, black), impregnation agents and corrosive fluids for textiles and furs as well as tanned leather , making cement, making special paints for glass, porcelain and plastics, to make the yellow lacquer for street signs, in the building industry for repair and filling stuffs, in chromium salt solutions for electroplating (chromium screws etc.) and in several methods of treating metal surfaces in fumes during welding, printing photographs, to make explosives and safety matches. It also causes severe burns to mucous membranes,
respiratory tract and skin burns. Avoid Contact with other material may cause fire. Do not breathe dust. Do not get in eyes, on skin, or on clothing.
So- AVOID: bread, rolls, doughnuts, and cakes that list ?potassium bromate? or ?bromated flour? among their ingredients. AVOID letting your rats chew on yellow street signs, painted glass etc. keep Naturally occuring potassium found in fruits, veggies, meats, dairy etc in your rats' diets"
My vet agreed with AG. If you have evidence by your vet or another source to go with your theory please post it for everyone. Maybe there is something to it and something we need to be careful. I reposted AG's information so people can do there own research and discuss the banana issue with their vets. Please do not take this as any sort of personal attack on you. I respect your opinion completely.
