Bleeding and scared

[3ratlover]

In September Lavern was fixed cause she was bleeding a river.  It turned out to be a tumor.  Well tonight we took Shirley out of her cage and she was bleeding out her vaginal area.  She has been on antibiotics for 10 days and now off for 4 days.  When Lavern's tumor by her leg started growing the vet put her on antibiotics to see if it was a cyst but it was not.  We have to rule out it being a cyst cause she has had the antibiotics.  I am scared we are going to go through the same thing with Shirley that we went through with Lavern.  Keep her in your prayers and hope this is not a tumor.

[Bryanna]

An infection maybe? =/

[3ratlover]

yah but she has been on meds for a while but I hope it is an infection.  I know that the meds can cause more health problems.

[scout]

A spay may be able to correct that - she may have a uterine tumor or illness. If she's healthy enough, I'd recommend spaying her.

[LOTR_Ratties]

I'm glad she's getting regular vet care, and I sure hope the vet can figure out what is the matter and how to make her better. It sounds like it may require spaying, though. So sorry you're going through this, especially since you've been through something like this before.
Please keep us updated on your sweet girl.

[QueenRat2007]

Spaying might help, though I wouldn't go ahead until you are sure.
I hope that it is an infection, but it it is a tumor, I'm really soz.

[tonivan]

I personally would get her spayed ASAP if she is stable enough.  I had a girl that was bleeding so bad and so anemic that we couldn't do surgery and without surgery she would not stop bleeding.  We had her PTS that same day we found the bleeding.  They think she had been bleeding for awhile and was grooming the are very well until it was bleeding too much to keep up with.

[3ratlover]

I took Shirley to the vet today.  My vet looked at her and felt her tummy.  She said it feels like there is something in there.  She wanted to make sure what she was feeling so she did an ultrasound.  What she saw was a little mass.  She asked me if the two were siblings.  I don't know since I got them from a pet store.  Next time I will get them from a breeder so I know the history.  Well my vet can't do a surgery on an animal this small so she sent me back to Lavern's surgeon.   I know that Lavern was really sick when she had her surgery.  I did not know that when a rat goes into heat that they do not bleed.  I found out about the time that she would not stop bleeding.  When my vet saw her she immediately said take her to my friend and he will do the surgery.  The funny thing about that is that she had been bleeding so much and the blood she lost in surgery she needed to have a transfusion.  Well this wonderful vet sent his nurse out to buy a rat to give her the transfusion while she was on the table.  This is the the vet that is going to do Shirley's surgery and I am not worried. If he can save my baby Lavern then with Shirley's being way smaller there should not be a problem.  Lavern's tumor in her uterus when taken out was the size of a nickel or bigger.  This vet did such a good job that he cut nothing.  Her uterus was still attached to her ovaries and her fallopian tubs.  It was awesome to see.

[3ratlover]

Well today Shirley had her surgery.  My girlfriend took her and brought her home.  We live in a small town so we had to take her about 50 miles away.  When the vet got in there he discovered that her tumor was on her bladder and close to closing off her urethra.  The tumor was full of blood and was one inch by half an inch.  This is not the vet I wanted to do it.  When I called his office they said they could do it today I did not think about anyone else bing there.  He runs his office by himself.  He went away for the holidays and one of his fellow vets was helping him out.   I am glad I told my girlfriend to go ahead and let him do the surgery cause after words knowing what we know now I am not sure she would have made it tell the other vet got back.  I am so thankful she came out of it so well.  He said it was tough to get out but thinks he got it all.  She is sleeping right now and sometimes winning.  If she is still winning tomorrow I will call my normal vet and see if there is anything we can do for the pain.

[mamarat2]

For a surgery that invasive, they should have sent you home with pain meds??

[lilspaz68]

Pain meds and abs for sure!

Umm...I hate to ask but what happened to the rat bought to give blood for the transfusion?

[3ratlover]

Emma (the rat that gave the blood)  is fine.  She was bought by the vet.  She has never been sick.  This is Lavern's sister that had the latest surgery.  We have had Lavern and Shirley almost 2 years.

[fluffy pluffy]

Poor little Lavern! I hope she'll be ok...How is she right now?

[3ratlover]

It actually was Shirley that had this last surgery (but hopefully we can get Lavern in this week for her surgery).  She is doing good right now.  Today is the first day she has really been active.  She still is sluggish.  She will walk around for a minuet or two and then she will lay down and put her head down like it has taken everything out of her.  Sometimes she will lay there a minuet or two and then get up again.  She is so cute though.  When we brought her home from surgery we put her on the coach so we could keep a closer eye on her.  She fell right to sleep.  Then when she woke up she found my girlfriends neck pillow that was laying on the coach.  She slept in the middle of that all night.  She kept crawling in to it when we disturbed her or picked her up to check her.  We had to put it in the dog cage where we are keeping her tell she gets well.