Goosemoose Pet Portal - Please read. Tumor removal questions. Need prayers. VERY nervous.

>.> I forgot my password to my other account, NightmareWolfie, because it's always logged in. And... I had to get my comp reimaged, so it's no longer there. Tried to forgotten password jig quite a few times to no avail.

Alright, so I got this girl from a feeder breeder awhile back. And due to personal circumstances we haven't been able to get her to a vet to remove the tumor on her side. Now, please don't think me ignorant or anything. We really do have legit circumstances that prevented us from geting her in sooner.

And as it is, she has no problems getting around, eats and drinks fine. And has come major ways from the skittish girl she was when I got her. She bruxes and kisses, and is just a very sweet girl, who LOVES to be scratched between the ears. Well, things have settled down to a reasonable, if not great, pace around here. And so we took her to the vet today.

She has her surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning at 7:30am. I am so nervous. We're dropping her off before I go to school, so I'm going to be a nervous wreck all day. She's on 1.5mg of Baytril which she got this morning, is getting tonight, and once tomorrow morning, because the vet said it will help prevent infection. She also said the tumor oes not feel like it is attatched to anything, and that it may be a... melanoma... Carcanoma... ? I'm not sure the word. A noma word. She said that some rats are bred to HAVE specific diseases so that they can be tested on. And then the extras get set to petstores, because people figure they will just be food. Then those that get them as pets have to deal with what these poor things have been bred with.

She gave me three options. She said she can take a tissue sample, and let me know if it's cancerous. (She's thinking she may have breast cancer?). And we can decided whether to bother with a surgery from there. She said we can do the surgery and send in the sample to see if it will come back. And I opted for the third choice of going ahead with the surgery without the tests. This girl we guestimate to be 1 1/2 - 2. And even if it is cancerous and may come back, knowing won't help. We'll deal with that when it comes. I just want her comfortable now.

Well, the vet also said that there will probably be a drain put into the wound so that it heals right or something. They will use either stitches or staples (I asked about the rat pulling them out, and she said keep an ee on her, but it should be fine.). And she also said they will probably give her a little E-collar. And that they will send her home with pain meds maybe.

The tumor removal itself is $65. Plus the $40 anestizia (I know I spelt that wrong), pain meds, etc. Does this all sound good to you guys? Does anything sound wrong or anything? This is my first rattie going under for tumor removal, and I'm very, very nervous.

My mom is going to pick her up from the vet's while I'm at school. I'm going to go ahead and make up her hospital cage. Is it okay for it to be lined with the fleece they use in their cage? Or should it be something different? Should I leave food for her, or will she even bother? Anything I should tell my mom to do for her once she gets her home? Should I leave a cagemate with her or not? I'd rather not, it makes me nervous...

Also, I heard something about using children's tylenol for pain? Does that help?

What about foods to give her when she is recovering? Should I give her, like, the stuff I give my momma rat? Like, the stuff you use to fatten up skinny rats, or what?

Any advice would be appreciated.

Sorry this is so long.

My girlie's name is Bootz.