Sluggish

[RattyRodent]

Not long after my last post, I noticed our boy Ollie was awfully sluggish. He was a bit that way over the weekend, but worse this evening. At times he didn't even want to eat. I picked him up and noticed a tumor on his hind leg. That might explain it. He is over two years old. Is that too old for an operation?

[purple rat]

One of my boys had a tumor removed when he was over 2 years old.  The vet will be able to let you know what your options are based on the type of tumor, location, overall health of the rat, etc.
Good luck with Ollie

[BigBen]

Two years is not too old, but there is always a risk from general anesthesia.  Your vet will be better able to give you an idea of Ollie's chances of getting through the surgery okay.

[gramma2jaakk]

I have one girl left who is 2 1/2 years old now (31 months, if you want to go by months). She has tumors, the vet knows about them and has looked them over. My vet says she wouldn't risk losing D'Arcy with the surgery, not at her age. D'Arcy is still happy, running around and playing. The tumors don't seem to be bothering her at the moment. She is just now starting to get HED, but her hind end problems could be related to the tumor she has growing on the inside of her right thigh.

But it would still be what your vet is comfortable doing. One girl many years ago had tumor removal surgery at 28 months, and lived many  more months very happy. Hoping for a good outcome for Ollie, whatever you and the vet decide!

[BigBen]

I have had both good and bad outcomes, and it really depends on the rat's condition.  Even when the rat seems like a good risk, unforseen circumstances can still lead to an unfortunate outcome.  I've mostly had good experiences having rats over two operated on, so I don't want to sound pessimistic, but I don't want to give false encouragement, either.  I can say, however, that if the rat has no respiratory issues, is in otherwise good shape, and the vet is willing to operate, I'm generally inclined to try.

But you just can't get around the fact that, whether the patient is a rat or a human being, general anesthesia always bears some risk, at any age.

[RattyRodent]

Mrs. Ratty took him to the vet. Turns out it wasn't a tumor, but it was an odd growth. The vet took some fluid out of it and it's supposed to shrink in time. Ollie has perked up and is back to his old self.