Has anyone had a rat with a cancerous tumor removed?

I have a male rat who is about 2.6 years old. The vet examined him and believes his hind leg has a tumor in it. It is about the size of a small egg, it is hard and because it grew this size in a month or a little longer and is hard the vet believes it is cancer. Should I let Squeaker live out his life this way or should I have the tumor and his leg removed?Has anyone had a rat with a cancerous tumor removed?
Rats only live for about 3 years... You would not be doing him a favor by having him undergo surgery...





And if they get one... it is bound to come back...





I hate to say it but it might be the best to let your friend go in peace...





I had to let my cat go... at the age of 21... and it was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life... But I realized that keeping him around in pain and illness was a selfish thing to do...





If you really love your freind... Let him go while he is happy...





*HUG*





It will hurt but you need to think about what is best for HIM and he has lived a long, and from the sound of it, a VERY loved life... Don't think of it as 'losing' him, think of it as giving him peace instead of pain.





Good luck, whatever path you choose!Has anyone had a rat with a cancerous tumor removed?
I believe you should not have the tumor removed. Many tumors in the little rodents are benign and so the little guy would be fine. Make sure he is acting normal as usual. However if the skin breaks, or the area around the tumors looks as though it is painful, or the animal is not acting normal (no appetite, not walking around much/ limping)...then it might be time to say your goodbyes to little Squeaker. I've breed many mice that lived with tumors and were the happiest little creatures!
Any rodent can get these at any time in their life. young or old, and I have had one or two that have had them in my time.


But from experience, as the animal gets older I found they have much less chance of a good, and full recovery.


At 2 half years old, No, I personally would not even consider surgery at that age. I love my animals to bit's, and money is never an issue when their health or well being is at risk.


Experience over the years has taught me, when and where to draw the line. However that's my own personal opinion.


The final choice is between you and your vet, he knows the situation better that anybody. He will give you his professional opinion, and warn you of any risks that may be involved.


Whatever that final decision is I wish you both the best.
You can do the surgery and it will probably alleviate some of the discomfort (if any) and maybe prolong his life. But also these kinds of tumors tend to come back time and time again in other places. Both you and your Vet should decide what is best for ';squeakers'; and if going thru surgery at this time of his life is beneficial. Good luck on this hard decision, I have had many like it.
It's odd that your male rat grew a tumor. Typically it's female rats that grow tumors but I guess it does happen in males too. I've never had one removed because my rats have grown them late in life..but I have had to have a couple rats put to sleep because of them. Left untreated, the tumor will just grow bigger. Rats live on average about 2-4 years. Your rat might have another 2 years of life left, and it might not, theres no way of knowing. Its up to you whether or not you want to have it removed. If its not obstructing your rats movement right now then its probably okay, but later it'll grow bigger and you'll have to make the decision of either having it removed or having your rat put to sleep.
i had 2 rabbits that had rumor at their hind/back legs but i put them to sleep cuz i couldnt afford for the surgery


vet said that it will be about 250 for each rabbits which is 500 for both of them