# A hernia in on of my rats... :(



## glider11 (Sep 7, 2011)

I recently discovered that one of my rats, Avery, has a lump on the middle of her lower belly. This lump appeared overnight. I immediately took her to the vet. The vet diagnosed the lump as a hernia. The vet said that we can let it stay and as long as it does not become larger and organs don't become entangled in it.

My only concern is that the hernia has become larger and it has developed something that looks like a smaller bump on it (it looks kinda nipple-ish). I would love to just simply have it removed, but we are having money issues considering my dad is not paying for any expenses and my mom doesn't work. We might possibley be able to spare some money, however I don't know if it's worth risking Avery any pain or a shortened life. Especially considering that the last rat I had passed away from from an amputation operation. 

Has anyone had experiences with this before?

How much will the opperation probably cost?

Is it worth the risk?

How well did your rat handle the opperation?

Thanks so much for any help! I will try to post pics later.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

hernia? any reason in particular why a hernia was diagnosed? huh... sounds more like a mammary tumor to me. is it soft and movable or hard and attached? does it cause her any pain when you touch it? can you get us any pictures? tumor/cyst/etc. removals are not very invasive, and survival chances are high if she's in good health and your vet is good. if she's still young, removal is a good option. if she's older, you can let her live out her days with it, and have her euthanized if it grows too large and starts causing her pain or discomfort.


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## sonicboom (Sep 3, 2011)

Sounds like you should take her back to the vets as the lump has grown.

Also, you should make sure that your vet has experience with rats, and hasn't misdiagnosed a tumor. I know nothing about hernias in rats, only in humans, but whether or not it is a hernia or something else, the best thing to do is speak to your vet. At least then you'll have all the info on what you are dealing with and can then make your decision with the vets advice.


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## glider11 (Sep 7, 2011)

I haven't had the time to bring Avery to another vet yet, but I am going to soon.
Also, I touched and gently proded the lump with my finger. It didn't seem to cause her any pain and she didn't seem to mind. The lump felt hardish, yet a bit moveable.
Her hernia is pretty much the same as it was before, but I had the chance to take some pics.
Here they are:


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## glider11 (Sep 7, 2011)

Update: I took Avery to the vet, but by that time the lump had fallen off! 
Thankfully she didn't need an opperation, just antibiotics and some time for the scab to heal!
Thank you for all your help!


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## HighwayStar (Aug 20, 2010)

It fell off? Do hernias do that?


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## glider11 (Sep 7, 2011)

I'm thinking that the original vet misdiagnosed it, but I am still unsure of what it was.


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## Kinsey (Jun 14, 2009)

Most likely an abscess, was there a scab afterward? Otherwise probably an inflamed milk duct, or a cyst. I had a mouse come up with two of those, perfectly symmetrical. A few months later, they went away without leaving a mark. We thought they were tumors, for which nothing can be done with mice. I still don't know what they actually were but she's happy as ever.


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