Alfie the Rat - Tumours on
the ear tips Alfie is
a happy 18mo old pet rat with a wonderfully calm temperament. Last
November he was brought to me with some strange lumps on the edges of his
ears (edge of the pinnae).
He was happy and eating, and the lumps didn't seem to be uncomfortable. This
was not something I had seen before but I felt sure they were warts,
possibly caused by a virus. I also felt there was a chance they might just
go away with time. I saw him again in January and they had grown in size and
Alfie was now a bit irritated by them. I treated him with anti-inflammatories
which made him more comfortable but he was still not quite himself.
Alfie's ears last November
At the end of March the growths had extended to takeover all the edge of the
ear and were threatening to extend onto his face.
Alfie's ears at the end of March
We decided to operate to remove the pinnae from both ears leaving the
auditory canal intact. We admitted Alfie for the day for general
anaesthetic. The surgery was straightforward though a little difficult
because of his small size. He made a good recovery and within a couple of
days he was back to his normal lively self and showed no discomfort at his
operation sites.
Two weeks later we removed most of the stitches and he was doing well.
We'll need to watch him closely over the next few months to watch for is any
recurrence of the tumours.
Alfie is
a happy 18mo old pet rat with a wonderfully calm temperament. Last
November he was brought to me with some strange lumps on the edges of his
ears (edge of the pinnae).
